1st Grade Faculty

Head of Primary School

Sagrario Argüelles

Sagrario is a passionate professional with more than 20 years of experience in a wide variety of educational settings. She is a lifelong learner that believes that students learn best when they are empowered and feel ownership of their learning. Sagrario has a BA in Education from the Pedagogical University in Mexico and has taken different undergraduate courses from Stanford and Harvard University. She is bilingual in Spanish and English and has a deep understanding of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

Sagrario was born and raised in México City. During her journey in education she worked in different schools in México such as Alexander Bain and the American School Foundation, where she held different teacher and administrative roles such as, lower school teacher, Primary Years Programme (PYP) coordinator and dean of students. She began her career in the United States in 2008 at Escuela Bilingüe Internacional in Oakland, California where she came to implement the Primary Years Programme (PYP). She held the roles of Assistant Head, PYP Coordinator and Director of Curriculum and Learning for Pre-kinder to 8th grade and oversaw the Middle Years Programme (MYP) implementation.

Her passion for education has also allowed her to do significant work for the IB as a workshop leader, consultant, school evaluation and accreditation leader and IB field representative in charge of the quality of the workshops given in The Americas. Sagrario has also been instrumental in the implementation of new IB services for schools at a global level, to develop a quality curriculum in schools.

Sagrario has sought to share best practices wherever she has taught, presenting at educational conferences such as the IB Regional Conference and the California Association of Independent School Conference.

Sagrario describes herself as an inquirer and is a true believer that as educators we need to nurture each child’s love of learning by cultivating academic excellence, emotional intelligence, and social engagement.

Lead Teacher

Pilar Macias

Pilar Macías was raised in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, which borders El Paso, TX. She received her bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and specialized in Quality Systems from the Instituto Tecnologico de Ciudad Juarez. She graduated head of her class. She worked as an Industrial Engineer at Philips Televisions and at Davol Surgical Innovations as a Quality Engineer. These opportunities opened her eyes to the importance of knowing more than one language.

After Pliar married, she moved to El Paso, Texas and started working at El Paso Community College as a part of the Toddler Tech Team. With this experience, she identified the importance of technology in education for the 21st century. She also taught with the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) program in Texas. She enjoyed her teaching experiences immensely. She will always remember her first teaching experience when she was in high school, where she offered special weekend chemistry classes to her peers who were having trouble grasping concepts. She thoroughly enjoyed this experience. As a mother of two daughters, she believes that 21st century education needs to be global and follow new and higher standards.

Lead Teacher

Rocio Borrego

Rocío Borrego was born and raised in Durango, México into a family of educators who instilled in her a love of learning. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Public and Private Administration from one of the largest universities in México – The Durango Institute of Technology (Instituto Tecnológico de Durango) in Durango, México. At Harmon Hall, in México, she earned recognition for her studies in English. She worked as a teacher in the Universidad of Educación Física, where she had the opportunity to work with college students. She began working with children early on. For six years she taught  in elementary public schools and discovered her passion for teaching. During that time, she earned her certification to teach English as a second language from the University of Cambridge.

She also obtained a Teacher Certification from the Universidad Juarez. She had the honor of being recognized by the Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP) as one of the top ten state winners from a nationwide competition for Spanish middle school teachers. She has had the opportunity to teach diverse groups of students, from those with special needs to those participating in gifted and talented programs. As a result, she has become proficient at designing creative and stimulating lesson plans that accommodate multiple levels of immersion. She brings a hands-on approach to learning and keeps students interested and focused.

She moved to Austin, Texas in May 2012 She has worked for Sylvan Learning as a Bilingual Reading Tutor at two Title I elementary schools. She participated in the creation and improvement of materials in both languages to prepare students for the STAAR test. She has also worked for Tutor Doctor, tutoring Spanish as a second language. Throughout her career, she has learned that recognizing and understanding every student’s talents and individual interests is the key to improving the speed and quality of learning.

