PreK 3-4 & TK Teachers

Danielle Leblanc

Danielle has her Masters Degree in Early Childhood Education from the University of Massachusetts, Boston and a Bachelors of Arts Degree in English/Journalism from the University of New Hampshire.  She will brings a wealth of energy and excitement to the youngest of our students.

Antonia Rose (Toni) Berit

Toni has a degree in Early Childhood Education from Mount Ida College in Newton, Ma and attended Wellesley College. She began teaching at Our Lady’s Academy in the fall of 2017 and enjoys teaching and interacting with her pre-k students. Toni is married to her husband Jonathan and they have two daughters Danielle and Tasha. She enjoys volunteering for the Catholic TV Network and Telethon.

I love to watch the children learn and grow and just love their enthusiasm and spirit!

Toni and Jon love to dance and enjoy taking family summer trips to the White Mountains in New Hampshire.

Beverly M. Smallwood

Beverley graduated from Framingham State University with a B.S. Degree in Elementary Education and has taught at Our Lady’s Academy since 2007. Aside from teaching, Beverley enjoys hiking in the country, especially with her dog, Bonnie. Beverley also enjoys golf and reading.

As a teacher it is important to help students meet their fullest potential and make learning an engaging experience for all students.

My dream is the hope that each individual child will grow academically and socially and will gain a curiosity and passion for learning that will last throughout life.

Michelle Malanakarot

Michelle has her Masters degree in Early Childhood from Lesley University. Michelle obtained her bachelor’s degree from Boston College. Michelle began teaching at Our lady’s academy in the fall of 2016. She enjoys reading and walking her dog. Michelle is currently engaged and will be married in spring 2019. In the Pre K3 classroom, the goal is that young children will grow academically, socially and physically throughout the course of a school year. Children will gain confidence and have a love for learning by the end of the year. She enjoys watching children accomplish their academic goals and individual goals. It is the best when a child comes to school thrilled they are able to write their name all by themselves or they know how to put on their coat.

Abir Marka Zaloom

My name is Abir Marka Zaloom and I am an assistant pre-kindergarten teacher at Our Lady’s Academy. I began my teaching career in education as a French teacher. After I received my Bachelor’s Degree in French Literature, I obtained my Early Childhood Certification from Quincy College.

In my free time, I enjoy spending time with my family, driving my son to his activities while listening to his stories, traveling, watching movies, and hiking.

I love teaching because I love to see the children’s accomplishments through their eyes when they hit milestones. Their enthusiasm and spirit always brighten my day.

Donna M. Cantera-Davis

I have been happily teaching at Our Lady’s Academy since January of 2010. I have a Bachelors Degree in Music Education from University of Lowell (now U. Mass Lowell) and studied Early Childhood Education at Middlesex Community College. I have a Mass. Educators License to teach grades Pre-K through Grade 2, and I am a Mass. EEC Licensed Pre-School Lead Teacher.

I began my teaching career as an Elementary and Junior High School Music Teacher. In addition to teaching Pre-K, I owned and operated DCD Music Studio offering Kindermusik classes. I believe that in a Pre-K classroom, children should gain confidence in their abilities, make social connections and be engaged in playful learning.

I am happily married and have one son and two cats. I love singing with the Lexington Pops Chorus on Tuesday nights. I also enjoy reading, baking, and spending time with my family.

Jeannette Salibian

My name is Jeannette Salibian and I am an assistant teacher for PreK4.

I have a BS Computer Science degree from LAU/ Lebanese American University and English for First Cambridge certificate from USEK/ Universite Saint Esprit Kaslik.

My career assisting in child development began after I started volunteering for my daughter’s school as a preschool teacher and a French teacher for Elementary and Middle School at Armenian Sisters Academy in Lexington.

I believe in each child. All children have something special and powerful and it is our responsibility to help them to ensure they do and they have a safe environment.

As a mother , I enjoy working in PreK 4 because the age of 4 and 5 years old is a challenging age of young children since they learn important and exiting things.

I am a proud mother of a 10 year old daughter who I love spending my free time with her and her two dogs.

Ann O’Connor Mahon

My name is Mrs. Mahon and I have three daughters and two dogs, a yellow lab named Jake and a black shihpoo named Minnie. I love spending time outside all year round and my favorite thing to do is to walk on the beach. I also spend time gardening, doing yardwork, running and walking. I went to Boston College for my undergraduate degree and Lesley University for my graduate degree in early education.

My educational philosophy is to meet students where they are and to share my love of learning and excitement for teaching.

My goal is to take children as far as they can go in a caring, loving environment. My classroom climate focuses on kindness and modeling positive words and actions. Following the Golden Rule by treating people, animals and the environment with respect and dignity is emphasized, knowing that everyone makes mistakes and God will always forgive us.

My hope for my students is for them to be happy, to love learning and to always want to learn more!

Anna Danahy

I graduated from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines with a B.A. in Communication Arts and received my Masters Degree in Ministry from St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, MA. I am working towards my Early Childhood Teacher Certification. This is my fourth year working at Our Lady’s Academy’s and I really enjoy it. I am married and have a ten year old son.

I believe each child is unique and can achieve their full potential in a creative and safe environment which encourages active and playful exploration as a way to learn. I strongly believe in using positive methods in guiding children’s behavior, and being culturally sensitive and responsive to a diverse group of learners.

My goal is to guide the students to tap into their inherent creativity and energy, and effectively use all learning tools at their disposal to be the best they can be.