Amber worked as a credentialed Art and Ceramics teacher, owned an internet design business with her husband, and worked for the DOJ in California. When her kids began at Five Acre she joined the Parent Service Organization, taught in the Discovery class and was a substitute teacher prior to accepting her current position in Finance and Registration.

Neilu Naini came to Sequim to work at Nash's Organic Produce. She discovered her green thumb and community with the local organic farmers. Her college degree in Physics and MA is Secondary Education for Physics and Math paved the way for her passion to teach. This led to discovering the Japanese martial art of Aikido, which is not only a pastime but a way of life. Neilu has worked in non-profits since 2003.

Rosie has worked at Five Acre since 2008.  She has a degree in both Art and English Literature from the University of Washington, and also attended Penland School of Crafts for two years. She has completed Levels one and two Orff Schulewerk Certification (an innovative approach to teaching music) and plays Fiddle in a Contra Dance Band.Previous adventures include cooking on various boats in Alaska, designing textiles for industry, teaching yoga, and working at Children’s Montessori in Port Angeles.

Emily has been a part of our community since 2011 as a parent and a community supporter . She began teaching at Five Acre in 2021 in the Primary Class and assisted in all other classrooms. In 2022 Emily began teaching Fiber Arts in our K-6 classrooms and has fulfilled requirements to be one of our lead Primary teachers Primary two days a week. She has an undergraduate degree in ‘Women’s Empowerment: Community Development Through Fiber Arts’. Emily has always worked with children from running summer day camps, nannying as well as working abroad facilitating mixed media art with children.

Heidi graduated from Central Washington University in 2006 with a BA in Education and a minor in Early Childhood Education. Her family recently moved

back to the peninsula after a 10-year absence and could not be more excited to reconnect with this beautiful spot! I have two wonderful children and enjoy spending time with them and my husband doing projects around our home. We also love to travel and try to explore somewhere new yearly. 

Terry received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology with a Chemistry minor from California State University Sacramento in 1986. She worked in the analytical laboratory and Environmental Chemistry field for over 20 years in California.  While working she spent as much time as she could volunteering at her first daughter’s Waldorf school.  This is where she found a love of teaching and working with children. Terry’s youngest daughter attended Five Acre through the 5th grade. Terry began to volunteer in her daughter’s classroom which led to substitute teaching in all the classrooms and taking a position in the Primary Classroom.

Heidi has an eclectic work history, which includes being a Wildlife Biological Technician in Olympic National Park and a Licensed Massage Therapist.  Her strengths are in the natural sciences and in somatic awareness. This skillset will serve her well with students interested in the natural environment and in how their bodies work. Heidi is also a Washington State Certified Teacher in high school biology.  However, what most qualifies her for a position at Five Acre School is the seven years that her son, Lucas Pina, attended Five Acre, and the experience she and her husband had as parents in the Five Acre School Community.

After teaching at Five Acre School for 21 years in the Discovery class as well as leading the horse riding program for the lower elementary and primary, and a German language program among others, I took a two year absence from teaching. I am so happy to be back and working in the Primary classroom this year. With a degree in early childhood education I am excited to be a part of the Primary teaching team to support the child centered learning approach. I am looking forward to bringing my love for the outdoors, building, math and projects in general into the classroom to support the children’s curiosity.

I recently moved from San Diego where I worked in early childhood education for over 20 years. I am so excited to begin a new chapter in my life here in Washington and to have such a unique and special place as Five Acre to be a part of.  

Kate is super excited to be joining the Five Acre School team. She grew up in the Midwest and earned her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education with a Music Certificate from Eastern Illinois University. She is a wife and mother to three amazing daughters who moved to Sequim in 2014 and absolutely loves the PNW. She loves to read and enjoys helping manage her family's organic farm.

Nellie recently moved back to Sequim and is really looking forward to exploring, observing, and making connections with students. She is a past Five Acre parent and has taught at Sequim High, Jefferson Community School, Roosevelt Innovation Academy in Lima, Peru, and the Anglo-American School in Sofia, Bulgaria. She received her BA from The Evergreen State College in literature and independent publishing, an MFA from New York University in creative writing (poetry), and a teaching certificate from PLU. She especially enjoys practicing creative thinking with students.

Sadie grew up in Seattle and has been spending summers visiting family on the Olympic Peninsula since her days of investigating the banana slugs in her grandma’s garden as a toddler. She started working with children in high school as an extended day teacher and has been working with them ever since.

Sadie received her BA in cultural anthropology at and has been a teacher for three years. She loves textile arts, wildlife/nature photography, and traveling. She is beyond excited to join the Five Acre community and looks forward to learning together with her students next year!

Hannah moved to the Olympic Peninsula from Minnesota five years ago to work at NatureBridge and decided to stay after falling in love with the place that has tidepools and mountains. After receiving her BA in Environmental Studies and Asian Studies, Hannah worked as a naturalist where she learned how to educate students outdoors, be curious about the natural world, and improvise any situation with “yes, and.” Since moving here, she has earned her MA in Elementary Education. She is excited to learn and grow with Five Acre this year!

Greg started tutoring at Shoreline Community College and continued to enjoy it while finishing his B.S. in Physics at JMU. He went on to an M.A.Ed. in Secondary Science Education at William & Mary and then spent a few years working at Microsoft before trading the desk for a window seat as a charter and survey pilot. Eventually he became the stay-at-home parent for his daughter who attended Primary. After volunteering with math in the Explorer classroom, he is looking forward to more time with the great kids and staff at Five Acre.

Erin is devoted to facilitating connections between and among human communities and the natural world. She comes to Five Acre School with twenty years of experience as a scientist, non-profit leader, and community builder. Erin holds a PhD in Aquatic Ecology from UC Davis and an MPA from the University of Washington. She was previously the CA Programs Director for the Freshwater Trust and the Executive Director of Tree Davis. She believes deeply in the notion that conscious relationships are foundational to healthy communities and landscapes.