Pre-K Team
Donna Lynch
Donna holds a Master’s Degree in Reading from Holy Family University, a Bachelor’s degree in Special Education from Bloomsburg University, and Elementary Certification from Holy Family University. Donna has been teaching Pre-Kindergarten at GFS since 2015. In 2017, Donna assumed the role of Curriculum Coordinator, working as a mentor to all of our teachers. In 2022, her role expanded as she was named the Assistant Head of School.
Donna’s background includes experience working as an Elementary Learning Support Teacher in both Central Bucks and Bristol Township School Districts. She believes that our young children learn best through play and creates opportunities for inquiry both in the classroom and in our outdoor spaces. Donna has a passion for helping her Pre-Kindergarteners grow intellectually, emotionally and socially. Her classroom setting is inviting, nurturing and provides a structure for kids to explore and learn. She is certified in Learning Without Tears – Readiness and Writing, Language and Literacy, and Numbers and Math.
As Assistant Head of School and Curriculum Coordinator, Donna works with both individual teachers and group-level teaching teams to develop, implement and evaluate the School’s curriculum on an ongoing basis. She supports teachers and serves as a coach in the matter of classroom management and teaching methods. She coordinates the School’s afternoon programming and works closely with the Head of School on managing the daily operations of GFS. Donna has served on the PAIS Steering Committee and has participated in professional development opportunities with NAIS, PAIS and Friends Council on Education. Her son, Ryan, is a graduate of GFS.
Aimee Bentley
Aimee holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Cabrini College. She has worked in both education and corporate environments. Aimee was very excited to become a part of the GFS family in 2017.
Before having children, Aimee was a corporate trainer in the staffing industry. While her children were younger, she was both an assistant and Pre-K teacher at The WonderKey School as well as an arts instructor at Camp Sesame Rockwood. Aimee enjoys a learning environment where children can express themselves in a nurturing, loving and creative area, where they can experience new challenges through both learning and play, that will lead to them build self-confidence and excitement for new school adventures. Aimee is proud of her extensive service work with Tiferet Beth Israel and The Mitzvah Circle.
Cheri Kaliner
Cheri holds a Master's Degree in Elementary Education from The American University and a Bachelor's Degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She joined the teaching staff at GFS in the fall of 2017 as a Pre-Kindergarten teacher.
Cheri began her career teaching 5th grade and then Kindergarten in the Philadelphia area. While raising her young daughters, she remained active in the field of education as a reading and math tutor for elementary school-aged students. As her children became more independent, Cheri began to substitute teach in the Wissahickon School District. Thereafter, she returned to teaching full time, starting with the kindergarten program at Tiferet Bet Israel in Blue Bell, before finding her niche teaching Pre-Kindergarten.
For Cheri, providing a nurturing and caring classroom, where each child feels valued and self-confident, is paramount to her teaching. She has a passion for children's literature and leads two of the Enrichment classes at GFS.
Ann Kaplan
Ann holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Philadelphia University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She joined the teaching staff at Gwynedd Friends School in the fall of 2017.
Ann began her career in Marketing and Management. Once her children were born, she retired from the corporate world and began to volunteer with a number of school programs, such as Art Goes to School. In 2007, Ann began volunteering for the Early Childhood Education Center at Tiferet Bet Israel. Ann also participated the Lasko fellowship program, which specializes in working with children with special needs. As a result, she was invited to run training sessions for the rest of the TBI staff. Ann was subsequently hired as an Assistant Teacher at the ECEC at TBI in 2011.
Ann believes that the classroom environment should be child-centered with a play-based curriculum. She feels that it is important to meet children where they are, developmentally, and to nurture their self-confidence. Most of all, Ann believes in a strong arts program as her philosophy is that children learn best through art, music, and self-expression. Ann leads the Art Enrichment at Gwynedd Friends School and spent years curating the yearly art show for the ECEC at TBI.
Joyce Pounds
Joyce Pounds holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree from Beaver College (now Arcadia University). She has taught Preschool and Pre-K here at Gwynedd Friends School, Kindergarten in the Lower Moreland School District and the Wissahickon School District, and Third Grade in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. She has also been a substitute teacher in various districts in this area. She is excited to return to Gwynedd Friends Pre-K this year.
Joyce believes that children learn best in an environment of play and hands-on experience with the world around them. She strives to help children build confidence, competence, and independence, while engaging in meaningful activities with their peers. Joyce appreciates and cultivates the joy that children find in learning together. She helps children to recognize their own light within, and to see how that light impacts those around them. She is also mindful of the important role that families play in their children’s development, and strives to engage families in the educational process.
When she is not teaching, Joyce enjoys sewing, baking, reading, and cheering on her four children in their various sports and activities.
Kate Steinmetz
Kate holds a degree in Elementary Education from Chestnut Hill College and has been working at Gwynedd Friends School since the fall of 2014. Kate currently works as an Assistant in the five morning Pre-Kindergarten class.
Kate enjoys helping each child to develop through their play with their peers. She finds it very rewarding to assist children on their path to school readiness. It is important to Kate to take the children outside on the beautiful grounds of Gwynedd Friends in order to experience nature and movement activities. Both of Kate’s sons, Daniel and James, attended Gwynedd Friends School.
Lori Brosnan
Lori holds a Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from Mercy University in New York. She also holds an MBA in Accounting and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from St. John’s University in New York. She has worked in both the education and corporate environments. Lori is excited about joining the GFS family this year.
Lori’s professional career began in the Finance Department of Verizon, Inc. where she spent over 14 years holding various finance positions before turning her attention to teaching. After leaving Verizon to raise her family, Lori volunteered for a year as a part time Computer teacher, teaching Basic Computer skills. This was a career changing experience for her. She discovered her love for teaching and realized that this was the career path for her.
Her previous experience includes being a Teaching Assistant at Hobbit House in Gwynedd Valley, a Lead Teacher at St. Gerard Majella in Kirkwood, Missouri and a Lead Teacher at Chappaqua Friends Nursery School in New York.
Lori loves working with young children and finds great satisfaction in helping them grow and develop both socially and academically. She believes in letting children explore their interests and helping them discover the world around them through inquiry and self-discovery.
Veronica Deely
Veronica holds a Bachelor's Degree of Psychology from Chestnut Hill College. She has worked in a preschool classroom as both a Lead and Assistant teacher at EnVision Gymnastics, which developed its own private preschool based on mobility in learning for young children. Alongside teaching in the educational preschool setting, she also led the school-age and preschool gymnastics program curriculum development. Veronica has also spent many years coaching competitive gymnastics teams, focused on the preliminary levels and younger age groups. Prior to deciding to stay home to raise her three children, Veronica also spent 5 years working for PointRoll, a Digital Media Company.
Veronica's daughter spent time at GFS, which is what sparked her interest to join the teaching team here. Her youngest son also currently attends GFS.
Since becoming a mother, Veronica has been reinvigorated to get back into working with children in an educational setting. Veronica feels that nurturing children during their earliest years of life is a profoundly rewarding experience. She believes that seeing a child develop through curiosity, play and comfort is a guiding light to us all to reconnect with our surroundings. When we take the time to see the world through a child’s eyes, we are able to guide their development in a positive and natural way. Veronica is glad to join the GFS family and work with the staff in cultivating a joyful and safe space for all students to learn and grow.
