Faculty & Staff - Preschool
Mrs. Linda Brusa/Preschool Teacher
Mrs. Brusa is very happy to be a member of the faculty at St. Isaac Jogues School. She has 15 years of experience teaching preschool. She has also taught Kindergarten, 1st and 3rd grades. Mrs. Brusa has been involved in Catholic education as a parent, a catechist, a volunteer, and a teacher. She loves to spend time with her family, read, travel, and cook. Mrs. Brusa’s goal is to help her students become more independent, compassionate, and accepting of all people. She also hopes to instill a lifelong love of learning in them.
Mrs. Lisa Daly / Preschool Instructional Assistant
Mrs. Daly comes to St. Isaac Jogues with a wide variety of teaching and learning experiences. She has taught preschool, kindergarten, and first grade. For the last eleven years, she has assisted in a special education self-contained classroom for children with varying degrees of autism, verbal abilities, and special needs. She loves being able to share her faith with the preschoolers, and looks forward to watching them grow to become confident kindergartners!
Ms. Kelly Grimes / Preschool Teacher
This is Ms. Grimes’s first year at St Isaac’s and she couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of the St. Isaac's family! Growing up, Ms. Grimes attended St. John of the Cross in Western Springs. She is a recent graduate of The University of Kansas, where she earned her teaching degree. After returning home from college, Ms. Grimes started the 2017-2018 school year at Immaculate Conception Grade School in Elmhurst as an instructional aide for grades preK-8th. In early October, Ms. Grimes transitioned into her new position at Pleasantdale Elementary in Willow Springs as a preschool aide and the school’s Math Multi-Tier System of Supports Instructor. Ms. Grimes is passionate about teaching and forming relationships with her students, helping them build a sense of confidence and enabling them to grow as learners!
Mrs. Christine Justema | preschool coordinator
Mrs. Justema is blessed to be St. Isaac Jogues Preschool’s coordinator. She has over ten years’ experience assisting teachers in their classrooms and working in school a office. Mrs. Justema grew up in Clarendon Hills, attended Hinsdale Central High School, and graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a degree in marketing. She is the mother of five children, two of which graduated from St. Isaac’s.
Mrs. Nora Lewis | Preschool Teacher
Mrs. Lewis is so excited to be teaching preschool at St. Isaac's again this year, having graduated from SIJ herself! She got her teaching degree at St. Mary's College of Notre Dame and has previously taught Music at Immaculate Conception-St. Joseph for the last six years. She is a firm believer in educating the mind, body, and spirit of each child. In addition to teaching preschool, Mrs. Lewis will also be a co-director of this year's St. Isaac's musical theatre program! When she's not teaching, Mrs. Lewis enjoys spending time with her husband and two young children.
Mrs. Susan Rydin | Preschool instructional assistant
Mrs. Rydin was Assistant Director for the Swing Set Preschool in St. Charles, Illinois from 1999 until May 2014. Her 15 years of professional experience within the preschool arena has proven to be extremely beneficial to enhancing our preschool curriculum.
Mrs. Melissa Vrdolyak / Preschool Instructional Assistant
Mrs. Vrdolyak feels blessed to be involved with the preschool. She loved the 19 years she spent at St. Isaac Jogues as a school parent. All five of her children attended St Isaac’s from kindergarten through eighth grade. She believes St. Isaac’s is an exceptional school where children excel in academics and flourish in faith surrounded by dedicated and nurturing teachers and staff.
