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Teachers & Staff

Teachers & Staff

Beth Jacob Preschool
Teachers and Staff, 2017-18/5777-5778
 
Robyn Grossblatt, Director
Phone: (678) 244-6659, ext. 242
Email: rgrossblatt@bethjacobatlanta.org
 
Judy Weisberg Thomas, School Administrator
Phone: (678) 244-6659, ext. 244
Email: bjpreschool@bethjacobatlanta.org
 
 
Baby Belugas (infants)
Lida Radparvar
With more than 22 years of work experience at Beth Jacob Preschool, Lida Radparvar serves as one of our Infant teachers. Loving, kind, nurturing, caring, responsible, dedicated, endearing…that is our Lida. She has raised an entire generation of children. Her former “students” are now coming back to her with their own babies for Lida to enjoy! In her free time, she likes gardening and reading.

Hadassah Hennessey
Hadassah Hennessey is no stranger to Beth Jacob as she herself was an infant here at our Preschool when her mother was a teacher. She served as a substitute for several years before becoming full time Infant Morah this past summer. Hadassah is exceedingly conscientious and is always on top of the latest information about infant care protocol. She has her two children in our school: Boaz is in the Chesed Bears and Yiskah is in the Baby Belugas. In addition to raising her children she enjoys writing.
 
 
Precious Parparim (older babies)
Vicki Kayser
Vicki has12 years of experience at our Preschool, Vicki Kayser brings enthusiasm, compassion and spirit to the Infant room. Vicki holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education. The children respond so favorably to her bubbly personality as she brings smiles daily to each of our children. She is the first to help the children learn to walk and talk and enjoys giving back to the community by taking such good care of our littlest students. She also likes crocheting and reading.
 
Little Lions (young ones)
Ashley Kerendian
Ashley Kerendian is in the process of completing her B.A. in Sociology from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She is one of our newest employees and brings a wealth of creativity, warmth, responsibility and care to our children. Ashley helps the students with vocabulary, tactile development and fun. Her patience and encouragement shines as she helps her students develop new skills. Her commitment to enriching children is unmatched. She is creative and imaginative and enjoys sewing, knitting, cooking, and enjoying Disney movies.
 
Helen Altman
Helen Altman has highly organized and goes above and beyond normal boundaries to help her students learn manual dexterity through cooking, verbal communication through songs and Jewish prayers through davening. Helen speaks five languages: English, Hebrew, Aramaic, Farsi and Spanish and holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from The College of Management and Academic Studies (COMAS) in Israel. Helen also teaches Hebrew to our PreK class in the afternoon. She is an amazing cook and likes spending her free time with her family.
 
 
Mighty Barvazim (older ones)
Sara Newmark
Sara Newmark is in the process of getting her Childcare Development Associate certification. What she enjoys most about working at our school is the “Aha!” moment when children have learned something new. She is an amazing asset to the class and has a kind, gentle and encouraging nature with the children which is especially helpful when the students are learning something new. She likes taking care of her children and reading. Her twins, Rosie and Sammy, are in the Ruach Rainbows.
 
Andrea Altman
Andrea Altman might be small in stature but has a big heart in working with children to learn and explore new things. Now in her fifth year at BJ Preschool, she is careful and conscientious with the children and treats them with the utmost respect and warmth. Andrea holds a B.A. in Jewish Education from TI (Touro University) and a Master in Public Health from Georgia State University. She loves to travel and spend time with her family and friends.
 
 
Ruach Rainbows (twos)
Bluma Estreicher
If you look up “patient” in the dictionary you will find the photo of Bluma Estreicher. She has been working at Beth Jacob Preschool for 26 years. She has raised a full generation of children and now their children. Morah Bluma is fun and instills a joy of being Jewish in her Ruach Rainbow class. She teaches with unbounded energy and the children adore her. The two’s are new to verbal skills which Bluma highly encourages but be careful, the children tell her EVERYTHING! She loves reading and bowling. Her dedication to the preschool and commitment to educating Jewish children is immeasurable. She is truly the physical embodiment of the foundation to Beth Jacob Preschool.
 
