Administration
Martha Carver
Head of School
Ms. Martha joined the Rock Prairie Montessori School staff in 1998 and has been teaching since 1987. She is currently the Head of School at Rock Prairie Montessori School. She received her American Montessori Society preprimary certification from Seattle University, certification in Montessori Applied to Children at Risk from Southern Methodist University, and a Wisconsin Early Childhood Administrators Certificate and Inclusion Certificate. Ms. Martha was appointed a trustee of the McHenry County Conservation District in Illinois and is a frequent Montessori conference presenter and teacher trainer. She and her husband share a love of nature and have two grown children who attended Montessori schools and three grandchildren.
Click here to email Ms. Martha | (608) 868-4844 Ext. 7016
Mary Kline
Director of Education and Operations
Summer School Coordinator
Ms. Mary joined the Rock Prairie Montessori School staff in 2001. She currently is the Director of Education and Operations and continues to coordinate all summer school programing. Ms. Mary received her Montessori Certification from Montessori Education Centers Associated, in 2006. Ms. Mary and her husband have three adult children and two grandchildren. Outside of school she enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her family.
Click here to email Ms. Mary | (608) 868-4844 Ext. 7005
Main Contact for: Enrollment, Tours, Human Resources/Employment, Buildings and Grounds, Summer School
Melissa Badger
Director of Finance
Melissa joined Rock Prairie Montessori School in 2016 after working for over a decade as the Communications Coordinator for the School District of Beloit. She has also served as President of the Wisconsin School Public Relations Association and several boards in Beloit. She and her husband love watching their son play hockey. In her spare time outside of the rink, she also enjoys reading and tackling crossword puzzles.
Click here to email Ms. Melissa | (608) 868-4844 Ext. 7004
Main Contact for: TADS system/parent billing, Accounts Payable/Receivable, Advertising, Fundraising, Technology
Amber Grefsheim
Office Manager
Amber Grefsheim has been with Rock Prairie since 2013. She has a passion for helping people and is devoted to the RPMS community. Amber has an Administrative degree and a Fitness Nutritional Specialist degree. She and her husband have two sons who are the light of their lives! In her free time, she loves to take her sons and dog (Gustafson) for long walks.
Click here to email Ms. Amber | (608) 868-4844 Ext. 7017
Main Contact for: RaiseRight (Scrip), Deliveries, Absences, Drop-in/Guaranteed Care, Records Requests, General Questions
Lead Teachers
Stacy Sirianni
Toddlers' House Teacher
Toddlers' House Coordinator
Ms. Stacy joined Rock Prairie in 2013 as an assistant in the Toddlers' House Program and a Montessori Enrichment teacher for Children's House. She is currently a lead teacher in Toddlers' House, Toddlers’ House Coordinator, and our Montessori Beginnings Guide. Ms. Stacy earned her bachelors in 'Studies in Education' from Edgewood College in 2010 and has 10+ years of experience in working with children. After graduating she was a nanny and then went on to teach at a preschool in Deforest, WI. In her free time she enjoys being outside, going for walks, and spending time with her husband and two sons.
Click here to email Ms. Stacy | (608) 868-4844
Elizabeth Wadle
Toddlers’ House Teacher
Ms. Elizabeth joined Rock Prairie in 2021 as a the Lead Teacher in the Sunflower classroom. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a certificate in Education and Educational Services from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2016. After graduating Ms. Elizabeth taught at a preschool in Madison. She continues to live in Madison and enjoys being outside, trying new restaurants and spending time with family and friends.
Click here to email Ms. Elizabeth | (608) 868-4844
Brittany Andrews
Children's House Teacher
Ms. Brittany joined the Rock Prairie Montessori School community when her children enrolled and has gone on to earn her Children’s House teacher certification. She is currently the Lead Teacher in the Bluebells classroom.
Click here to email Ms. Brittany | (608) 868-4844
Monica Faist
Children's House Teacher | Kindergarten Teacher
Ms. Monica is the Lead Teacher in the Mayapple Children's House classroom and afternoon Kindergarten Teacher where she enjoys a front row seat to the children's joy of discovery and growth. She first joined Rock Prairie Montessori School in 2002 as a Substitute Assistant Teacher. This led to experiences as an Assistant Teacher in both Children's House and Extended Day programs and eventual completion of her Montessori Pre-Primary Certification in 2012 from the Center for Guided Montessori Studies. Prior to working in education, Ms. Monica worked for 10 years in Human Resources. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Management. Her free time is spent with her husband and three children (all former Rock Prairie students) in their various extra curricular activities and traveling whenever possible.
Click here to email Ms. Monica | (608) 868-4844
Amy Koziol
Children's House Teacher | Kindergarten Teacher
Ms. Amy graduated from the University of Illinois in Chicago and completed her Early Childhood Teaching Certification from Montessori Education Centers Associated. After teaching in Chicago for twenty-one years, Ms Amy returned to her hometown of Rockton, IL with husband, two children and dog in tow.
Many aspects of the Montessori Method resonated with Ms Amy's own beliefs and values as an educator and parent. Chiefly, the respect afforded each child and the desire to meet the student where they are at, spoke to her and rooted her in the Montessori curriculum.
Besides teaching, Ms Amy loves travelling, hiking, nature and learning alongside her own children.
A favorite Montessori quote:
Our care of the child should be governed, not by the desire 'to make him learn things', but by the endeavor always to keep burning within him that light which is called intelligence.
