To contact a teacher, use the school email address: use first letter of the teacher's first name followed by the last name@sdfrenchschool.org Example: Paul Simon would be psimon@sdfrenchschool.org

• Valérie Albatro

  Originally from Provence, Valérie has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Foreign Languages (English and Spanish) and Economics from University of Aix-en-Provence. She worked for 7 years in advertising in Prague and London before she decided to move to teaching. She was accredited in 2007 to teach English in preschools and elementary schools and has a teaching certification from Oxford Seminars. In 2008, she moved to China where she taught for 3 years at Beijing International French School in a bilingual environment from K to 5th grade. She arrived in San Diego in 2011 and she has been working as a substitute teacher at SDFAS for 3 years from PK0 to 5th grade. She speaks French, English, Spanish and basics of Chinese. She loves travelling, meeting with new people and cultures. She also enjoys walking, cycling and practicing pilates.

• Cathleen Anderson

  Ms Anderson is a native of Southern California, where she studied education at San Diego State University and began her career as a teacher. After traveling across Europe in 2009, she took a course to earn her certification in teaching English as a second language (TESOL). Teaching abroad for 2 years in Turkey and South Korea provided her an opportunity to teach children in different social, economic and cultural backgrounds that broadened her teaching experiences. She loves traveling and while abroad also visited such amazing places as Germany, Greece, China, Taiwan, Thailand and the Czech Republic. Ms Anderson loves using creative/artistic approaches to her curriculum, and in her spare time enjoys reading historical fiction, visiting museums, practicing yoga and playing beach volleyball!

• Murielle Brimaldi-Jensen

  Murielle is French-American and has been teaching pre-elementary and kindergarten for the past 14 years. She worked as an activity coordinator for children's summer programs in Italy, Switzerland, Greece, The Bahamas and Mexico. She then moved to the United States and began her teaching career at the Portland French School in Oregon. She moved on to teach at L'Ecole Française du Maine where she was a teacher and the curriculum coordinator for the pre-elementary and elementary grades. During her tenure in Maine, she taught CP and CE1 and was the study hall tutor for elementary grades. With her excellent experience as a first grade teacher and as a curriculum coordinator, Murielle is a well-rounded addition to the elementary school faculty.

• Bertrand Bago

  Born in the northeast of France, near the border of Switzerland and Germany, Bertrand trained to become a certified teacher for the Ministry of Education. He taught in Strasbourg for four years before moving to San Francisco where he spent five years teaching at the French-American Lycée. He settled in Singapore, South-East Asia in 2006 and taught eight years at the French International Lycée, specializing in the bilingual track in 4th and 5th grade. His passion for travels took him to many countries in Asia and the Australia region during his years in Asia. His spouse, Laurence, works at the school and they have two children Ulysse and Justine who benefit from the bilingual education at SDFAS and enjoy their life in the US.

• Aline Bunod

  Mrs. Bunod has taught for several years at San Diego French-American School at both the lower and middle school levels. She took a brief hiatus when her husband was transferred to Canada. She is a credentialed teacher (French Diploma: Capes), holds a Master's Degree plus one year (French diploma: DEA) from La Sorbonne, Paris. She taught for several years in Paris, and in Montreal for a year (in a French-accredited School),,and six years at San Diego French-American School. She is the author of the introduction of two books: Frankenstein (Mary Shelley) and L'homme au Sable (Hoffmann) for the French editor Garnier Flammarion. She is married and has one son and one daughter.

• Francis Carlier

  Originally from Bayonne (Pyrénées Atlantiques), Mr. Carlier studied at the Schools of Fine Arts in Pau and Lyon before his military service. He then enrolled at the University of Toulouse Le Mirail where he earned his Bachelor's Degree in Art History. After teaching art in middle school for a year, he completed his Masters of Education at the Academy of Versailles. He taught at the French school for two years in Portland, Oregon and then moved to the east coast to join the faculty of L'Ecole Française du Maine, where he worked for three years before joining SDFAS. Since 2011, Francis has been the director of the Lower School, and he also continues teaching, as he loves to keep in touch with the students. In San Diego, he discovered a new passion: surfing.

