Our Staff
Simon Bamping
Primary Homeroom Educator (23-24 Sabbatical at GIS SP)
British
Over 15 years’ experience teaching in the United Kingdom, Egypt, and Italy as well as experience as an outdoor instructor, Forest School practitioner and children’s rock-climbing instructor. Moved to Italy in December 2018 to work in the Primary Years Programme of the IB.
“Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” -Socrates
Francesca Biancat
Atelierista & Visual Arts and Drama Educator
Italian
Since my graduation in Performing Arts, I started teaching Theatre Arts to children and teenagers, running a small theatre in Rome, directing performances, and working as a head teacher for Gymboree Play & Music. I moved to Monza in 2017.
“Tree
the very slow explosion
of a seed ”
-Bruno Munari
Maria Bondì
Caretaker
Italian
Mother of four! Thanks to my work experience in nurseries and preschools as a school worker and canteen assistant over the past 10 years, I have acquired the skills to manage the relationships and needs of children in various non-educational areas. I continue to cultivate my interests in psychology, and physical and mental well-being, thanks to which I continue to develop a strong empathic capacity with children, colleagues and parents.
“Non si vede bene che col cuore, l’essenziale è invisibile agli occhi.” -Il Piccolo Principe
William Bruno
Music Specialist Teacher
Italian
Music has been a part of me since I was born. My first teachers were my dad and my brother. At age 5 I started reading the notes and continued deepening my studies of clarinet, piano, composition and music teaching. For about 20 years I have combined my activity as a musician with that of a teacher in institutions of all levels, with a particular passion for Kindergarten and Primary School. I have worked in Italian and International Schools coming into contact with the PYP from 2006 to 2016 at the Play English school in Monza. I am a member of the SIAE as an author and I collaborate as a teacher and a musician.
“Where words don’t reach… music speaks.” -Ludwig Van Beethoven
Angela Chilese
Early Years Co-Educator
British
Following a degree in Social Policy I trained as a teacher of English as a foreign language. For two years I taught English in schools in Milan and Verona working with children and adults before qualifying as a U.K. lawyer specialising in tax, employment and human rights law. I have been working in law for 18 years but I am delighted to be back in Italy and back in education as it is my first passion, especially now that I have two children that inspire me every day with their curiosity and their desire to understand the world and our place in it.
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” -W.B. Yeats
Francesca Consonni
Digital Marketing and Social Media Manager
British/Italian
I graduated Regents University London with a degree in International Business Management & French. I have 4 years of experience in marketing and social media management and am an IB graduate myself, so I am very passionate about the programmes and familiar with the IB experience from a student’s perspective.
“Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.” -C.S. Lewis
Margaret Cregan
Early Years Co-Educator
Specialist Educator for English as an Additional Language & Learning Support
British
16 years’ experience working as a Director of Studies, Coordinator, Teacher Trainer and Teacher for diverse English Language schools and the British Council. I have worked in Thailand, South Korea and Italy, and my educational background includes degrees in Social Anthropology, Psychology, Applied Linguistics & TESOL and Educational Leadership & Management. Additionally, I am fully DELTA qualified.
“The teacher bust adopt the role of facilitator not content provider.” -Lev. S. Vygotsky
Mario Curiello
Maintenance Worker
Italian
After many years of experience in the industrial sector, I moved to the IT sector, following the growth, development and distribution of a management software dedicated to dialysis wards in the various hospitals in northern Italy. In 2015 and 2020 I wrote two books related to the IT sector and two Android applications dedicated to the “Malossi Method” (language of communication for the deafblind) and to Dactylology in the LIS language. Lately I dedicate my free time to fiction writing. Finding myself working close to children was a big and pleasant surprise.
“Intensely believing in a goal is one of the most powerful forces on earth.” -Zig Ziglar
Sofia Hill
Primary Homeroom Educator
British
I am a science specialist with over 5 years experience working with children aged 0-18. Alongside my teaching, I am undertaking a Teacher Education Masters degree at Oxford, focusing on how to support existing and trainee teachers. I am a huge advocate for outdoor and inquiry-based learning and feel so lucky to teach the PYP and have our Park School sessions!
“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.” -Richard Feynman
Leon Hutchison
Librarian & Co-Educator
British
8 years’ experience in varying assistant roles in IB schools: classroom/teaching assistant, Learning Support assistant, library assistant. I am also a sound engineer and ran GIGGED – a Nottingham based music magazine and live events company.
“Ask ‘How will they learn best?’ not ‘Can they learn?” -Jaime Escalante
Joanna Janowski
Italian Specialist Educator
Italian
Graduated in Primary Education at the university Milano-Bicocca. My educational experiences took place in Italian public schools, both in Kindergartens and Primary Schools.
