f BISD TEACHING AND LEARNING DIVISION INSPIRESCQUIF IMAGINE Department of Literacy Curriculum and Instruction It is my pleasure to recommend Ms. Janis Belion as an educator and advocate for all students, have had the privilege of working with hers colleague and friend for six years, and her leadership, content knowledge, and work ethic have made her an indispensable member of my team, ‘The hallmark of Ms, Bellon’s leadership is her advocacy for students. In that role, she relentlessly pursues ideas and information to engage her students in learning, meeting them ‘where they are and nudging them into learning beyond their expectations. She Is incredibly creative in the classroom, resulting In rich literacy experiences for her students, replete with blended genres, technology tools, inquiry, and relevance. She organized the Gay-Straight Alliance on her campus and supported other campuses in our district do the same, offering a venue for students to celebrate their similarities and differences, Her classroom is a safe place to explore literacy and life, resulting in students who think, dream, and believe, ‘Outside the school, | have relied on Ms. Bellon’s vision and expertise repeatedly to write curriculum, design assessments, and create professional development opportunities for teachers across the district. n all endeavors, she is thoughtful, asking clarifying questions that challenge all of us to improve our practice. In the last year alone, she has written enrichments for Pre-AP coursework grades 6-10, refined and designed curriculum for English | Pre-AP, and presented district staff development. She also participated in a pilot that used digital texts to teach Shakespeare plays, monitoring student growth and evaluating the resource for students. She has been involved in all aspects of our district's growth as we move towards instructional tools for creating assessment-capable learners. My only reluctance in writing this recommendation is that it means we will lose Ms. Bellon as a member of our team, Her contribution to our work has been invaluable, and | am hard-pressed to imagine a replacement. She will be an asset to any organization that serves students and their communities, and ! look forward to hearing about her continued growth and leadership. CylriculunsGcOrgirttor, ELA 6-12 Fort Bend independent Schoo! District