Our Staff

MALVIKA VENKAT

Primary & Toddler Montessori Educator and Founder
– Little Peepal Montessori

Malvika sought to find a system of education that could be effective for all children. Having discovered Montessori, she immediately left behind a career in Design & Branding, to acquire her International certification in Primary Montessori Education (certified by Association Montessori Internationale). She started Little Peepal Montessori in 2015 and has steadily focused on the values and principles of Montessori in the school.

With the keen intent to spread Montessori everywhere, she has guided the setting up of a few Montessori schools and even shares Montessori principles and ideologies with non-Montessori institutions in the hope that they will be able to impart the same with their children. She has conducted several programmes to provide the community and the parents of the school a deeper understanding of how Montessori works and benefits every child. She has also had several articles in relevant topics published in newspapers in Chennai.

Her intent to spread effective education to all children has been evidenced several times in these few years when the school provided free education for a few under-privileged children. These children went onto main stream schools after their Montessori experience and like all the children who moved on from Little Peepal Montessori, they have excelled among their peers academically and socially, and receive regular appreciation for their achievements and love for learning.

Now, Malvika is all set to opening doors in 2020 to Toddlers (aged 1.5 to 2.5 years) in the hopes of providing the comfort and respect of Montessori education and development to them.


SAVITHA VENKATESH

Administrative Head

Savitha, a graduate in Company Secretaryship, began her career managing administrative responsibilities in a Manufacturing organisation. She then moved on to her passion – CHESS – and became a certified Arbiter recognised by FIDE. She has almost 8 years of experience in coordinating chess tournaments and working with players as young as less than 7 years old. She joined Little Peepal Montessori in 2022 and has glided smoothly into her role with astute understanding of the Montessori pedagogy, and the needs of parents and children, while maintaining the rules & regulations of the institute. The children adore her and often engage her in conversation. She is the primary liaison between the parents and the school and always goes the extra mile to help.


RITIKA RAJAMOHAN

Primary Montessori Directress

Ritika grew up with family ties to the Montessori system of education. She knew she wanted to be a Montessorian right after her graduation from college. She has been with Little Peepal Montessori since 2017. An educator who is passionate about working with children, she believes in preparing a positive environment to meet their needs and interests, helping them in their progress of developing confidence and responsibility to themselves and others. She is filled with enthusiasm and creative ideas to give children varied and enriching experiences. And she can make anything into a song, which the children love.


HEMAMALINI RAJKUMAR

Primary Montessori Directress

Hema entered the Montessori education after having worked in Human Resources in the corporate world for over a decade. Thanks to her two wonderful children, she brings to the classroom an active understanding of how young children function, and says that the uniqueness of each child in school gives her a multitude of experiences to bring up her own as well. She is disciplined and often takes on responsibilities willingly and sees them to completion, and this quality she shares and models with the children every day with their work and socially. She joined Little Peepal Montessori in 2017.


NATALIE RHENIUS

Primary Montessori Directress

Natalie, a naturally people-person, started off her career in the aviation industry in the Middle East, interacting with travelers in the airport which further honed her people skills. Children were her most interesting passengers, since most of them had very interesting questions to ask. After moving back to India she knew that working with children was her forte, so she went on to receive her Primary Montessori (3 – 6 years age group) Diploma from Association Montessori Internationale (AMI), Netherlands, and was part of the team at Little Peepal Montessori when it was founded in 2015.

She also worked as a Montessori Educator for a few years in the USA and found that she had the ability to connect easily with very small children from different kinds of families. She has deep faith that the Montessori way is wonderful for children everywhere. She has experienced how the principles uncomplicate most things for the children and adults in any environment, and therefore chose to adopt the Montessori lifestyle at home with her son too. She firmly believes in giving children patient attention and allowing them to arrive at a solution with just minimal help from her. Children love her for her fun personality and love to chat, share stories and jokes with her.