Primary Faculty

Lynne Horrobin
Assistant Primary Principal and PYP Coordinator

Lynne was born and raised in the North Island of New Zealand and completed a Diploma of Teaching and a Bachelor of Education at Victoria University in Wellington.  In New Zealand Lynne gained a wide range of experience in teaching as well as working as a Teaching Principal. Lynne joined the International Community School in August 2007 and has continued to develop her experience of education through IB training opportunities, including Pedagogical Leadership and several curriculum areas. Lynne’s passion in education lies in the areas of critical thinking skills, multiple intelligences and brain-based learning.  She has lived in London for the past 5 years and enjoys every aspect of it including the transport!

Aimée Jeffery
Nursery Teacher

Aimée Jeffery is of British and French descent and grew up in the UK. She has a BA Honours Degree in Modern Languages (Spanish and Italian) from the University of Westminster, London, and is CELTA qualified (Certificate in English Language Teaching) from Oxford House College, London. She has experience teaching overseas in Turkey as well as here in London.
 
Aimée is an enthusiastic communicator, who loves meeting all the international students and staff here at ICS. She is skilled in language learning, communicating confidently in Spanish, Italian and Turkish, as well as having a basic command of French. Aimée enjoys the creative challenges of teaching in the primary classroom and as a lifelong learner herself, she demonstrates empathy for her students and strives to create a happy and comfortable learning environment for them all.

Christy Larson
Reception Teacher

Christy is from Canada, where she completed her Bachelor of Education Degree and her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree at the University of Lethbridge, Alberta. Christy has gained teaching experience in Canada and more recently in the UK. 
Christy enjoys working with young learners of all ages. She uses story-telling to enhance her practice, as it helps her students develop good reading and language skills that will be a benefit all through their lives. Christy enjoys outdoor pursuits; she loves swimming and taking time to relax and play in the mountains.

Skye Anthonisz
Year 1 Teacher/ Nursery-Year 2 Coordinator  

Skye Anthonisz is from Perth, Western Australia. In 2000, she completed a Bachelor of Education at Edith Cowan University. Since then she has taught in various international schools in London, Perth and Melbourne. Skye is a passionate educator who is inspired by the philosophies from Reggio Emilia in Italy. She has a special interest in playing, laughing and learning with children in the Early Years and enjoys being engaged in 'magical moments' with her students.
 Skye is a keen traveller and enjoys exploring new countries and cultures.

Courtney Dickens
Year 2 Teacher

Courtney Dickens is from Dallas, Texas, USA and has over 9 years experience in teaching. Courtney has a Bachelor of Arts and Science Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Masters Degree in Curriculum Development and Implementation.
As Year 6 teacher Courtney prepares her students for the Year 6 Exhibition – a reflection of all the skills the children have learnt in their time at Primary School. She takes responsibility for mathematics development across the Primary School and co-ordinates the School Council.

Jim Gribble
Year 3 Teacher

Jim is from the USA, where he has taught 2nd grade at an IB PYP school in Chicago. He also taught Kindergarten for two years in Charlotte. He received a BA in Psychology from Marquette University and obtained his teaching credential in elementary education from the University of North Carolina in Charlotte.
 
Jim is excited to be part of such an international team at ICS! He thinks literacy and critical thinking are key components to children having success in all subject areas and in life. He also believes children should be allowed to take ownership of their educational experience if they are to develop a love of learning and become lifelong learners.
 
In his free time Jim enjoys travelling, playing soccer, fishing, and downhill skiing.

Fiona Curnow
Year 4 Teacher

Fiona is from Scotland. She graduated in 1996 from Moray House College, Edinburgh, with a bachelors degree (honours) in primary education. Her desire to experience other cultures led her to become an international school teacher and she has taught in Estonia, Ukraine, Lithuania and Thailand.  Fiona is passionate about the Primary Years Programme and enjoys learning alongside her students as they develop inquiring minds and a love of learning.

She has worked with stray animals and street kids in the countries she has lived in and travels with adopted dogs.

Anna Chaves
Year 5 Teacher

Anna Chaves is from the USA where she gained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education Studies from Antioch College, Ohio. She has also completed a teacher training program in the Steiner Waldorf teaching philosophy. Anna has overseas teaching experience in India and Switzerland and has worked at ICS for 5 years. As well as class teaching, Anna co-ordinates the school council.

 

Ruth Mumma
Year 6 Teacher

Ruth Mumma is from the USA, where she gained a Master of Arts in Teaching Elementary Education and a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Natural Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh.  She has over 11 years teaching experience, having worked at ICS for six years, before which she taught in the USA, South Korea and Vietnam. 

Ruth runs the Early Years Centre and is Lower School co-ordinator. Ruth enjoys playing the piano, exploring new cultures and is currently teaching herself French and how to cook!

