Welcome to Mrs. Gardiner's and Mrs. Martens' Kindergarten Class

Teacher Biographies

My name is Marilyn Martens and this is my seventh year as a Kindergarten teacher as Shady Side Academy.  Prior to moving to Pittsburgh I taught first grade for 6 years at The Park School in Brookline, MA.  My husband and I are both Canadian and prior to moving to Boston 10 years ago, I taught 5 years at a public school in London Ontario.  I attended the University of Western Ontario where I received an Honors Bachelors of Arts degree.  After that I attended the University of Maine and pursued a degree in Elementary Education. I greatly enjoy working with young children and being a part of this exciting time in their development. 

Outside of school I keep busy spending time with my husband and 2 young children.  We love hiking, biking, cooking and swimming together.  I also love reading and traveling when the opportunity arises! 

Please stop by any time to visit our class and witness the exciting learning and wonderful fun taking place!

mmartens@shadysideacademy.org

Contact Phone Number: 412-241-1651

Our Perferred way of Contact is e-mail. Thank you!!

Hello,  my name is Mrs. Gardiner  I grew up in Pittsburgh where I graduated from Carlow College with a BS in Early Childhood Education.  I taught preschool for two years at Good Shepherd in Fox Chapel before joining the faculty at Shady Side Academy.  This is my 24th year of teaching at Shady Side Academy Junior School.  For the past twenty years I have taught third grade.  This will be my first year in kindergarten with Mrs. Martens.  I am very excited to be teaching kindergarten!  Every year has been exciting and memorable, as I have been lucky to teach such wonderful students. 

Outside of the classroom, I enjoy spending time with my family.   One of the most exciting places we have lived was Adak, Alaska in the Aleutian Islands. My husband and I have two grown children, Melanie and Brian.  Brian was a graduate of the class of SSA' 99. We enjoy vacationing together at the beach in Stone Harbor, New Jersey.  We have been going there for more than twenty-five years.  When I am not spending time with my family, I love to knit and read.

Teaching is my passion.  I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

Contact Information

To contact Mrs. Gardiner, preferably via email: fgardiner@shadysideacademy.org

Contact phone: (412) 473-4424 (Voice mail only, therefore email is a more efficient contact method. )