Mary Ellen Bettencourt
Learning Specialist
Mary Ellen has been working with children and adolescents with learning differences for over 25 years. Her interest in Waldorf education grew out of her experience teaching at the Gateway School of New York, one of only a few schools of its kind to address learning challenges using a developmental approach based in movement. Seeking this approach for her own children’s early childhood experience, she found the Waldorf School of Garden City, where she took Foundation Studies, and then WSL. Mary Ellen homeschooled her two boys for nine years, and helped to form a parent-led homeschool co-op inspired by Steiner’s indications on education and human development. She holds a Masters in Learning Disabilities from Teachers College, Columbia University, and has a private tutoring practice in Acton with a focus on literacy skills.
Susan Cody
Social Inclusion Coordinator, Librarian
Ms. Cody earned a B.A. in elementary and special education at Bridgewater State College. While looking for a school for her young children, she discovered Waldorf education and never looked back. Ms. Cody studied at Rudolf Steiner College and at Antioch University in the Waldorf Collaborative Counseling Program. She has worked to develop WSL’s social inclusion and community service program for the 8th grade.
Kathi Macklis
Learning Specialist
Kathi holds a Doctorate in Education from Boston University with Specialization in Literacy, Language and Cultural Studies, and a Master of Science in Reading from the University of Pennsylvania. As a child-centered educator with vast experience as a literacy specialist and language tutor, Kathi believes that it is essential to facilitate student intellectual and emotional growth through individualized resources and attention to personal goals. Kathi trained at the Garside Institute for Teacher Training at the Carroll School and received her Associate Level Orton Gillingham Certification through AOGPE. She enjoys collaborating with teachers and families while providing a positive student-centered approach to learning.
Laura Moy
Director of Academics & Student Services Department
Ms. Moy holds a Master of Arts, Educational Leadership for Change from Bank Street School of Education in New York and a Bachelor's degree in Special Education and Elementary Education from Salve Regina University. Before relocating to the Boston area, Ms. Moy worked as a Learning Specialist in New York City at the West Side Collaborative Middle School. Most recently, she served as an Inclusion Specialist at Advanced Math and Science Academy (AMSA) in Marlborough. Prior to her time at AMSA, Ms. Moy held the position of Supervisor and Senior Executive Function Coach at Beyond Booksmart in Needham, where she also planned and facilitated professional development for a wide range of professionals including educators, neuropsychologists, administrators, and mental health clinicians.
Catherine Steiner
Educational Support Specialist
A native of France, Ms. Steiner received a B.A. in physics. Her early work included conducting research for a French pharmaceutical company and teaching math and movement at a French school in Saudi Arabia. Ms. Steiner earned an M.Ed. in elementary education and her Waldorf teaching certificate from Antioch University, as well as a certificate in Spatial Dynamics. She came to WSL as a parent (her two sons graduated from the school) and began working as a substitute teacher. She later developed a movement program and an early elementary classroom assistant position. More recently, Ms. Steiner has pursued certification in the Waldorf Extra Lesson.
Josie Tommasino
School Counselor
Josie holds a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Saint Michael’s College in Burlington, Vermont. For the past fifteen years she has studied, trained, and worked in a wide variety of clinical and holistic settings, each one lending to her range of experience and capacities. She works from a psychodynamic and humanistic framework, with a special focus on social and relational coaching, Jungian therapy, trauma and attachment theory, and extensive experience in assessment and crisis intervention. She has worked as a Therapeutic Case Manager & Family Intervention Specialist, a School-based Clinician, a Psychiatric Counselor at an inpatient unit, and for five years in her privately owned practice. Additionally, she is a yoga teacher, singer, and dancer. In her spare time she is a purveyor of dreams - communing with nature, writing poetry, and cuddling with her cat and human companions. She considers herself an advocate for the healing alchemy of the planet, with an ability to intuit assistance and support the health, wellness, and creative potential for all those she serves.
Katharine Zindars
Student Support Teacher
Ms. Zindars brings over 12 combined years of teaching experience in the areas of Language Arts, Special Education, Math, ESL, and Reading Instruction. Most recently, she held the positions of Learning Specialist at Fenn School and Orton Gillingham Tutor at Carroll Upper School. Katharine earned a Master of Arts from Simmons College and a Bachelor of Arts from Dartmouth College. She completed the Garside Institute for Teacher Training at Carroll School and received an Associate Level Orton Gillingham Certification through AOGPE. Previously, she taught in Natick and Framingham Public Schools. Katharine is a current parent of a student in the elementary grades.