Benjamin Franklin Elementary School Cooperation * Achievement * Respect * Effort ~ Erik Kress. Celia Slason Ceil Scranton Principal Counselor Administrative Assistant April 20, 2019 ‘To whom it may concern, Lam writing this recommendation for Sierra Shelburne. Sierra worked as a student teacher in my first grade classroom at Benjamin Franklin Elementary School in Keene, NH. My classroom consists of 20-22 children ranging in age from six to seven years old. In the class, there ae five children with significant cognitive disabilities, who also are part ofa collaborative learning center (CLC). These children are included in our class 80% ofthe time. Sierra was able to witness this inclusion model as we implemented it for the first time this year. We also have the pleasure of having four english language learners in our class. Sietra was a wonderful addition to our class in January. Ms. Shelburne and the children developed «loving and trusting relationship very quickly. Her kind and caring demeanor was a positive addition Sierra quickly took on responsibilities inthe classroom. Her love of books was apparent right from the start, She was eager to share books withthe children and adults like. She quickly took on morning meeting responsibilities where she greeted the children in a positive and engaging way and prepared them for their day. Sierra introduced new games to the class and they love having her start their day Sierra worked in my classroom for fourteen weeks. In that time it was required that she act as the Jead teacher for two weeks, Sierra did this and more. Several times throughout placement Sierra filled in for me asthe lead teacher as I was subbing in another role. She was confident and eager to take on this responsibility. Sierra actively participated in all the team meetings and planning meetings that happened throughout the week making her an intrigued part ofthe first grade team. She also participated in several professional development opportunities. The staff at Franklin School had the opportunity to work with Michael Anderson on academic choice this year and Sierra took patt in the al staff read of Michaels book LLeaming to Choose, Choosing to Leam as well as planning meetings with him. She was quick to implement what she learned inthe classroom. Sierra also took part in a mental health first ad clas This year my frst grade classroom had several moving parts, With te collaborative children fully included there were several adults that were moving in and out ofthe classroom, The children were also pulled out of the classroom for services several times troughout the week, Sierra handled this with ease, She was aware of the children going in and out while also keeping a consistent flow and pace of the day. She welcomed the children back to class without skipping a beat While in first grade Ms. Shelburne implement a well thought out unit on weather. The children were actively engaged. She had meaningful lessons and experiments that the children enjoyed immensely. ‘Throughout all of her work Sierra had great energy and enthusiasm. The children would simply respond to her excitement. She carefully chose picture books and nonfiction text t go along with all of her work. Sierra implemented lessons from Eureka Math, Fundations as well as Phonemic Awareness by Michael Heggerty. She thoroughly immersed herself in understanding the curriculum and carefully planned how best to deliver the lesson tothe children, She differentiated the intruetion to our CLC population beautifully. 217 Washington Street * Keene, New Hampshire 03431 + Telephone 603-352-1712 + Fax 603-357-9015Sierra simply has a way with children. She is calm and caring yet assertive. She praises the children while guiding them to higher level thinking, Franklin Schoo! has been on a journey to become mote trauma informed and while Sierra came with great base knowledge about trauma she fully embraced the practice at Franklin. She helped to implement our new social curriculum called Second Step and participated in many discussions around children and trauma, Sierra also participated in a workshop put ‘on by our schoo! behavior specialist on best practices. On a daily basis, Sierra also helped to support a child receiving Tier 3 support for beh ean not say enough about Sierra and her time at Franklin. It was a pleasure working with her and 1 believe that she will be an amazing classroom teacher. She has a true love of leaming and that showed up in all of her work here. She asked great questions and became part ofthe team for sure, She will certainly be missed. Please contact me if you would like any further information. Sincerely, Keectbba Ph Kate Abbott First Grade Teacher Benjamin Franklin School Keene, NH