Rocio has been with Magellan since the 2014-2015 school year.  She has had the privilege to teach two different first grade groups at MIS, giving her the opportunity to incorporate a variety of manipulatives, reflection activities, and hands on learning projects integrating technology with them, as well as to attend IB workshops that reaffirmed her passion for the PYP. She firmly believes that it is through inquiry discussions where students are encouraged to ask questions and they begin the journey of becoming independent thinkers and learners.

Her goal is to engage students in the classroom and maximize their understanding of their world by providing a stimulating learning environment.

Lead Teacher

Ana Paola Méndez

Ana Paola Méndez is from Bogotá, Colombia. She was blessed to be born into a multicultural family with parents from Colombia and Venezuela. She enjoys traveling throughout both countries and experiencing their cultures.

Ana Paola started teaching in 2003 at a private school in Bogotá called Gimnasio Fontana. She earned her BS in Hospitality Management at La Sabana University in Chia, Colombia.  She realized that her real passion was teaching children.  She has attended several education and child development training courses.  She became a “star teacher” and in 2008 she was selected as Preschool Principal.

Ana’s mission in life is to encourage little ones to become active and compassionate learners who understand and respect others and value their differences. She is delighted to work at MIS and have her two daughters attend what her whole family considers to be the “best school they’ve ever known.”

Primary Teaching Assistant

Ana Figueroa

Ana Figueroa was born and raised in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. Throughout her childhood, she attended schools with English programs and became fascinated with the language. In 2009, Ana and her family moved to the United States and began a new journey in Idaho. Eventually, her family ended up in Pflugerville, Texas, where Ana attended high school. She graduated from Texas State University with a BA in Anthropology and minored in Criminal Justice.

Ana has been involved with MIS since 2017, mostly recognized for her work in Summer Camp. Since her first interaction with Magellan, Ana was captivated by the school’s mission and practice of the IB learner profile. In 2020, Ana worked as a private Spanish Immersion teacher for preschool students learning at home. She was inspired to use the IB attributes and inquiry-based learning during her private teaching. When schools returned to full capacity in 2021, Ana was invited back to MIS to work as a Teacher Assistant in second grade. She considers being part of the Magellan community a privilege and is grateful to be somewhere that feels like home.

Ana is passionate about being a lifetime learner and advocating for equity and diversity. She believes nurturing children to be multicultural and principled thinkers is essential because they are the minds of the future. She is dedicated to creating a safe, empathetic, and stimulating environment so children can develop physically, emotionally, and intellectually. Ana appreciates the simple things in life— art, music, nature. She is passionate about learning diverse experiences and cultures throughout the world, and she hopes to influence her students to do the same.

First Grade Assistant Teacher

Ariel Lagunas

Ariel was born and raised in Mexico City, attended a bilingual school and spent summers practicing his English skills in Arizona. He found his passion for education in 2016 working at 4H Capital, an after school program that serves title 1 schools across Austin, teaching STEM and STEAM curriculum and working closely with a local 5th grade classroom to provide science enrichment.

Ariel attended the industrial design program at the Autonomous Metropolitan University in Mexico City (UAM). He received a CELTA certificate as an ESL instructor through UT Austin and taught English in Mexico for three years. He has lived between Mexico City and Austin since 2016. This is his second year at Magellan.

Kinder Teaching Assistant

Marcela Moguilevsky

Research Teacher & Associate Librarian

Sandra Noack

Sandra Noack was born in Bogotá, Colombia. She comes from a multicultural family, half Colombian and half German. She was also influenced by British and American cultures as she studied at a bilingual school. At age 12, she realized she was meant to be a teacher when she started teaching her little sister how to read and write. Later on, she continued this practice when she decided to home-school her own kids. She is proud of her three children, who decided to become teachers, thus prolonging the legacy of educators in her family.