Tricia O’Shea
 PYF Teacher

Tricia O’Shea is from Ireland and has over 11 years of teaching experience. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Education from Middlesex University. She also has a Certificate in Teaching English as a Second Language and a Certificate in Further Education as well as a City and Guilds Teacher Training Diploma from Middlesex University.

Tricia holds the position of Senior Teacher at ICS. She specialises in teaching English as a Second Language and takes on the role of Director of Studies during our the Summer School session. She co-ordinates the After-school Clubs and child-care programme.

Svetlana Klyuyeva
Music Teacher

Svetlana is from Kazakhstan, where she completed her Music studies at Almaty State Conservatoire and gained a BA (Honours) in Music with a teaching qualification. After teaching within IB programmes for several years in her own country, she wanted to experience teaching and living abroad. Her travels took her to Egypt and Japan, where she enjoyed immersing herself in these rich cultures.  She also enriched her teaching experience further within the IB programmes as well as the British National Curriculum.  Both her previous schools allowed her to progress to Head of Music.

Svetlana has a passion for music and believes that engaging with music in any way helps children to develop different skills as well as become a balanced individual. She hopes that she can share her knowledge of and passion for music with the students and staff at ICS and provide plenty of opportunities for students to discover the beautiful world music.

Fatema Paretha
PE Teacher

Ms Fatema Paretha was born in London where she gained BSc. Degree in Management from King's College, London.  She additionally attained PGCE in Primary Education from Homerton College, Cambridg. Ms Fatema has been teaching for 5 years at ICS and enjoys every minute of it.

In her spare times Ms Fatema practises Yoga and teaches it at her local community centre. She also supports the charity organisations 'The Art of Living Foundation' and the International Association for Human Values which have both been doing important work in trauma relief for the victims of the Haiti Earthquake. Ms Fatema is eager to take part in British 10K run this July to raise funds for this cause.

Katherine Tyler
English as an Additional Language

Katherine has 15 years teaching experience both in London and abroad. She is originally from Aberystwyth in Wales and studied English Literature at Warwick University. She is CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching) and DELTA (Diploma in English Language Teaching) qualified from  International House in London. She worked in Reunion Island as an English teacher in a French school.
As EAL co-ordinator Katherine leads our English Language programme at the Primary School, working closely with students, teachers and parents. She also organises Home Languages activities to develop and encourage cultural diversity and native language skills. Katherine takes on the role of Director of Studies for our English Language Summer School.

Shelby Brown
English Language Support Teacher

Shelby Brown is from the USA, and has over 7 years teaching experience in California, Ohio, North Carolina and New York City. She has a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in Hearing and Speech Therapy from Ohio University and certificates in Speech and Language Pathology and Primary Education.
 
Shelby enjoys working with young readers and writers as they develop communication skills and a love of reading. Her current role is as English Language Support teacher, where she works with students from Years 1, 2 and 3 who need support in learning English. Outside of school she enjoys being a student herself, taking French, golf and ski lessons.

Angela Puddu
Italian Language Teacher

Angela Puddu is from Sardinia in the south of Italy. She graduated with a Diploma Magistrale from Istituto Magistrale of Cagliari in 1977 and also in Law from the University of Cagliari in 1993. She has over 25 years experience of teaching children, young people and adults.

Angela teaches the Nursery, Reception and Year 1 students at ICS and is a passionate life long learner herself, regularly attending courses at the Italian Institute of Culture in London. In her spare time Angela volunteers with vulnerable young people for Camden Youth Offending Team and she enjoys regular visits to the theatre and reads books, such as poetry and history, philosophy and psychology. She loves travelling and learning from diverse culture around the world. Her favourite hobbies are writing stories for adults and children.

Carla Toscano
Italian Language Teacher

Carla is from Sicily in Italy, where she graduated with a BA degree in Foreign Languages from Catania University, and gained teacher qualified status. She has taught English as a second language in Italy and subsequently came to the UK to teach Italian through a programme sponsored by the Italian Consulate. She has taught in schools in Bath and London, and teaches children at ICS from Year 2 to Year 6, working collaboratively with class teachers to develop curricular links to class units of inquiry. She takes an active role in our Travel and Learn trips to Italy, giving her students the opportunity to experience Italian language and culture in an authentic setting.

Melanie N. Pappas-Lemona
Assistant Director of the Student Support Department/Head of Primary Student Support

Melanie N Pappas Lemona, MSc, BSc, is an accredited Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society, Child Developmental Psychologist, with a specialised training and experience in the assessment and therapeutic care of children and early adolescence. Melanie received graduate training in psychoanalytic mother-infant and toddler-group observations supervised by an accredited psychotherapist as well as post graduate training at The Whittington Hospital, Post Natal Unit, in London, U.K. as a Sibling Support-Play Therapist.  Melanie has received additional training in Behavioural Interventions and ABA Certification through years of work experience with children and adolescents with the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), learning disabilities, and behavioural challenges.  Her extensive training has allowed her to obtain expertise in the area of child assessment, behaviour analysis and therapeutic care through play, for ASD, learning difficulties, emotional struggles, and behaviour challenges. 

