Our team
Kindergarten management
Ing. Martina Olivová
Founder, Managing Director
Motto: „Don´t wait for someone to guide you. Do it yourself!”
She graduated from the Faculty of Economics of the Technical University of Ostrava, majoring in marketing and business. She was working for more than 10 years in marketing and sociological research and consulting for large multinational companies. In 2004 she founded first a Magic Hill pre-school and in 2006 an elementary school. She has attended numerous personal development seminars and professional courses in pedagogy, psychology, critical thinking academy, leadership and management training. She is involved in charity projects and is a partner in the patient organization for Cystic Fibrosis (Klub nemocných cystickou fibrózou).
PhDr. Radana Wagenknechtová
Pre-school Principal
Motto: „Be aware of what you think, it becomes your words, be aware of your words, they become your actions, be aware of your actions, they become your habits, be aware of your habits, they become a part of your character!”
She graduated from secondary medical school and is a graduate of the Faculty of Education of Charles University in Prague in special education. At the Centre for School Management of Charles University she received a Bachelor’s degree in School Management and a Master’s degree in Education Management. She has also completed a wide range of further education, mostly in the field of pre-school pedagogy, she holds a certificate in Montessori pedagogy, she has also completed the Respect and Be Respected course and the course of Hejny’s method of mathematics for pre-school children. In addition to teaching, she is also engaged in personal and professional coaching. She has been working at Magic Hill since 2008, since 2011 as a pre-school principal.
Teachers staff
Micaela Gacusan
Motto: „When a career and a passion come together, it creates a beautiful and happy life.”
Originally from the Philippines, she holds a Bachelor of Education degree from Tarlac State University and is also a TESOL certified teacher. She has been working as an English teacher since 2012, first in elementary schools in the Philippines where she worked as a Head teacher in an international school. Between 2014 and 2018, she worked as a Head Teacher in a pre-school in Jakarta. Since 2018, she has been living in the Czech Republic and working as a teacher first in elementary school and since 2020 in our pre-school. She is also a graduate of many courses such as Speech and drama to young learners or Basic principles of story telling.
Lucie Kroupová
Motto: „Teaching can be done through words, educating can be done only through being an example.”
She graduated from the secondary pedagogical school. She worked for 5 years as a teacher’s assistant at the British International School of Prague, where she also ran a Czech club for pre-school children, and then for another two years she was teaching in a private Anglo-Czech pre-school, where she ran a musical club. She has been working at Magic Hill since 2004. She holds an international TEFL certificate. She has completed a course in Montessori pedagogy, a mathematics seminar by Prof. Hejný, and a course in Music Therapy.
Martina Kynclová
Motto: „What you begin with, is not important. What you end up with, is what matters.”
Martina graduated from a secondary industrial school and worked in commercial companies. She also worked as an au pair with young children in Germany. She joined Magic Hill in 2019 as an assistant in the after-school programme, where she also completed a training course for educative carers for children up to the start of compulsory schooling. She then moved to our pre-school and successfully completed her teaching qualification by studying pre-school and after-school pedagogy at secondary school.
Pavithra Melshani Costa
Motto: „The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery.”Mark Van Doren
Originally from Sri Lanka, Pavithra graduated in Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education from Ladies’ college institute of professional studies. Since 2015, she has worked first as an Early Childhood Education and English teacher and then as a Head Teacher in an international American school in Sri Lanka. She is currently completing her Masters in Education at the University of Chichester, England. Pavithra has also attended many professional seminars such as first aid for children, learning difficulties of younger children and teaching methods for preschool children.
Elham Parsian
Motto: „Follow your dreams, transform your life.”
Elham is originally from Iran, where she graduated from the University of Art, then she studied Czech language at Charles University and further expanded her expertise in pre-school pedagogy. Her experience includes teaching art to children from pre-schools, up to University students, 3 years of teaching art in an elementary school in Iran, 2 years working in a pre-school in Montreal and teaching a course in creative writing. She has been working in our pre-school since 2017 with a break for maternity leave. In addition to working with pre-school children, she leads art classes in elementary school.
Jana Pátková
Motto: „If you can help others, do so!“”
Jana graduated from the secondary school of education and has been working in pre-schools for her entire professional life, which is more than 30 years. Before our pre-school she worked in the pre-school Čtyřlístek Říčany. Here she also led the children’s music ensemble Mikeš, Jana plays the violin and participated in the creation of the nature garden. She has been working in our pre-school since 2016. She has attended a number of seminars, for example, in the field of non-violent communication, Mindfulness for children. During our school events she is the medical assistant for our students.
Kateřina Rychterová
Motto: „Only the children themselves know, what they are searching for.”Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Katka graduated from a secondary vocational school and has been dedicated to the care of the human body and developing its potential throughout her whole life. For 27 years she lived in the United States of America, where, in addition to working in various fields, she worked for several years as a classroom teacher’s assistant in an elementary school. She also taught art, managed the school library and worked as a tutor. She is a part of our team at Magic Hill since 2021.
Daniela Zepeda Arancibia
Motto: „Of all things love is the most potent.”
Originally from Chile, she graduated from High School in Chile and also Rio Vista High School in California in USA. She is a graduate of many courses and seminars focused on English language teaching, such as the Teachers Training course and the Teachers Pre-school Training course organized by The Anglo Mexican Foundation in Mexico City. She has been teaching English since 2006 and since 2012 she has been working in Prague, as a teacher in pre-schools and language schools. She is a part of Magic Hill since 2018.