Upon graduation, Sandra completed her education as a preschool teacher at the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional from Bogotá. Her experience as a PYP teacher for more than 11 years has reinforced her beliefs and values regarding education. Her main purpose is to engage her students and help them become internationally minded, caring, inquisitive, and knowledgeable. She believes education is a never-ending process and teaching gives her the opportunity to learn new things everyday.

She enjoys connecting with her students and learning from them in many ways. Sandra also enjoys art, which has always been part of her life. As a self-taught painter, she believes that persistence and discipline can be more powerful than talent. She enjoys exploring different media and shares her creativity with her students. Sandra is proud to belong to a group of lifelong learners at MIS and will strive to build strong bonds within the community she cares deeply about.

English Teacher

Joy Marcus

Joy Marcus is from London, Ontario, Canada and holds dual citizenship in Canada and the United States, due to her mother’s roots in Amarillo, Texas. Joy’s lifelong love of languages was kindled when her parents enrolled her in the French Immersion program offered in Canada’s public schools. She later became interested in learning Spanish while studying at Western University and interrupted her formal education to spend a year living in Santiago, Chile. After completing her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Joy went on to earn a Bachelor of Education degree and then spent two years gaining invaluable experience as a substitute teacher for the public school board in her hometown.

Joy’s travel adventures continued when she moved to São José dos Campos, Brazil in 2009 where she learned Portuguese while working at Esfera Escola Internacional for six years. There she trained as a Primary Years Program teacher and grew in her practice of inquiry-based learning while acting as a lead English teacher in each of the primary grades. Joy was also delighted to play an instrumental role in helping students develop a love for reading as a specialist library teacher for grades 1-5.

In 2015, Joy began teaching at Magellan as the first grade English teacher. She soon became fascinated and intrigued by a specific subset of students who, despite great effort on their part, struggled to acquire basic reading and writing skills within the regular classroom. Motivated by an acute desire to help these students succeed, she embarked on a journey to learn how to teach reading and writing using an explicit, multisensory and systematic approach. She is set to become a fully qualified Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) through the Academic Language Therapy Association in the fall of 2022.

Joy was thrilled to transition into the role of Language Specialist to provide reading intervention classes for students in grades 1-3 who need specific support to become independent readers and writers. She is passionate about children and feels incredibly fortunate to be a part of the Magellan community.

Outside of school, Joy enjoys gathering around food with friends, running Austin streets and trails with her dog, Mr. Darcy, and exploring the Hill Country.

Lower Primary School Physical Education Teacher

Rubi Reyna

Rubi achieved a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the University Of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. She has twelve years of experience working with children. Rubi previously worked at Hudson Bend Middle School in the Special Education Department for the Lake Travis district.

Prior to working at Lake Travis, Rubi was the Physical Education Specialist at the International School of Texas. Rubi was a founding member of the International School of Texas. Early on in Rubi’s career she was an Education Assistant at Pflugerville High School.

Rubi grew up in Sinton, Texas which is north of Corpus Christi. She has two brothers and three sisters. In her free time Rubi enjoys working out and spending time outdoors.

Music Teacher, Preschool and Lower Primary School

Rolando Ibañez

Rolando Ibañez has a degree in Music from the National Pedagogical University of Colombia. The emphasis on which he focused his career are drums. Thanks to his profession and his career he has ventured into other instruments such as guitar, bass and piano, the latter being one of his favorites.

His experience as a music teacher is 14 years. He has worked in different schools in Bogotá, Colombia, such as: Colegio Liceo Edad de Oro, Colegio Americano de Bogotá and Fontán Capital School, developing different musical projects, Choirs, Tunas, musical groups of different genres, festivals, concerts, etc.

