Faculty & Staff - Elementary
Ms. Laura payne / first grade teacher
|
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.
|
Mrs. christy brandonisio / Kindergarten Teacher
Mrs. Brandonisio is thrilled to be returning to St. Isaac’s for her second year 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.
When she is not at school, Mrs. Brandonisio loves spending time with her husband and two young sons.
When she is not at school, Mrs. Brandonisio loves spending time with her husband and two young sons.
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 18 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 37 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 second year teaching at Saint Isaac Jogues. She attended Catholic school from Kindergarten through 12th grade. Ms. McTarnaghan graduated from the University of Iowa with an Elementary Education Degree and Reading Endorsement in 2021. Go Hawkeyes! She grew up in Wheaton and Naperville and now lives in Chicago. She is so excited to be at St. Isaac's for her second year and continue being a 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
Ms. Payne is excited to be back for her second year at Saint Isaac's. This will be her seventh year teaching overall. She has previously taught second and first grade. 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 also 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 another great year at SIJ!
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 another great year at SIJ!
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. Beckylee Dykiel/First Grade Teacher
Mrs. Dykiel is excited to join the staff at St. Isaac's. For the past 18 years, she has been a substitute teacher and a resource assistant in both general education and self-contained classrooms. This is her first year at a Catholic school and she loves that she can share her faith with her students! She is looking forward to having an amazing year and getting to know everyone in the SIJ community.
Mrs. Dykiel has been married to her husband, Joe, for 19 years. They have three children and a beautiful granddaughter! Her greatest joys are her faith, family, friends, and teaching.
Mrs. Dykiel has been married to her husband, Joe, for 19 years. They have three children and a beautiful granddaughter! Her greatest joys are her faith, family, friends, and teaching.
Ms. Ana Tierney/First Grade Teacher
Ms. Tierney is teaching first grade this year at St. Isaac’s. Last year, she taught second grade as a long term substitute. She attended Catholic schools starting in first grade through her undergraduate degree. She graduated from Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special Education. Ms. Tierney cares deeply about the Catholic faith and teaching her students about Jesus. Her goal is to help her students know, love, and serve God. Ms. Tierney is passionate about including all students in her classroom and helping them become lifelong learners in all academic subjects. Ms. Tierney loves the family community at St. Isaac’s. She is also a parishioner at St. Isaac’s and loves seeing her students and their families at Mass on Sunday. She looks forward to seeing her students grow and become the amazing boys and girls God made them to be!
Ms. Julia Bigoness/Third Grade Teacher
This will be Ms. Bigoness's first year teaching at St. Isaac Jogues, having graduated from Marquette University with a dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Elementary Education and Spanish. She is from the area and attended Saints Peter and Paul School in Naperville and Saint Francis High School in Wheaton. She is excited to teach at a Catholic school because Catholic schools “teach more,” and she welcomes the holistic approach to developing young minds.
Ms. Bigoness's outside interests include vacationing in northern Michigan and taking care of her pets, Angel, a domestic short-hair, and Bella, a springer spaniel. She is also an avid White Sox fan and a Marquette basketball fan.
Ms. Bigoness's outside interests include vacationing in northern Michigan and taking care of her pets, Angel, a domestic short-hair, and Bella, a springer spaniel. She is also an avid White Sox fan and a Marquette basketball fan.
Mrs. Charmaine Vlcek/Second Grade Teacher
This will be Mrs. Vlcek's first full year teaching at St. Isaac’s but she certainly is not a stranger to the school or a stranger to the friendly and warm staff and culture of the school. She has been subbing at St. Isaac’s for more than 4 years and each year, feeling more and more at home. She is beyond thrilled to finally be back in her very own classroom. Mrs. Vlcek is a Hoosier, loves basketball, taught in Australia for two years, Valparaiso, Indiana for three years and then moved to Downers Grove. She then taught in Westmont at Manning Elementary School and then took a hiatus from the classroom and worked for Devry University
but still remained in education. She is thrilled she found her way to the Catholic schools, subbing in many of them in DuPage County. She found a permanent home at St. Isaac’s and couldn’t be happier. Her enthusiasm and positive energy makes her classroom a happy place where learning and creativity abound.
Prayer and her conversations with God keep her strong. Her favorite quote is from A.A. Milne: “ You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you’ll ever know.”
but still remained in education. She is thrilled she found her way to the Catholic schools, subbing in many of them in DuPage County. She found a permanent home at St. Isaac’s and couldn’t be happier. Her enthusiasm and positive energy makes her classroom a happy place where learning and creativity abound.
Prayer and her conversations with God keep her strong. Her favorite quote is from A.A. Milne: “ You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, smarter than you think, and loved more than you’ll ever know.”