• Hélène Caudron

  Born in the North of France, Hélène studied in Lille where she obtained her teaching credentials. During an internship in a French school in Africa, she got her first taste of teaching outside of France. When she started out as a teacher, she had multi-grade classes, and learned all about differentiated teaching. She is passionate about languages and spent two years in Asia doing research for her masters in applied linguistics. She loves discovering new places, traveling, and bicycle touring.

• Anne-Laure Denis

  Born in Brittany, France, Anne-Laure studied in Vannes and Rennes for her B.S in physics. She then earned the CAPES (credential) in physical chemistry after four years of teaching math and science at junior and high school levels. For the past four years, she has been teaching Physics and Chemistry at a private school in Brittany, St. Paul of Vannes, where she served as the coordinator of the science faculty. Anne-Laure is particularly interested in making science accessible to all students through hands-on experiments and projects as well as field trips. She enjoys sharing science with her students, because it is a subject that applies to their everyday lives. She has also organized numerous study trips for her students in Germany, England, Italy and Turkey. Her hobbies are music (guitar and vocals) and sports (jogging, tennis, ping pong).

• Sandrine Fabre

  Originally from the South of France, Sandrine studied at the University of Montpellier where in 1996 she obtained a BA in Economics. After working in accounting, she went back to her initial passion: teaching. In 2000 she obtained her French elementary teacher’s certificate. She taught for 8 years in French Guyana, one year in the Grande Comore, and 5 years in France. Thanks to her wide range of experience, she has developed great adaptability and many teaching tools. Sandrine taught classes ranging from PK1 to 5th grade. In 2011, wanting to learn more about teaching students with cognitive impairments, she went back to University and obtained a certificate for specialty teachers. Sandrine shares her free time between her family and her hobbies : fitness, reading, and travelling. She has visited more than 30 countries! She will join the SDFAS team along with her husband Nicolas, a teacher as well, and her son Mahé.

• Laura Gebeau

  Ms. Gebeau moved to San Diego in 2004 from New Jersey, where she taught second grade for four years. She holds a Degree in Early Childhood Education and Biology. She has a strong passion for children and loves the joy that they bring to the world. She enjoys traveling, playing tennis, running and hiking.

• Christopher Casler-Goncalves

  Mr "G" graduated from Dartmouth College in 2004 with an A.B. in Psychology and a minor in Environmental Studies. Upon his graduation, Christopher spent a year working closely with special needs children before gaining experience teaching highly diverse groups of 5th and 6th graders in his home state of New Jersey. He currently resides in Chula Vista with his wife, Jennifer. Mr. Casler-Goncalves's passions include playing and coaching golf and baseball, both of which he has enjoyed since childhood.

• Sylvie Jarlov

  Originating from the Southeast region of France, Sylvie graduated from the College of Education in Grenoble. Learning and teaching English was a family tradition, so she decided to have her first teaching experience in the US and worked in Louisiana as a French teacher. Her career took her to many exotic countries, such as Zimbabwe where she was sent as headmistress for the French school co-founded with her husband. She specialized in Asian languages, learning Japanese, and later Mandarin in Singapore. She also has a strong interest in music; she practiced the organ at an early age, and is passionate about theater, as well as traditional movements like Tai Chi or Chi Kung. Her son Clément , a former student of SDFAS, is now pursuing a PhD in Physics in Switzerland.

• Laurence LECART

  Born in Marseille, south of France, Laurence Lecart spent 12 years in Berlin before going back to France, in Strasbourg, where she did a Master in literature and her Teaching credential. Her first professional position was as head of a small bilingual school in Alsace. She then moved to the French-American school in San Francisco, where she taught in preschool and 1st grade, before moving to the French International school in Singapore where she joined the Bilingual section in Kindergarten after having taught in pre-k and 1st grade. Laurence speaks German, English and some Spanish, and she has strong interest in the learning of languages at an early age. She loves to develop projects that promote the imagination and artistic talent of her students. Bertrand, her husband, is also a teacher at the school, and they have two children, Ulysse and Justine who benefit from the bilingual education at SDFAS and enjoy living in the US.

