Get to Know Our Staff
Ms Janie
School Director
If you would like to e-mail Ms. Janie about her work or the school, simply click on the link : E-MAIL MS JANIE
School Director, Ms. Janie, whose full name is San Juanita Hernandez, is also a mother of 6 children, 4 of whom were adopted. Ms. Janie began her 30-year career with the Head Start Program before coming to join the St. Catherine’s team at its inception, 18 years ago.
In addition to the Child Development Associate (CDA) credential held by her and the majority of the staff at St. Catherine’s, Ms. Janie is also certified as an Administrator by the Texas Teacher Academy, L.L.C, and received a certificate in Child Development/Early Childhood Administration from Alvin Community College where she is pursuing her Associate. Ms. Janie also helps with the church’s nursery program on Sunday mornings.
Ms. Janie believes that love and laughter are essential ingredients to a child’s growth and she brings both of those in great measure to her role as School Director at St. Catherine’s.
Ms. Sandra Lewis
“Bears” – 2 year olds
Ms. Sandra has been in childcare for 25 years. She is a certified preschool teacher and had previously taught at St. Catherine’s for 4 years. Ms. Sandra is excited to return to St. Catherine’s and to be part of the Bears. She looks forward to offering a nurturing heart to children as they begin to venture out of their homes and begin sharing life with other children in a structured environment.
Ms. Ligia
“Bears” – 2 year olds 
Ligia Hernandez is originally from Colombia. She has a Bachelor degree in Psychology with 5 years of experience in the educational field, as an assistant psychologist in a preschool and later as a middle and high school student counselor in her country. She moved to Houston 11 years ago and is a Sienna resident for the past 10 years with her husband Patrick and her two daughters Sophia 10 and Valeria 7 years old.
Ms. Ligia has been with St Catherine for 3 years as a substitute teacher. She is very excited to be part of the Bears class this year and to watch your children grow providing a nurturing and caring environment.
Ms. Liz
“Butterflies” – 3 year olds
If you would like to e-mail Ms. Liz, simply click on the link :
Elizabeth Gonzalez, Ms. Liz, has been with St. Catherine’s as a teacher for eight years. She holds her CDA Certification along with additional training, currently pursuing in a Childhood Development/ Early Childhood teacher certificate. Ms. Liz continues to refine her skills and comfort level in working with the children who come through St. Catherine’s.
Ms. Liz has held a passion for working with kids that has lasted over 20 years and shows no sign of changing. When she is not actively being mom to her own 3 children or working with the kids at St. Catherine’s, Ms. Liz enjoys focusing her free time on baseball and photography.
Ms. Berta
“Butterflies” – 3 year olds
If you would like to e-mail Ms. Berta, simply click on the link :
Berta Bastida or Ms. Bertha has 20 years’ experience; she has been at St. Catherine for 10 years. She has worked for Fort Bend ISD as extended day teacher, Religious Educator at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church.
Ms. Berta has CDA certification and is currently pursuing in a Childhood Development/ Early Childhood teacher certificate. Ms. Berta has a passion for teaching and children.
Ms. Paula
“Mustangs” – 4 year olds
If you would like to e-mail Ms. Paula, simply click on the link :
Paula Mercado, “Ms. Paula”, is a native Houstonian, married to her husband Rick for twenty-one years and the mother of Megan, 15, and Dylan, age 20. Because of her husband’s work, Ms. Paula and her family have had the experience of living in many places, from Houma, Louisiana and Hurricane, West Virginia to the far north of Newfoundland, Canada, where her daughter was born. After returning to the Houston area and settling in Sienna Plantation, Ms. Paula found her second calling in working with St. Catherine’s Preschool, a calling that allows her to continue to offer the kind of nurturing her now-older children need perhaps a bit less. She is currently pursuing her associate in Early Childhood Education and has already received her CDA.
Ms. Maggie
“Mustangs” – 4 year olds
If you would like to e-mail Ms. Maggie, simply click on the link :
Magdalena Locklear, Ms. Maggy, brings a great deal of experience and cultural enrichment to her work with the Mustangs at St. Catherine’s. Originally from Mexico, Ms. Maggy did her degree work in Social Studies and taught in Mexican Middle Schools for fifteen years. She has worked at the First Colony Montessori and served as a Spanish Teacher for “The Spanish Lessons Company”, most recently sent to work in the weekly program at St. Laurence Catholic School.
Ms. Maggy is also a resident of Sienna Plantation. She has been married for 21 years and has a daughter named Dalena who is 14 years old and is a 8th grader at Baines Middle School.
Ms. Linda
“Explorers”
If you would like to e-mail Ms. Linda, simply click on the link :
Linda Penrice, Ms. Linda, saw early on that children, including her own daughter, needed to see reassurance and care were available even outside the circle of protection they found with their parents and families at home. Preparing children to live safely and lovingly in the world has been a passion for Ms. Linda and she has done so for 43 years. She now has two grandchildren, ages 8 and 11.
Ms. Linda is a native Houstonian, the child of Eddie and Cleo Davis from whom she learned what she holds as the anchor for being effective in this work: “It’s not about how much you know. It’s about how much you care.” Ms. Linda cares a great deal – and it shows.
Ms. Sandy
“Explorers”
Sandy Martinez has spent eight years with St. Catherine’s and is proud to call herself an “Explorer.” She takes great pride in watching the children grow more proficient and productive during their time at the school. Like many of the staff, Ms. Sandy also holds her CDA credential, also holding memberships in NAEYC (the National Association for Educating Young Children and the SECA (Southern Early Childhood Association). She continues to grow in the field of early childhood education through these associations and also through additional workshops, training and conferences.
Sandy was born and raised in Mexico and, after earning her Degree in Business Administration with a focus on Industrial Relations, she began working with the state government to assist people who were preparing to enter or re-enter the workforce. That experience, coupled with her own years as a mother of two children, Alex and Natalia, helps reinforce her belief in sound early education and a strong ethic towards preparing children to be successful in all of their life paths. Ms. Sandy appreciates (and lives by) these words from Benjamin Franklin: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn.” Along with her children and Ricardo, her husband of seventeen years, Ms. Sandy enjoys being a resident of Sienna Plantation.
Ms. Maggie
“After School”