May 10, 2018 To Whom It May Concern: 1 enthusiastically recommend Ashley Fortner for the position of campus instructional coach. For the past three school years, Ashley has taught at Tom C. Gooch Elementary School where I am the school counselor. Ashley exemplifies the qualities and demonstrates the skills necessary to be an exemplary campus instructional coach and lead the school where she serves to excellence. Her teaching expertise, leadership skills and experience, and her use of technology and social media will make her an asset as an instructional coach. As an instructional coach, Ashley will be able to help teachers grow their teaching skills. Ashley exhibits outstanding classroom management, fosters her scholars’ social and emotional leaning, and assists them in developing leadership skills. Additionally, she applied for and received a grant to provide kinesthetic seating in her classroom to address scholars’ needs for movement to stimulate the brain and the ability to focus. She provides engaging and challenging lessons for her scholars and sets high expectations for their academic progress as well as social and emotional learning. Ashley has shared her expertise in multiple areas through her service in countless leadership roles. Following are only a few of her leadership roles and contributions: Asamember of the Campus Instructional Leadership Team, she collaborated with other members to develop the master schedule, make teaching assignments, and write the Campus Improvement Plan. © She assisted the principal in interviewing candidates for positions on campus. © She worked with the principal to apply for Title III funds, managed Title III Funds, and directed the Title III bilingual tutoring program on campus. ‘© She coordinated the initiation of our two way dual language program, served as the Dual Language Liaison at Gooch, and facilitated a professional development session at the ‘New Dual Language Teacher Academy on the incorporation of technology in a dual language classroom,She developed a scholar data tracking system that was implemented for all Gooch scholars in grades 3-5 and led professional development for feeder patter principals on the creation and access of data trackers using kindle technology. Ashley has stellar technology and social media skills and has made valuable contributions to our campus through the use of those skills. She introduced Bloomz to Gooch and trained the teachers to implement it, thereby connecting 905 parents to the teachers and to Gooch. In addition, she developed Gooch’s social media presence through the creation of Instagram, Facebook, and twitter accounts, She also produced a monthly community newsletter in English and Spanish that ‘was shared with all stakeholders. Ashley has demonstrated an ability to connect and relate well with scholars, parents, teachers, and other staff. She communicates respect, compassion, and empathy for others and quickly forms positive relationships. As a leader, she seeks input from scholars, teachers, other staff, parents, and community. She leads with energy and enthusiasm, consistently giving beyond what is expected. I have been a school counselor for over thirty-five years, and I have seldom had the privilege and pleasure of working with an educator of Ashley's caliber. I wholeheartedly recommend her to you. Valerie Smith, M.Ed., Certified Schoo! Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor Counselor, Tom C. Gooch Elementary School