Zhila Shalieyhasaboo
Zhila Shaliyehasboo is one of the most loving, caring, kind and responsible women on the planet. The fact that she has been working at our Preschool for 22 years is a gift. Zhila is patient and encouraging with children and often can sense a child’s need, which is especially helpful as many of her students are new to verbal communication. Zhila enjoys watching the children grow and mature and relishes playing with them. Though she is a licensed medical technologist, we are grateful that she shares her caring talents with us. Zhila has two grandchildren in our school: Yosef (Chesed Bears) and Yehoshua Lavian (Baby Belugas) and likes to read and work Sudoku puzzles.
 
Sara Radparvar
Loyal, conscientious, hard-working and kind. These qualities describe Sara Radparvar. She has tremendous respect for young children and their different learning styles. Sara is a true team player and is always there to lend her expertise to our preschool classes. She is happy to be working in such a warm, happy and positive environment and likes helping small children to learn and grow. When Sara is not working she like to take walks and read. Sara has been with us for 8 years.
 
 
Chesed Bears (three)
Devorah Diener
Balanced. Fair. Compassionate. Caring. Helpful. Loving. Devorah Diener has all these qualities and more. She is amazing at creating an environment where the children have an even mix of structure and free-play, where they learn self-respect among each other and have a secure feeling that their classroom is their home away from home. Devorah has a BA in English Literature and American History from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She has been with BJ Preschool for 5 years. In her free time Devorah enjoys crocheting, reading and cooking.
 
Rachael Jacobson
Rachael Jacobson is happiest sitting on the floor with the children reading a book, at Circle Time and during Davening. Rachael believes in creating a safe environment for the children to exhibit individual self-expression through drama, pretending and communication. Rachael has been working at our Preschool on and off for 10 years and attended Touro College focusing on Judaic Studies and Education. She enjoys being a part of and watching the children grow and develop on all levels as well as enhancing the community building aspect of the classroom.
 
 
Mitzvah Bees (Pre-K)
Rivkah Estreicher
Rivkah Estreicher is our teacher among teachers. With 15 years of work experience at our Preschool she must know every preschool Jewish song ever written and is happy to teach them to her students. Her creative, energetic and encouraging spirit makes children want to do their very best. Rivkah inspires her students to think beyond normal boundaries and she loves watching the students delve into their thirst for knowledge. Teaching Torah to young children is a passion and strength of hers and it shines through in every lesson. Rivkah holds a BA in Humanities. She enjoys spending time with her family and doing arts and crafts. Esther Gittel, her daughter, is in the Chesed Bears class.
 
Tamar Levin
Tamar Levin could be known as the “Tamar, The Science Gal” at our school. The experiments and projects she creates for our Pre-K class are unbelievably creative and inspiring. Last year she instructed her students to make imitation lungs using a cup, a few balloons and some rubber bands. Her gentle and encouraging demeanor creates a wonderful rapore with her students. Tamar is always bringing something new, fun and interesting to the classroom, which the children really enjoy. She holds a Master of Science in Education and a BS in Geology, both from Brooklyn College. In her spare time Tamar’s hobbies include reading, cooking and baking. Her daughter, Elisheva, is in our Ruach Rainbow class.
 
Jenny Marks
No one can read a children’s book like Jenny Marks. Her animated self-expression brings every book to life in a manner few people can imitate. She is organized and playful, engaging and kind. Jenny encourages independent self-expression through song, drama and art. Jenny has the understanding and insight into the mind of a PreK child and has natural ability to prepare a child for kindergarten. She holds a BA in English from University of Massachusetts and has been with Beth Jacob Preschool for 11 years. Her sons Rueven and Yehuda are in the Mighty Barvazim and Baby Belugas respectively. As you can imagine, reading is her passion.
 
 
Shoshana Radfard
Shoshana Radfard has been with Beth Jacob Preschool for more than two decades. Her warm and natural “mothering” persona makes her a teacher everyone adores. Shoshana relishes the one-on-one interaction with the children and they love her dearly. She serves as our #1 support to our teachers who gives them a break so they can stay refreshed and attentive to our students. In her spare time, she works on developing a website to enhance Sephardic connections and being with her family. Her first grandchild was born this year!
Sat, April 21 2018 6 Iyyar 5778