Marisha Theeboom is an experienced, trained Mandarin teacher, fluent in Mandarin, Taiwanese and English, accomplished business woman, has been the Managing Director of successful International businesses, extremely competent in a variety of roles: Finance and Sales Manager, Administration, Marketing & Advertising. Amongst all of these, Marisha has also been a volunteer community worker since 1987. She has worked with various age groups, cultures and continents, and has been involved with a large charitable organisation that spans Taiwan, America and South Africa. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree from the University of Cape Town, R.S.A., 1996. Since 2006, Marisha continuously updates her extensive knowledge through attending professional development courses within Australia, at R.M.I.T. and recently has just completed her Certificate in 'Professional Development for Teachers in Community Languages Schools' at Monash University in 2010 which focus on LOTE methodology in Early Years Teaching.
As a migrant herself, Marisha moved to Melbourne with her husband and first born child in 2001. At first hand, she experienced the difficulties involved in settling in well within the local community. Joining a local playgroup, she felt more and more frustrated and isolated as cultural differences didn't allow for communication. She realised that the local playgroups offered opportunities for social gathering but didn't meet the needs of the growing child. So she set out to use her early childhood teaching experience and developed Jo Jo Bilingual Education Program.
Jo Jo Bilingual Education Program caters to the needs of different early childhood educational set ups and languages, and is the first bilingual program of its kind in Australia designed in three languages: Chinese, Spanish and German for young children aged newborn-12 years old.
Wanting to continue to help others in a similar situation, as Marisha originally found herself in when she first arriving Australia, she would like to enable the newly immigrants and local community to get together and understand each others cultures and languages through a fun and stimulating playgroup environment using Jo Jo Bilingual Education program as its foundation. With Marisha's continued passion and dedication to creating a better program in early childhood bilingual education and bridging the gap within the community, and various cultures and backgrounds, she established Kimmba Bilingual Learning Playgroup Inc., Australia's first multilingual playgroup in 2007.
Marisha believes that Jo Jo Bilingual Education Programs and the establishment of Kimmba Bilingual Learning Inc. would help to enable more migrants from different cultures to retain their culture diversity and self identity; at the same time develop their skills and English proficiency.
Marisha continuously to demonstrate her sound knowledge as a teacher and a trained community worker with solid organisation, co-ordination and liaison skills. Her specialty as a language teacher for young children and a mother of three energetic young daughters, she knows how to encourage little wondering minds to settle in and gain the best understanding from each language session. Most importantly, Marisha knows how to have great fun with children while helping them learn a second language through a loving and caring environment alongside using a brilliant concise fun and easy to learn bilingual program that Jo Jo provides.
Under her leadership, in 2011, Kimmba Bilingual Learning Playgroup had moved to the next phase of incorporating bilingual learning through the use of the various programs provided by Jo Jo Bilingual Program into the early learning and kindergarten program sector. Marisha is looking forward to the establishment of Melbourne's very first Multilingual Early Learning Centre in the near future.
Maritta is our second longest serving teacher in Kimmba. She has been teaching with us since January 2008. Maritta did her training to work with children from 0-18 years at the "Fachschule fuer Sozialpaedagogik" in Freiburg/Breisgau in Germany. This qualification allowed her to work as a kindergarten teacher, and as a social worker in children homes. She finished this training in 1979 and had first worked in a home for children in Heidelberg, Germany. After a break from work and traveling extensively through Africa, she ran a Kindergarten in the Black Forrest, Germany. After arriving in Australia, she opened up a private bilingual Kindergarten in Melbourne in 1984. Maritta also taught German on Saturday mornings to preschoolers, and was involved with bilingual language studies at Monash University. She closed the Kindergarten when her family decided to move further out of the city. She ran the Kindergarten program in a Long Day Care Centre for 3 years. In 2000 she started the Out of School Hour Care program in Kangaroo Ground, where she is currently working. In 2005/2006 she completed a Diploma in Family studies. Maritta has four children aged 10 to 26.
Ivette originally from Venezuela, which is a country situated at the North of South America. Well, if you watched the movie UP, then you already know a part of it called “The Angel Fall”.
Ivette graduated in Andres Bello Catholic University in Caracas city, 2002 and obtained a Degree in Preschool Education, which had been assessed by Early Childhood Australia and she has been working with children from 0 to 7 years old for more than seven years in Venezuela. Ivette is enjoying the experience of teaching Spanish to children of different cultures in Kimmba Bilingual Learning because, as a preschool teacher she values the importance of bringing confidence to young children in a bilingual early learning environment. She recognises that the first stage of the children’s lives are crucial for their integral development, thus in Kimmba she would like to offer the opportunity of helping to strengthen children’s social behaviour, encourage their skills at expressing their emotional needs and build up their language acquisition and experiences by facilitating the learning of Spanish with fun activities. As a good Latin girl, Ivette loves dancing and dancing activity is a part of our unique Spanish learning classes for young children. Her favour rhythms are flamenco, belly dance and all kind of latin music.
Maiki is a new teacher at Kimmba, teaching Mandarin in the Baby, Toddler, Kinder and Primary classes. She is currently a part time teacher but will eventually become a full time teacher at Kimmba in 2012.
Maiki has been living in Melbourne for five years. She is a native Mandarin speaker and is fluent in English as well as Malay due to Malaysia’s trilingual education system. Furthermore, she can also speak Cantonese, Hakka and Hokkien.Having grown up in this multicultural and multilingual society in Malaysia, Maiki genuinely believes that having the ability to understand more than one language brightens a child’s future. This is the reason why she applied for this job and has already shown great enthusiasm and much patience in her work with the children.
