August

30, 2017

Dear Hiring Team,

It is my honor to write this letter of recommendation for Brittany Sill-Turner,
a candidate for your school counselor position. As the assistant principal for
Llewellyn School in the 2016-2017 school year, I had the privilege of working with
Brittany in her role as school secretary. Goal driven and committed to continual
professional growth, Brittany attended Lewis & Clark University seeking to
complete her school counseling certification in addition to her position at Llewellyn.

As the school secretary, Brittany was the first point of contact for all who
came into the office. Brittany’s respectful and caring nature along with superb
communication skills allowed her to attentively listen to concerns or questions from
students, staff, and families. Whether answering a call or speaking with others in
person, all who came into contact with Brittany felt welcome and respected.
Drawing from her work experience in PPS as a middle school principal’s secretary
and an administrative assistant for the Department of Equity and Partnerships,
Brittany was able to quickly retrieve important information, problem solve, or
connect people to the resources they needed. Brittany’s strong skills in
collaboration, communication, and organization were highly utilized as she
partnered with the principal’s secretary and an additional school secretary to keep
the office running seamlessly.

Brittany’s work ethic was to be admired. She consistently displayed the
highest level of organizational skills, efficiently juggling the demands of a very busy
school office while completing complex tasks and projects of high quality in a timely
manner. Notably, in the 2016-2017 school year Brittany implemented a school-
wide attendance tracking system and program with parent and administrator
follow-up, which helped school personnel better understand attendance patterns
and improve attendance at Llewellyn.

As part of the Lewis and Clark Counseling Program, Brittany completed a
long-term internship in a third grade classroom at Llewellyn. During this time,
Brittany created and taught a five-lesson guidance unit on emotional awareness,
regulation and self-management. She also created a comprehensive school-
counseling program using the domains and standards identified by ASCA national
Standards Model to ensure students gain the skills necessary for success. Brittany
brings to the position of school counselor strong communication and collaborative
skills.

Social and emotional learning is paramount in helping students to achieve
their greatest potential. Therefore it is imperative that schools have counselors who
have the skills to implement and sustain a strong counseling program. Brittany’s
professionalism, organization, and ability to build strong relationships with diverse
students, staff, and families are some of the outstanding traits Brittany would bring
to her role as school counselor. These skills coupled with strong communication
and collaborative skills, as well as innovative skills, and compassion for others,
makes Brittany the right choice as your school counselor.

Sincerely,

Pam Gwynn
Assistant Principal, Mt. Tabor Middle School
Portland Public Schools
5800 SE Ash St., Portland, OR 97215
(503) 916-5646