• Emily Loomis

  A San Diego native, Emily graduated from the International Baccalaureate program at San Diego High School. She completed her undergraduate studies at San Diego State University in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in Art History. Later she earned her California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and her Masters Degree in Educational Technology also at SDSU. She has taught Kindergarten, 2nd grade and 4th grade in San Diego. A highlight of her career was a semester as a peer teacher for Hofstra University's Odyssey program, traveling through 14 countries throughout Europe. She also spent a year teaching 4th grade at an American school on Ambergris Caye, Belize. One of the most gratifying experiences she has had teaching was working at a school for orphans in Nairobi, Kenya. Ms. Loomis especially enjoys teaching literature, history, and how to use technology. Her personal interests include marathon running, rowing (crew), yoga, art, and travel.

• Nicolas Margarot

  Originally from Nîmes in the south of France, Nicolas followed the STAPS (PE teachers’ training) program in the French Caribbeans, and obtained his BA in 1997. He then attended the teacher certification program in Cayenne, French Guyana where he graduated in 1999. Nicolas taught in Guyana for 8 years and also in Senegal and the Grande Comore. He then taught students with cognitive impairments in the Rhône region and obtained a certificate for specialty teachers. Nicolas has taught almost all levels from PK to 5th grade. His work with students is mostly project-based, paying attention to pedagogical differentiation. He particularly enjoys teaching sports and geography, and strives to encourage students to read by creating projects around the discovery of literature. Nicolas loves all sports, a passion he enjoys sharing with his students. He runs, and for the last 15 years has participated in triathlons and even ironman races. Nicolas also loves travelling, nature, hiking, and reading. He joined SDFAS in 2014 along with his spouse Sandrine, a teacher as well, and their son Mahé.

• Catherine Mével

  Catherine Mével joined SDFAS as the middle school math teacher in September 2013. She is from Brittany, France, where she studied. After earning the baccalaureate, she studied for two years in the prestigious “classe préparatoire Math Sup and Math Spé,” and then chose to teach math, completing her master’s degree in Brest. After teaching for a few years in Paris, she started her career abroad, teaching in the U.S., Denmark, and Ireland. Her last position was in the French Lycée of Brussels in Belgium. She has taught all levels in middle school and high school. Catherine has an excellent knowledge of the French-American programs, having taught in Houston at the Awty International School and in the International School of Boston. She is also certified to teach in English. She loves to share her passion for math with her students, and to give them the motivation to learn more and enjoy the subject. When she is not teaching, Catherine enjoys traveling, playing tennis and golf.

• Anne-Sophie Nguyen Trégouët

  Born of Lebanese-Vietnamese origin near Paris, Anne-Sophie earned her B.S. in Cell Biology and Physiology at the University of Paris North and a Master's of Education in the Academy of Livry Gargan. She taught for four years in the Paris suburbs to help children in need. With her husband, François Trégouët, an SDFAS teacher too, they moved to the United States in 2007 to work in a French-American School in New York where they discovered the bilingual education system. Then they had the opportunity to open a bilingual school in the city of Al Ain, in the United Arab Emirates which has enabled them to discover the traditions and cultures of the Middle East and to explore the desert. Anne-Sophie specializes in science and she loves singing and walks along the ocean. Through her travels in Mexico, Vietnam and Nepal, she had the opportunity to meet local families, and to better understand their traditions and living conditions. She speaks English and Spanish and enjoys traveling.