“Real education is about getting people involved in thinking for themselves.” -Noam Chomsky
Laura Liguori
Primary Homeroom Educator
Cypriotic/American
For the last twenty years I have been in key leadership and teaching roles in outstanding
international schools in Egypt, Hong Kong, and Thailand. I have had recent UK experience as a Senior Leader in an independent preparatory school in London. In more than one school I have embedded technology, including robotics, to enhance teaching and learning. I moved to Monza in August 2023.
“Inspire students. Trust students. Believe in students. Enable students.” -Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba
Iris Rouland
Early Years Homeroom Educator
Dutch
I completed my course in International Teacher Education for Primary Schools (ITEps) in the Netherlands. I have had some amazing teaching experiences in the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Portugal teaching students of many ages. I moved to Italy recently and am excited to start a new adventure full of amazing experiences together with my students.
“Believe you can and you’re halfway there” -Theodore Roosevelt
Sherena Rupasinghe
Early Years Homeroom Educator
Filipino/Sri Lankan
Graduated from Canterbury Christ Church University, United Kingdom. I have had the opportunity
to work in International schools and bilingual schools in Italy and the UK. I recently moved back to
Italy and I am looking forward to starting this amazing experience and learning something new
everyday.
“Stand aside for a while and leave the room for learning, observe carefully what children do, and then if you have understood well, perhaps teaching will be different from before.” -Loris Malaguzzi
Alexander Thomas
Primary Homeroom Educator
British
After qualifying as a primary school class teacher in 2009 I worked in several small and larger schools across the UK, before finishing in a boarding school as a housemaster. For the last 9 years I have been living and working in Qatar, where I met my wife and we had our daughter Chloe. During this time I gained experience and knowledge throughout different age groups in the school and organised house and whole school events as a Head of House. My wife, daughter and I moved to Italy to join the GIS Monza family in August 2023.
“Education is the most powerful weapon to change the world” -Nelson Mandela
Matilde Vavassori
Early Years Homeroom Educator
Italian
I began my work experience in the educational field at the children’s museum in Milan. I had the opportunity to dedicate myself to the Remida workshops and the play-exhibitions which created this need to have continuity with children and therefore enter the educational field. I started with a nursery experience at nidoscuola eni06, a Reggio Approach school, and then moved to Monza before the school was a GIS school and never left! I now teach the 2-3 year-olds section!
“A creative child is a happy child.” -Bruno Munari
Jane Whittle
Principal & PYP Coordinator
British
Educator in England and Italy for 17 years teaching in UK primary schools and IB schools in the PYP and MYP in Italy. Author of a number of books for teachers such as Back2Front the Americas and Everyday Guide to Primary Geography:Story. Passionate about outdoor learning and research in the geography field. Member of the Editorial Collective for the Primary Geography Journal editing editions on play, the concept of change and the value of talk.
“The fact is that given the challenges we face, education doesn’t need to be reformed — it needs to be transformed. The key to this transformation is not to standardize education, but to personalize it, to build achievement on discovering the individual talents of each child, to put students in an environment where they want to learn and where they can naturally discover their true passions.” -Sir Ken Robinson
Alice Zardoni
Early Years Homeroom Educator
Italian
Over 10 years’ experience in education in Italy, England and the United States. After graduating in Italy and having gained experience in bilingual schools in Italy and private schools in England, I moved to Miami where I obtained my qualifications and worked as a teacher and director in Florida. When I returned to Italy, I deepened my knowledge of the Reggio Emilia Approach through experience with direct consultancy from Reggio Children and started the IB training course.
“Creativity becomes more visible when adults try to be more attentive to the cognitive processes of children than to the results they achieve in various fields of doing and understanding.” -Loris Malaguzzi
Valentina Zucchetti
Italian as an Additional Language Specialist Educator
Admissions Officer
Italian
Over 13 years of experience in education in Pre-Schools, Primary and Secondary Schools. I started my career in Italy and then moved to Australia for 10 years where I had the opportunity to teach Italian at a Bilingual School as well as in High School. I recently qualified as an English as an Additional Language teacher to further develop my bilingual perspective. I moved back to Italy in 2022.
During my career in education I have also worked as Education Officer in Sydney, promoting Italian courses for Primary and Secondary schools. I am very passionate about bilingualism and I enjoy engaging with prospective parents to help them find the best educational journey for their children.
“A different language is a different vision of life.” -Federico Fellini
* GIS The International School of Monza is an authorized IB (International Baccalaureate®) World School for the Primary Years Programme. IB World Schools share a common philosophy—a commitment to improve the teaching and learning of a diverse and inclusive community of students by delivering challenging, high quality programmes of international education that share a powerful vision.
Only schools authorized by the International Baccalaureate® can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme (DP) or the IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC).
For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org
Mission Statement from the IB
The International Baccalaureate® aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment. These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.
Via Federico Confalonieri, 18 – 20900 Monza (MB)
Phone:+39 039 228 7034
Mobile:+39 389 542 0721
E-mail: admissions@gisschoolmonza.it
Working Hours: 08.00 – 17.00