During the four-year-course at Melbourne University, Maiki has successfully completed eight placements at different preschool centres, including every form of early childhood setting (childcare centres, kindergartens and primary schools). She has also worked as a casual relief teacher at primary schools in Malaysia before coming to Australia.
Maiki strongly believes that children learn and discover the world around them through play and that each child has his or her very own unique learning style. Therefore, she will incorporate this theory into her program planning to assist and enhance children’s learning by designing a variety of interesting lessons as well as activities followed by Jo Jo Bilingual Education’s innovative and exceptional preschool program curriculum style and most importantly, combine it with the guideline of Early Year Frame Work and Victoria Essential Learning Standard.
Maiki’s full time work commitment has leads her to take on the sole responsibility as Kimmba’s playgroup leader for 2012.
Rachel originally comes from Shanghai, China. Having completed a Bachelor of Management Degree, at the Shanghai University of Engineering Science, in 2008, she is now undertaking a Master of Education Degree, specializing in Early Childhood Education, at Monash University. Rachel is a native Mandarin speaker and shows passion and energy when teaching children.
After graduated with her Bachelor degree in Shanghai, Rachel started working at Shanghai Airlines as a junior instructor and assistant of VIP Customers. Her responsibility and excellent work ethic had put her above the rest and therefore Rachel was awarded “Shanghai Airlines’ Distinguished Service Provider” and “The Outstanding Contribution in 2010 EXPO” Prizes. Rachel had also worked part time for more than five years as a foreign teacher’s assistant in the Longman School, at the Shanghai Early Learning Education Centre, teaching Chinese children to learn English. As an enthusiastic and progressive young bilingual pre-school teacher, Rachel is very patient and proud of her responsible attitude towards each of her students.
Rachel holds the First Aid certificate (Level 2), the certificate of Asthma and Anaphylaxis, a valid Working with Children check and a National Police check since she joins Kimmba’s excellent Bilingual Preschool Education team.
Rachel believes that every child is a unique individual and that children are encouraged to learn through a play-based program, which is the reason why Kimmba’s philosophy and the unique preschool teaching strategies using the innovative and distinctively designed, Jo Jo Bilingual Early Learning Program attracted Rachel to join the team. This play-based, structured curriculum allows the teacher to focus on children’s interests and strongly encourage the children’s cognitive development. Rachel focuses on helping children to build up their confidence and self-esteem so that they are ready to move onto the next step and take on the more challenging aspects of bilingual learning with Kimmba.
Ming Zhang (Crystal) is a native Mandarin speaker. She completed the Bachelor of English degree at Shanghai International Studies University in 2010, which equips her with excellent English skills. During her study in China, she worked as an English teacher for one year in Shanghai. In 2010, she also worked as the leader of the English teaching and research group with Beyond Education for half a year. Crystal is currently studying a Master of Teaching (Early Childhood) degree at Melbourne University and she will be finishing it in December, 2012. As the courses begin in Melbourne, she has also participated in placements in several Early Childhood settings this year.
Added to Crystal's professional training and in relation to the Early Childhood Field, she has the certificate of First Aid (Level 2) and Anaphylaxis, as well as a Working With Children Check and National Police Check.
Crystal's view on education is that childhood is a vital part for a person's future development. Therefore, educators have the responsibility to provide high-quality care and education for each child, so children can reach their true potential. In addition, children will have a strong sense of identity. On the basis of treating every child equally, it is also critical to respect their interests and unique ways of learning. This point of view is part of the philosophy held by the Kimmba Bilingual Learning Playgroup, so she is looking forward to helping develop the children here in their bilingual language learning.
Iris holds her Bachelor of Art in Chinese Language and Literature from Yunnan Normal University in China, 2005. She has professional knowledge of teaching both verbal and written Chinese and has experience in teaching Chinese to secondary students in China.
With great passion for teaching, especially for bilingual education, she is doing Master of teaching (Primary) in Melbourne University and she will be graduating in Dec 2011. Her professional placement includes early years’ education for preps. She has always been developing close rapport with her students. She is an engaging teacher who brings her prior experiences into early childhood education and loves working with children.
Iris believes that each child will be a successful learner in Kimmba with best commitment by the teachers, parents, and children.
Stephanie will be a new Mandarin teacher for Kimmba as from 2012. She completed a Diploma of Primary Music Education at the Teachers College of Language and the Arts in Guang Dong Province, China, when she was 16. She holds a Grade 7 Singing Certificate, acquired as a 12 year old, and a Grade 8 Honours Piano Certificate, acquired when she was 17 year old. Stephanie has also performed as a representative for China in the children travelling to Zimbabwe for a cultural exchange in 2006. Music has given Stephanie a joyful, success and unique childhood.
Stephanie is currently studying a Bachelor Degree of Primary Education at RMIT University to fulfill her music teacher career, a dream since childhood. She is also studying a Certificate III in Children’s Services to enhance her teaching skill with preschool children. She has taught a group of children aged 6-12 years for singing lessons in 2011.
Stephanie believes that early childhood stage is a critical period of a child's life and therefore, help to establish learning skills and the right attitude towards life is a vital key to their success later in life. Music skills and advanced music development in childhood can be one of the most successful achievements and joyful activities for children and helps to build their self esteem as well as successful academic learning at school. Stephanie encourages children to feel free to dance and explore different kinds of music. She will give Kimmba children a varied musical experience this year.
Stephanie is looking forward to working with Kimmba children and hopes to have the opportunity to establish a Pre-school choir in the near future at Kimmba.
