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Accreditation

MST is fully accredited by
The International Montessori Council.

Membership

MST is a member of
The Japan Council of International Schools (JCIS).

Faculty

The faculty of the school is drawn from an international mix of talented people from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences. The diversity of our teaching faculty reflects the cultures of our international community of families. One thing we all have in common is our love of teaching and our commitment to nurturing the best in children through the Montessori method.


Administration

Pete Juds - Head of School

Pete grew up in South Africa where he studied and worked towards becoming an actuary. After a few years, he decided that his vocation was teaching children. He went to London to study at the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI) training centre (Maria Montessori Training Organisation) and graduated in 1989. Pete worked for Montessori schools in London, before coming to Japan in 1991. Initially he worked as a teacher in Tokyo, until he had the means to realise his ambition and founded Sunshine Montessori School (now MST) in 1993. He maintains a presence in the classrooms and in particular concentrates on introducing the children to the importance of peace.

Qualifications


Mariko Maeda Juds - Assistant Head of School

Mariko graduated from an International School in Tokyo before completing an International Communications degree. She then went to London and graduated from the (Maria Montessori Training Organisation in 1989.

As the reason for Pete being in Tokyo, Mariko was part of the founding of the school while at the same time teaching at her alma mater’s Montessori Progamme for 8 years.

Subsequently, she ran the Little People Montessori School for 6 years before bringing it to Minato-ku to form the toddler classes at MST. She has been involved in the school as a teacher, advisor and coordinator until taking the Assistant Head position in 2008.

Qualifications


James Moore – Director of Operations

After 3 years teaching English on the JET programme, James joined MST’s faculty as a classroom assistant and PE specialist in 2004. He quickly got involved in coordinating the wider Sports and Activities programme, which became his main role for 2 years. He continues to do this as well as direct many of the day to day operations of the school. James plays the piano and guitar and is an active vocalist who enjoys performing in the Tokyo area.

Qualifications


Jun Morita – Education Affairs Assistant

Jun worked as a flight attendant in the U.S. for six years. The birth of her first child prompted her to study education and she graduated from Seitoku University with the certificates of Japanese Early Childhood Education (Daycare & KindergartenTeacher). She worked as an office administrator for an international preschool for total of four years and joined MST in August 2012 to pursue her career as a school administrator.

Qualifications



Atsuko Saito – Administrative Manager

Atsuko started at MST as a classroom assistant in August 2005. Prior to that she worked in public relations for 8 years and is currently working in the administration office.

Qualifications




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Little People Faculty


Akane Katsube

Akane performed on stage with a professional Acting Company for a number of years, prior to entering the education field.  Before Joining MST in 2010, she worked in international schools in Tokyo dealing with children from 18 months to 6 years old. While working at a Montessori school, she obtained her AMI Montessori Diploma.

Qualifications


Elizabeth Ogiyama

While raising her children in Tokyo, Elizabeth has led cub scout, girl scout and boy scout troops. She has taught English to Japanese students as well teaching in international schools, at the most recent of which, she ran a mixed age pre-school class for 4 years. She enjoys community theatre and is involved in both adult and children’s productions.  She joined MST in 2010.

Qualifications

Sunshine Faculty

Naoko Kikkawa

Naoko has worked for the school since 1993. After gaining many years of experience she decided to learn about the theory behind it all and in March 2002 she completed her Montessori training at an AMI centre in Japan (The Montessori Institute of Tokyo).

Qualifications


Camille Ploux

While spending 4 years teaching at a bilingual Montessori school in Paris, Camille found time to volunteer for an NGO in Cambodia, be an English tutor for children in Greece as well as Paris and develop a new English programme for French speakers in public schools. She joined MST in 2007.

Qualifications


Tomoko Funada Kim

After graduating from a Japanese university, Tomoko went to England to obtain a masters degree in Peace Studies. She came back to Japan to work at an NPO, and joined MST as an administration assistant in 2005. Later, she joined the elementary programme as a teaching assistant while studying for her Montessori Early Childhood Diploma. After three years in the classroom, followed by a year of maternity leave, Tomoko began teaching in the Sunshine programme in 2011.

Qualifications


Nicole Vogt

Nicole comes from Oregon, USA. After taking Montessori training, she worked at a Montessori school in the US while completing her Masters degree. Together with her husband, she travelled to Tokyo where she served a brief stint at a Montessori school before joining MST in 2010.

Qualifications




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Elementary Faculty


Patrick Snyder

Patrick joined MST in 2005 as our Music Coordinator. After three years, he decided he wanted to be involved in all aspects of the students’ education. He spent a year in Italy at the AMI Elementary Training Centre and returned to lead a classroom in 2009.

Qualifications


Minako Kikkawa

Minako also studied at the AMI training centre in Yokohama. She loves to travel and keeping active. Before joining MST in April, 2005 she worked in a Japanese Montessori school in Kanagawa.

Qualifications


Akiko Fukuda

Akiko studied as an exchange student at a High School in Ohio, U.S. before graduating from Temple University in Japan where she majored in General Studies.  She has been working in various Interenational Montessori schools in Tokyo since 2004 and completed her Montessori training in 2007.

Qualifications


Russ Uhl

Russ is from the United States where he was involved in the banking and hotel industries, as well as owning and running a clinic for sports massage for many years.  He joined MST in 2010 from Friedrichsdorf, Germany where he was working as the Assistant Director and Director of Admissions at the Rhein Main Montessori School.

Qualifications

Jenny Lindstedt

Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Jenny worked as a landscape designer before moving to Sweden for four years.  In Sweden she worked at an international preschool in Gothenburg as a teacher’s assistant.  She joined MST in 2012.

Qualifications


Shukuko Takeda Matz

Shukuko has studied Montessori around the world, from Tokyo, Japan, through Perugia and Bergamo, Italy and in Cleveland, USA. After working in a Japanese Montessori programme, she spent five years in Montessori schools in Connecticut and California where she taught Japanese to native English speakers. Shukuko is also a qualified Japanese language instructor and has produced a Montessori video on Infant & Toddler Education.

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Music

Emi Fujita

Having studied and worked in countries in Europe and North America, Emi brings a love of performance and a desire to awaken student’s musicality through rhythm and movement. She attended a Montessori School herself as a child and is pleased to be working in one and sharing her love of music with the students.

Qualifications





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"The object of teaching a child is to enable the child to get along without the teacher."

—Arthur C. Clarke