Philippa Smeaton-Ewins
Speech and Language Therapist

Philippa Smeaton-Ewins is the Speech and Language Therapist at the ICS Primary.  She comes from Scotland and graduated with a BSc(Hons) degree in Speech Pathology and Therapy from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh in July 2003. 

She has been working as a Paediatric Therapist for 5 years now, initially working within Child Family Centres and Mainstream schools before going on to work in more specialist provisions for pre-school complex needs and school-age children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders and challenging behaviour.

came to work for ICS in the summer of 2006 because it offered her the rare opportunity of working within an educational environment that fully embraces children of all learning abilities and styles.  She is very happy to be here for another school year and looks forward to being involved in the many upcoming projects within the Student Support department.

Tereza Nogueira
Art Therapist

Tereza is our UKCP registered Art Therapist working with children who may need this kind of stimulation to help their development.  Having gained a formal qualification to work with children and adolescents in South America, Tereza has also gained a qualification as an Integrative Child Psychotherapist, in the UK.  She is also trained as clinical supervisor. Tereza is currently working privately and in schools throughout London supporting children and adolescents who are struggling to cope with school, family, friendship etc. 

She has several years of experience working with children with Autism, ADHD, attachment, eating and communication disorders, behaviour difficulties, anxiety and obsession, trauma and abuse etc.  She speaks Portuguese as well as English and can communicate reasonably well in Spanish too.

Tunde Bodor
Special Education Teacher in the Primary Years Special Education (PYSE) programme

Tunde Bodor is originally from Hungary and studied both in Hungary and in the UK. She has gained a Postgraduate Diploma in The Inclusion of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities from Kingston University in London. She is also qualified teacher of Hungarian, Film & Drama. Before joining ICS team Tunde worked as a teaching assistant in London for children with Cerebral Palsy and associated medical, learning and communication needs.  
Tunde alsoe worked for a year as a care support worker in Cornwall and as a part time teaching assistant where she gathered lots of experience working with children with ASD, Asperger’s Syndrome and Challenging Behaviour. Here she had a chance to give regular yoga lessons to the students.
In Hungary she mainly worked for language schools teaching English and Hungarian as a foreign language and she did tutoring for children in different subjects (Maths, English, Hungarian, Geography, and History).

Antonita Antoniou
Learning Support Assistant

Antonita Antoniou has been a long serving employee of ICS having worked at ICS Nursery for 15 years before joining the Student Support Department as an LSA four years ago. She really enjoys her role at the school and although has worked primarily in the Early Years department she has also gained experience of working as an LSA with children in Years 4,5 and 6.  She is currently based back in the Early Years supporting a child in Reception class. 

Antonita has a BTEC National Certificate in Caring Services (Nursery Nursing) and a Certificate in Pre-Vocational Education in Health and Community Care.  She was born in London but her roots are from Cyprus and she speaks both English and Greek.

Mira Randejelovic
Learning Support Assistant/Literacy Support Assistent

Mirjana Randjelovic is a Learning Support Assistant in Year 1.  She is trained in Speech and Language Therapy and has a degree in Preschool Teaching from the University of Belgrade. She has been working with children of different ages since 1997.  She is originally from Serbia but has been living and working in London for more than 6 years now. She has been with ICS since January 2007. In her free time, she likes travelling, reading and spending quality time with her friends.

 

Mariana Lima Abreu
Learning Support Assistant

Mariana Lima Abreu is originally from Brazil and she has been in London for 7 years. Mariana has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the Catholic University of Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Additionally, she holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Infant Mental Health and a Master Degree in Psychoanalytic Observational Studies, both from the Tavistock and Portman NHS Institute. Mariana is passionate about children‘s emotional development and is currently based in the Nursery/ Reception class as a Learning Support Assistant.

Luis Alvelais
Learnig Support Assistant

Luis Alvelais is a Learning Support Assistant (LSA) in the PYF class. He is from Mexico and has lived in Europe since 2004. He was previously employed by ICS as an LSA and has experience working with children with Autism and ADHD as well as other individual learning needs. For the last five years he has worked at ICS summer school teaching ICT and Sport. He recently returned to London from Milan where he studied towards a degree in Architecture.

Luis has experience teaching Science and Mathematics in a primary school in Mexico and provided private tuition to English and Italian children whilst living in Italy. He has a passion for languages. Besides Spanish, which is his first language, he speaks English and Italian fluently. He recently began a course in Arabic. Luis has a wide range of hobbies including running marathons, playing squash, photography and travelling.