Arborwood Elementary Campus

1008/1035 North Riverview Monroe, Michigan 48162 734-265-3800/4500

Developing Learners and Leaders for the 21st Century

July 29th, 2013 To Whom It May Concern, This letter of recommendation is written on behalf of Priscilla Fojan. Priscilla taught a third/fourth grade multi-age classroom for our 2013 Summer Learning Academy. This learning opportunity was held at the Arborwood Campus, which is a part of Monroe Public Schools. The Summer Learning Academy was attended by our districts most struggling learners. At any time during the school day, a visitor to Priscillas classroom would notice that all of her students are engaged in authentic learning tasks designed to improve achievement in the areas of reading, writing and math. They would also notice Priscilla deeply engaged with facilitating a lesson with the workshop model as the instructional framework, or working with individual students or small groups. Her classroom is a well-organized, joyful place where high expectations are established, communicated to, and achieved by all students. Priscilla understands the importance of engaging students in the learning process. She achieves this by creating strong relationships with her students, understanding their academic strengths and weaknesses, and tapping into their interests. As a teacher for our Summer Learning Academy, Priscilla used the pedagogy of inquiry-based learning to have each student formulate research question they wanted to study in-depth, to research their question utilizing online resources, and to create a digital presentation to share their learning with others at our school-wide Community of Learners. Priscilla uses ongoing formative assessment tools aligned with students learning goals to make instructional decisions for individual students. Students often worked in small, collaborative groups that were flexibly structured so that each students placement/participation in the group is based on their personal learning needs. The utilization of resources (including math games, problem-solving tasks, leveled books, Book Clubs, technology, and research resources) were tailored to meet student needs. The Summer Learning Academy offered students the opportunity to experience one-to-one technology. Each classroom had an iPad cart, along with access to laptops. Priscillas understanding of utilizing technology to enhance student learning was a true asset. Her students used technology in meaningful ways throughout the school day. During Research Workshop, it was common to see students researching information on their iPad while taking notes in their Google Docs on their laptop. Her use of technology in the classroom allowed student to collaborate, communicate, and create in meaningful ways. Priscilla is always eager to learn more about how to best meet the needs of her students. She often sought out support from colleagues and researched various resources to improve her own understanding of the teachinglearning process. Her questions were thoughtfully focused on improving student learning/achievement, and she always looked for feedback on ways to enhance her teaching practice. District Professional Development sessions were hosted at Arborwood for K-8 teachers. Priscilla willingly offered to have her classroom be a lab-site for our Monroe Public Schools teachers to come in and try out intervention strategies with her students. It is with great confidence that I recommend Priscilla Fojan for a teaching position. Her personal and professional strengths as an educator would be an asset to any school district fortunate enough to have her join their staff. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Sincerely,

Terry Joseph
Administrative Team Member for the Monroe Public School Summer Learning Academy Assistant Principal, Arborwood Elementary Campus Phone: 734-265-4595 Email: joseph@monroe.k12.mi.us