• Tiep Nhu Tan

  Born in Viet Nam, Tiep Nhu grew up in Paris where she has lived for more than 20 years. Tiep earned a Master's of Education after graduating from Paris VII - Jussieu with a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics. She started to teach in France before deciding to have her first experience abroad as an au pair. She really appreciated living with an American family in New York, the beginning of her adventure. She has been teaching several levels from PK to 5th grade in Cambodia, the USA and China. Her students' backgrounds were French and from all over the world. She is fascinated by the way children learn a second or third language! Tiep Nhu enjoys discovering new cultures and places, outdoor activities (running and hiking), watching movies and reading books.

• Birka Nielsen

  Ms. Nielsen was born in Germany, but grew up in Fallbrook, Ca. She received her Bachelor's Degree in Education and teaching credential from the University of San Diego. She joined the SDFAS team in March of 2005 and has taught English for First and Second Grade. When she's not teaching, Birka enjoys running, reading and spending time with friends.

• Emmanuel Parello

  Emmanuel Parello joined SDFAS as an elementary English teacher in September 2013. He was born in Montpellier, Hérault, France to a French father and an American mother. He moved to San Diego at the age of two, where he lived up until he went to college. He graduated from UCLA with a degree in History, and went on to teach 5th grade in Los Angeles, while simultaneously earning his Master’s in Education. Following that, he travelled to Japan with the JET Program and worked as an assistant language teacher in a public junior high school and elementary school for two years. Upon his return, he taught at various grade levels in a charter school near San Diego including middle school, 6th grade and 8th grade Social Studies and English. Emmanuel is interested in languages and has studied Spanish, Hebrew, and Japanese in addition to re-learning French beginning in middle school. He enjoys sparking students' interest in foreign cultures, with particular interests in East Asia and the Middle East. In addition to teaching, Emmanuel enjoys playing the piano, doing Japanese calligraphy, snorkeling with the leopard sharks and sea lions at La Jolla Cove, and taking road trips to historic sites.

• Yuriko Patino

  Ms. Patino was born in Puebla, and has been in San Diego for seven years. Working at San Diego French-American School for four years in the preschool, she teaches Spanish in our middle school. Passionate about education, she continues studying for her BA in education and currently holds an AA degree in preschool teaching. She is fluent in Spanish and English and speaks some French. Married, she has a daughter and a son, and of course, she loves working with children.

• Elisabeth Perdereau

  Ms. Perdereau was born in Paris, France the oldest of four children. She holds a degree in English from the University of La Sorbonne Nouvelle, Paris, and is accredited as a teacher from Pre-K to 5th grade by the IUFM d'Antony, Academy of Versailles. She also completed a Masters in French as a Second Language, University Stendhal, Grenoble. She worked mainly in North America at the French American School of San Francisco (one year), she substituted in French for private American schools in the Mainline area (Philadelphia), French International school of Philadelphia (two years) and the French International School of Vancouver in Canada (two years). Her daughter was born in the US and attends San Diego French-American School. Ms. Perdereau loves traveling, arts, reading and genealogy.

• Géraldine Portier

  Géraldine studied English/American Literature and Civilization at the Université de Savoie in Chambéry, and became a certified English teacher after spending a year as a French assistant in Warrington, England. After teaching English at a middle school in France, she had the opportunity to follow her husband to San Diego, where she has been living since 2000. Here she started a new career in purchasing, before taking a break to raise her two children. She started with SDFAS in 2013 as a substitute teacher. She has developed a strong interest in pre-elementary education where she wishes to orientate her teaching career. Her hobbies include reading, watching movies, hiking and cooking. She plays the piano, and (being born in the French Alps) is an avid skier.

• Catherine Rebiffé-Newnam

  A native of Chartres, France, Catherine’s passion for the English language and teaching began well before she earned her baccalaureate degree. After studying English culture and literature for a year in the EF International School in Brighton, England, Catherine returned to France to earn her bachelor’s degree in English. She was subsequently awarded a Fulbright scholarship, which funded a year-long study of English Literature in Davidson College, North Carolina, where she met her future husband, Michael. In Tours, France, Catherine completed her Master’s Degree in teaching French as a Second Language. Next, she obtained the CAPES teaching credential and taught high school English for four years in the Académie de Versailles. In 2005, Catherine moved to San Diego to begin teaching at SDFAS, initially as a preschool teacher (PK2 and PK1). Since 2007, she has taken charge of the French as a Second Language (FLE) program and now teaches both FLE and ESL (English as a Second Language) to Elementary and Middle school students. Catherine enjoys running, Flamenco dancing, cooking, and doting on her beautiful boy, Jack.

