Wei Qian
Head of Early Childhood
- Certificate in School Management and Leadership, Harvard Business School
- M.ED. in Foreign Language Curriculum and Teaching, DePaul University
- B.A. in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, Shanghai University
Began at CAIS in 2021
Wei joined CAIS from the BASIS Independent School in Fremont, California, where she served as Early Years Dean of Students. There she continued to build on her strength from Yuming Charter School in Oakland, developing and implementing multi-tiered academic and behavioral support systems for all students. Wei holds a bachelor of arts degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language from Shanghai University and a master’s of education in Foreign Language Curriculum and Teaching from DePaul University.
Excited to begin at CAIS this coming school year, she shares, “It is an honor to join this extraordinary school community with such persevering students, an extremely dedicated staff, and a supportive school community! I am committed to uniting my experience, my openness to learn, and my student-centered approach to support every student at CAIS and to build strong relationships with students, staff, and parents. Together we will empower our Firedragons to shape their future and the future of our community and our nation!”
Elisabeth Radravu
Kindergarten Lead English Teacher
- M.A. in Education, Curriculum and Instruction, University of the Pacific
- B.A. in Child and Adolescent Development, San Francisco State University
BEGAN AT CAIS 2017
Ms. Radravu (raw-draw-voo) brings a passion for building a positive community among adults and students. In addition to her professional development through the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project and Fundations’ Wilson Language Training, she has training in Anti-Bias Education for K-12 Educators and Responsive Classroom Levels 1 and 2. She holds a Master’s in Education, Curriculum and Instruction from University of the Pacific and a B.A. in Child and Adolescent Development from San Francisco State University. When she is not teaching, she enjoys hiking, going to Giants games, and finding ghost towns to visit!
Lindsay Reich
Fifth – Eighth Grade School Counselor
BEGAN AT CAIS 2022
Kimberly Reid
Second Grade Lead English Teacher
BEGAN AT CAIS 2011
Lower School veteran Ms. Reid holds a BA from UC Berkeley and an MA in Education from Seattle Pacific University. A skilled literacy teacher, she also attended the Reading Institute at Teachers College at Columbia University. Ms. Reid has taught at CAIS since 2011. She believes that the first step to student achievement is making all children feel comfortable in the classroom, and this is palpable in her kind, calm tone with the children.
Timothy Reitz
Director of Communications
B.A. in English, The Catholic University of America
BEGAN AT CAIS 2014
Jonathan Rosen
Fourth–Eighth Grade Studio Art Specialist
Began at CAIS 2022
A San Francisco native, Mr. Rosen studied Film at Bard College before moving to New York City to pursue animation and music. For the past 7 years he has been living in Los Angeles, working as an artist, musician, and arts educator. In 2022 he completed his Masters in Teaching at Pepperdine University, and is thrilled to return to his favorite city in the world to join the CAIS community as a studio art teacher. In his free time he is a contributing cartoonist for the New Yorker, plays basketball, and enjoys camping with friends.
Emily Sheppard
Lower School Science Teacher
Began at CAIS 2023
Lower School Science Teacher Emily Sheppard graduated from the BATTI program. With several years of classroom teaching experience and designing and implementing Outdoor Education curriculum, she integrates the two as she supports second-fifth graders in developing their scientific mindsets.
Jing-Tyng (Teresa) Shyu-Fung
Kindergarten Lead Chinese Teacher
- M.A. in Early Childhood Education, San Francisco State University
- B.A. in Applied Foreign Language, Taiwan
BEGAN AT CAIS 2006
Shyu Laoshi was born and raised in Taiwan. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in Early Childhood Education. This year will be her 16th year of teaching! She joined the CAIS community in 2006 and has been teaching Preschool to Third Grade at CAIS during the past few years. She is looking forward to teaching First Grade again this year.
Hannah Silverstein
First Grade Lead Chinese Teacher
- MAT, Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
BEGAN AT CAIS 2017
An Laoshi was born in Taipei, Taiwan to a native English speaking American father and a native Mandarin speaking Taiwanese mother. She spent the majority of her formative educational years attending international school in Hong Kong where she continued to study the Mandarin language. She has a Master of Arts in Teaching a Foreign Language from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and is starting her fifth year at CAIS (all of which have been in Kindergarten!). An Laoshi loves being active outdoors, enjoying delicious food at restaurants all over the Bay Area, and admiring cute dogs!
Olivia Solomon
First Grade Lead English Teacher
B.A. in Psychology, UC Santa Barbara
BEGAN AT CAIS 2022
Ms. Solomon is a Bay Area Teacher Training Institute (BATTI) with an MA in Teaching and a California Teaching Credential. She completed her undergraduate at UC Santa Barbara, where she earned her BA in Psychology with a double minor in English and Applied Psychology. Prior to teaching, Olivia was a behavior analyst supporting young children with Autism in developing social, communication, and life skills. Olivia is an educator who is passionate about teaching young learners qualities they will need to be successful students and friends, such as perseverance, independence, perspective-taking, critical thinking, and social-emotional skills. Outside the classroom, Olivia enjoys hiking, baking, and looking for vintage treasures at estate sales.