Agnes Helen Sheehy, called Helen by friends and adult family members is one of 9 children. She is originally from the Philippines and her husband Damian is from Ireland.  Together they have two sons, Caillian and Adrian, who are 18 and 15, respectively.  As a family they like to travel and learn and try out something new along the way.  Helen can speak Spanish and is proud of it, so she tries to practice as much as she can.  She studied English Creative Writing as an undergraduate at the University of the Philippines.  She first came to the United States when as a teenager.  When Helen was 19 she saw snow and  was enthralled.  She felt like a figurine in a snow globe! She obtained a Masters in Early Childhood Education from Lesley University back in 1992. She completed her student teaching at the Cabot School and has also taught at the Franklin School in West Newton.  Helen loves to hear about how her students turn out when they get older.  She especially loves it when they visit her and reminisce about the good times they had. Helen’s students keep her young and vibrant!  If she were asked what famous people she would like to meet someday, guess what she would say?  Her former students!!!

Amanda grew up in Maine, and went to Dickinson College in Pennsylvania where she majored in American Studies. She moved to the Boston area and earned her Masters in Early Childhood Education (2011), and then her Masters in Special Education (2015); both degrees are from Lesley University in Cambridge. She did her first student teaching in a Grade 2 at Underwood School in Newton and her second practicum for special education at Cabot School. She taught in Newton South Preschool for two years, then one year in a combination K/1 classroom in Wellesley, and then back to Newton to teach Kindergarten at Cabot School. Family commitments took her to Oklahoma for two years where she taught kindergarten and learned about life in the middle of the country. She is thrilled to be back in Newton teaching kindergarten at Bowen Elementary School. Amanda feels that teaching kindergarten is her true calling and her passion. Kindergarten is where children decide what kind of learners they want to be and how they will interact with school. She takes that responsibility very seriously! Her teaching style is very nurturing, yet challenging, in a developmentally appropriate way. All her activities and lessons are hands on, intriguing and fun. It is Amanda’s goal that each student loves coming to school every day and sees him or herself as a learner.