The teachers and staff at Reading Friends of Aledo are what makes our school different. Our teachers are loving, nurturing professionals who embrace each child and their individual learning style. We are pleased to present our team for the upcoming school year:
Diane Taylor
Owner
Diane is the owner of Reading Friends of Aledo. She holds a Business Degree in Management from Texas Wesleyan University, where she graduated with honors. Although her college years and beyond took her down the business path, Diane’s goal was to eventually come back to her first love of teaching children.
After 25 years in business and serving as a Senior Vice President at JPMorgan Chase, she and her husband Paul welcomed a new addition to the family. Rainey Taylor was born in 2006 and joined her sister Rachel, who was 10 years old at the time. It was this special and unexpected event in Diane’s life that motivated her to make a life change. When Rachel graduated from Pre-K at the Reading Friends School in Fort Worth at age five, Diane knew that she wanted to be a part of the program.
With the emphasis on education in the Aledo area, Diane felt that the time was right to bring Reading Friends to Parker County. The school opened its doors in January 2008 and was expanded to offer a K-Bridge and Kindergarten program in 2009. After ten years in their first location, Diane was able to purchase land and build her dream school in Aledo. She opened the doors of the new location on Bailey Ranch Rd. in January 2019.
Diane is an active member and supporter of the Aledo AdvoCats, served 11 years as the Co-Chair of the Aledo ISD School Health Advisory Committee, holds an executive position on the Board of Directors of the Aledo Education Foundation, served on the Aledo ISD Project 2025 Team, and volunteers her time throughout the community. As the owner of Reading Friends of Aledo, she is proud to be an Aledo ISD Bearcat Backer and a member of the East Parker County Chamber of Commerce.
Diane is pleased to introduce her team of dynamic professionals for the upcoming school year:
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Janet Sepanski
Director
Janet joined Reading Friends of Aledo during the 2012 school year as the Assistant Director. She graduated in 1990 from Texas Christian University with a BA in Education. Janet spent eight years with the Fort Worth ISD, teaching young children, before deciding to start a family of her own. Janet enjoyed raising her four children and volunteering at their schools for the next 12 years. When her youngest child went off to school, Janet decided that she needed to find something that would allow her to be with young children, yet be available for her own children at the end of her day. Reading Friends of Aledo was the perfect fit! Janet was promoted to Director of the Preschool in 2013 and welcomed Sharon Gribble that same year as Assistant Director. Janet and her husband, Tom, have been married for 27 years and have four children, Anna, Lily, Rubye, and Tommy.
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Sharon Gribble
Assistant Director
Sharon graduated from Texas A&M with a Civil Engineering degree. She worked for Mobil Pipeline Company for two years before following her husband David around the country with the Marine Corps. Sharon first learned of Reading Friends of Aledo in 2007 when she was looking for an academic preschool for her daughter, Alyssa. Alyssa was in the first Pre-K class that the school offered! After Alyssa graduated, Sharon’s younger son, Sean, was old enough to enroll and completed the program through K-Bridge!
Sharon and David have been married for 29 years and have four children; Morgan, Kyle, Alyssa, and Sean. She has been such an incredible Assistant Director over the years and helps to meet the needs of both our students and parents.
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Angela Artiaga
Assistant Director
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Michelle McKenzie
Front Office Team
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Joan “Mimi” Nicholson
Resident Grandma
Mimi is in charge of making all things better!
“Mimi” is the Mother of Diane Taylor, and is the school’s resident Grandma! When a child needs an extra hug or reassurance, Mimi is there to provide comfort. You will often see Mimi at the front door handing out “bubbles” (hand sanitizer), assisting in the restroom, and tending to boo-boos. When parents are late to pick-up their child, it is Mimi who will assure the child with a nice book or a hug for reassurance.
Mimi has been married for 68 years to “Papa” and has four children and nine grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild. She is an avid Texas Rangers fan and enjoys Aledo Bearcat Football. There is a sign by the front door of the school that reads: “When all else fails, ask Mimi!” Everyone loves Mimi and we are proud that she is a part of our school!
Kindergarten
Christy Jarvis
Kindergarten Teacher
We are excited to welcome back Christy for her 13th year with our program! Ms. Christy was instrumental in developing our K-Bridge and Kindergarten curriculum! Christy has a degree in Elementary Education from the University of North Carolina with a concentration on Psychology. Prior to moving to Aledo, Christy taught Kindergarten in Kernersville, North Carolina, where she implemented varied teaching strategies and techniques with much success. Since moving to Aledo, Christy served as a Kindergarten Tutor at Coder and McCall Elementary for two-years.
Christy was the perfect addition to our team when we launched this program in 2009 as she has proficiency in Guided Reading, Saxon Math; Write from the Beginning, and Technology Integration – all of which is used in our Kindergarten and K-Bridge programs today. Her classroom management stle, and her ability to create unique lesson plans proved to be a valuable part of the center-based Kindergarten program.
Christy and her husband live in Aledo and have two sons and a daughter, who is also a graduate of Reading Friends of Aledo!
K-Bridge
Courtney Betancourt
K-Bridge I Teacher
Bio coming soon!
Julia Bussmeir
K-Bridge I ITeacher
(Bio and photo coming soon!)
Pre-Kindergarten
Brandy Wert
Pre-K Language Teacher
Brandy graduated from Texas Tech University with a degree in Early Childhood Development. Upon graduating, Brandy worked as a Pre-K teacher and Kindergarten teacher for several years before starting her own family. Once her youngest child started school, she was ready to go back into the workforce as a preschool teacher in a class of four-year-olds.
Brandy and her family moved to Aledo in 2009 and stay active in the community. Brandy married Scott Wert and has been happily married for 29 years. They have two children, Lacey and Carson, who are both in college.
After several years of being a stay-at-home mom, Brandy decided to join Reading Friends of Aledo in 2015 where she continues to serve as the Lead Pre-K Language teacher!
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Connie Hayden
Pre-K Discovery and Art Teacher
Connie is in her 12th year at Reading Friends of Aledo. Like so many of our teachers, we got to know Connie when she would substitute teach for us during the 2008-2009 school year and then asked her to join our team permanently in 2009. Connie has extensive knowledge working with young children as she has been teaching preschool-age children for more than 22 years and is one of the most respected teachers in the community.
Connie has been married for 34 years to Terry and they have four children: Brittanie, Briley, Bryce, Brant, who is also a graduate of Reading Friends K-Bridge program! She also recently became a Grandmother of four!
In addition to her numerous specialized training hours in Early Childhood Development, Connie also majored in Child Development at the University of North Texas.
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Jamie Sillivent
Pre-K Math and Science
(Bio and photo coming soon!)
Primary (3’s)
Lindsey Merrill
Primary Language Teacher
(Bio and photo coming soon!)
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Linda Groce
Primary Math/Art Teacher
(Bio and photo coming soon!)
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Maggie Tass
Primary Gross Motor Teacher
(Bio and photo coming soon!)
K-Prep I
Ashley Healey
K-Prep I Teacher
(Bio and photo coming soon!)
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K-Prep II
Jennifer Cheak
K-Prep II Teacher
(Bio and photo coming soon!)
Developmental (2’s)
Linda Groce
Developmental Teacher
(Bio and photo coming soon!)
Molly Hagan
Developmental Teacher
(Bio and photo coming soon!)
Richelle Gift
Developmental Teacher
(Bio and photo coming soon!)
Emily Warren
Developmental Teacher
(Bio and photo coming soon!)