Ayse Kaya--School Director

Mrs.Ayse Kaya is one of the co-founders and the Director of Mission Hills Middle School. She is in charge of developing the school curriculum and ensuring that the academic needs of the students are met. Her B.A. Degree in Psychology from Stanford University, her numerous teaching credentials, and 23 years of teaching experience have enabled her to create a unique and truly well-balanced curriculum for the students of MHMS. Mrs.Kaya always goes the extra mile for her students, the parents, and the development of MHMS.

MHMS MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM (grades 6-8)

HISTORY

Bonnie Reeves 

The History Program of MHMS is directed by Ms.Bonnie Reeves.Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Bonnie is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley (B.A. history, biological sciences), Occidental College (M.A. history), and University of Southern California (J.D. law). After years in private practice as a corporate attorney, she was able to indulge in her passion-teaching-when a corporate client asked her to teach a class at its private school. That was enough to convince her that she belonged in the classroom, and Bonnie happily traded her shingle and corporate demeanor for a dry erase marker and virtually perpetual smile. A highly gifted instructor, parents are unanimous in their praise of her ability to motivate their children. This is Bonnie's 4th year at MHMS. 

MATHEMATICS & SCIENCE

Surbhi Garg

Mrs.Surbhi Garg is teaching the Middle School science classes and the 7th-8th grade mathematics. Mrs.Garg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics and a Master's degree in Chemistry. She has experience in teaching mathematics and science to 6th-8th graders in private schools and tutoring students in many different subjects. Her teaching style is very interactive and her goal is to make her students feel confident about mathematics and science. This is Mrs.Garg's 2nd year at MHMS. In her free time, Mrs.Garg devotes her time to her husband and her daughter.

LANGUAGE ARTS

Jessica Chazen

The Middle School Language Arts program is run by Ms. Chazen. Ms.Chazen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in human development with a minor in English from UC Davis, as well as a Multiple Teaching Credential. Ms. Chazen has experience teaching 1-8 grade students. She has also team taught the GATE program and helped bring technology into the classroom. With a block schedule for her writing lessons and small groups for her reading circles, Ms.Chazen believes in challenging her students to do their best. In her free time, she likes leading an active lifestyle and playing the trumpet.  

 MHMS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAM

Denise Allender

With over 20 years of teaching experience, Ms. Allender passionately teaches 1st grade at MHMS. 

Tammy Pachura

The second grade teacher at MHMS is Mrs.Tammy Pachura. Mrs.Pachura holds a Bachelors Degree in Social Work with an emphasis in Child Behavior and Development. She has administrative experience working as a Vice Principal and Corporate Teacher Liaison and 6 years of teaching experience in a private school environment. Mrs.Pachura's classroom is always colorful and organized, her lessons are creative and challenging, and her warm personality is always captivating to those around her! This is Mrs.Pachura's 2nd year at MHMS. When she is not teaching at MHMS, Mrs.Pachura loves to spend time with her husband and two children.  

Adoralee Lamm

With over 25 years of experience as an elementary grade teacher in a private school setting, Mrs.Lamm is the 3rd grade teacher at MHMS. With her patience, warmth, and flexibility, she is able to make all of her students love learning and perform at the top of their ability. Parents seek her advice, colleagues respect her knowledge, and students always remember her. This is Mrs.Lamm's 2nd year at MHMS. When she is not teaching or creating exciting lesson plans, Mrs.Lamm loves to spend time with her family and her pets. 

Deepa Patel

Ms.Deepa Patel teaches a 3rd-4th combo class at MHMS. With many years of experience teaching 1st-8th graders, very creative ideas, and the flexibility to suit the needs of the children in her classroom, Ms.Patel always goes the extra mile to foster the love of learning in her class. She also likes to implement new technology in her classroom to complement her lesson plans. 

Rebekah Allender

Ms. Rebekah Allender is teaching the 4th/5th graders at Mission Hills Middle School.     

Mitch Lin

In his third year at MHMS, Mr. Mitch Lin is teaching the 5th grade students. Mr.Lin has a B.S. from California State University Hayward and  a Masters in Education from the University of Phoenix. He also holds a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential in the State of California. Mitch has over five years of experience working with students in a variety of settings. He strives to create an environment where students feel safe, challenged, and motivated to learn. Students look forward to having him as a 5th grade teacher and going to the Science Camp with him. When not teaching, Mitch enjoys spending time with his family. 

