Denise Harrison
Hi! I am Denise and this is my 5th year teaching at STaRS. I’ve been a member at Shomrei Torah for over 30 years and I’ve worked full-time in the temple office for 10 years. Teaching at STaRS has given me rewards that I never expected. Just seeing the bright shiny faces of these little 5-yr. olds warms my heart! Kindergartners are eager to learn which makes teaching them fun and energizing. I look forward to working with the children every year!
Barbara Whitaker
My name is Barbara Whitaker and I am just so very thrilled to begin my 11th year teaching at Shomrei Torah. I spend weekdays teaching pre-school at Beth Ami, so it isn’t infrequent that I see very familiar, sweet faces here each Saturday. I have such amazing memories of my own Jewish upbringing and look forward to sharing the joy of our tradition and faith with each and every child. As we approach the new year, I will introduce your student to the loving and inspiring traditions that bind each of us to Torah.
Rebecca Armstrong
I am excited to begin my second year of teaching second grade at Stars school. As I review the curriculum, my mind is going over all the ways that I can make the story of “The Exodus” come alive for the students and ways in which the lessons can go deep. I have been a teacher my whole life, starting with an elective at a preschool in middle school, through years of teaching kindergarten through 5th grade, both in schools and with large groups in nature and everything in between. I have rather recently obtained my Waldorf certificate as a way to deepen my teaching. I am learning with my students about the gifts that Judaism has to offer, integrating as I can, step by step, the fundamental ideas into my life, with the help of my family, and in particular my son who is in the b’nei mitzvah program now. I am so thankful that I am apart of such a great team of teachers, faculty and community at Stars.
Norman Eisley
My name is Norman Eisley, and I am very excited to be teaching the third grade class this year! This will be my eighth year teaching here at Shomrei Torah, and this year looks to be packed with a bunch of really neat changes to the curriculum that I think everyone will like.
My wife Sharon and I have been living here in Santa Rosa for about ten years now. Our first son, Benjamin is now about 7 years old, and will be attending the second grade here this year. Our second son, Phineas, is now coming up four years old and is chomping at the bit to join his brother here.
I have a background is in computer-assisted instruction and I taught ESL to children and adults while I was living in Taiwan (I subsequently was Dean of a technical school…but that is another story…) and did research on developing computer-based ESL programs. I am also a semi-professional storyteller and served on the Board for the Storytelling Association of Alta California (which organizes the Bay Area Storytelling Festival – now in its 26th year). My Grandfather was an Orthodox Rabbi and I spent about a year living on kibbutzim in Israel studying Hebrew. I also speak Spanish and Mandarin. I now work for Edward Jones helping people to meet their financial goals (another kind of teaching job I suppose…)
Gal Cohen-Sandler
My name is Gal Cohen-Sandler and I am the fourth grade teacher. This is my fourth year teaching in theReligiousSchool. I lived inIsraelfor 17years. I hold dual citizenship. InIsraelI wad a member of a Kibbutz, lived inJerusalem. Tel Aviv and Herzylia. I was employed in those cities with the Department of Education, working with students with disabilities and behavior issues. InIsraelI served in the IDF as a combat medic with paratroopers. When I returned to theUSAI was the Reginal Director of the Pacific Northwest and Canada Kadima Program Moving toCaliforniaI was the Religious School Principal for 5 years at Beth Ami inPetaluma. For the past 10 years I have worked atSanta RosaHigh Schoolin the Special Education Department with 9th and 10 graders with Intellectual Disabilities. My wife is Jill and I have two daughters in theReligiousSchool. Hannan is in the 4th grade and Rose is in the Bnai Mitzvah class. My father is Matz Sandler married to Jan Harris and my mother in law is Joyce Cohen from Sabastopol.
Chloe Kruskol
Hi! My name is Chloe Kruskol and it is my second wonderful year here in the STARS community! I will be teaching fifth grade and I am so excited for the upcoming religious school year! I am currently a sophomore from SonomaStateUniversityand am from Los Angeles, California. I am a liberal studies major with a sociology minor but my passion is social justice and advocacy. I am looking forward to bringing my love of Judaism and Kehillah Kedosha to the classroom! If you have any questions please feel free to call me at (818) 307-6980 or email me at ckruskol@gmail.com
Marcia Gladstone
Hi, my name is Marcia Gladstone and I consider myself blessed to be your child’s 6th grade teacher. I have been teaching for 45 years, have been involved in Jewish education for 33 years and have been part of the Shomrei Torah school since it’s inception. Eight years ago, I was fortunate to have been named teacher of the year by the Diller Foundation in San Francisco. I have a bachelors degree in elementary education and philosophy of religion and advanced degrees in special education and child psychology. I have taught everything from pre-school to middle school and have a particular passion for students on the cusp of adolescence. I find them insightful, funny and inquisitive. They often have strong opinions which they love to share and yet they have open minds and hearts-any teacher’s dream. I love art, sewing, reading, friends, long walks and Judaism. For me being Jewish and sharing that passion nurtures my soul. I will never teach my students nearly as much as I learn from them. I consider myself unbelievably lucky to be able to do something that brings me such joy. I look forward to getting to know each of you and please know that I am always available to address any questions or concerns.
Aaron Selya
For those of you of whom I have not met, my name is Aaron Selya and I will be the Madrichim Coordinator, Family Education Coordinator and the 7th grade teacher for the upcoming temple school year. Over the past few years I have worked for Temple Beth El inAptos,California. While there, I served as a NFTY advisor, 5th and 6th grade teacher along with teaching various levels of Hebrew. Currently I am working withRick Concoffas the assistant director of teen and camp programming at the Sonoma county JCC. As a product of this temple and its education program I am excited to be back at Shomrie Torah and I am greatly looking forward to working with all of you to ensure that the students receive the excellent education that I was able to receive growing up.