Faculty
We are privileged to have wonderful and highly qualified staff members. Lead teachers in each classroom are Montessori certified and in addition some of our assistants are Montessori certified as well. Please find concise biographies of our Faculty below.
Surbhi Saini (Director) is an English Honors graduate and holds an associate degree in Fashion design. Ms. Surbhi began teaching career in Singapore as a language arts teacher in an elementary school. Her mom retired as a principal of a Montessori School. Ms. Surbhi has two kids both of whom received attended Montessori education. While being a parent, she was enamored with the Montessori philosophy and that led her to pursue her Montessori training. Ms. Surbhi is passionate about the child centric educational approach of Maria Montessori and believes it leads children to think critically and provides a strong basis for their overall development. Ms. Surbhi is a firm believer of health and wellness. She is also, a Mindfulness Educator and a motivational speaker. She hosts talks to inspire, educate people on how to practice self-awareness and live a happy life. Email Miss Surbhi
Tina Rasin (Assistant Director) holds Master's of Education in Psychology and has over 10 years of work experience in the preschool setting. Ms. Tina loves working with children and her work at the Unitarian Montessori. Her special interests include research on development of a healthy mind, and mindfulness practice. The latter prompted Ms. Tina to become the Mindful Educator graduate of Mindful Schools. During the year Ms. Tina teaches Mindfulness to Primary classes. Ms. Tina is also passionate about real estate and is a recipient of NJ Realtors Circle of Excellence Sales Award. She resides in East Brunswick with her husband and 3 daughters and her favorite is visiting her home country of Croatia. Email Miss Tina
Shiraz Billimoria (Toddler Class-Room 11) received Early Childhood Certification from Montessori Centre International - UK. Having worked with toddlers at a Montessori school in Dubai, Shiraz adds an international flavor to her classroom and to UMS. Shiraz is passionate about working with this age group because she believes this is when the child strives for independence and self-mastery.
As an early childhood educator she feels it is her métier to provide an environment that meets each child's individual needs. Shiraz is married with two daughters and a son, she enjoys cooking and traveling with her family. Email Miss Shiraz
Alison Rybinski (Toddler Class-Room 11) is a teacher's assistant in the toddler room. She began working at the Unitarian Montessori Preschool 3 years ago, and she loves working with children. Ms. Alison has been married of 24 years and is a mother of four children. Ms. Alison loves being with family, learning new things and going to the beach.
Prachi Sanghvi (Toddler Class-Room 11) holds Bachelor Degree in Commerce and Post Graduate Diploma in Fitness Management. She worked in India as the Coordinator of Fitness Department with Symbiosis Center of Health Care. The 3 years of coordinating, consulting and managing experience makes her an expert with a complete knowledge of Health and Fitness. Ms. Prachi started working with the Unitarian Montessori School in the summer of 2016 as a Substitute Teacher and past two years as a Teacher’s Assistant. She believes that the basic health and fitness lies in our roots and at UMS child gets the knowledge of becoming an organized independent person which is the right place to start.
Manique Feldano (Primary Class-Room 13) holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education. She received the Montessori certification in 1988 from Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). She has 22 years of teaching experience, worked in Canada from 1994 – 1999 as a Head Teacher, and is currently employed at Unitarian Montessori School as a Head teacher for 19 years. Ms. Manique is married with two children and enjoys spending time with family and friends. Email Miss Manique
Prasadi Thambugala (Primary Class-Room 13, Extended Care) is an Management Accountant (CIMA London) who has worked 14 years ago for a Montessori School in Sri Lanka and this being her first love has joined the Montessori again. She has worked as a Sunday school teacher with elementary & middle school children for over 10 years. She is has received her Montessori certification in the summer of 2018. She has traveled extensively and has lived in Sri Lanka, Zambia and Nigeria. She enjoys traveling, reading and gardening and is a mother of two kids.
Prerna Sharma (Primary class-room 13) holds a Bachelor of Technology degree in I.T. She is born and brought up in Delhi, India and now for the last 5 years is living in USA with her husband and 4 yrs. old son. She has worked 6 yrs. of her professional carrier as a System Specialist at IBM India Pvt ltd. Though pursuing a technical background, she always had inclination towards teaching. With this new vision to do something in education, she explored the options available and came across Montessori method. Also, her child's first school experience was a Montessori one. Being motivated by this, she enrolled herself at Early Childhood Montessori teaching program of Mercer County Community College. After completing the academic part of the training, she has joined UMS as a teacher assistant/Intern and will undergo her internship program here. She enjoys travelling, shopping and spending time with family.
Maura Canonico (Primary Class-Room 12) has a Bachelor's degree in Family and Child services with a concentration in early childhood education from Montclair State University. Ms. Maura is also a certified Montessori teacher through the Princeton Montessori school teacher training program. She has worked with children for over 9 years in many different settings. Ms. Maura discovered her love of the Montessori method through her own preschool and kindergarten experience right here at UMS, which she attended for three years! She is so pleased to be back to her roots. Email Miss Maura
Sadaf Ahmed (Primary Class-Room 12) holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration majoring in Marketing and International Business. Through both her children, she had first hand experience of the positive impacts of a Montessori education on a child. These experiences motivated her to explore the world of Montessori education, hence she started her journey into getting certified in the Early Childhood program from Princeton Center for Teacher Education at Princeton Montessori. Upon completion of a year long internship at Unitarian, she has joined the school as a Teacher's Assistant. On a personal front, she enjoys traveling, reading, exploring new recipes and collecting cookbooks.
Renuka Perera (Primary Class-Room 12, Extended Care Program) immigrated to United States from Sri Lanka to provide the best education for her son. She enjoys working with children, and after working with children in Sri Lanka is grateful to be working at the Unitarian Montessori School.