Primary

Primary or “Children’s House”
(Ages 3 – 6 years)

Between the ages of 3 and 6, Maria Montessori called this environment Casa dei Bambini (Children’s House). Everything in the classroom is child-size and hands-on materials are designed to support self-directed discovery and learning. Your child has extraordinary powers of mind; she possesses a once-in-a-lifetime ability to simply absorb information and concepts from her surroundings, like a sponge. The prepared environment includes an array of scientifically designed materials help to develop a new skill or reveal a new concept through your child’s use and exploration. Some provide the opportunity to perfect the practical skills of caring for her own needs or for the classroom environment. Some enrich her vocabulary and open the door to writing, reading, and the parts of speech.  Others build on your child’s natural interest in counting and introduce an understanding of the decimal system and the processes of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.  Some encourage artistic self-expression through the introduction of skills and media.  Use of the materials builds a foundation of concrete experiences of abstract concepts, such as mathematics, assisting your child to a deeper level of understanding.

Primary Faculty:

Nicola “Nicki” Arango was born and raised in Minnesota. She moved down to St. Petersburg, Florida in 2011 with her husband. Before moving to St. Petersburg Nicki worked in a Montessori school in Minnesota for 7 years. She started working at Alegria in 2011 as a lead 3-6 teacher. She obtained her Montessori training for children aged 3-6 from Palm Harbor Montessori Teacher Education Center and has her degree in Business with a focus on Organizational Leadership and Management. Nicki is the Director and level-coordinator of the 3-6 classrooms. Outside of work Nicki enjoys reading, running, and spending time with her son Julian.

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Laura was born and raised in Valencia, Spain. During a summer trip in Yellowstone, she met her husband and decided to move to beautiful Florida. She started working at Alegria in August 2022 and is one of the lead teachers in the Lavender classroom. Laura studied Industrial Relations and Human Resources in Spain and has her Montessori Early Childhood Certification for ages 3 to 6 from North American Montessori Center (NAMC)  . She loves to travel and enjoys knowing new and different cultures.

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Beronica is originally from Venezuela and graduated in the field of Business Administration with a specialization in Customs. She worked in the private sector in her home country. She has been part of the Alegria family since 2018. She began her journey as a Spanish teacher and is now the lead teacher in a bilingual 3–6 classroom.

She received her MACTE- AMS Credential in Primary 3-6 from the Montessori Academy Training Institute in Pembroke Pines, Florida. She is passionate about observing children as they grow, make discoveries, and develop confidence through independence.

In her free time, she enjoys doing yoga, running, staying active, reading about personal growth.

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For Irina Pidberejna teaching has always been a constant and inescapable calling in her life. She graduated from the University of Central Florida (Cum Laude) with a Bachelors in Visual Arts and Emerging Media Management and has a Masters in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from the University of Alabama. Originally from Ukraine, Irina natively speaks English, Russian, Ukrainian and is fluent in Spanish. She was a Fulbright Grant Recipient in 2015 (Ufa, Russia) working abroad where she first experienced Montessori while teaching English as a second language. Irina has been practicing Montessori since 2018 and has her MACTE- AMS Credential in Primary 3-6 from the Montessori Teacher Education Institute in Atlanta, Georgia. With a strong desire to build bridges and mutual understanding both in the classroom and beyond, Irina has contributed to the research on cross-cultural communication, curriculum development, and hybrid learning models. She has been involved in service projects working with students who are blind and visually impaired as well as those with Down Syndrome.  Irina is passionate about bilingual education and intends to pursue a PhD in Linguistics with a focus on bilingual literacy. In her free time Irina enjoys reading, cycling to the beach, and spending time with family.  

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Sara Elkins recently relocated from Houston, Texas, where she worked at an AMS-affiliated Montessori school. She earned her Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) from Lone Star College North Harris and completed her Montessori Early Childhood Credential (ages 3–6) through the Houston Montessori Center, an AMS (American Montessori Society) affiliated program.

Sara gained several years of experience working with children ages 3–6 in both traditional and Montessori settings. She is drawn to Montessori for its respect for the child and emphasis on independence, hands-on learning, and peaceful classrooms.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time outdoors, drawing, playing her instruments, listening to music, watching Studio Ghibli films, caring for her African Pixie Frog, Bill Bob, and being with loved ones.

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Maria was born in Maracaibo, Venezuela. She moved to Florida 3 years ago full of dreams, hopes, and a great desire to work. Maria has a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Education. Maria has more than 20 years of experience working with children. She is excited to continue learning and to work with children. Maria works with children in the EDP (extended care program) in the afternoons.

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