Poppy Seeds Montessori Staff
Co-Founders
Poppy Poretti
Poppy is our Principal and Co-Founder.
Poppy has been involved in various Montessori Organizations for 20 years and a Life Coaching background. She trained under Jonathan Wolff on how to run an effective Montessori school when she Chaired a Montessori School Board in Johannesburg. For Poppy, Montessori is her life. She loves working with children because they humble her everyday and they have a lot to teach her. Poppy also loves the way they make her laugh daily. The children love calling her Silly Poppy because she loves having fun with them
Tracey Robinson
Tracey is a co-founder and Head of the Toddler Group.
Tracey is qualified to teach Toddlers as well as 3-6 years as she has a diploma in both. Teacher Tracey has been teaching for 5 years.
Tracey loves teaching the Montessori way because she believes in the philosophy. Tracey loves the joyful spontaneity of children and watching the growth happen in front of her. We love Tracey's infectious laugh and the children adore her
Directresses
Usha Ramsingh
Usha is our Grade R Teacher.
She joined the Poppy Seeds Family in 2017.
Usha is a qualified Montessori directress for ages 3-6.
Teacher Usha has been teaching for an incredible 24 years. The majority of which is teaching Grade R and children with Special Needs. Usha loves teaching because it keeps her young at heart. She believes children are non-judgmental and that their love is genuine. We love Teacher Usha's graceful manner and beautiful heart. We are grateful to have her on our team
Bridget Fourie
Bridget joined the Poppy Seeds Family in 2016.
Bridget is a qualified Montessori Directress and teaches ages 3-6 years.
Teacher Bridget has been teaching for 4 years.
Bridget loves teaching because she loves to see a child's true potential. Teacher Bridget is an amazing and mindful human and we are so happy she is a part of the Poppy Seeds Family.
Kirsten Robinson
Kirsten joined the Poppy Seeds Family as an assistant in the Toddler Group in 2016.
Kirsten now is a qualified Montessori Directress for Toddlers and teaches in the Toddler Group.
Kirsten has been an assistant for 4 years and a qualified directress.
For Kirsten loves teaching because she loves to see the world through the children's eyes and it is amazing because she gets to teach the future generations.
The children love her soft spoken and gentle nature.
Assistants & Grounds Staff
David Sikosana
David is head of Security, Grounds Keeping and our Driver.
David has been part of the Poppy Seeds Family since the very beginning in 2016.
David loves working with children because they are friendly.
David believes the children have good hearts, they are non-judgemental and they don't discriminate. David is the first face the children see in the mornings and he always has a special smile and greeting for them. He knows the names of all the children and their parents. He is our rock.
Thabisile Sokhulu
This is Assistant Thabi.
She joined the Poppy Seeds Family in 2018.
Thabi loves working with children because It makes her a happier and more positive person in her day-to-day life. She believes they have hearts of gold, she loves them.
The children love Thabi because she talks to them in Zulu and she is super fun.
Zanele Mgobhoza
This is Assistant Zanele.
She joined the Poppy Seeds Family in 2018.
Zanele loves working with children because she is encouraged to find new creative ways to do things. Zanele is a powerhouse in the cleaning department and she ensures that the entire environment is sanitized, spotless and sparkly. The children love laughing at her silly jokes at snack time.
Buyi Zungu
This is Assistant Buyi.
She joined the Poppy Seeds Family in 2020.
Buyi loves working with children because it has reminded her of how amazing and exciting the world can be. Buyi loves the children, they keep her constantly entertained. Buyi is our gentle giant. The children love her and she has a great sense of humour.