OUR TEAM

Here you will get to know our colorful team. All team members have different professional and additional qualifications, each brings his or her personal strengths and enriches the cooperation in the team, with the children and with the parents. We look forward to accompanying your child on its way. Please come back soon to meet new team members!

The management duo

Sina Rüttgers
Kindergarten manager

I have been part of the Villa Luna team in Aachen’s southern quarter as an educator since 2019. In October 2022, I took over the management of Villa Luna in Brand. I am currently in the final stages of my further training to become a “Fachwirtin für Erziehungswesen”. What I particularly like about Villa Luna is the diversity and variety. Each child’s abilities and interests take centre stage and they receive individual and holistic support. My motto in life is: “Today is a good day to be happy.” I am very much looking forward to working with you and your children!

Kira Wilcox-Schmücking
Kindergarten manager

After my training as a state-recognised nursery teacher, I worked in various daycare centres and in open all-day care. I grew up bilingual in German and English and the topic of language has always accompanied me in my pedagogical work. That’s why I also completed an additional qualification as a specialist in non-violent communication in daycare centres and held freelance training courses on this topic for daycare teams during my parental leave. I am delighted to now be part of the Villa Luna team and to be managing the centre together with Sina Rüttgers. What I particularly like about the Villa Luna concept is the strength-orientated view of the children and the attitude towards diversity and participation. True to the motto ‘There are flowers everywhere for those who want to see them.’ I am very much looking forward to working with you and your children.

Katharina Kirchmann
Pedagogical staff

I have been part of Villa Luna since 2010 (previously in the team of Villa Luna Aachen Südviertel) and I still look forward to working with the great and humorous team every day. What fascinates me about working with children is that I can accompany them on a very important part of their life journey. I enjoy contributing pedagogically to the positive development of your children, encouraging, supporting and accompanying them. After now 11 years, it was time for me for something new. So I decided to move to the new Villa Luna location and am now looking forward to my new team, you as new parents and a new start in a new kindergarten in the former clothiers’ quarter. My motto in life: “It’s the little things in life that make you happy”.

Celina Plum
Pedagogical staff

After graduating from high school, I completed my training as a state-recognised educator. In addition to my native German, I speak fluent English and have a basic knowledge of Spanish and Turkish. I was able to identify with the aspects of exercise, nutrition and bilingualism at Villa Luna from the very beginning. Accompanying the children on their journey through life, supporting them individually and experiencing them in all their facets is something I really appreciate and love about my work.

Sabrina Falchi
Trainee

After my parental leave, I finally decided to do what I love professionally. And that is to work with children. After further training to become a pedagogical assistant, this is now possible for me and I am very happy about my start at Villa Luna as a pedagogical assistant. True to the motto “You don’t have to be perfect as long as you are true to yourself”, I would like to support the children during this phase of their lives. I particularly appreciate the bilingual aspect of Villa Luna, as I myself grew up bilingual (German-Italian).

Irene Kleu
Pedagogical staff

I passed my exams as a paediatric nurse in 1984. Until the birth of my children, I worked at the university hospital in Düsseldorf. After my parental leave, I worked in various educational institutions (Waldorf, Montessori, curative education nursery). Looking for a new challenge, the Villa Luna day care centre seems ideal to me. A new institution, a young, dynamic team and the motto “Life is a big canvas, paint it as colourful as you can” seem to me to be the best prerequisites. One of my life mottos is: “Children are something very special!“.

Ana Milena Tangarife Bodensiek
Pedagogical staff

I have been part of Villa Luna since 2010 and worked as a child carer in the U3 area. I am a mum of 2 boys and am now starting in the Ü3 area after my parental leave. My mother tongue is Spanish and due to my work experience I speak fluent English. Bilingualism is very important to me and I enjoy accompanying the children. Joy, dance and singing are always part of my everyday life, and colour and glitter are also a must! I love being creative with the children and providing them with a positive and happy atmosphere. Every day is a new opportunity to laugh, play and learn together.

Tanja Kück
Pedagogical staff

I live in Aachen-Brand, very close to the new Villa Luna Kita. For 11 years I have been working with great passion as a state-certified educator with children of all ages. I love accompanying children on their journey through life, watching them grow and supporting them in their educational and learning processes. “Wherever you go, go with your whole heart” is my motto in life. Since I am also privately creative and love to bake, I look forward to crafting, experimenting and exploring the world with your children. The concept and bilingual work convinced me to become a part of the new Villa Luna team. I look forward to soon working with your child, you, and the new team to create and experience each day in a new way.

Janine Siewert
Pedagogical staff

Following my training as a childcare worker, I successfully completed my training as an educator in August 2017. During my training, I spent the summer vacations working as an au pair in Mallorca. During my previous work as a kindergarten teacher in the Aachen city region, I was able to gain a lot of experience in the U3 area as well as in a regular group. Due to my move from Geilenkirchen to Aachen I was looking for a new job. Villa Luna quickly caught my eye. The concept and the possibilities Villa Luna offers to work and learn with the children convinced me. I like to be creative. Whether with paper and scissors or with rough materials. I look forward to becoming artistically active with your children!

Michael Keuchen-Hansen
Pedagogical staff

I have been a member of the Villa Luna team since 2011: there is simply a great atmosphere of togetherness among the colleagues with international backgrounds, who treat the children and their needs very lovingly and attentively. This is absolutely in line with my personal motto, to accompany the children on their way through life and to give them a lot of positive energy along the way.