In 2010, he started working at Colegio Gimnasio del Norte, which is certified by the international baccalaureate in the PYP, MYP and DP programs. There he held the position of head of the music department, PYP and MYP teacher, director of the school’s symphony orchestra, conformed by more than 120 students. He has participated in short films as a support to students who are in the film program of the Diploma acting and writing music scores. At Gimnasio del Norte he got passionate about the International Baccalaureate and decided to do a post-graduate in the university Camilo José Cela of Spain with the title of “Expert in International Education”, acquiring his certificate of teaching and learning in the IB. He currently has 8 years of experience within the international Baccalaureate programs and is in initial training of IBEN to be a workshop and visiting member of the International Baccalaureate.

Rolando is passionate about music education as a fundamental part of the integral development of every human being and that is why he has dedicated himself for more than 14 years to this profession. Now, together with his wife, who is also a graduate in Basic Primary with an emphasis on Spanish Language and their two children, undertakes this beautiful experience in “The Magellan International School”

Art Teacher, PP3 - 2nd Grade

Dan Kaplan

Dan Kaplan received his BFA from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. After working for several years as a visual artist, he returned to school and obtained his K-12 art teacher certification at Carlow University. He has spent his professional life working as an educator, artist, and musician.

Dan believes that art is a great way for students to express and nourish their ideas. Every student, from the most literal-minded to the most abstract thinker, can find their place in the art room. The elementary years are a great time to explore these possibilities. For the past several years, Dan has been working in Austin as a visual artist and musician, and enjoys being a teacher at Magellan International School.

Counselor

Alessia Bulsara

Alessia Bulsara grew up in a multicultural family, living in her father’s native India for five years before residing in Houston, Texas with her mother’s Catalan family. She received her Bachelors of Science in Psychology from the University of Houston, later returning to obtain her Masters of Education in Counseling. Alessia is currently a Licensed Professional Counselor, as well as a certified teacher, in the state of Texas and is also working towards becoming credentialed as a Registered Play Therapist.

Alessia’s passion for counseling children and families only grew as she completed her practicum hours for her master’s degree, and later stayed on to continue working as a counseling intern, at a child psychologist’s private practice in Houston. There, Alessia was able to attain experience and clinical skills providing individual, group, and dyad counseling services, both in office and in the school setting. Following this, she worked as a Professional Educator at the Monarch School and Institute for two years before moving into the role of a Therapeutic Coach, providing students with neurological differences individualized social, emotional and self-regulation/management support. Alessia simultaneously worked with children and families in a play therapy private practice in Houston, providing individual counseling services, parent support and online resources.

Alessia primarily utilizes a child centered therapeutic approach when working with children, meeting the child where they are at. She truly believes in the importance of a strong foundational relationship in order to provide support to the child and their family, and works as partners with parents, teachers and other supports in the child’s life to create a tailored, consistent and unique plan which focuses on the whole child.

In her spare time, Alessia enjoys travelling and exploring new places, yoga, and photography. She is very excited to be a part of the Magellan team.

Primary English Teacher

Wendy Cody

Wendy was born in New York, NY and grew up in Connecticut. She holds a BA in Anthropology from the University of Connecticut and a MA in Curriculum and Teaching from Teachers College, Columbia University. She began her teaching career as an English teacher in Granada, Spain, went on to teach 4th-6th grade in a Montessori school, followed by several years of elementary and ESL teaching experience in CT and Maine public schools. She holds professional teaching certification in both Elementary Education and English as a Second Language. Wendy’s teaching is based on being a model of a curious, lifelong learner with a love of literacy. She thoroughly enjoys nurturing childrens’ literacy development.

Primary Innovation & Design Teacher

Sophia Pellegrini

Sophia has more than 20 years of experience in education in both public and private schools. She graduated from the University of Houston with a degree in Elementary Education and holds certifications in Special Education and ESL. Her passion is to help students become creative problem solvers and independent thinkers.

Head Librarian

Marion Rocco

Marion Rocco earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education & Child Study from Smith College in Northampton, MA. Her first job after college was working for the acclaimed author and illustrator Eric Carle. It was through this work in his studio that she discovered the magic and power of picture books. Marion returned to school and completed the Master of Science in Information Studies from The University of Texas at Austin. Since graduating, she has worked in school and public libraries and as an Austin ISD Program Specialist focusing on teacher and librarian professional development. She is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor at The University of Texas at Austin where she teaches an undergraduate course in Children’s Literature.