• Barbara Regan

  Barbara Regan was raised in a Navy family and has lived all over the United States. At the age of 10, she was first exposed to French at Sacred Heart School in Coronado, where she fell in love with the language and continues to cherish it to this day. Ms. Regan earned a B.A. from the University of Florida, and because she is a Francophile, she studied for part of one summer at L'Université de Provence, Aix-en-Provence, France. She earned a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential from San Diego State University and an M.S. from National University. After teaching for 10 years and then spending several years raising her two sons, she was drawn back to her love of teaching by a substituting position at Bishop's and then at SDFAS. Now with some 15 years experience teaching in both elementary and middle school, she still delights in reading to and with her students, always searching for a new opportunity to expose her students to good writing. When not teaching, Ms. Regan enjoys running and swimming to stay in shape. Ms. Regan is the proud mother of two sons who graduated from The Bishop's School: Sam, who graduated from Macalester College (MN) and Tom who is attending Boston University.

• Anne Ricart

  Mrs. Anne Ricart came to the United States for the first time as an exchange student when she was 18, lived with an American family for a year and graduated from the high school she attended. Back in France, she majored in English with a minor in French as a Second Language (Français Langue Etrangère) from the Université de Provence and spent another year in the States, this time as a French teaching assistant in a small college. She then obtained her Professional Secondary Teaching Credentials with an emphasis on Information Science. After four years as a school librarian in France, she was hired by the Lycée Français de New York where she worked for five years. She is now married to a Californian, and perfectly at home in San Diego where she joined the SDFAS team in 2006.

• Angie Rosenkrans

  Mrs. Rosenkrans earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from Pepperdine University. She received her Masters of Education and Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from the University of La Verne. Mrs. Rosenkrans has extensive instructional experience in the San Diego and Santa Barbara areas, teaching preschool through sixth grade students a varied array of subjects over nine years. She and her husband have one daughter and one son. In her spare time she enjoys playing co-ed indoor soccer and spending time with family.

• Emmanuel Samé

  Born in Burgundy in the Central-East part of France, Emmanuel Samé has been a certified teacher specialized in contemporary French literature for more than eighteen years. He has experience with students of different ages and profiles. He studied at the University of Burgundy where he received a Master’s degree in French contemporary literature. He then obtained a Ph.D at the University of Dijon in 2012; his main focus was the relationship between father and son in “autofiction,” a literary genre between autobiography and fiction. Emmanuel’s book, Autofiction: Père & Fils (S. Doubrovsky, A. Robbe-Grillet, H. Guibert) was published in 2013 by the Editions Universitaires de Dijon. Since then, Emmanuel has published several academic papers in both French and international journals, taught at the university level in Dijon, and participated in conferences and seminars dedicated to French literature. With a keen interest in American culture, he considers that his experience at the San Diego French American School is a unique opportunity to apply his knowledge of the French language to a multicultural professional environment. He is also a teacher of Latin and has skills in drama - an excellent tool to help students learn through acting. He spends his spare time participating in triathlons and writing.

