Our Staff

Cardonick Preschool and Kindergarten

Our Staff

Our professional staff provides a nurturing and safe environment for your children to learn and grow. Our staff is regularly trained on fire safety, emergency preparedness, CPR and First Aid as well as required to pursue continuing education credits.

Sherri Herschfeld

Preschool Director

Fran Reiff

Three year old Teacher

Fun, fun, fun is what we experience during our school day! While utilizing paint, paper, crayons, scissors, play-doh and other mixed media, we create many different arts & craft products. As we learn letters and numbers, we are busy baking and snacking on many different delicious treats made by the children. I like to say that we eat our way through the alphabet! Our Tea Party is a classroom favorite. We act out the stories we read in our classroom and encourage creative expression. I recognize that every child is unique and special and make sure to meet the needs of each individual child to encourage their sense of accomplishment, independence and joy of learning each day.

Reneé Berger

Three year old Assistant

In our class, we always provide opportunity for children to feel a sense of accomplishment. The children love receiving stamps and stickers when they recognize their name, clean up the toys, and complete classroom projects. They love counting, singing and story time. The children take pride in completing their weekly job tasks such as line leader, door holder, circle time helper, prayer leader, snack helper, etc. One of their favorite weekly classroom activities is participating in show and tell time. I love watching their faces shine as they talk about the special thing they brought from home to share with their class. This is a great opportunity for our children to feel comfortable presenting themselves verbally. It is such a wonderful feeling watching the children learn and grow throughout the school year!

Deenah Felsher

Three year old Assistant

I’ve been lucky enough to be at C.S.S. for 3 ½ years. My daughter worked here and my grandchildren attended the school as well. We are like one big happy family. All the teachers and office staff are so caring and helpful. My days are filled providing fun times, with very loveable children. We do a lot of crafts, work on learning the alphabet and numbers, and plan exciting activities for the holidays. I always look forward to going to work!

Liz Rosen

2 Year Old Assistant

I have been a teaching assistant in one of our toddler rooms for the past 9 years. I am fortunate to be able to drive to work knowing that I will be able to play with the toddlers all day!!! This is the first time in a school situation for most of our children, so I make sure that they are having so much fun, they do want to go home! When a parent is leaving their child for the day and my students’ jump into my arms, I know that their mom and dad can leave with the security of knowing that their child is happy, loved, safe and having a great day.

Marci MacDonald

Two Year Old Teacher

I have been a toddler preschool teacher for many years. I enjoy watching my class experience the joy of discovering the world around them. It brings me pleasure to see them progress and learn so many new things. I feel very fortunate to be able to see happiness in their eyes and affection in their hearts.

Arlene Helmus

Two and a half year old Assistant

I have been working with children at CSS Preschool and Kindergarten for the past 25 years. I have always felt that the staff, students and their parents, feels like we are an extended family. I take pride watching “our” children grow and love to see their excitement as they are learning new things each day. I find that my experiences at CSS has enriched me not just professionally, but personally as well.

Congregations of Shaare Shamayim

Gail Lipschutz

Four Year Old Teacher

I enjoy working at Congregation of CSS because it is like a home away from home. The wonderful feeling I get preparing the children for Kindergarten has given me so much pleasure. I feel privileged to learn, laugh, and play with the children each day. I especially enjoy when past students come back to visit, which they do quite often. It makes my day.

Aileen Buttenbusch

Two year old Assistant

I am an assistant in the two year old classroom. I have been here at Shaare Shamayim for 7 years. The most important thing about working here is that I am able to teach the children and watch them grow-up. I am very energetic and have fun interacting with the children as they learn while playing puppets, felt boards, music, puppets, puzzles, and arts & crafts.

Debbie Margolis

Two and a half year old Assistant

I have been a part of the Shaare Shamayim Preschool “family” for 25 years. I have witnessed many families experience the first school day and I “kvell” seeing my two year old children feel so proud of themselves when they reach their pre-k or kindergarten graduation day! I have worked with many of the varied age groups. It feels so good to be a part of their first educational experience! I have a wonderful opportunity to be a part of our students’ lives and watch them grow socially, developmentally, educationally, and emotionally.

Maryann Goldbloom

Three year old Teacher

Our goal in the 3 year old program is to teach the children that coming to school is fun! We utilize a hands on approach to teaching in our classroom. Children learn in many different ways and it is our goal to address the needs of all our students. Our children become excited as they learn the “letter of the week” and recognize their new letter in the world around them! They cannot wait to read! Arts & crafts, music, large motor activities, story telling, circle time, imaginative play, easel painting, are just some of our favorite activities in preschool. I am so proud of them and enjoy sharing this special time in their life and their parents

Michele Kilstein

Two and a half year old Teacher

How many people can honesty say they wake up everyday and love going to work? I can. Each year, a new group of children start in my class and I have the amazing opportunity to nourish them with love, teach them, and watch them grow both emotionally and socially. What a reward it is to have a child come to me and say “I love you” or bump into me somewhere a year or more later, remember me and say hello. It is a special gift to feel you’ve made a difference in a child’s life.

