LOWER SCHOOL & MIDDLE SCHOOL FACULTY & STAFF

Ms. Moon

Joined SWS 2021

Inspired by her Fifth grade teacher, who taught through art, Ms. Moon (she, her) believes in holistic education and is passionate about bringing diverse perspectives to the classroom, where social healing and justice can be commonplace. She strives to meet the children of today where they are, remove obstacles that prevent learning, and provide rich opportunities for growth, allowing children to blossom and share their gifts with the world.

Ms. Moon has taught at both charter and private schools within the Marin Waldorf community where she was deeply engaged over several years. She loves Waldorf education because it allows inspiration to move freely between student to teacher. She finds that, through the ebb and flow of days together in the classroom and their growing relationship, the children often teach her what it truly means to be a human being in our times.

Having lived in diverse and more homogenous communities, Ms. Moon has a passion for socio-economic justice. Through her teaching, she strives to break down stereotypes in the classroom, celebrating the individuality of each student. She aims to collaborate with parents and colleagues to bring diverse perspectives to her work and guide the children to stand up for what is right.

Ms. Moon holds a Waldorf Teaching Certificate from the Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training and a simultaneous degree from UC Berkeley: a BS in Conservation Resource Studies, focusing on Forestry, Ecosystem Management, and Natural History, and a BA in English Literature. She is currently training to be a yoga instructor.

A resident of Citrus Heights, Ms. Moon lives with her partner, her two children, and her Chocolate Lab/Great Dane mix, Hazelnut. She consciously tries to do one act of service every day, was the first student to partner with teachers at a community college to form an Honors Society, has tutored adult ESL learners, and once worked at a wildlife hospital.

Ashley Martinez

Joined SWS 2021

Ashley Martinez has been part of The Sacramento Waldorf School community as a parent for many years and last year, she served as Student Support Coordinator for the school. Ashley’s lifelong goal has been to work in education: she has taught and supported children in public and Waldorf schools, from kindergarten through middle school. Ashley appreciates how the Waldorf methodology meets the needs of the whole child. “It offers a well-rounded experience that roots [students] to their connections to humanity, nature, and the world around them in a way I haven’t seen at any other type of school,” she says. She appreciates watching children begin to express themselves, recognize and take pride in their learning, and develop empathy with their peers.

Ashley has a BA and teaching credential in Special Education, an Elementary Education credential, and a Waldorf teaching certificate from Antioch University.

Ashley is married to her high school sweetheart, Dan. They live in Folsom with their two children, both of whom attend Sacramento Waldorf School. They have two giant fluffy pets: a dog, Laveau, and a cat, Crowley.

Nicole Fields

Joined SWS 1999

Nicole Fields (she, her) teaches Handwork and Practical Arts to Sixth through Twelfth Grades and has stepped in to shepherd the Class of 2029. She also serves as Pedagogical Chair and is the Chair of the College of Teachers.

Nicole teaches at a Waldorf school because she believes deeply that the curriculum meets the developmental and educational needs of the growing child and adolescent. Her teaching philosophy leads her to address the child who stands before her and see what is asking to be called forth. This information inspires Nicole to offer appropriate challenges and accommodations to make the learning path as interesting and accessible as possible.

She holds a BA in Liberal Studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and both a Waldorf High School Teacher Education Diploma and a Waldorf Handwork Teaching Certificate from Rudolf Steiner College. She also received Birth and Postpartum Doula training from DONA International.

The Citrus Heights-based mother of two Sacramento Waldorf School graduates, Nicole says her only prenuptial agreement with her husband was that their children attend a Waldorf school! She enjoys fiber arts and camping with her family. She was inspired by her own Waldorf education as well as some of her teachers and her mother, who was also a Waldorf teacher.

Marianne Gray

Marianne has been a grades teacher and middle school support teacher for many years, while also teaching in the Summer Teacher Training Program at Rudolf Steiner College. With a BA in Studio Art from University of California, Santa Barbara and a Waldorf Teacher Education Diploma from Rudolf Steiner College, Marianne enjoys drawing, painting, clay modeling, gardening, reading, and astronomy. Her two children are Sacramento Waldorf School alumni.