Jamacha Elementary School

2962 Jamul Drive

El Cajon, CA 92019
Phone: (619) 441-6150 Fax: (619) 588-3682
http://www.cajonvalley.net/JamachaElementary

Office of the Principal

May 5, 2017

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

It is with mixed emotions that a write this letter on behalf of Rebecca (Becky) Friar. She has been working
as a PE teacher with five different schools within Cajon Valley on a bi-weekly rotation schedule to provide
PE instruction to approximately 1700 students for the past year, all within an 80% contract. This is an
extremely challenging task, and Becky is the consummate professional.

Becky plans high-quality lessons with minimal equipment needs, and her classroom management
strategies are excellent. We utilize name tags for the students, and Becky has additionally learned names
and aptitudes of students, allowing her to capitalize on their strengths. She provides a video and lesson
plan to regular classroom teachers after each day at a school so that they may follow through with
standards-based, highly engaging, effective lessons and games to enrich the entire school. She also listens
to teacher concerns and modifies lessons to provide students with extra practice to understand rules and
procedures for playground games that students may use during recess and free play.

An expert on SPARK PE, Beckys repertoire is wide and deep. She varies her instructional strategies,
using SPARK lessons, sports lessons, massed and distributed practice, all based upon grade-level
standards. Students begin with warm-up activities, review activities, connections, new learning, practice,
and closure/review. Students are enthusiastic and engaged in learning, and even the most hesitant students
flourish under Beckys direction.

Becky is always well planned, is clear with students as she articulates learning goals, and she quickly
monitors and adjusts when necessary to accommodate student needs. Lessons are well developed and
sequenced to include warm-ups, review, connection to new learning, new learning, and practice. Long-
and short-term plans are effective to ensure that students learn PE standards as well as games, and that they
thoroughly enjoy their experience with PE.

Our funding source has been changed, and we are not able to provide Becky with assurance of a contract
for next year. Otherwise, Id be recommending her for tenure. Our loss will be your gain; please
interview Becky, and I know youll see her talents as we have. Feel free to contact me for any
clarification. In Becky Friar, youll be hiring someone in the top 5% of PE teachers Ive worked with
during my 35+ years in the profession.

Yours truly,

Kathy Skube
Principal