LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Jami S. Walker
Principal, Olney Adventist Preparatory School
March 7, 2017
Dear Sir or Madame,
I highly recommend Joanna Meliti for an elementary level teaching position at your school. As principal of Olney Adventist Preparatory School for the past seven years, I have had the pleasure of working with Joanna throughout all of those years. She is an organized and passionate teacher who works tirelessly for the success of her students.
Joanna is an amazing teacher! She goes above and beyond in creating learning opportunities that are engaging and fun for her students. She skillfully uses differentiation strategies to help all of her students succeed and achieve the high expectations she sets for them. Her classroom is always organized and arranged for optimum learning and time management. She alters curriculum to meet diverse learning needs, including learning disabilities. She works with students in small groups during the school day and after school to provide additional support as needed. The students in her class enjoy being a part of her class and particularly the STEM activities each week. Her ongoing commitment to the success of all students will be a benefit to any school.
During her time at Olney Prep, she has not only grown as an individual, but also as a teacher. She has pursued and completed a Master’s Degree, spent time furthering her skills through a variety of workshops and inservice opportunities, and read and implemented a variety of strategies and ideas learned by reading professional books and articles. Last summer, she spent a week of her summer vacation in an intensive training on implementing Writing Workshop. She came back fired-up about writing and ready share that passion with her students.
As she has sought opportunities to grow and develop her own teaching repertoire and translate that learning into her classroom, she has used her strong leadership skills to share her learning with fellow teachers. She has shared specific strategies with colleagues in faculty meeting. In addition, she has collaborated with teachers on projects, programs, and improving student learning. Her strong leadership skills can also been seen as she is the team leader for grades kindergarten through three, served as a teacher representative on the school board, and is slated to work closely with administration in the event of an emergency on campus. Joanna embraces any opportunity to grow as a teacher, which makes her an ideal leader.
Joanna has a positive rapport with parents, students, and fellow colleagues. She is someone who can be relied upon and completes all tasks with excellence. Her parents appreciate her clear and timely communication through her classroom newsletter, emails, and face-to-face conversations. Students know what is expected of them in the classroom and that they can count on her to help them achieve their goals. Colleagues appreciate the creativity and professionalism with which Joanna approaches group projects and tasks. As an administrator, I know that I can always count on her to give her best, receive and provide honest feedback, think outside of the box, and to follow through on commitments she makes.
I recommend Joanna to you without reservation. Should you have any further questions with regard to her background or qualifications, feel free to reach out to me at jamiw@pcsda.org.
Sincerely,
Jami S. Walker, Principal
Dr. David Reile
Member of the Potomac Conference Board, Chair of the Board of Olney Adventist Preparatory School, Member of the Board of Shenandoah Valley Academy, Psychologist and Managing Director of the Career Development Alliance
Greetings:
I am delighted to write a letter of recommendation on behalf of Mrs. Joanna Meliti. Mrs. Meliti (Joanna) is an outstanding teacher who is caring and compassionate and maintains classroom discipline with a firm, but loving, style. Joanna is highly creative and engages her students in learning activities tailored to their individual strengths and challenges.
Joanna started at Olney Adventist Preparatory School (OAPS) as a first grade teacher. Despite being less than two years out of college, she handled her students (and their parents) with poise and professionalism. Joanna’s influence extends beyond her classroom. She quickly became a resource for other elementary grade teachers and has mentored several new teachers who have come to OAPS over the past seven
years. Joanna has also been tasked with additional administrative responsibilities, assisting the principal as a lower
school (K‐5) liaison, reviewing curriculum and making recommendations for school-wide policies and programs, and
serving as a teacher representative on the school board.
Joanna’s creativity and organizational skills have served OAPS in many ways. It has become a tradition that each class presents at in a church service once a year in the church associated with our school. Whether as the first or
third grade teacher, Joanna’s class shines in their worship presentations. Families and church members delight in the message portrayed and in the clever ways Joanna integrates media with student participation. Joanna has also helped to organize and run very successful summer day camps at OAPS. These are popular with students and parents and they combine summer fun with spiritual messages.
I have known Joanna in my capacity as the father of a student in her first class at OAPS, as chair of the school board for six years, and as a member of the Olney SDA church. I have enormous respect and admiration for Joanna. I know her to be an excellent teacher who will greatly enhance any school. Her intelligence and professionalism combine to create a complete educator. She will be missed in our church and school community but I recognize her need for growth and new challenges and I wish her well. There are few teachers that I would say could raise the standards of a school simply by making them a part of the faculty—Mrs. Joanna Meliti is just such a teacher.
