20 May 2016

To whom it may concern,

It is my great pleasure to write this letter in support of Mrs. Tates endeavor to become an
elementary teacher, I have observed Mrs. Tate as both a Reading Interventionist for my First
Grade students, as well as a board substitute on our First Grade Team. She took over the class
after the teacher left on medical leave.
I first met Mrs. Tate at the beginning of the school year when she provided excellent reading
intervention services to six of my First Grade students. She was always very punctual,
organized, and extremely kind to my students. Mrs. Tate tested my lowest readers using the
Fountas and Pinnell assessment and many of them were at a level A. By mid-year they were
reading at a level D or higher. One of my students that she worked with went from being
identified by PALS (Phonemic Awareness Literacy Test) and when he was tested in the spring
he was no longer labeled as identified. It was also amazing that all of my students who were
receiving reading intervention services were always excited to work with Mrs. Tate!
Once Mrs. Tate transitioned from her position as Reading Interventionist to a board substitute I
was astonished at how well she was able to create order and stability for the students in her
classroom. Before Mrs. Tate arrived, this particular class had two previous substitutes and was
known for being extremely disruptive in the hallway. The first week Mrs. Tate taught this class
the students were able to walk quietly from their classroom to the cafeteria. Mrs. Tate truly is
doing a wonderful job with classroom management. I have also observed Mrs. Tate going above
and beyond to ensure she gets to know all of her students strengths and weakness. It brings me
joy to see how creative she is in using this information/data to create interactive and
differentiated lessons for her students.
The entire First Grade team has been highly impressed at how amazing of a team player Mrs.
Tate has been. She not only attends all team meetings but also contributes excellent ideas and
activities to ensure all students are engaged and learning in all subject areas. Based on the
observation of Mrs. Tates teaching abilities, I would highly recommend her without hesitation
for any teaching position. She is a wonderful educator who is committed to creating a learning
environment where all students have the opportunity to learn, regardless of their needs or
challenges. Having Mrs. Kelley Tate step in as a board substitute for one of our First Grade
classroom has been such a gift. We are all beyond grateful for a person with such
professionalism, exceptional work ethic and amicability as Mrs. Tate.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. I can be contacted through my
cellphone number at (757)334-3238.
Sincerely,
Jasmine Lowery
Glen Lea Elementary School First Grade Chairperson