Top-notch teachers and attentive staff!
We pride ourselves on the excellent, caring and nurturing staff at St. James Preschool. Our teachers are certified by the state of New Jersey in early childhood education or hold a Child Development Associate’s degree. Each year, our director and teachers attend the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s annual conference to attend workshops and keep current with the freshest ideas, newest teaching tools and methodologies in preschool education. The 3-day program offers a wonderful opportunity for teachers to brainstorm as well as an invaluable bonding experience amongst the staff, which translates into a cohesive approach to educating your children. Our aides are fully trained in child development and may also hold a CDA degree.
Meet the Staff of St. James Preschool:
Sarah Eggleston, Director
Walk through the halls of St. James Preschool and you will be sure to find Sarah visiting classrooms, chatting with the children or observing teachers. Though Sarah does not teach an individual class, she is a constant presence on-site and develops the same strong bonds with your children as do the classroom teachers. In her administrative role, Sarah takes care of all aspects of enrollment, hiring, teacher evaluations, financial duties and serves as the essential interface between the Board of Trustees of St. James Church and the preschool. After spending 10 years on the Preschool Board, Sarah became the director in 1996. Prior to that, Sarah spent much of her career in marketing on Wall Street, and then worked locally as an office manager for an interior design firm.
One of her favorite experiences at St. James Preschool is seeing the portraits made by the Pre-K students during the annual field trip to Montclair Art Museum. “Every year, those portraits make me laugh and cry,” Sarah says.
Snapshot
Personal: Hails from Roanoke, Va.
Earned a BA in Economics, Mary Baldwin College
Married to John; children Paige and Cary
Interests: Cooking, golfing, gardening, community service
Favorite phrases: Carpe Diem! It’s always darkest before the dawn.
Phyllis D’Angelo, Teacher, Pre-K Program
When Phyllis joined the St. James Preschool staff eight years ago, she brought with her a wealth of teaching experience. After earning her degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, Phyllis spent nine years as a 1st grade, public school teacher in Belleville. Her love of teaching shines through every day she spends at St. James as her enthusiasm helps instill a love of learning in the children. “I want the children to develop a sense of pride in their abilities and accomplishments,” Phyllis says.
Snapshot
Personal: Married with 3 children (2 daughters, 1 son) and 2 granddaughters
Interests: Art, photography and gardening
Words to Live By: “Seize the opportunity, live life to its fullest, and make the most of each day. Never be afraid to take a chance because there are no mistakes, just lessons learned.”
Rhonda Dillon Layne, Teacher, Multi-Age Program
After moving to Upper Montclair more than 14 years ago, Rhonda was looking for a new experience. Having spent years as a customer service representative and a security auditor on Wall Street, Rhonda wanted to work with children. She began her career at St. James Preschool as an assistant and later went back to school to earn her CDA (Child Development Associate). Even though so many wonderful and rewarding moments come from teaching, sometimes it takes a brief absence to appreciate your impact. After one day arriving late to school due to an appointment, Rhonda was pleasantly surprised and pleased to find the children break from their activities to rush over to her with a warm greeting. “They asked me where I was and told me they missed me. That day, I felt like I was the star of St. James,” Rhonda recalls.
Snapshot
Personal: Married to Garfield Layne; children Travis and Ayana
Interests: Gardening, traveling, decorating, going to the beach and swimming
Favorite phrases: “It is, what it is” and “Don’t ever put off what you can do today for tomorrow.”
Nancy Gage, Teacher, Pre-K Program
There is no doubt that Nancy brings a wealth of classroom experience to St. James. Nancy earned her BS degree in Education from Syracuse University and has loved being in the classroom ever since. She spent many years as a 2nd grade teacher in various cities, a Kindergarten aide and teacher in Glen Ridge, and a preschool teacher in Bloomfield before arriving at St. James Preschool 10 years ago. Her passion for teaching is evident to parents and children alike. “It is so rewarding watching each child’s growth and development during the school year,” she says. Nancy forms a special bond with the children and is saddened to say goodbye to the children every spring. But what keeps her coming back to St. James is seeing a new group of eager faces every fall.
Snapshot
Personal: Children Darren (and wife Kim) and Cynthia (husband Myles), grandchild Aidan
Interests: In her spare free time, Nancy enjoys gardening and playing with her grandchild
Favorite phrase: “Enjoy each day!”
JoAnn Kelly, Teacher, Multi-Age Program
JoAnn enjoys the challenge of working both individually with the children and holding their interests during group activities. But for JoAnn, nothing beats being greeted by a bunch of smiling faces every day. “There is no better feeling than the love they bring to us each and every day,” she says. JoAnn has her CDA certificate, has been teaching at St. James Preschool since 2008 and always brings enthusiasm and energy to her classroom.