If I can provide any further feedback or information, feel free to contact me. I wish you all the best as you carefully consider your decision.
Sincerely,
David M. Reile, PhD
Managing Director, CDA
Chair, Olney Adventist Preparatory School Board
Susan Athey, CALT, CDT
Academic Therapist, Classroom Support Aide
March 11, 2017
To Whom It May Concern:
I am pleased to recommend Joanna Meliti as an elementary school teacher. I have worked with Joanna, assisting part-time in both her first and third grade classrooms, for the past eight years. She is one of the best teachers I have had the pleasure to work with and to observe instructing in the classroom.
Joanna is extremely creative in both her lesson instruction and the set-up of her classroom. She goes above and beyond in meeting the requirements of teaching her curriculum, to make learning fun and interactive. She demonstrates thorough planning and preparation of her lessons. She is innovative in her use of technology and creative in the resources she uses in her lesson plans.
The lessons and activities Joanna develops are well thought out and are at an appropriate level for her students. She recognizes learning differences and is able to differentiate her instruction of the curriculum accordingly. She will challenge students with creative lessons, as well as supplementing lessons with multi-sensory instruction when students are having difficulty grasping a concept.
Joanna is incredibly organized and uses effective management techniques in her classroom, by implementing structured procedures to support the development of her students’ executive functioning skills. She is dedicated to her students and her school, and is an unwavering advocate for both. She initiates communication with parents and administration if she is concerned that a student would benefit from additional assessments and/or academic intervention or support.
Joanna treats each child with respect. She handles discipline discreetly and in a way that does not suppress a student’s self-esteem, while guiding them to be respectful and responsible members of the school community.
An area of strength for Joanna is her eagerness to continue to learn and grow as a teacher, by pursuing professional development opportunities. She is a natural leader and successfully planned, organized and directed the summer camp at our school.
I would highly recommend Joanna for any teaching position. She would be a valuable addition to the staff of any school. I would be happy to speak with you further if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Susan Athey, CALT, CDT
301-996-2330
Shelley Tenali
Kindergarten Teacher, Olney Adventist Preparatory School
March 10, 2017
To Whom It May Concern,
It is my pleasure to write a letter of recommendation for Mrs. Joanna Meliti, who has worked with me at Olney Adventist Preparatory School as a teacher for the past 8 years. When Joanna taught first grade and I taught kindergarten, we worked closely together collaborating activities throughout the school year. We also had the unique opportunity to co-teach for one year in a combined K/1 classroom, which gave me first-hand experience observing Joanna’s style as a teacher.
Joanna is one of the most dedicated teachers I have worked with during my 18 years of teaching. She arrives early on a daily basis to prepare for the day so she can better meet the needs of her students. She is extremely organized and her classroom is neat and orderly, reflecting this aspect of her personality. She strives to keep herself educated on current teaching strategies and methodologies to use in her classroom. We often discuss current issues in education and how these issues might impact our students.
An insightful educator, Joanna recognizes early on when a student is struggling in her class, and she takes steps to give the student extra help after school, meets with parents to solicit help at home, or recommends special testing and tutoring to get the student up to speed. She cares deeply about each child in her class and works hard to make sure no one is left behind.
Students have fun learning in Joanna’s classroom. She is very creative and takes the time to plan extra activities for her students to promote learning. Joanna goes above and beyond to help her students enjoy learning and to motivate them to learn more. I have been impressed with all of the imaginative and experimental activities she has planned for her students over the years.
Joanna sets high, but not unreasonable, standards for her students and then she gives them the tools to succeed. Students are motivated and intellectually stimulated in her classroom, and her successful teaching techniques are reflected in her students’ work. Joanna believes in positive classroom discipline. She collaborated with teachers in other grades to create a classroom economy system to use for behavior management. Each semester, the students have a school market day where they are able to spend the pretend money they have earned for positive behavior. This management system has helped to create a positive learning environment in her classroom.
Our school will greatly miss Joanna’s many teaching talents. She has so many qualities that make a teacher successful. She is dependable, motivated, and in tune with the needs of her students. She works well with colleagues and administration, and is able to learn from those around her. I highly recommend Joanna Meliti for any teaching position.
Sincerely,
Shelley Tenali
Kindergarten Teacher
Miriam Troup
Fourth Grade Teacher, Olney Adventist Preparatory School
March 12, 2017
To Whom It May Concern:
I have had the opportunity to work with Joanna for almost two years as a fellow educator at Olney Adventist Preparatory School in Olney Maryland.