Marion’s interest in global and international literature keeps her active in professional organizations including the American Library Association and the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY). She served on the Batchelder Award Committee for best international children’s book in 2014 and co-chaired the USBBY conference that took place in Austin in 2019. Marion has presented on international and bilingual books at the International Board on Books for Young People, International Literacy Association, and Texas Library Association conferences. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Learning Technologies from the University of North Texas.

Nurse, Anderson Lane

Deepa Vinodh

Deepa was raised in Toronto, Canada where she successfully completed her Bachelors
of Science in Nursing degree. She has been a nurse for the last 18 years, 16 of which
were spent in the Emergency department at the University Health Network (UHN), one
of Canada’s top research and teaching hospitals. During her time at UHN, Deepa also
served as the Nurse Educator for the emergency department and has completed a
couple of research fellowship projects to improve patient safety. She pursued her
passion for teaching by becoming a clinical course director for undergrads and
international nursing students at York University.

Deepa enjoys practicing hot yoga, hiking, cooking, baking and travelling. She currently
has a first grader at Magellan and is looking forward to expanding her role
professionally at Magellan International School.

Drama & Spanish Language Acquisition Teacher, Teaching Assistant

Luis Aya

Luis “Lucho” Aya graduated from the Higer Arts Academy Asab Bogota in 1996. As a theater director, he has staged over 25 productions successfully in the most prestigious theaters of Colombia. Luis has repeatedly been invited to represent his country at the Iberoamerican Theater Festival (considered the most important theater festival in the world today). He has taught theater and art at the University ASAB and at Francisco José de Caldas in Bogotá and the University of Valle del Cauca, Colombia.

Luis has also worked as a middle and high school theater teacher at The Gimnasio Fontana in Bogotá, where he worked for five years. He served as a professor of a theater arts workshop for children and youth for over seven years at National Theatre Foundation. Luis has specialized in children’s theater primary to enrich the lives of children and their families through this art form. Luis is dedicated to the inspiration of this new generation of theater lovers.

Primary Instructional Coach & Assistant PYP Coordinator

Paola Samaniego

Paola Samaniego is from Quito-Ecuador, and this is her fifteenth year teaching. She has has experience working with children between the ages of two months and eight years old. This is her tenth year teaching Spanish. Paola received a BS in Early Childhood Education and Developmental Psychology from Keene State College in New Hampshire. Paola later earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Administration from Jaen’s University in Spain. Paola loves the PYP program and implementing it in the classroom. In the last year she has been learning more about sensory integration and self regulation. She is a firm believer in differentiation in the classroom, every child learns differently and as a teacher she wants to be able to provide many opportunities in order to acquire the skills needed to become lifelong learners!

She believes the inquiry based program works for children of all ages, but especially with young children who have that natural curiosity and desire to learn how the world around them works. She welcomes all your input and support throughout the school year!

Learning Specialist - K-3

Allison McCallum

Allison is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana. Most recently she served in administration at Langston Hughes Academy Charter School in New Orleans as the Response to Intervention Coordinator. She has taught K-5 English at the International School of Denver, the Harriet Tubman Montessori Charter School, and the International School of Louisiana. Allison taught English at Magellan from from 2018-2019 and colleagues are delighted at her return.

Allison enjoys working in a multi-cultural environment, building meaningful relationships with students, families, and colleagues. She is passionate about advocating for and supporting students with learning differences and strives to instill this enthusiasm in her students through identifying unique learning styles, interests, and talents.

Allison holds a Bachelor of Science degree in History and English from Mississippi College and a Master of Arts in Teaching Degree from the University of New Orleans. She holds a dual certification in elementary education and special education.

Allison enjoys reading and cooking in her free time.