Faculty & Staff - Elementary
Ms. Laura payne / first grade teacher
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Ms. Payne will be teaching first grade for the second year at St. Isaac's. She is so excited to continue her journey as an educator in a Catholic school. She attended Catholic schools starting in kindergarten through her undergraduate degree. Ms. Payne studied Early Childhood Education with an endorsement in fourth and fifth grade general studies at the University of Dayton. Ms. Payne cannot wait to share her faith and enthusiasm for Catholic education with her first graders.
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Ms. Katie del mastro / first Grade Teacher
Ms. DelMastro holds a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education with endorsements in Early Childhood, Special Education, and Reading from Loras College. After graduating, she received her Master's degree in Early Childhood Education with a focus on Teaching and Diversity. Ms. DelMastro has been teaching first grade in the Joliet Diocese for seven years. She is excited to be a part of the St. Isaac's community and loves to watch her students learn and grow, academically, socially, and spiritually.
Mrs. christy brandonisio / Kindergarten Teacher
Mrs. Brandonisio is thrilled to be joining St. Isaac’s as a kindergarten teacher! She graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She spent seven years teaching in the Archdiocese of Chicago. Prior to that, she worked for five years in the Barrington School District.
Mrs. Brandonisio lives in Lisle with her husband and two young sons, one of whom attends St. Isaac’s. She is very much looking forward to being part of such a wonderful school community!
Mrs. Brandonisio lives in Lisle with her husband and two young sons, one of whom attends St. Isaac’s. She is very much looking forward to being part of such a wonderful school community!
Mrs. Meg Nelson / Kindergarten Teacher
This is Mrs. Nelson's third year teaching Kindergarten at St. Isaac's. Mrs. Nelson is a former parishioner at St. Isaac’s church where she made her First Holy Communion, First Reconciliation, and Confirmation. She is beyond thrilled to be part of such a wonderful school. Mrs. Nelson graduated from St. Mary’s College in South Bend, IN and received her Master’s Degree and a Reading Endorsement from National-Louis University. She taught in Second Grade at The Latin School of Chicago and Kindergarten at The Catherine Cook School in Chicago for a combined 10 years. Mrs. Nelson lives in Western Springs with her husband and three children who attend St. John of the Cross Parish School and Nazareth Academy. She is looking forward to a wonderful year!
Mrs. Anne Lapinski / kindergarten Instructional Assistant
Mrs. Lapinski has worked as an Instructional Assistant at St. Isaac’s for 17 years. She has a BA in Elementary Education and Special Education from the University of Northern Colorado. Prior to staying home to raise her three sons, she taught students in first, second, fourth, and fifth grades. She and her husband have been parishioners of St. Isaac’s for 36 years, and their three sons are all graduates of St. Isaac’s. Mrs. Lapinski feels blessed to work in a Catholic school with wonderful faculty, staff, and enthusiastic students!
Mrs. Kelly Rogers / Kindergarten teacher
Mrs. Rogers has been teaching at St. Isaac’s for more than twenty years. Her passion is music and she loves incorporating musical activities in the kindergarten curriculum. When Mrs. Rogers is not teaching, she spends time at home making music with her daughter and husband. She also loves to watch basketball, cook, and play with her three cats! Mrs. Rogers looks forward to another great year at St. Isaac's!
Mrs. lisa miller / Fourth Grade Teacher
Mrs. Miller LOVES teaching and interacting with her students. Challenging her students to be the best that they can be as a whole person is something she is very passionate about. She graduated from Loras College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education and received an ESL Endorsement from St. Francis University. Before staying home to raise her children, she worked with junior high students in Downers Grove and with 5th graders in Itasca. She taught Faith Formation for 3 years at St. Petronille and mentored 8th grade students throughout their Confirmation journey. Mrs. Miller worked with special education students for 5 years in School District 41 in Glen Ellyn. She also taught 3rd through 5th grade for 3 years at Our Lady of Peace and taught 4th grade for one year at St. Scholastica. One of her favorite subjects to teach is science. Mrs. Miller and her husband have 2 children. Michael is a senior and daughter, Skylar, is a junior. As a family, they love to go camping, playing board games and Friday pizza and movie night. She feels so blessed to be a part of St. Isaac's and looks forward to meeting all the wonderful SIJ families.