Snapshot
Personal: Married; child Carlie
Interests: Baking, cooking, skiing, exercise classes such as Zumba, step and toning
Words to Live By: “Do onto others as you wish others will do to you.”
Patty Piegaro, Teacher, Young Fours Program
After six years as an assistant at St. James Preschool, Patty knew she was ready for the challenge of becoming a full-time teacher. Toward that end, Patty pursued her CDA certificate at Montclair State University to become a teacher in the Young Fours Program. For the past 13 years, Patty has enjoyed being part of the learning environment and always takes particular care to listen to the children. By tuning in, she gauges the interest level of the children in an effort to build enthusiasm for each project and activity.
Snapshot
Personal: Married to Marc; child CherylAnne and grandson; pet GoldenDoodle
Interests: Reading fiction and knitting
Favorite phrase: “There is no such thing as I can’t.”
Lisa M. Brown, Assistant, Multi-Age Program
Affectionately known to the children as Mrs. Brownie, Lisa loves reading to the children of St. James Preschool every day. “I love how they gather around me during free play to listen intently as I read to them,” Lisa says. And, as soon as she is done with one book, there is always another book being offered up by another eager child. That kind of special interaction between teacher and the children is what drew Lisa to the program when her own children attended, and led her to the decision to work at St. James. After a career in retail store planning and construction, Lisa was ready for a change. She spent time working at the YMCA in various afterschool programs and later began as a teacher’s assistant at St. James Preschool. Lisa’s hope is that she creates for the current students the same loving and caring environment that her own children experienced. “I would like every child to leave here with a wonderful first-school experience,” she says.
Snapshot
Personal: Earned a BA in Spanish, SUNY, Oswego.
Married with 3 children (all St. James graduates!).
Interests: Scrapbooking, photography, travel, Bible study, running, beach trips, family movie nights.
Favorite phrase: “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” –Unknown
Sue Coury, Assistant, Young Fours Program
As an avid art enthusiast, Sue brings her passion for the subject to the children. In fact, she loves watching their skills in drawing, cutting and pasting progress over the course of a year and takes great joy in the creative process. Sue also finds that spending lunchtime with the children can be very revealing and full of laughter. “If you want a true opinion, ask a four-year-old,” she says. Known for her patience with the children, Sue recognizes that children work at their own pace and praises their accomplishments. During her four years at St. James Preschool, Sue always looks forward to the apple-picking trips in the fall and the family brunch.
Snapshot
Personal: Married; 2 children, 2 dogs, 1 cat, 1 bird
Interests: Art, face painting, animals
Words to Live By: “I am a firm believer in treating others the way you want to be treated—especially in light of bullying. The earlier children are taught what behavior is acceptable, the better.”
Valerie Jones, Assistant, Pre-K Program
Starting off her morning with a warm greeting from the children is one of the moments Valerie cherishes about working at St. James Preschool. She feels that the atmosphere created at St. James is one of nurturing and respect. Every day, Valerie strives to make the children feel comfortable, which leads to a “cheerful, happy, positively charged classroom.”
Snapshot
Personal: Married to Richard; children Brian and Maura
Interests: Reading, enjoying friends and family, attending sports events
Words to Live By: “Every day brings new excitement.”
Kim Vincent, Assistant, Pre-K Program
Not only does Kim work as an assistant in the Pre-K Program, but she also is pursuing a Masters of Art in Early Childhood Education at Montclair State University. Her passion and enthusiasm for teaching is evident the moment you meet her. The best part of the day for Kim is seeing the smile on a child’s face after he or she accomplishes a task for the first time. “I feel there is no job more rewarding than that of a teacher and I hope my St. James students are impacted by my desire to help them grow,” she says.
Snapshot
Personal: Siblings Betsy and Chris (former St. James students)
Interests: Enjoying friends and family, going to the beach, writing, traveling and watching reality TV (her guilty pleasure!)
Favorite phrases: “One person can make a difference, and every person should try.”—John F. Kennedy
“Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”—Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jessica Wein, Assistant, Multi-Age Program
For the past eight years, Jessica brings wonderful energy and dedication to the children of St. James Preschool. And for that, she is rewarded with smiling faces, cheerful morning greetings and sometimes a warm hug from the children. Jessica also has her CDA certificate from Montclair State University and is an invaluable assistant to the morning program.
Snapshot
Personal: Son, Anthony
Interests: Sports, exercise, family travel, baking, going to the beach
Words to Live By: “Everything happens for a reason,” and “It is what it is.”