Joanna, possesses many positive and encouraging qualities which make her an ideal candidate for any teaching position. I have had the chance to get to know Joanna both professionally and personally during our current employment at Olney Prep and find that her dedication to excellence and attention to details far exceed most teachers. Joanna’s classroom and student activities speak to her creativity, warmth, care, strong
organizational skills, and heart for teaching.
Joanna is dedicated to her profession and ensuring that every child succeeds. This is evident in her professional and personal development that I have witnessed since knowing her. She takes every opportunity to grow through self-initiated workshop attendance and asking clarifying questions of her co-workers and the administration. She is also very dedicated to deepening her relationship with God as witnessed in our personal conversations.
Joanna’s commitment to academic success for every student is evident in how prepared her class was for fourth grade this past year. They were well rounded with no need to reteach any subject. It has truly been a pleasure working with Joanna and I am sure any school will be blessed to have her on their team.
I can be contacted at miriamt@pcsda.org should you need to communicate with me regarding any further details that relate to Joanna’s professional contributions.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Miriam Troup
Fourth Grade Teacher
Kirsten and Warren Corprew
Parents of Student at Olney Adventist Preparatory School
March 9, 2017
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to highly recommend Joanna Meliti for a teaching position. Our son, Warren, has been a student of Mrs. Meliti’s for three of his four years at Olney Adventist Preparatory School.
The impact she has had on our son’s success and self-esteem as a student cannot be overstated. Warren was diagnosed with ADHD while he was in first grade with Mrs. Meliti. She demonstrated such commitment to tracking his behavioral data and communicated with us on a daily basis. She conferenced with us numerous times, as well as with our therapist, in order to explore additional behavior management strategies and techniques. This was an extremely emotional and confusing time for us as a family, and never once did we doubt Mrs. Meliti’s compassion and kindness. Her ability to see the heart of our child and assure us of the promise and potential she saw in him is something we will never forget.
Mrs. Meliti is a highly creative and innovative teacher. This school year, Mrs. Meliti has introduced rigorous STEM activities, which provided Warren opportunities to think critically, build his collaboration skills, and learn to solve problems creatively. She also introduced a new writing program that has produced some of the most incredible writing we have ever seen our son do. As parents, we are repeatedly impressed with her level of organization and planning. Mrs. Meliti regularly evaluates our son’s progress in the key areas of reading and mathematics. She provides him with differentiated material to ensure he is challenged and growing. She sends home a weekly newsletter that outlines what the students are studying in each content area, as well as upcoming tests and quizzes. She emails her classroom parents frequently to provide updates and reminders. Mrs. Meliti is always accessible and responds to our questions immediately.
In closing, every school should be so blessed to have a teacher of the caliber of Joanna Meliti on their staff. She cares deeply for her students and their emotional and academic well- being. We are so very sad to see her leave OAPS, but all she has done for our son and the other students will never be forgotten.
Most Sincerely,
Kirsten and Warren Corprew
301-503-4131
Emmi Bergmann
Parent and OAPS Home and School Leader
March 17, 2017
Dear Sir/Madam:
I am writing on behalf of Mrs. Joanna Meliti, a teacher at Olney Adventist Preparatory School (OAPS). OAPS is a K-8 private school in the Washington DC metro area that has a proud history of teaching children to go above and beyond. Despite our ethnic and cultural diversity, each year OAPS distinguishes itself by scoring well into the top 10% in the nation on standardized testing. I am convinced that Joanna Meliti has been a critical part of the success of our school, not only in achieving high scholastic marks, but also in demonstrating a passion and creativity that makes learning fun.
As a parent and current leader of the OAPS Home and School Association, I have had the privilege of getting to know Mrs. Meliti over the past eight years. Two of my own children have gone through her classroom, and I have personally observed her positive, creative, and well organized approach to teaching. Joanna is not someone I would call “easy” in the sense of ensuring every student achieves a high mark. Rather, she has high expectations for each student and holds her students accountable for their actions and progress which encourages relationships with both her students and parents. This fosters not only a positive experience among students in the classroom, but also among the parents.
Joanna has been actively involved in the leadership of our school having served as a teacher representative on the school board. She even took the initiative to start a summer camp program. Her creativity finds innovative ways to enhance not only her in-class but also extracurricular activities as well. My daughter, who will be graduating from 8th grade this year, still talks about how, while she was a 1st grader, Mrs. Meliti transformed the entire classroom into a habitat for our school’s science fair.
It is with a heavy heart that I recommend Joanna, knowing that she will be leaving our school, however, I do so without any reservation as to her capabilities. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or would like clarification as to the foregoing.
Sincerely,
Emmi Bergmann
Parent and OAPS Home & School Leader
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