Ms. anna mc tarnaghan/third grade teacher
This will be Ms. McTarnaghan's first year teaching at Saint Isaac Jogues. She attended Catholic school from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Ms. McTarnaghan graduated this past May from the University of Iowa with an Elementary Education Degree and Reading Endorsement. Go Hawkeyes! Shes grew up in Wheaton and now lives in Naperville. She is so excited to be at St. Isaac's and become part of the community. She is excited to get to know her students and their families. She believes in filling her classroom with positive attitudes, love, and prayer!
Ms. katlyn payne/ Third Grade Teacher
This is Ms. Payne's first year at Saint Isaac Jogues. She is extremely excited to be a part of the St. Isaac's community. This will be her fifth year teaching overall. She has also taught second and first grades Ms. Payne grew up in Western Springs and currently lives in Elmhurst. She is very familiar with the surrounding areas of Hinsdale and loves to incorporate these places into her teaching. Her family is extremely important to her.
She believes all students can learn and she looks forward to getting to know each of her students individually. Her favorite quote is from Dr. Seuss, "The more that you read, the more things you'll know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." Ms. Payne is looking forward to a great year!
She believes all students can learn and she looks forward to getting to know each of her students individually. Her favorite quote is from Dr. Seuss, "The more that you read, the more things you'll know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." Ms. Payne is looking forward to a great year!
MRs. melissa hecht/ Second Grade teacher
Mrs. Hecht is delighted to be a part of the Saint Isaac's school community! She graduated from North Central College with a BA in Elementary Education with an endorsement in Language Arts. Mrs. Hecht believes that God has individually created each student with gifts and abilities that make them uniquely amazing. Mrs. Hecht's classroom is filled with joy, love, gratitude, and Jesus. She looks forward to getting to know families and is thankful for their kindness already shown.
Mrs. Kathy Svoboda / kindergarten teacher
Mrs. Svoboda joined the St. Isaac's School community teaching first grade in 2020. She also taught second grade at St. Raphael Catholic School in Naperville. She also taught second grade at Ridge Elementary School in Oak Forest. Mrs. Svoboda graduated from Illinois Wesleyan with a B.A. in Elementary Education. She has also taken graduate classes at Lewis University and Benedictine University.
Mrs. Svoboda and her husband, Pat, have two daughters and live in Naperville. She is very excited to be teaching Kindergarten this year!
Mrs. Svoboda and her husband, Pat, have two daughters and live in Naperville. She is very excited to be teaching Kindergarten this year!
Ms. Bridget Mc Elroy / second grade teacher
Ms. McElroy is very excited to begin her seventh year at Saint Isaac Jogues. For three years, she taught first grade at St. Isaac's. This will be her fourth year teaching second grade. Before coming to St. Isaac's, Ms. McElroy taught first grade at St. Helen School in Chicago. She obtained a wealth of experience while teaching at St. Helen’s and is excited to share those experiences into her classroom at St. Isaac’s. She enjoys educating her students on an academic, personal, and spiritual level. Ms. McElroy attended St. Walter Elementary School, St. Viator High School and Marquette University. As a graduate of these schools she learned the importance of emphasizing a student’s religious and academic development. She enjoys providing this instruction for all students and will work to continue to provide these opportunities that only a Catholic school can offer. As a teacher, she loves being a part of an environment that will help shape students to become strong role models of the Catholic faith in their everyday lives. Ms. McElroy is committed to instilling in her students her Catholic values and will strive to build a strong Catholic foundation based on these values.
Ms. cathleen meade / Fourth Grade Teacher
Ms. Meade’s is thrilled to begin her second year teaching fourth grade at St. Isaac's. She graduated from Saint Mary’s College in South Bend, IN where she studied elementary education with a minor in special education. Ms. Meade grew up in Hinsdale and attended St. Isaac Jogues for grades K-5. She is excited for a new school year filled with faith, positive attitudes, and hands-on learning experiences!
mrs. megan pennington / second Grade Teacher
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Mrs. Pennington has taught for 8 years in the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Diocese of Joliet. She taught at St. Isaac’s for four years before moving to the city last year to teach Kindergarten. Mrs. Pennington has experience teaching preschool, kindergarten, first grade and can't wait to begin teaching second grade this year. She graduated from Miami University with her Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education. Mrs. Pennington is thrilled to be back at SIJ!
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