• Diesa Eléonore Seidel

  Diesa holds French and American nationalities. She has a French mother and an Austrian father. She has progressed through her life-experiences and initiations as a collegiate scholarship athlete, professional athlete, private school teacher, coach, and ultimately as the founding director for the accredited non-profit United Initiatives for Peace. After a distinguished athletic career at Red Hook High School (Red Hook, NY), Diesa graduated cum laude from Marist College (Poughkeepsie, NY), receiving her B.A. in Psychology/Public Relations. Following a professional basketball career in France and Italy, Diesa developed a passion for teaching and became a Physical Education teacher. She taught for four years at St. Virgil's Academy in New Jersey. During that time, Diesa also worked on creating a character education through sports curriculum with Peace Dream Foundation, where she co-presented seminars to thousands of athletic clubs throughout south Asia. Diesa participated in numerous international service projects, completing over 15 programs in 13 countries with four organizations. Through her experiences, she has honed a keen interest in global issues, specifically those invoking gender equality. Diesa is bilingual in English and French and has traveled and served in more than 58 countries on five continents. Her untiring commitment to positive social change has been recognized worldwide. Today, Diesa enjoys competing in triathlons and marathons, snowboarding, surfing, hiking, cycling, indoor rock climbing, coaching basketball, and organizing service trips that bring sports and recreation to under-served populations.

• Claire Selva Huerta

  Originally from the Southeast of France (Ardèche), Mrs. Selva Huerta received in 1995 the female scientific achievement award (Rhône-Alpes region). After two years of intensive math prep courses (Math sup, Math spé) in Grenoble, she entered the ENESAD (Dijon) and graduated in 2002 with an M.S. in engineering, with a specialization in agriculture. After spending four years working in the development of agriculture, she moved to California to be with her husband. In November 2006, Mrs. Selva Huerta joined San Diego French-American School as a preschool assistant and a substitute math teacher from 2nd to 8th grade. In the meantime, she earned her certificate in early childhood education (ECE) from San Diego City College, as well as her French elementary school teacher certification. Passionate about music, Claire started playing the flute at the age of seven. Since September 2007, Claire has been teaching in PK classes and sharing her passion for music by directing the school choir. She is trilingual in French, English and Spanish and loves traveling, ceramics, South-American dances, and outdoor sports (climbing, skiing, and hiking).

• Mylène Stalin-Powers

  Originally from Joinville Le Pont, France, Mylène moved to San Diego in 1994. She has a Bachelor of Science Degree, Ecole Normale "Academie d'Amiens" in Education and an Associate Degree in Economy and Law from University Paris XII. Since 1988, she has taught preschool, second, third and fourth grades. Mylène is the most senior teacher at San Diego French-American School, having been here since 1995. Over the past 10 years at San Diego French-American School, Mylène has taught preschool, and at the elementary level, she also taught French as a Second Language (FLE), Sports, Art, History and Geography. She has traveled extensively around the world and has trekked in remote areas, such as the Everest Base camp and the Annapurna in the Nepali Himalaya, the Andean Cordillera and throughout and Chilean Patagonia. Hobbies include tennis, hiking, skiing, and reading; passionate about painting, she donated one of her pieces to the 2004 San Diego French-American School Silent Auction fundraiser. She worked as a volunteer doing mosaic work along side world-renowned artist and architect, James Hubbell at Colegio la Esperanza (School of Hope) in Tijuana, Mexico.

• François Trégouët

  Originally from Brittany, François Trégouët discovered North America for the first time while studying computer science at Laval University in Quebec. He then organized humanitarian missions in Peru for two summers. Back in France, he earned his Master's of Education in Paris. After several years of teaching in France, he moved to New York in 2007 as a teacher at the Lyceum Kennedy, where he also coordinated the computer program. Conquered by the bilingual education system, he ventured off to the Middle East and opened the first French/English School in Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates. He was the school's headmaster for three years. Passionate about traveling and outdoor activities, François Trégouët is delighted to settle in San Diego. He brings to SDFAS his computer skills and his experience in teaching in a bilingual school.

• Laurence Zede-Humbert

  Mrs. Zede-Humbert has been teaching at San Diego French-American School since September 1996. Prior to coming to San Diego French-American School, she taught in France for 10 years. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education (Elementary) with double majors in Teaching and Educational Science, plus a state-issued Early Childhood Teaching Credential. She is the mother of Emily, who attended San Diego French-American School and is now in high school.