Newport Heights Elementary Newport-Mesa Unified School District 300 E. 15% Street Newport Beach, CA 92663 949.515.6970 Phone 949.515.6871 Fax May 26, 2015 ‘To Whom It May Concern: Iam pleased to have the opportunity to write a letter of recommendation for Miss Elizabeth Walsh. Miss Walsh worked under my supervision for 10 weeks as a student teacher in my First Grade class at Newport Heights Elementary School from the beginning of January through the end of March 2015. In. addition, she observed in my classroom and did her field work during the Fall semester of 2014. During this time she proved herself to be a highly effective, enthusiastic, hard-working teacher whom the children adored. Elizabeth did an outstanding job in the area of organizing subject matter, planning instruction, and designing learning experiences for all students. She worked very hard on a daily basis to make sure that all of the lessons she taught were hands-on, standards-based, and highly engaging for the students in my classroom. She also did a fabulous job differentiating her lessons to meet the needs of all the students, as well as implementing our new Common Core State Standards! Frequently, she would implement two-four different lessons during learning centers, based on the needs and strengths of my students, Elizabeth was excellent at engaging my students and making sure that they were all involved in the lessons that she taught. She frequently stopped to check for understanding, and used a variety of methods to teach each lesson, including whole group, small group, partner, and individual instruction. She also took the time to identify students who needed an extra helping hand, and would make sure to engage them in all of her lessons. iizabeth worked especially hard in the area of classroom management. Throughout the course of the 10 week period, she took command of the classroom when she was teaching the kids, and always made sure that they were on task and being respectful. She implemented my Behavior ‘System with no problem at all, and was wonderful at using positive praise to reinforce good behavior. She was fair to all of my students and had very high expectations for them, both inside the classroom and on the playground. She was loving and caring to each and every one of them, and she was also able to incorporate a sense of fun into the learning routine, while maintaining classroom control. [ always felt comfortable leaving her in charge, because she had such great classroom management! Overall, Elizabeth fit into our staff amazingly well! She was always professional and on time to work each day, developed a great relationship with the parents of my students, as well as other staff members, and was open to constructive feedback. She was eager to learn and happy to be with my students, and her sweet, loving personality was a breath of fresh air, She also made herself available to help out, wherever needed, including helping other teachers out and in weekly yard duties. She came in as a student teacher, but she will leave as professional colleague! She will be an asset to any staff. If I can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me at 714-679-2136. “Paws. Ea bole Kerfi Bordelon, First Grade Teacher NBCT-Early Childhood Generalist, NMUSD Teacher of the Year 2006