2616 Sanitarium Road

Clifton Springs, New York 14432

July 2017

To Whom It May Concern:

I am very pleased to write this letter of recommendation for Laura VanLaeken. I have known Laura since
September 2001 when she was first employed in the Phelps-Clifton Springs Central School District. As
principal of the Midlakes Intermediate School, I worked closely with Laura until my retirement in December
2016. It was my pleasure to not only watch her grow as an educator, but also to witness that her influence
has gone beyond the four walls of her classroom and added value to the whole district and communities.

Laura immediately became involved in the activities of her fifth-grade team, preparing and sharing lessons
with her team, becoming a member of several building and district committees, planning field trips, teaming
with other teachers to provide richer learning experiences for their students, and writing ELA and math
curriculum. She became the fifth-grade chairperson in September 2004, the first year our district reinstituted
the role after many lean years without. As chairperson, she further developed effective skills in working with
different personalities and styles. She held this position for five years, during which she led her colleagues
through many curriculum revisions, vertical alignment, a focus on data-based instruction, changes in testing,
and the development of a more standards-based report card. Laura helped her colleagues deal with many
changes, even conflicts and upheavals, but stayed true to herself and her convictions, knowing that the
direction we were headed was best for our students and our staff.

Beginning in the summer of 2005, our district created a Summer Skills Academy for students in grades three
through eight. Laura eagerly jumped at the chance to continue teaching in this setting. Each summer the
academy has been offered, Laura has taught math, a real passion for her, to strengthen math skills and
increase students’ achievement.

Laura began working as a co-teacher in an integrated classroom in her second year in the district, and
continued as she moved into her sixth-grade math classroom. She has successfully worked with four different
special education teachers, and was the general education teacher that special education teachers sought out
to work with their students. When she was teaching fifth-grade math, Laura developed “Math Notes” for that
curriculum that were adopted by the other fifth-grade teachers. She did the same for sixth-grade. Her
methods of teaching have been very successful, and her students have shown growth on state assessments.
Her own resulting growth scores have given Laura even more credibility with her peers and they see her as a
reliable, knowledgeable resource for questions in all things math-related. Laura began attending the
University of Rochester Warner School Math Cadre in 2012, and each year of her participation with that group
has been the catalyst for much growth in her thinking and approach to teaching math. It has also extended
and deepened her impact on her colleagues.

Because of her recognized success in helping students achieve, as well as her ability to work with her
colleagues, Laura was one of five teachers chosen in 2015-2016 to push into elementary classrooms to
develop and implement a new process of delivering intervention support in ELA and mathematics. She has
been pushing into fifth- and sixth-grade math classes, co-teaching and working with small groups of students.
Both hard and soft data have provided evidence of success for students.

Laura’s rich teaching experiences also spurred her to head into developing and presenting professional
development sessions for her peers in math, as well as classroom use of technology in the district. Among the
many, many ways she has been helpful have been to present to staff and parents on the Common Core Math
Curriculum, and with groups of teachers to meet monthly in order the vertically align the K-6 math curriculum.
She was chosen as one of ten Teacher-Leaders in the district, and was an integral part of the building Data
Team. When the district rolled out tablets for all students in grades kindergarten through eighth grade,
Laura’s guidance and participation was invaluable. She researched a nd wrote the district user guide,
including user acknowledgement forms for parents and students. She also went into classrooms to train
students at all grade levels to train all students and staff on the use of the tablets, from the very basics to
Office 365 and OneNote. Without her leadership in our 1:1 initiative, the district would not have met with
anywhere near the level of success that was experienced.

For twelve years, Laura was also the Varsity Cheerleading Coach, helping to elevate her teams to new heights
in the sport. She always held her athletes accountable for the academics and their behavior. Her teams won
countless sectional titles, and Laura herself was selected as the Section V Coach of the Year numerous times.
She was a coach, role model, mentor and advisor to her athletes, and well-respected by her coaching peers,
parents, and athletic directors around the region.

It is clear that Laura seeks and is sought-after for both building- and district-wide committees. She wants to
be involved in creating opportunities for student and staff success. Her advice and thinking are impactful.
Laura shows initiative and is forward-thinking. She has often been given leadership roles in our district
because she has shown herself to be insightful, thoughtful, reliable, and committed. She is deserving of a
position in which her knowledge, skills and talents can be used to further the success and achievement of your
students and staff. By any definition, Laura is a leader and will continue to grow and develop in this role, to the
benefit of anyone who works with her.

Sincerely,

Janice Driscoll
Janice Driscoll
Retired Principal, Midlakes Intermediate School