Kindergarten
Ms. Barbi is a Bay Area native, and grew up in San Mateo, California. She completed her undergraduate studies at Santa Clara University. Upon completing college in Silicon Valley, Jennifer worked in corporate communications for Tesla. After working in the corporate field, Jennifer pursued her passion for education.
She earned her Masters in Education Administration at the University of San Francisco. She started her teaching career in San Francisco at St. Anthony Catholic School for two years. She then taught 1st grade at St. Catherine of Siena in Burlingame for five years.
Ms. Barbi is the daughter of Mrs. Nancy Barbi. She has fond memories of Kids Connection since she was a child. Her connection to the school since childhood is what inspired her to join the special community at Kids Connection. Ms. Barbi loves making learning fun and exciting to motivate each student to go above and beyond as lifelong learners!
Kindergarten
Mrs. Veas is a California Credentialed Teacher, K-8. She has taught for over 15 years. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Liberal Studies from San Francisco State University and a California Multi-Subject Teaching Credential from Notre Dame de Namur University. She is currently working on completing her Reading Specialist Certification.
As a teacher, she loves to search for ways in which to engage higher learning and to make learning fun and memorable. Her love of drawing and incorporating thematic activities and thoughtful lesson planning for her class has blossomed into more than just a job. It has become all the playfulness, whimsy, and delight in learning all rolled up into the projects that she plans for her little eager pupils.
When not in the classroom or burning the midnight oil on a project or at the computer, Mrs. Veas can be found hanging out with her two vivacious and creative daughters. These days, they love to play tennis, soccer, go camping, biking, read books, cook tantalizing food to eat and enjoy life with family and friends.
Mrs. Veas exclaims “I have the world’s best job, and I LOVE what I do to the nth degree! I LOVE teaching my new little cuties and all of the vast potential they hold.”
Kindergarten
Ms. Dabeet was inspired to be a teacher when she was a young student herself. She is passionate about working with children and inspiring them to be their best selves. She is especially excited as Kindergarten is her favorite grade to teach!
She started tutoring middle school students as a teenager, and has now found her home working with elementary aged students in the Kids Connection family. Ms. Dabeet instructs and encourages all students to excel in Kids Connection’s rigorous academic program while also nurturing their emotional development.
Ms. Dabeet joined Kids Connection in 2013 as a counselor, and quickly moved up to help manage the Afterschool and Summer Programs along with Ms. Galant. She has been a substitute teacher in all grades, and most recently she did her student teaching and was mentored by Ms. LaRochelle in 4th grade. In addition to her work at Kids Connection, Ms. Dabeet also taught kindergarten in a summer program dedicated to improving literacy and promoting each student in her class by at least one grade level. Ms. Dabeet received her Bachelor’s Degree from San Francisco State University and her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from CalStateTeach.
Holly Cayabyab
First Grade
Ms. Cayabyab received her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Early Childhood education from California State University East Bay in 2015. During her college years, she had the opportunity to work alongside community workers in Title I schools and believed that teachers are a crucial component in child development. She was inspired to enter the educational system and foster the love of learning in her future students.
Coming from an extended family filled with teachers, she began her teaching career as a preschool teacher at Kindercare before transitioning to an after-school instructor for grades Kindergarten through fifth grade for five
years. She later joined Kids Connection Preschool in 2016 as a preschool teacher.
Although she loved teaching early education, she pursued her educational career and joined Kids Connection School as an on-campus substitute and tutor while she completed her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from Fresno State University with honors. During her credentialing program, she was able to teach for public schools
in Oakland and Monterey for third and fourth grade. Throughout Ms. Cayabyab’s educational career and experience, her favorite grade to teach is first grade!
Ms. Cayabyab’s goal as a teacher is to foster a love of learning and reading for all students by hands-on engagement and social and emotional interaction. She hopes to continue to create a safe and nurturing environment for her students to gain confidence in themselves and their own learning.
First Grade
Mrs. Prasad-Trejo has worked in numerous schools and is happy to be at Kids Connection. Her passion for educating children and deep interest in student success attracted her to work at Kids Connection. She has worked with children both inside and outside the classroom. Through her experiences, she has discovered the importance of providing an education that is culturally appropriate for each child.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal and Civic Studies with an emphasis in Education from Saint Mary’s College of California. She received her Multiple Subject Credential and Master’s Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Notre Dame de Namur University. This program enhanced the way she develops curriculum for her students. The education she received allows her to create meaningful lessons that allow her students to develop skills they need for the 21st century.
She is very passionate about her work, her students, and their families. She strives to provide the best for everyone each and every day.
Second Grade
Ms. House knew that she wanted to be a teacher when she was in her teenage years. She’s always loved being around children! After focusing on Early Childhood Education at West Valley Community College, she graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. in English Literature and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. She has taught various elementary grades, as well as preschool. She has been with Kids Connection, teaching in the preschool, and now returning to her first love, which is elementary school. She has 3 children of her own and is very excited to continue to be part of Kids Connection!
Second Grade
Ms. Lee graduated from California Baptist University with a degree in Early Childhood Studies and a concentration in Early Intervention. She has been in the field of education for over 5 years now.
Ms. Lee first began her career at Kids Connection Schools in the preschool. After finishing her degree, she joined the staff as a Pre-Kindergarten teacher. A few years later she left Kids Connection to pursue her passion in elementary teaching.
