Layton McCann Thomas Jefferson Elementary School 601 S. Oak Street Falls Church, VA 22046 mecannl@fccps.org Friday, December 11, 2015 ‘To Whom It May Concern: 1am writing to highly recommend Renee Sim for a full time elementary teaching position. Miss Sim has spent the past 4 months completing her teaching internship with my fifth grade class at Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in Falls Church, Virginia. 1 have been teaching in Falls Church for 11 years, and this year I had the enormous privilege of being her mentor teacher as she finished up her program through the University of Virginia. Miss Sim has been involved in every aspect of planning and running my classroom from set up and Meet the Teacher in August to Back to School Night and Parent-Teacher Conferences later in the Fall. She co-taught with me beginning on the first day of school and brought with her a wealth of knowledge, skills, and ideas from both her education at UVA and her personal life that we implemented in the classroom. She spent time getting to know each student as an individual learner. She paid close attention to students’ needs and behaviors and responded appropriately. She built an incredible rapport with my class. The students responded to her very well and will miss her in January. She cares deeply for the children -- both their academic growth and overall well-being. Miss Sim and | collaborated on most lesson plans throughout the Fall. She never hesitated to give input or try out an idea. She is very intuitive and has a great sense of what needs to be done in the classroom. For three straight weeks she fully planned and implemented all lessons for the entire day. Her lessons were meaningful and went smoothly. She sets high expectations for herself and makes plans for how to meet those goals. Miss Sim constantly looks for ways to improve her practice. She takes the responsibility of teaching seriously and understands the lasting impact she has on children, Sharing my classroom with Miss Sim has been a highlight of my teaching career. Her next class will benefit from her thoughtfulness and pedagogical expertise. She is a team player who will be a great addition to any teaching team. Ifyou have any questions or want to discuss Miss Sim’s qualifications as a classroom teacher, please email me. I'd be happy to further discuss the contents of this letter, Sincerely, xay pul Dh Came Layton McCann, M.S. Elementary Education 5 Grade Teacher, TJES