Judy Coyne

Four Year Old Teacher

Teaching the Pre-k class at Shaare Shamayim is truly a joy! I believe that early learning is essential to success throughout a child’s lifetime and at Shaare Shamayim we promote both academic and social development. Preparing a child for kindergarten and beyond is a priority! Expectations are high as children reach public school age; therefore we have recently instituted a new reading program which fosters their cognitive development. The priority, however, is providing the children with a warm, safe and loving environment. At Shaare Shamayim and in my classroom, we teach tolerance, acceptance and friendship - key components to assuring a child leaves here not only academically prepared, but emotionally and socially prepared as well.

Jill Borine

Assistant Director

I came here as a parent 10 years ago, and started working here 9 years ago. I once was told by Sherri Herschfeld, that she gets an excited feeling at the start of each session, school and camp. Over the past number of years, I have shared that experience with Sherri. There is no better feeling than walking up to and in to the building as the children are calling out your name! You just have to smile as you walk through the hallways. I also have a special opportunity to watch the children as they leave the preschool and continue into our Hebrew School.

I have been apart of Shaare Shamayim for 20 years. My children are graduates of our preschool and kindergarten. I love everything I do - teaching, playing, singing, laughing, and helping to develop creative enthusiastic minds. The children are such a pleasure to work with. I am so fortunate to be able to give them the foundation for their future educational journey. My favorite aspect of our kindergarten program is our individual reading program. It just invigorates me to listen to the children read to me on a one-to-one basis. It is a very special time for me to work individually with each child on his or her level. I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to spend everyday making a difference in the lives of the kindergarten children at Shaare Shamayim.

Fran Sannutti

Kindergarten Teacher

I am Fran Sannutti’s assistant in kindergarten for the past 18 years. I also am a member of CSS for 20 years. I love working with children, helping them learn and preparing them for first grade. Because I’m a congregant, I also have the privilege of seeing our graduates, whose families belong to the synagogue, as they advance past childhood into adolescence. I am so proud of our students and their accomplishments.

Mira Klein

Kindergarten Assistant

Wendy Miller

Four Year Old Assistant

I have been a member of the CSS Preschool staff for 7 years. I am currently working with the students in one of our Pre-K classes. It is very exciting watching the children develop their pre-reading skills. They love to be able to recognize sight words and learn how to “sound out” their words! One of our favorite activities is our Pancake Pajama Party, to celebrate learning the letter P. We all come to class in our pj’s and we eat pancakes made in class. We have the party in class and celebrate with the 2^nd Pre-K class. We also have a 50’s Party with milkshakes and fries! We have so much fun learning together! I so enjoy seeing my students having fun as they are developing their Pre-K skills everyday. This is a great school!!

Sondra Hyman

Four Year Old Assistant

After twenty years of being blessed with the privilege of helping to educate children who have gone onto be successful students and amazing individuals, I am grateful for the joy I feel from the task I love. Everyday at CSS brings a new opportunity to share the thrill of learning to recognize another letter or understand a new concept. As wonderful as it has been for me to reach out and give a helping hand to a child. It has been more special to receive so many smiles in return.

I am proud to be the director of The Cardonick Preschool and Kindergarten of the Congregations of Shaare Shamayim. I came to this school as a prospective parent with my two and one half year old son, seeking a quality academic program for my little boy. I enrolled my son and was so very pleased with my decision. I

knew that it would be a special place for both of us! I began volunteering in the classes, substituted for the teachers, and began teaching the following year. Three years later, I became the Director of the school and have maintained this position for 14 years spending much time researching and expanding our program.

I am a certified teacher and I also have a degree in social work with an extensive counseling background working with children, individuals and families. I worked with two school districts helping to institute a primary prevention program in their schools. I have served as a special needs advocate for young children helping families acquire early intervention services for their child if such services were warranted.

There are decisions we make, as adults, that we know are very important and we need to be certain that the correct decision is made. I knew that I wanted the best educational foundation for my own son many years ago. I knew then that I made the correct decision. I know that the families, who choose this school for their children, also will be making the correct decision.

Jennifer Engle

Teaching Assistant

My name is Jennifer Engle. My first experience at Shaare Shamayim was as a C.I.T, hired ten years ago to participate in the summer program. I love being with the children as I help them to explore the world around them. This love for children has lead me to pursue a career in teaching. The teachers and I provide a safe and loving environment for the children to play, learn, and grow. This is a special place and it can be felt the minute you enter the doors. The children love to come to school and their parents are so happy to see their child’s eagerness to learn! I am so proud to be a teaching assistant, here, at Shaare Shamayim. I look forward to having my own class, one day!!

Diana Schrader

Two Year Old Teacher

Shaare Shamayim is a wonderful place to come every day for the children, their parents, and the staff as well. We are all members of an extended family and have created friendships I cherish. I truly enjoy bonding with each child and their individual personalities. It is extremely fulfilling to see a child grow both socially and academically. Our school is such a warm and loving place to explore every child's individual creativity.