Our Team
A group of passionate, AMI certified, bilingual Montessori educators.
"It is not enough for the teacher to love the child. She must first love and understand the universe. She must prepare herself, and truly work at it"
The Team
Casa del Mar Montessori Marbella was established in 2016. We embrace Maria Montessori's philosophy and pedagogy according to standards defined by AMI. Our teachers are AMI-certified, they are experts on following the natural development of the child and know how to support children’s social and emotional learning while cultivating their intellectual ability.
Infant Community Team
Leticia Cabezas
Infant Community Guide
Born in Málaga and with dual degrees in Speech Therapy and Infant Education. Leticia holds the AMI Assistants certificate 0-3 and is currently undergoing the AMI 0-3 Diploma.
Leticia has been working at Casa del Mar Montessori since 2019. Babies and toddlers are Leticia's passion and the love she feels for them is what guides her way of life. She started collaborating in the Infant Community as Assistant and the Montessori philosophy has become her guiding principle.
Leticia is fluent in both English and Spanish.
Marine Gombault
Infant Community Guide
Marine discovered the Montessori philosophy when her daughter was born. She was so enthusiastic about this way of raising children that she decided to train as a Montessori guide, obtaining her AMI 0-3 Diploma in the Maria Montessori Institute in London.
She has over 8 years of classroom experience and it is her passion to hold educational sessions with families to share her knowledge about the Montessori Methodology. More recently she trained as a Doula with The Original Birth Connection and has worked with pregnant mothers to support their preparation for birth from the Montessori perspective.
Originally from France, Marine speaks fluent French, English and Italian and she is learning Spanish.
Children's House Team
Griselda Arbizu
Children's House Guide
Griselda holds a Master's Degree in Montessori Education from 0-6 years, by the University of Vic, in collaboration with the Montessori Institute of San Diego (MISD) and the Association Montessori Internationale (AMI). She holds a bachelor's degree in Social Education, specializing in Special Needs Education and is currently studying for a master's degree in Special Needs Education.
Griselda's personality offers a balanced set of skills, training and experience that is very beneficial for the development of the Children's House community. Griselda is a passionate Montessori educator with excellent observation and organizational skills that support order and provide a sense of security for the children. Her loving personality, easy-going attitude, empathy, and patience help her connect on an emotional level with every child.
Griselda is a native Spanish speaker and is fluent in English.
Ana Berdegué
Children's House Guide
Ana studied Early Childhood Education and holds an AMI 3-6 Diploma.
She is kind, warm and caring with the children. She models grace and courtesy in the environment, supports children's autonomy and protects their concentration. With 3 years of international teaching experience in the US and Spain, Ana joined the team at Casa del Mar Montessori in 2020 and has held several positions in the team over the years.
She is a native Spanish speaker and fluent in English.
Elementary Program Team
Sara Fernández
Elementary Guide and Pedagogical Director
With over 10 years of experience at Casa del Mar Montessori, Sara is the Lead Guide in the Elementary program and Pedagogical Director for the Second Plane of Development.
Sara holds a Bachelor Degree in Primary Education by the University of Vigo and the AMI Montessori Diploma 3-6 and the AMI Orientation to the 12 to 18 Plane of Development by the Maria Montessori Institute in London. She also has the AMI 6-12 Montessori Diploma by Montessori Northwest in the United States.
After finishing her bachelor's degree she looked for a more respectful and meaningful form of education and found in the Montessori philosophy her calling. With a deep understanding of Montessori principles she is a natural born carer. Sara loves being around children and enjoys helping them to discover the joys of learning.
Sara is fluent in English and Spanish.
Amanda Noble
Elementary Guide
Amanda holds a bachelor's degree in Bilingual Primary Education (English and Spanish). She holds the AMI 6-12 Montessori Diploma by Montessori Northwest in the United States.
She is a passionate educator who greatly enjoys awakening curiosity for learning in children. She loves to laugh, dance and transmits positivity. For Amanda, Casa del Mar Montessori is a place where children learn not only about school, but about life.
Amanda is a native Spanish speaker and fluent in English.
Andrea Fitzpatrick
Elementary English Teaching Assistant
Andrea holds the AMI Montessori Diploma for 3-6 by Montessori Northwest in the United Statesand a master's degree in Montessori Education from Loyola University. She also holds a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education, specializing in Early Childhood Education, Language, and Mathematics. She has over 10 years of experience working in Montessori environments, both in the Children's House and Elementary environments.
Teaching, playing, learning, and observing all that life has to offer through the child's perspective has led Andrea to this profession and way of life. Her attention to detail, curiosity for the world around her, and love of the child make her a valuable part of the prepared environment. She thoroughly enjoys the honour and excitement in witnessing the special discoveries that children make each and every day.
Andrea is a native English speaker and is fluent in Spanish.
Admin Team
Maria Gimenez
Deputy Director and Pedagogical Director
With over 15 years of experience in Montessori education, she founded and directed her own Montessori school in Madrid and worked as a Pedagogical Director for a group of Montessori schools.
Maria holds the AMI Montessori 3-6 Diploma from the University of Vic, in collaboration with the Montessori Institute of San Diego (MISD), she attended the AMI Montessori 12-18 Orientation and is currently studying the AMI 6-12 Diploma at the Montessori Institute of Prague.
Maria attended several AMI Administrators courses. Her people-oriented skills and interest in team leadership has led her to participate in several human resources, school management and leadership courses.
Maria is originally from Spain and speaks fluent English. She is learning Swedish.
Ruth Coca
School Founder and Director
Ruth is a Computer Science Engineer with a strong passion and drive towards Montessori Education.
Preparing an environment that will nurture a lifelong love of learning is our drive for educating our students. Casa del Mar Montessori Marbella provides a respectful, warm and welcoming environment for children to live, learn and flourish.
Support Team
Ismael Sánchez and Victor Ryan
Musical Education and instrument lessons
The musical education that we offer, is based on the development of their potential, expressing the diversity and richness of their inner world, stimulating their motor skills, their emotional sensitivity and their creative capacity.
The goal of our music education is to show them the world of sensations and emotions that the language of music contains. The student will be able to understand and express this language enjoying it.
The instrumental practice in the early ages in small groups is an efficient way to stimulate their learning. For this reason, we organize classes in groups of students with a weekly session of 20 minutes. The teacher-student and student-student interaction multiplies the methodological options and generates new learning ways.
Check their school of Music here: Royal School of Music.
