Pinky Punater
Preschool Teacher
Mrs. Punater has been a teacher at LANK for 3 years. She has a diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education from the University of Mumbai, and a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Maryland. She currently teaches the 4 Day program at LANK and has also taught kindergarten and first grade before becoming a part of the LANK community..
Mrs. Punater is passionate about working with younger children in their formative years to inculcate within them a love of learning, independence, compassion and development of social skills as they get ready for kindergarten and beyond. She looks to connect with each student individually to understand their uniqueness, and she strives to help them grow in their natural area of interest such as dramatization, art, general knowledge, working with numbers, etc. It would not be a surprise to hear kids laughing along with her, playing games and enjoying their learning experience.
When not in school, Mrs. Punater enjoys travel, shopping and binge watching shows on Netflix. She is fluent in 4 languages, is a certified yoga instructor, loves outdoor sports and has taken up running passionately over the last year, recently completing a half marathon.
Joan Roesch
Preschool Teacher & Explore and More Teacher
Mrs. Roesch has been a teacher at LANK for 11 years. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood/Elementary Education from Florida State University. Mrs. Roesch has taught Elementary school for 10+ years but loves teaching at LANK the most. She feels that pre-school is the age when children are curious about the world around them. They are engaged learners, who ask questions, solve problems, and feel pride. At this age a child’s imagination is magic! She loves being a part of a child’s “Ah Ha” moment in the learning process. She also loves to dance, sing and play lots of fun games with her class.
In her spare time, Mrs. Roesch loves to cook for her family, spend time with her husband, three grown children and their cute Boston Terrier Bella. She also enjoys shopping and watching a good Hallmark Movie.
Carolyn Frames
Junior Preschool Teacher
Carolyn Frames has been teaching at LANK since 2000, as a Junior Preschool teacher. She is a mother to three grown children and understands that early education provides a foundation for a lifetime of learning. Her greatest joy is to see a child’s smile as they encounter new experiences and discover a love of learning. As their first teacher, Carolyn strives to create a loving environment where children can learn, experience new challenges, and develop their emotional and social skills. She thinks it is important that a child feels safe and cared for, and she feels incredibly lucky to share this important time in their lives.
Outside of work, Carolyn loves spending time with her three sons and husband. She enjoys watching movies, visiting the local farmer’s market, and hiking the many trails of this area.
Ching Fang-Weeden
Pre-K Teacher
Mrs. Fang-Weeden teaches the four- and five-day programs at LANK and first joined the school community as a parent. Her love and respect for LANK’s teaching environment when her children were preschoolers has come full circle with Mrs. Fang-Weeden returning as a teacher! She has a legal background as a barrister with a Master’s Degree in Jurisprudence from Oxford University, England and has taught in a variety of educational settings over the last decade.
Mrs. Fang-Weeden’s approach as an educator is rooted in the perspective that each learner is unique with individual learning preferences and styles. Her teaching methodology supports her young learners as active participants in the classroom and project decisions follow the children’s interests, curiosity and developmental readiness to acquire new skills. She is a strong advocate of nurturing children’s growth as problem-solvers and independent thinkers through play-based learning. She believes that education should be experienced as a continuing interaction between all those involved in the school community. In her free time, Mrs. Fang-Weeden enjoys training in a variety of sports, reading, spending time with family and friends and attending art exhibitions.
Beth Barbaro
Preschool Teacher
Mrs. Barbaro has been a part of the LANK staff for many years. She started teaching our Bears & Cubs program for future LANK students and their caregiver. She is a Board Certified Music Therapist, and when not at school, continues to maintain several music therapy clients, and also teaches music classes for kiddos and their caregivers. (You can sometimes find her teaching at Herndon Library.) In her free time, Mrs. Barbaro enjoys spending time with her family, photography, gardening, and crafting.
Liz Apakupakul
Explore & More Teacher
Liz has a BA degree in Educational Studies and an M.Ed. degree in Elementary Curriculum and Instruction. After graduate school. she completed a postgraduate fellowship at the Institute for Educational Policy. She also has a VA Post-graduate Professional PK-6 teaching license.
She began her career as an educational researcher and writer. During this time, she published several books and articles on effective teaching and literacy development. After several years, however, she realized that her passion lies in the classroom. This is her 16th year as an early childhood teacher. She has taught at the preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten levels.
As a teacher, her goal is to create a learning environment that is fun and exciting. Child-centered, experiential learning, and play are integral to her educational philosophy. There is nothing more inspiring to her than watching a child master a new skill or conquer a challenge. She loves their excitement for learning and curiosity about the world around them!
Outside of the classroom, she enjoys running, yoga, and spending time with my family in the Outer Banks, NC. She has two children; a daughter who is a freshman in high school and a son in 3rd grade. She also has a small puppy named Ollie.