Click here to email Ms. Amy | (608) 868-4844
Justine Maldonado
Children’s House Teacher | Montessori Enrichment Coordinator
Ms. Justine first joined Rock Prairie Montessori School when her children were small, and went on to earn her Montessori Children’s House certification. She has led our Montessori Enrichment program in the afternoons, taught Physical Education for our Upper Elementary students, and served as a Summer School teacher for the past few summers. She enjoys spending time with her three children and the outdoors.
Click here to email Ms. Justine | (608) 868-4844
Ellen Diaz
Spanish Teacher
Ms. Ellen joined Rock Prairie Montessori School in 2009 as an assistant in our Children’s House Program. She currently is one of our Toddlers' House Lead Teachers, our Spanish Teacher and Montessori Beginnings Instructor. Ms. Ellen earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies from Drake University where she traveled to and lived in several Central and South American countries. Ms. Ellen also interned for the Center for Global Education in Cuernavaca, Mexico. She joins us after running her own Wisconsin-licensed, bilingual, home daycare for three years and completing coursework in Early Childhood. Prior to this, Ms. Ellen taught Spanish for four years at Keith Country Day School in Rockford, Illinois to Kindergarten through 12th grade students. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, cooking, traveling, exercise, being outdoors and spending time with her husband and two sons.
Click here to email Ms. Ellen | (608) 868-4844
Kris Klobucar
Lower Elementary Teacher
Elementary Coordinator
Ms. Kris joined the Rock Prairie Montessori staff in 2003. Ms. Kris received her Elementary I Certification from Midwest Montessori Teacher Training Center in 2009. She has a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Secondary Education; with a Broadfield Social Studies Major, and History Minor. She taught civics and geography at FJ Turner High School in Beloit for eight years. Ms. Kris attended Wilson Language Training Workshops to assist with enhancing and expanding the language curriculum at RPMS. She enjoys spending time with her husband and their children who are all alumni of Rock Prairie Montessori School.
Click here to email Ms. Kris | (608) 868-4844
Michelle Vechinsky
Lower Elementary Teacher
Ms. Michelle joined the RPMS staff in 2017 as the Lower Elementary Reading Teacher, and is now working on her Montessori Certification while being a Lead Teacher in the Coneflower Classroom. She also has a BS degree in Elementary Education from UW-Stevens Point, along with 20+ years of teaching experience in public and private schools. Ms. Michelle is the mom of 2 adult children, Macadam and Madeline, the spouse to fellow educator, Kevin, and the pet parent of Maisy the Crazy cat. In her spare time (which isn’t much right now) she enjoys gardening, camping, crafting, and LetterBoxing.
Click here to email Ms. Michelle | (608) 868-4844
Nicole Erol
Reading Specialist
Ms. Nicole joined Rock Prairie Montessori School in 2022. She works with small reading groups in lower elementary (grades 1-3). She has a Master’s degree in Montessori Educational Leadership and her Lower Elementary certification from the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies. She has taught lower elementary for 5 years in Florida before moving to Wisconsin. In her free time, Ms. Nicole enjoys spending time with her family and being outdoors.
Click here to email Ms. Nicole | (608) 868-4844
Tabatha Pethtel
Upper Elementary Teacher
Ms. Tabatha recently moved to Wisconsin the summer of 2023, with her family, from Colorado. She is not only new to Wisconsin, but new to life in the Midwest. However, she is not new to the world of Montessori. Ms. Tabatha attended a Montessori preschool and kindergarten program in the Lancaster area of Pennsylvania when she was a young child. After receiving a BA in History from Salem-Teikyo University in West Virginia, she received her Early Childhood certification at the North Carolina Center for Montessori Teacher training in 2001. She has taught at four Montessori schools in three different states and recently taught kindergarten at a public charter school in Colorado Springs, CO. This spring, she will begin her Elementary II training as she leads our Upper Elementary class at Rock Prairie.
Ms. Tabatha has two children, a son who is attending South Dakota School of Mines and a daughter, who is a sophomore at Milton High School. In her spare time, Ms. Tabatha enjoys traveling with her family, reading, doing puzzles, and volunteering with her church.
Click here to email Ms. Tabatha | (608) 868-4844
Tracey Hall
Middle School Teacher
Tracey originally joined the Toddlers’ House and Montessori Beginning teaching team in February of 2010. She earned her certification for Middle School Montessori and now leads that program as well as serves as a Montessori teacher trainer for both the Houston Montessori Center and the Center for Guided Montessori Studies. Tracey has a B.A. in Psychology, an AMS infant, toddler and middle school Montessori certification, and is currently a fellow in the University of Wisconsin- Madison’s Infant, Early Childhood and Family Mental Health Capstone Certificate program. For fun, Tracey spends time with her husband and four sons, knits and reads.
Click here to email Ms. Tracey | (608) 868-4844
Kristy Wojtak
Middle School Math Teacher
Ms. Kristy joined the Rock Prairie staff in 2021 as the Middle School Math Teacher (grades 7-8). She taught high school math for seven years in Illinois before moving to Janesville in 2018. Ms. Kristy has been staying home with her two children for the past three years, and is excited to be back in the classroom teaching math again. Kristy has a B.A. in Secondary Education and Mathematics and loves helping students enjoy and gain confidence in mathematics. In her free time, Ms. Kristy enjoys spending time with her husband and children, and is also an avid crafter.
Click here to email Ms. Kristy | (608) 868-4844