Our Teachers

Chloe Buckley Core Teacher

Chloe believes in cultivating a strong foundation of social-emotional skills, promoting empathy, respect, and teamwork among her students. By creating a safe and inclusive space, she encourages open communication and collaboration, enabling children to express their thoughts and ideas freely. With a keen eye for personalized instruction, Chloe recognizes that every child learns differently. She embraces a variety of teaching methods, incorporating play-based activities, hands-on learning experiences, and interactive technology to captivate young learners' imaginations. Through engaging lessons and developmentally appropriate activities, she aims to ignite a lifelong love for learning in each of her students.

Beyond academics, Chloe is originally from Santa Barbara, California but would visit the beautiful coast of Half Moon Bay every summer with her father. She studied a majority of her higher education in Hawaii before ultimately moving back and settling in Palo Alto. She worked as a Paraprofessional Tutor in a Junior Kindergarten classroom in Hawaii. Through this experience she was able to understand and value the importance of open communication with parents and maintaining strong relationships within the community. Chloe is thrilled to be a teacher at Wilkinson School. With her enthusiasm, dedication, and unwavering belief in the potential of every child, she is ready to create a memorable and transformative educational experience for her students.

Jessica Giovannoni Core Teacher

Jessica has been a Teacher at Wilkinson School since 2015, she has a creative style of teaching academics, helping students express themselves, build self-esteem, and develop a respect for themselves, others, and the environment.

She has a genuine love of young children and knew from an early age that she would most likely become a teacher. She enjoys introducing students to plant and animal life through various activities and encourages children to lead a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle.

Jessica was born in San Francisco and raised primarily in the nearby town of Pacifica, California.  She began her education at the age of three at the Children’s School in Park Pacifica. She later went back to volunteer at the school as a sixth grader and ultimately began her career there in early education at the age of 22. She graduated from St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco and later the University of San Francisco. Jessica taught young children in both Pacifica and Millbrae for nine years before becoming the kindergarten teacher at St. Cornelius School in Richmond, California. She left the St. Cornelius community after five years to have her baby girl and then joined the Wilkinson staff.

Jessica lives in Moss Beach with her daughter, Emma, whom she adores. You will often see Jessica out and about taking Emma on bike or scooter rides down to the marine reserve nearby. In her free time, she loves visiting her extended family in Hawaii and enjoying outdoor activities, especially water skiing and snow skiing.

Peggy OLeary Art Teacher

Peggy recently retired from over 25 years of teaching art to grades 9-12 at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton. She has taught painting and drawing, printmaking, photography, and ceramics. She is very much enjoying not driving 'over the hill' and is giving back to her local community in many ways including teaching art at Wilkinson School and Main Street Scholars, as well as testing and assessment work at our local public schools and tutoring ESL at the HMB Library.  When not thinking about teaching art, Peggy enjoys running with her dog Romo, jumping in at Seal Cove, biking, reading and gardening. She is really enjoying the young artists at Wilkinson!

Lerin Murphy Core Teacher

Lerin believes that children learn best when the learning environment is designed to meet the developmental needs of each child. One that encourages exploration, creativity, and independence. The role of an educator is to design the learning environment that provokes an understanding of new concepts. Anyone can teach children facts, but it is much more important to instill the excitement that comes when they learn new things.

Lerin began her teaching career almost twenty years ago at the Farallone View after school program. She has continued to work with schools and families as a teacher, administrator, curriculum director and assistant director at schools across the Bay Area.

Lerin feels a strong affinity for her community and volunteers for many Coastside organizations such as: Surfrider, an ocean protection organization, The American Legion Women’s Auxiliary raising money for the men and women of the armed service and is a CASA Volunteer. On weekends, you can find her tending to her little beach cottage garden, reading a book by the fire-pit or listening to some live music outside.

Norma Acosta Specialty Teacher and Narnia: After School Manager

Norma originally from Alisco, Mexico, has built a wonderful life in Half Moon Bay which started with an in-home daycare. Norma joined Wilkinson School in 2006 as a preschool teacher. Over the decades Norma has evolved with the school that brings her so much joy. She brings love, warmth, and compassion to each student she teaches in her specialty enrichment classes. Norma also leads our extensive Narnia afterschool program.

Norma feels it is important to teach little ones basic life skills so they can thrive. Norma is happily married and has two children, Angie and Diego. She refers to them as her sun and moon. Her favorite pastimes are listening to instrumental music and cooking with her kids.