OUR TEAM | lodestar

Our Team

Heads of School

Head of School Welcome,

A little background on me. I graduated from the University of Toronto in 2005, with a B.A. in English. I’ve been working with children for 20 years now, in various facets. Some of the highlights of my career include serving as head foreign teacher at Corem Language Institute in Busan, South Korea for 2 years. I taught English as a second language and assimilated the foreign teachers to their work and living environment. Prior to working in Asia, my experience in the role of floor supervisor at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada helped shape my path and brought out my interest in leading by example, quintessential for a teacher of a Montessori classroom.
After returning from my travels in Asia, I attended Montessori Teachers College in Toronto, where I graduated as class representative and valedictorian. I worked as a Casa teacher for three years at Petite Maison Montessori, an accredited Montessori school, heading my own classroom and conducting the music program. I left PMM to pursue owning a Montessori establishment in downtown Toronto. I am co-founder and former co-owner of both Liberty Prep School and Liberty Prep Parliament, where I acted as supervisor, co-principal, and teacher for 4 years.

The love of learning that can happen in the Montessori environment is the blossoming effect of an accomplished Montessori teacher.
The Montessori method is very near and dear to my heart, and I have found the perfect setting to offer an amazing alternative of learning. Lodestar follows the child’s interests in detail, honouring the very core of the philosophy.

Sincerely,

Erin Kerr

My name is Christy and I am excited to be joining Lodestar Montessori as Assistant Head of School. I was born and raised in Bracebridge and am currently raising my own family of 3 young boys, here in town with my husband. I fell in love with the Montessori approach when I was looking for an alternative education for my oldest son. For the past 5.5 years my son has attended Lodestar, and has greatly benefited from the child-led learning and exceptional staff leading the way. I have witnessed first hand how small class sizes, hands-on materials, and a focus on building a love of learning, can positively impact students' self concept and attitude towards learning. Since the inception of Lodestar, I’ve been an advocate and proud parent. Since September 2021, I’ve informally been involved in supporting Erin, the team, and the growth of Lodestar.

I look forward to bringing my years of experience in education and working with children to support all of the students, staff, and families at Lodestar. My past experiences include (but are not limited to); an undergraduate degree in child psychology, developing and running day camp/aquatic programming for municipal recreation centres, and working in child services with Disney Cruise Lines. I have my certification as a behavioral therapist, and have experience working 1:1 with autistic children and their families. Prior to having my youngest son, I spent time working in the public school system as an Educational Assistant with TLDSB. All of these experiences have enabled me to be versatile and well versed for the role. My knowledge in child development, education, and special education, will be utilized to support you and your child's experience here at Lodestar.

All the best,

Miss Christy Giacomini

My name is Kate Bernath and I’m excited to take on the role of Head Elementary Teacher at Lodestar Montessori. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Studies from the University of Waterloo. After graduating I knew I wanted to work with children and, having grown up in a Montessori household with sandpaper letters and a pink tower in the living room, I was drawn to the world of Montessori. I attended the Toronto Montessori Institute and earned my post graduate teaching certificate as a Lower and Upper Elementary Montessori teacher.

Over the last 10 years my career has taken a journey that’s included leading Montessori classrooms and creating early literacy programming in the public library sector. I also spent a number of years working with at risk and homeless adolescents and youth, which deepened my empathy, compassion and desire to impact children and youth as a positive influence and safe space.

My family and I moved to Bracebridge 2 years ago from Creemore, Ontario. I’m a parent to two wonderful and wildly different boys- William (age 12) and Robert (age 9); I am so proud of their empathy, dedication, kindness and individual successes. I love the outdoors, nature, being on the water in any way possible, and downhill skiing. I am also passionate about the arts and am an avid crafter. I love painting, embroidery, needle felting and all things crafty. In addition to my two boys and husband I also share my home with 2 cats (Pawsy and Shadow) and a big friendly American bulldog mix named Gronk.