Wendy Banga
Pre-K Teacher
Wendy Banga teaches the Four Day Program at LANK. She has two children who both attended LANK. They had such a great experience, she decided to teach at LANK! She has been teaching at this school for over 11 years. Mrs. Banga has a passion to make a difference in the lives of young children. At LANK, we know that play is a child’s most important work. She works to create and maintain an environment where all children can have fun and also grow and thrive. Seeing the kids laugh, learn and play while exploring the world around them is what is most important to Mrs. Banga. When not teaching, she loves to cook, shop and try new restaurants. She also has two cats named Meika and Maui.
Ivonne Sanchez
Preschool Teacher
Mrs. Sanchez works in the Junior Preschool Program. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master’s Degree in Drawing and Painting from the Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. Her daughter graduated from LANK in 2022. When not in school, she enjoys travel, painting and spend time with her family. She loves the outdoors and is a summer fanatic who can be found by the pool or sunny beaches. She is also a professional cookie baker.
Theresa Campbell-Page
Assistant Teacher for JPB & Preschool Teacher
Mrs. Page is a former LANK parent. She has a heart for early childhood education especially for children with special needs. Before working at LANK, she worked for FCPS as a substitute in their special education preschool program. When not at school, Mrs. Page loves spending time with her family, reading, and going for long walks.
Lizette Ryan
Junior Preschool Assistant Teacher
She very much enjoys the opportunity to work with our youngest members and helping them get adjusted to their first preschool experience.
Lizette is looking forward to making our classroom be a home away from home in a safe and fun environment.
She is happy to help each individual child feel safe and content, in an environment where they can foster friendships and learn through playing.
When not working, Lizette enjoys spending time with her own children exploring activities in Northern VA, hiking in nature or other outdoor opportunities, and meeting up with friends in our Reston community.
She has a passion for dancing, loves listening to live music options, and is usually up for a road trip to anywhere.
She is looking forward to bringing that sense of wonder and enjoyment of life to the classroom. Her hope and goal is to help our little ones foster a joy of learning and awareness of how beautiful life is.
Heather Frinks
Preschool Teacher & Explore and More Teacher
Mrs. Frinks lives in Reston with her husband. She has two daughters. When her youngest daughter entered elementary school, she decided to turn her love of children into a second career and feel fortunate to have found a place in the LANK family. She went from taking care of adults in the human resources field to taking care of children, which she find more rewarding – and much more fun! She has taught at LANK for over 14 years including teaching in every program. She loves offering children the opportunity to explore a variety of materials and their natural environment and she likes to incorporate aspects of the Reggio Amelia approach in our curriculum. She feels very strongly about “process over product,” our play-based philosophy, and making learning meaningful through children’s interests and hands on experiences.
Margaret Atkins
Pre-K Teacher
Mrs. Atkins is thrilled to be starting her first year as a teacher at LANK! She is a former LANK parent, whose two boys are now in elementary school. After substituting over the past year, she quickly realized that being in the classroom was one of her favorite times of the week. She is excited to create a joyous and playful learning space for the Pre-K children to explore and grow into - before the next big step to Kindergarten!
Before arriving at LANK, she graduated from the University of Virginia with dual degrees in Art History and Chemistry, and received a Master's Degree in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London. After starting her career at the Smithsonian Institution's Archives of American Art, she moved to Reston when her children were born. While her boys were at LANK she loved being involved in our wonderful community by serving as room parent and being on the Board of Trustees.
When not in school, she loves playing with her boys, doing crochet projects, and working her way through her ever growing TBR (to be read) list!
Our Teachers
“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” Albert Einstein
Excellent teaching staff makes an outstanding school, and at LANK we take great care to recruit, retain and develop first class teachers and support staff. We employ teachers who combine expertise in early childhood education, with a love of teaching and a genuine concern for the well-being and progress of each and every child. LANK’s teachers are among some of the happiest people because they are doing what they love. Many have been at LANK for many years, and care deeply for the school, families, and greater community.
LANK's professional, experienced and educated staff is understanding, loving, and well-informed on child development issues. Our staff devotes several days throughout the school year for In-Service Staff Meetings. These meetings are designed to discuss, evaluate and modify various aspects of our school program. We invite outside early childhood education specialists to help us explore ideas, problem solve and conduct professional development workshops.
In addition, LANK uses a team approach when planning and reflecting for classroom learning. Our staff recognizes the importance of modeling cooperation for our students, which is accomplished by having the children see their teachers share knowledge, expertise and materials. At LANK, another core tenet is our belief in a strong partnership between school and home; our teachers support this vital connection through communication and opportunities for family involvement in all our programs.