Ms. Lee was excited to return to Kids Connection where she continues working with families and staff in teaching and developing young minds in second grade.
Third Grade
Mrs. Rao holds a Bachelor’s degree with Honors in Economics and Masters in History from University of Delhi, India, and an MBA from the University of Bombay, India. She worked in the corporate sector for a few years before taking a break to be with her two children. During this time while working with them and volunteering at their school, she realized her love and passion for teaching.
She has been teaching since 2011, including substituting in San Mateo Foster City School District. She has been at Kids Connection since 2016 and during that time has taught in various capacities including being a long-term substitute teacher for 1st and 4th grades.
Besides being with kids, she enjoys spending time with her dog, cockatiel, and recently adopted rabbit. In her spare time, she loves to read, and her bucket list includes seeing as much of the world as she can. She is excited to bring her passion for reading, travel and teaching to her 3rd grade class.
Third Grade
Mrs. Kurpjuweit has been working with children since she was 18 years old. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a B.A. Degree in Liberal Studies and a Multiple Subjects Teaching Credential. She is an experienced educator spending sixteen years teaching in the Catholic School system as well as two years in the Public School system. She taught 2nd grade in 2018-2019 at Kids Connection.
Mrs. Kurpjuweit strives to meet all the different learning styles of her students by providing them with an education that creatively combines informative teacher-directed lessons, engaging hands-on activities, and fun cooperative group projects. Students in her class experience a classroom where they feel supported and can gain confidence in being active participants in their own learning.
Lastly, when not teaching she enjoys Ballet and Jazz dancing, attending musical productions, traveling, and spending time outdoors with her husband and son. She’s looking forward to another great year at Kids Connection and is excited about teaching 3rd grade.
Fourth Grade
Mrs. Galant started working at Kids Connection in 2013, and her passion for teaching has grown every year since. She is excited about creating fun, enriching, and memorable years with her fourth graders.
Mrs. Galant began her career in education at Kids Connection managing the Afterschool and Camp programs, with her primary efforts focused on planning the academic curriculum for grades K-5. Mrs. Galant teaches fourth grade alongside Ms. LaRochelle, with a goal of giving each student the most enriching academic experience throughout their fourth grade journey.
Mrs. Galant is a devoted educator who looks forward to helping all Kids
Connection students thrive both academically and as individuals. Mrs. Galant has her B.A. in Psychology from San Francisco State, and holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from Fresno State University.
Fourth Grade
Ms. LaRochelle earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies with a concentration in Language Arts from California State University, Long Beach and graduated with honors. She followed up in graduate school earning her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. After completing school, she was hired as a substitute teacher for Downey Unified School District where she taught every grade level from kindergarten through high school. She was hired at Kids Connection Elementary in the summer of 2006, and has been working here ever since. She loves to teach the students at Kids Connection because they have such a desire to learn. Her job is especially rewarding when she gets visits from KC Alumni and they share their successes with her. It makes her extremely proud to be part of the fundamental years of their schooling.
Fifth Grade
Mrs. Daly received her B.A. from UC Berkeley in Ancient Near Eastern Studies, graduating with academic distinction and membership in the Golden Key Honor Society and was awarded a Master’s Degree with academic merit in Historical Archaeology from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom. She held the positions of Curator at the Egyptian Museum in San Jose, Site Curator and Field Lab Manager at the Castroville Mammoth Excavation Project, and Anthropology Lab Director at Foothill College. Mrs. Daly has been working for many years with Kids Connection, creating and teaching the after-school art program, substituting, teaching archaeology classes, and now teaching 5th grade. Her goal as a teacher is to spark students’ curiosity and imagination, make them excited about learning, and inspire in them a thirst for knowledge that will continue long after the class has ended. She enjoys working at Kids Connection because of the brilliant students and the wonderful environment that allows her to exercise her scientific and historical backgrounds along with her creativity. She hopes to share her love for science, history, and art with many generations of fifth graders!
Fifth Grade
Mrs. Leveroni has a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in education. She completed her graduate work at Notre Dame de Namur and graduated with honors while receiving her California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. Starting at a very young age, Mrs. Leveroni has always known she wanted to be a teacher. She worked in several classrooms while completing her undergraduate degree and was fortunate to begin her teaching career in 1995 in a first grade classroom. Mrs. Leveroni has taught in kindergarten through eighth grade classrooms. She loved her years of teaching kindergarten at Kids Connection, but took some time off to raise her family. She always knew she would return to Kids Connection and was delighted when in 2011, a fifth grade position became available. Her true passion in the fifth grade classroom lies in quality pieces of literature and creating life long readers. She strives to create a nurturing environment in her classroom that is committed to excellence and achieving each student’s highest potential. Mrs. Leveroni is honored to work alongside the most dedicated teachers and enthusiastic students.
PE Teacher & Student Engagement Liaison
Ms. Angelina is currently enrolled at Cañada College where she is majoring in Early Childhood Education. Her passion for working with youth ignited when she took a child development course in high school. She’s been an after-school and camp counselor at Kids Connection for three years now and since joining, her dedication to working with students to develop their full potential has grown tremendously. Ms. Angelina began teaching physical education at Kids Connection during the past year and has experience with coaching young children in soccer. She has always been athletic and involved in sports her entire life. Therefore, coaching physical education at Kids Connection is a great fit for her. Ms. Angelina loves seeing new and familiar faces every year and looks forward to the great memories to come here at Kids Connection.