June 6, 2017

Dear Sir or Madam,

Jenny Sysangvane is a conscientious and affirming teacher. During her tenure in my classroom she
demonstrated a natural ability to teach, creative in her lesson planning and intuitive in her interactions with
my 2nd grade students. Jenny successfully met the challenges of teaching a regular education classroom in
Irvine with a diverse student population.

Ms. Sysangvane Math lessons began with the introduction of the learning target. As her lessons
progressed, she brought real world situations to the students through concrete examples that showed how
fractions, measurement and time played a role in their daily lives. Jenny created exit tickets to guide her
daily instruction and provided small group assistance for those who needed extra help with assignments.
She also created an exploration around units of measure that culminated in students working together with
rulers they made to measure playground objects. She became adept at adjusting her instruction and
assignments as dictated by daily work samples, student participation and assessment scores. Her lessons
were thoroughly prepared and instructional strategies varied to meet the learning needs presented.

Jenny’s experience in ELA consisted of teaching the Core curriculum to all levels of students and
participating in a unit on Folktales in the Challenge RTI group. In both scenarios, Ms. Sysangvane engaged
the students in using text evidence from anthology stories and close reads to support their conclusions to
questions or writing prompts. Instruction was differentiated through small group support, providing students
scaffolded assistance with assignments. During RTI, she had students work in small groups to read similar
folktales from various cultures, identify why these folktales were part of each culture, and then create an
oral presentation sharing the central message of each folktale.

Ms. Sysangvane also taught a science unit on Life Cycles. She facilitated student discovery as they
observed and detailed the life cycle of a butterfly. Students observed their larvae daily, discussed the body
parts, drew conclusions about the parts helped the caterpillar survive, and then shared these conclusions in
science journals using content vocabulary. Close sentence responses were provided for those needing
assistance with content vocabulary.

Jenny supported all students by maintaining a positive and respectful learning environment. Students
responded to her lead as she consistently managed the behaviors presented in the classroom using the
PBIS behavior system in place. Students felt free to risk as Jenny supported their learning with positive and
consistent feedback.

At ease in the classroom environment, Ms. Sysangvane’s natural talent is evident. She possesses a
positive and enthusiastic personality, always ready to lend a hand and share a smile. Jenny is a team
player, collaborative, and hardworking. An asset to any faculty, it is without hesitation that I highly
recommend Jenny Sysangvane for an elementary teaching position.

Sincerely,

Mavis L. Gonzales
Classroom Teacher
Cypress Village Elementary
714-425-9896 (cell)
mavisgonzales@iusd.org