Yvonne Woznicki
Pedagogical staff

I am a registered paediatric nurse and live with my son in Belgium. Including my training, I worked for 22 years at the University Hospital Aachen in the infant and toddler ward. After almost 4 years of working in a bilingual day care centre, I would like to support Villa Luna with my labour. I am looking forward to getting to know you and your children and to accompany them in their development. My great love is music, I play the piano and flute and sing in the choir. I can’t wait to infect your children with my passion for music. I also have a great affinity for languages, I speak Polish, French, English and Dutch. “J’aime la vie” and “Always bring your own sunshine” are my motto in life.

Leo Flatten
Pedagogical staff

After completing my vocational baccalaureate at the Maria Montessori School, I spent a voluntary social year at the Aachen Brand child and youth welfare centre. Afterwards, I realised that I wanted to train as an educator in order to work with children. I speak German as my mother tongue and have a basic knowledge of English and French. I decided in favour of Villa Luna because I like its open concept. My motto in life is: Life is more fun with humour!

A.H.
Pedagogical staff

After my training as an educator, I gained experience with children over and under the age of three in various facilities. What I find particularly exciting about the Villa Luna concept is its bilingual orientation. My motto in life: Smile and the world changes.

Sylvia Langer
Pedagogical staff

I am a state-certified nursery nurse and have worked in various daycare centres for 30 years. My mother tongue is German and my second language is French. I have a Montessori diploma and have worked in several Montessori kindergartens. My focus is, among other things, in the musical area. I love working with children, even after already 30 years in the profession it is so lively and versatile for me. It is wonderful to teach them basic values and to observe how the children always develop. My motto in life is: New paths are created by going down them.

Lukas Dohmen
Pedagogical staff

I live in Würselen and did my training as an educator at the KKS school in Aachen. Since I also worked in a bilingual day care centre before, I have a very good command of English and German. I really enjoy accompanying the children in their development and supporting them in their tasks.

Kim Hofzumahaus
Pedagogical staff

My professional journey began in 2014 with four exciting years caring for children under the age of three, followed by a challenging and varied year working with teenage mums. I speak fluent German and good English, so I am eager to hear the stories and backgrounds of all the children I am privileged to care for. I chose Villa Luna because here I can fully live out my passion for working with children and supporting their development. My motto in life? “Everything is easier with a smile!”

Alexandra Bucatari
Everyday helper

Since October 2023, I have been working as an everyday helper at the Villa Luna kindergarten, where I would also like to complete my future training as an educator. My motto in life is “Learn, Live, Grow”. I love working with children and teaching them new things. I come from Moldova – in addition to my mother tongue, I also speak Romanian and Russian. As a mother of two children, I have little free time with a part-time job. But the warm atmosphere and the good team spirit at Villa Luna mean a lot to me.

Laura Müller-Frings
Trainee

I am a trained hairdresser, come from Cologne and have already worked as an everyday helper for half a year. For a long time, I had wanted a job where I could make a meaningful contribution. Here I had the opportunity to find out how much I like working with children and how much I enjoy it. I am looking forward to three exciting years of training at Villa Luna.

Eva Derwall
Trainee

After graduating from high school, I decided to start training as an educator. In my spare time, I danced ballet for 13 years and also gained experience with children by accompanying them in dance lessons. This made me realise how much I enjoy working with children and supporting them in their development. My motto in life is to start every day with a smile and to go through life positively. I am looking forward to being part of the Villa Luna team and working with the children.

Selma Beyer
English-speaking pedagogical staff

I am Selma Beyer and was born and raised in Giengen, close to Ulm. Two years ago I moved to Aachen. I hold a degree in school psychology and teaching at the elementary level. After discovering the beauty of the Montessori philosophy, I changed career focusing on early childhood education. I received a Montessori diploma in the USA and a second one in Germany. For about ten years now, I’ve been working with toddlers, young children and their families. I am looking forward to contributing to the positive and joyful atmosphere at Villa Luna. My motto? We’ll see as we go along!

Julia Pawlak
English-speaking pedagogical staff

I am very much looking forward to being part of the Villa Luna team! I was particularly attracted by the bilingual concept, as I consider multilingualism to be a great enrichment and opportunity in life. Therefore I will be speaking English with the children and hopefully spark an interest in the language and foreign languages in general. I have been living in Kelmis, Belgium with my husband and our son since 2016. Before, my husband and I lived in Canada for nine years. There I gained professional experience as an educator and studied early childhood education. Besides my native language German, I am fluent in English and French. I have always enjoyed accompanying children on their journey through life and rediscovering the world with them. My motto in life is taken from the musical “Rock of Ages”: “Sometimes the dreams you come with aren’t always the dreams you leave with, but they still rock.”

Didier Rousselle
Cook

I was born and raised in France, now living in Germany for 40 years. For more than 30 years I lived in Berlin where I worked in a home for disabled people. I have a son in Berlin who will be 18 this year. In June of this year I moved to Aachen to live with my partner. I feel very comfortable here in Aachen and its surroundings. Especially I enjoy the proximity to Belgium, because I can use my mother tongue there of course. I am looking forward to cooking for children in a new team and to getting to know them in an exciting way. From my conviction, work must be enjoyable so that one can enjoy life with all its possibilities.

Katie Pucheu-Morvant (currently absent)
English-speaking pedagogical staff

I am originally from South Louisiana, USA, and I moved to Aachen in 2019. I have a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, as well as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teaching certificate, and TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) certification. I have been teaching in total for 8 years now and for the last year and a half, I have been teaching Kindergarten in Aachen. My goal, for myself and my students, is to make learning enjoyable and entertaining. A motto I rely on each day, is the phrase often used in the Montessori community: “Freedom within Limits”; the idea that in order to create a safe and happy learning environment where children can grow and develop, they should be granted freedom to the extent that it is possible while still preserving their physical and emotional wellbeing.