I can’t wait to embark on the next leg of your child’s educational journey with them. The Montessori environment and guiding children to reach the true and best version of themselves is my passion and I look forward to seeing where the 2024-2025 school year takes us.

Hey there!

My name is Holly Ballantine and I am the Elementary Support Teacher, as well as the music and theatre arts teacher! I was born and raised in Muskoka, then moved to Alberta as a teenager where I spent 7 years of my life before moving back home to the beautiful area of the world. I love where I am now, raising my 5 children.

I am classically trained in vocals, music theory, and piano through The Royal Conservatory of Canada as well as being self taught on many different instruments. I’ve been teaching music for over 10 years now and it gives me great joy to instill a love of music (of all kinds!) in the children that I teach.

Musical theatre and acting is another love and passion of mine. When I was 12 I auditioned and received my first role in Beauty and the Beast, produced by the Bracebridge Rotary Club. This musical was the first of many, leading to my first lead role as Nancy in Oliver Twist in Huntsville a few years ago. My years and experience gained from taking part in the theatre world has allowed me to hold a great understanding for teaching the fundamentals and necessary tools to students. The goal is for my students to enjoy their time through the whole process, from preparing for auditions, to practicing their roles, and finally having their moment on the stage.

I am so excited for my first year with Lodestar and cannot wait to spread a love and joy of music and theatre to your children, as well as growing my crafts alongside them while helping them on their Montessori Journey!

My name is Amy Collier, and I was born and raised in Muskoka. I am both a Registered Early Childhood Educator and a Registered Practical Nurse. I completed my Montessori training in 2021, and am excited to take on the role of Head Teacher in the Casa environment. This is my second year at Lodestar, and I am looking forward to working with our families as a community.

I began my career with Community Living South Muskoka, working in their Summer Youth Program. I stayed on part-time while going to college for Nursing, and eventually became a Special Needs Resource Teacher Assistant. It was during this time that I found my passion in life, working with children. I made the decision to go back to school and become a registered ECE and I've been working in the field ever since. I worked with Muskoka Family Focus in their after school, summer camp and childcare programs.

I am very excited to bring my valuable experience to the table, while embracing the unique styles and techniques of the Montessori pedagogy.

Miss Amy

Hi!

I'm Miss Maddy, the Head teacher in Casa South! I'm 22 years old, Muskoka-grown and a family oriented girl. I often enjoy spending time with my dog, Oakley and my mom; some say my mom and I are “two peas in a pod,” as we do most things together. I love softball and play each summer with the Muskoka Ladies Softball League. This year I’m going into my seventh year at Lodestar. I started while in high school, completing co-op. As someone who personally struggled with traditional school settings, it was wonderful to see how the children were learning at their pace and how they moved around the environment as they worked. I observed how quickly the children picked up on different lessons and skills like reading, addition, or even tasks like cleaning their own spills. I continued working at Lodestar throughout high school. I attended The Canadian Montessori Teachers Education Institution for formal training, and in 2021 I graduated, becoming an accredited Montessori Teacher. I’m excited to see what this year brings us, and that I get to guide students towards working independently and confidently throughout the year!!

Miss Maddy

My name is Ellen Johnson and I am the Casa North support teacher. I have grown up here in beautiful Muskoka since I was 2. My parents and older sister are originally from Scotland! So I was made in Scotland, born in Canada. With having strong Scottish roots I have a huge love for highland cows and the mountins. I love to spend time with my friends doing some sort of adventure, or spending down time with my family and our dog, Isla. With growing up in this beautiful area I have a huge love for anything to do with water. I have been a certified lifeguard and water safety instructor going on 7 years. Along with many other first aid/ water safety certificates With working with children in the sense of babysitting, summer camps and swimming lessons from a young age, I knew I had to make it a life career of working with children in any way possible. I have a learning disability so school has never been a strong suit for me. Once I learned more about Montessori I knew I had to get involved. I am currently in my training to earn my Early Childhood Montessori Diploma. I am so excited to start this new adventure with the amazing team at Lodestar!