Sinuda Kapalczynski

Experience

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  Liberty Partnership Program

  Nov 1998 - Apr 2003

  Student Tutor

  Provided after-school and in-school tutoring on all subjects, respectively, to middle school students at the Onondaga Nation School and later, for high school Indigenous students at Lafayette High School. Occasional field trips included college tours and attendance at the AISES conferences.Created an after-school Ecology Club for middle school students to choose a topic to explore the in-depth relationships between systems. Weekly curriculum planning with indoor and outdoor activities focused on the topic of basic recycling, components of a creek ecosystem and its watershed, common pollutants and probable sources for the local (literally in the backyard of the school yard) watershed of Onondaga Creek. Semester-long club culminated in a field trip to State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) to learn about policy making in a lesson I also prepared.Club resulted in helping guide students to understand the interconnectedness of all things, the importance of both details and whole system thinking, and how awareness of environmental problems can lead to caring about solutions. Show less

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  Tuscarora Environment Program - Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force

  May 2003 - Nov 2004

  Project Coordinator and Field Technician

  All season field work, administrative assistant and project work regarding tribal involvement and environmental impact of the New York Power Authority relicensing of the Niagara Reservoir; educational community newsletter writing; logistical help for projects, meetings and events; research and translation of scientific research as it relates to community needs and well-being and presented both in written and verbal formats.Contributed to Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force (HETF) projects as needed and attended Environmental Protection Agency trainings and meetings.Assisted with community environmental education projects for school-aged children and adults, including preparation and event planning for the state-wide American Indian Science and Engineering Society's (AISES) conference.Created a detailed handout of science based summer camps for high school students attending the AISES conference. Show less

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  Barnes & Noble, Inc.

  Dec 2004 - Mar 2005

  Book Seller

  Provided daily sales and customer service to customers while stocking, reorganizing stock as needed, operating cash register, and all types of problem-solving to the benefit of the customer or store space.

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  Sylvan Learning

  Dec 2004 - Aug 2005

  Academic Tutor

  Provided academic tutoring to preschool through high school level children, including a specialized course for ACT preparation.

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  Energy Cents Coalition

  Mar 2005 - May 2006

  Administrative Assistant & Project Coordinator

  General administrative assistance, customer service, advocacy, writing-newsletter and information for state legislative representatives, project coordinator for low-income household energy program. Performed in-home visits to teach about energy efficiency in St. Paul, MN.

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  Discovery Montessori School, Elk River, MN

  Aug 2006 - Jun 2007

  Montessori Internship

  Completed required Montessori Primary internship in a new and growing Children's House. Began in role of Assistant Teacher and gradually took on more responsibilities with presentations, record keeping, classroom management, group lessons, environment preparation, materials renewal, etc.

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  LOFT BY ANN TAYLOR

  Oct 2006 - Feb 2007

  Sales Associate
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  Teavana

  Feb 2007 - Jun 2007

  Barista and Sales Associate
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  Miniapple International Montessori Schools Inc.

  Apr 2007 - May 2009

  Children's House Co-Teacher

  Worked collaboratively with co-teacher to share record keeping, presentations, conferences, environment preparation, etc. to maintain a productive and lovely Children's House for 20 students.

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  Step By Step Montessori

  Apr 2010 - Jul 2010

  Montessori Substitute Teacher

  Provided general substitute assistance in infants, toddler and primary environments.Two months as Lead Teacher for a large Children's House of 27 children while Teacher was out for summer leave.

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  Miniapple International Montessori Schools Inc.

  Jul 2010 - Oct 2012

  Lead Teacher- Primary

  Worked in great collaboration with an Assistant Teacher to build and foster supportive relationships with students in efforts to create a strong and holistic Montessori learning environment and experience.

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  Williamsburg Montessori School

  Aug 2015 - Aug 2019

  With the exclusion of 2016, ran 1-2 week themed Children's House (ages 3-6 year olds) summer camps full of lessons, games, field trips, guests and more. Themes were in-depth and in alignment with the Montessori Method and included All Around Town (a first look at mapping and relating the self to surroundings), Wild Virginia (a science/wildlife biology approach to the animals and habitats of Virginia), and The Three Rules for Life (a first plane of development, in-depth approach to developing the important character trait of kindness.) Show less Managed and prepared 20 students in a primary environment while adhering to the Montessori Method. Created a loving community built on grace and courtesy in support of the well-being of students, parents, coworkers and the community. Offered monthly newsletters to my parents to detail the months events and learning themes with relevant resources, music, community events, Montessori theory, and more.Incorporated both in-house visits from community and family members and field trips to coordinate with learning themes, including musical performers, master gardeners, yoga, Colonial Williamsburg, farm visits, and more.Collaborated with Curriculum Director and other staff to prepare rising students with the necessary skillset for moving both into public school and into WMS Lower Elementary program.Held biannual parent teacher conferences to keep families updated with student progress in addition to supporting parents in the awareness of their child's developmental differences that were in need of expert evaulation.Detailed recording keeping through observations, individual tracking, lesson planning, and use of Montessori Compass. Show less

  • Montessori Summer Camp Lead

    Jul 2015 - Aug 2019

  • Lead Teacher, Children's House

    Aug 2015 - Aug 2017
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  Glen Allen Community Montessori

  Jul 2019 - Jul 2019

  Children's House Summer Camp Lead

  Planned and implemented a one week camp based on The Three Rules for Life, a kindness curriculum I created to meet the social and emotional developmental needs of ages 2.5- 6 years of age.

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  Fulton Montessori School

  Aug 2019 - Jun 2023

  As the Director of the small, sliding scale, non-profit, VA Child Care Subsidy Montessori program, I managed 12 staff, 36 students, countless volunteers, assisted with Board of Director tasks and meetings, performed admissions, managed all human resources tasks and processes, policy creation, writing and enforcement, meeting licensing standards and processes, internal and external communications (social media, newsletters, website, etc), substitute teaching in toddler and primary classrooms, overseeing building maintenance and renovations, budget creation, general accounting, grant-writing and follow-up reporting, internal and community volunteer events, planning, and record keeping, fundraising and donor platform use. Show less

  • Director

    Jul 2021 - Jun 2023

  • Assistant Director

    Aug 2019 - Jul 2021
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  VIRGINIA MONTESSORI ASSOCIATION

  Nov 2019 - now

  Board Member

  Uniting and Advancing the Montessori Community in Virginia through equity-based advocacy, networking, outreach, and events coordination for educators, professionals, and families.

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  CENTRAL MONTESSORI SCHOOL OF VIRGINIA

  Jan 2024 - now

  Cultural Enrichment Coordinator

  Coordination of cultural enrichment for Upper Elementary and Middle School through rich lessons, character development, field trips, in-house guests, and with a focus on decolonized and BIPOC perspectives and stories.