MHMS  PRE-K & KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM:

Mayette Losloso

For the second year in a row, the MHMS Pre-K program is led by Ms.Mayette who has taught children ages 3-5 for over 20 years. With her educational background and extensive experience, Ms.Mayette meets the individual needs of the children in her classroom and ensures that they are well-prepared for  kindergarten. Parents welcome her expertise and willingness to always take the time to talk to them. She provides such a warm, nurturing environment that the children are happy to tackle any new,challenging concept that she introduces to them. Her creative projects decorate the walls outside her classroom.  In her free time, Ms.Mayette loves to spend time with her two sons. 

Ms. Aasifa

With both her experiences volunteering in classrooms for years and as a mother of two children, Ms. Aasifa is the ideal assistant teacher to  Ms.Mayette. She gently guides the children through the daily tasks, making sure they are safely and happily following the rules and learning  their responsibilities. 

Jennifer Mehta

Ann Huynh

This is Ms.Ann's 3rd year as the Kindergarten Teacher for MHMS. She has a B.A. from University of California, Berkeley in Cognitive Science and Education, as well as a Multiple Teaching Credential from San Jose State University. Little ones are her passion; she has worked with Pre-K and Kindergarten children for over 6 years. Ms.Ann brings her experience, creativity, and warmth to give your children an amazing year!

Alexandra Myers

Ms.Alexandra Myers is very excited about co-teaching the MHMS Kindergarten with Ms.Ann for another year. Ms.Alex has over 6 years of 

experience working for the Newark Unified School District, focusing mostly on children grades K-2.  She was especially involved in ensuring that students were not falling behind in their reading and language skills. She loves bringing her expertise and warm personality to the classroom at MHMS.  

Jin Kim

 

The second Kindergarten teacher at MHMS is Ms. Jin Kim. Ms. Kim holds a B.A. in history and a minor in English from UC Santa Barbara.  She also has a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential from UC Davis. Ms. Kim is very excited about using her knowledge and experiences in her own classroom. Her passion to teach is apparent in the nurturing way she conducts her lessons.

MHMS COUNSELING

Trish Boisseree

In her 3rd year as the counselor at Mission Hills Middle School,  Mrs.Boisseree is excited about helping to build an environment that supports each child’s learning style, strengths, and talents.  She adheres to a proactive and prevention model that empowers students to become active and responsible participants in their academic learning and social interactions.  She loves learning, exploring ideas, and making connections.  Her degrees in counseling, psychology, social welfare, and education are a testament to her belief in lifelong learning (B.A. in psychology and social welfare from the University of California, Berkeley; M.S. in counseling and child clinical psychology from California State University, East Bay; California license as an Educational Psychologist; California Pupil Personnel Services Credential in Counseling and School Psychology).  For over twenty years, she has worked with students of various grade levels (from preschool through college), their teachers, and parents.  

 

MHMS LIBRARY

PILAR ESPANA

MHMS ELECTIVES

ART, COMPUTER, & DRAMA

ANDREA LIPTAC

FRENCH

SUZIE GHANEM (grades 1-5)

RAOUF GHANEM (grades 6-8)

SPANISH & GEOGRAPHY 

Renato Muratalla

This is Mr.Muratalla's 2nd year at MHMS. He teaches Spanish levels 1-3 and Geography to the Middle School students. Mr. Muratalla has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Professional Studies and Fine Arts as well as a teaching credential.  He has many years of experience teaching Spanish, language arts, World History, geography, and PE to middle and high school students. Although he loves to challenge his students, he also makes sure that his classes are enjoyable for them.  In his free time, he loves to spend time with his family.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION

CHRISTINA LEON

ANTONIO REZA

MUSIC   

Jacob Kessel

This is Mr.Jacob Kessel's 3rd year leading the Music Program at MHMS. Jacob has been playing guitar, the congas, and piano for over 10 years. He went to Berkeley High School where he played guitar in the BHS Jazz Ensemble. He then attended the New School in New York City, majoring in jazz guitar studies. He was the guitarist for the Cal State East Bay Jazz Ensemble and was also a member of the CSUEB Percussion Ensemble. Jacob graduated from Cal State Monterey Bay with a B.A. in music composition and recording technology and has been teaching music since 2001. Over the years, he has performed with musicians such as Josh Jones, Michael Aaberg, Dayna Stephens, and Ray Brown. Jacob has performed at the Montreux, Umbria, and Vienne Jazz Festivals. Jacob is also a music producer, songwriter, and screenwriter. In his spare time he enjoys playing with his dogs and going to concerts.

We are proud of our Mission Hills Middle School Staff—we work together to make education a positive experience for all children!

     MHMS—Where Minds are Thinking  While Faces are Smiling!