BIRGIT BARBRE has been a second-grade teacher at the German Saturday School since 2003. Before that, she gained experience at the Cape Ann Waldorf School. Above all, Birgit believes that learning a language should be a fun and enjoyable activity for children. Birgit particularly likes to broaden her students’ cultural horizons, making use of the extensive resources in our school library and drawing from her own experiences.

BIRGIT DANCKERT has been on the faculty at the German Saturday School since 1994. A certified MA teacher, she is also a faculty member at the German International School Boston. She has a dual role at our school: She heads up a first-grade classroom, and at the same time she teaches music to our youngest students, accompanying them on guitar and teaching them lyrics to favorite German children’s songs. Birgit’s experience as a teacher and parent has helped shape her classroom style: a balance of basic skills and fun, cultural topics, including holidays, customs, games and songs.

UTA FUCHS has been on the faculty at the German Saturday School since 1999. She holds two positions at our school: Head Teacher for the lower grades and second grade classroom teacher. Uta is also a faculty member at the German International School Boston, where she teaches 1st to 6th grade. She brings with her an impressive background in education, as well as many years of experience working with children. Uta and her family moved from Frankfurt, Germany to Chapel Hill, NC in 1994 before moving to the Boston area.

DONNA GIROMINI has been with the German Saturday School since 1989. Drawn to teaching by “a fascination with the language acquisition process of very young children”, Donna is an experienced teacher who worked with Gastarbeiterkinder at a Kindergarten in Germany. Donna uses games, crafts, music, dance and other visible, active means to encourage participation and promote positive reinforcement in her classroom.

PETRA HUNDEMER-FRIEDMAN joined the German Saturday School faculty in 2005 as a third grade teacher. Her background includes language studies in German, English, Spanish and German as a Foreign Language, as well as teaching experience at various language institutions. In addition to teaching at the German Saturday School, she also teaches grades 2-5 at Newton’s "German Club" as part of the IES After School Foreign Language Clubs, and works as a private tutor for ESL and German.

SILVIA JAMES has been on the German Saturday School Boston faculty since 2002. A childhood development professional with 18 years of teaching experience, Silvia has held several teaching positions in both Germany and the U.S. Currently one of our kindergarten teachers, she is comfortable leading a classroom of younger or older children. Silvia believes in integrated learning: she tailors her teaching style to native and non-native speakers, helping them learn from each other and grow together as a group.

BETTINA JUNG DREW brings her professional know-how and love of learning to the German Saturday School, where she has been teaching since 1999. Currently one of our second grade teachers, Bettina studied Early Childhood Education in Germany. She has earned her B.A. and continued her professional education through coursework in Early Childhood studies and various other subjects. Her outside activities include tutoring adults and children in German, as well as running a family daycare and owning a pizza parlor. A native of Rheinland Pfalz, Bettina lives in Shrewsbury, MA with her two children.

HANNA LÜCKE has been on the German Saturday School faculty since 2005. After earning her degree in German as a Second Language from Bonn University in 1992, she held teaching positions at Bonn University, New York University (NYU), Denver University, the German School of New York, and Berlitz, as well as many more foreign language institutions in Germany and the U.S. Hanna enjoys teaching at the German Saturday School because it helps her stay in touch with the German-speaking community in Boston.