School Site Teachers of the Year
Eucalyptus Hills - Tessa Green
Tessa Green is a strong leader and an excellent teacher. She maintains a friendly, positive, and professional demeanor at all times. She is always willing to look at new ways of doing her job and is constantly striving to be innovative and that fact is reflected in her students' academic and behavioral successes. Not only does Tessa serve on numerous committees, she also provides 1:1 coaching and ongoing mentoring before/after school and during her lunch break to support our new teachers. Tessa embodies and tirelessly promotes the schoolwide belief that we are all responsible for the success and well being of every student at Eucalyptus Hills.
Lakeside Farms - Lina Cortes
Lina Cortes has dedicated many years to serve the needs of the students, teachers, and parents of Lakeside. She spends many hours working behind the scenes with our English Language Learners and their parents. Not only is she always a positive role model, but she also is highly involved in empowering families, students, and teachers. You can find Lina at most events, or serving on multiple committees because she always goes above and beyond for the school. Lina engages her students by making curriculum attainable. She carefully prepares lessons, brings in speakers, plans field trips, offers tactile and kinesthetic learning experiences, and shares music and art with the students. She empowers students by finding resources that meet the needs of every student.
Lakeside Middle School - Karen Saake
Karen Saake is a resource teacher at LMS. She is looked upon as a leader across the campus. She works very closely with the general education teachers to ensure that every one of her students experience success. When she is in a general education course providing support for her students, she is truly a team player, working closely with the teacher as a true partner to ensure success of all students. Across the campus, staff look to Karen for advice on the unique situations that arise in special education. Karen will never give up on a student and often takes on the most challenging cases. She truly owns her students and works to ensure their success in all areas.
Lakeview - Shawn Williams
Shawn Williams is an exemplary educator. Staff and students alike excel under her leadership. She has a strong knowledge of curriculum content and she works consistently and collaboratively with her colleagues in an effort to improve teaching and learning. Shawn has an unsurpassed dedication to her craft. She is a model for Teaching for Mastery and she utilizes multiple measures to ensure that her students are learning and progressing towards mastery of grade level standards. Walking into Shawn's classroom, students are excited about their learning and actively engaged in student discourse. Although she is a seasoned teacher, she constantly strives to learn and grow professionally. Staff and students alike benefit from the knowledge and expertise she shares.
Lemon Crest - Heather Taft
Heather Taft is the true embodiment of what it means to believe in every one of her students and expect them to succeed no matter their capabilities. When you ask anybody about Heather, student or colleague, the first thing they will tell you is how much she cares about them and wants to see them fulfill their potential. Heather will do whatever it takes to provide the environment and instruction to make that happen. No matter what student challenges Heather has been faced with, she has approached each case individually with grace, dedication, and compassion. Heather has been involved with every innovative initiative that the district has offered. She devotes herself to staying on the cutting edge with the intention of always doing what's best for our students.
Riverview - Alejandra Morales
Alejandra Morales goes above and beyond the call of duty for her students, parents, and colleagues and anyone else who works with her. She is a loving and conscientious teacher who always puts kids first. She never has a negative thing to say and is always up building everyone around her. She has sustained an excellence in her teaching, has a passion for her profession, and an innate ability to connect with students. She is always willing to take on new challenges and learn new things. Her vast knowledge of teaching is a benefit for her students.
Tierra del Sol Middle - Dahlia Rinck
Dahlia Rinck is a great 8th grade team leader. She connects with every student, and encourages and believes in each of them every day. She is a champion of design thinking, and works tirelessly with her team to create cross-curricular projects that engage students. Her knack for securing grants has resulted in awesome additions added to our science and technology initiatives, such as a 3D printer and a Salk Lab visit to learn about DNA. Dahlia designs her lessons to promote the 4 C's - communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity, and the results have shown! Not only have her English test scores grown 18% in one year, but students are also able to design an annual memorial project for the school because they have developed the skillset to do so.
Winter Gardens - Jodi Stein
Jodi Stein is an excellent teacher. She supports other teachers on campus with professional learning. She is a teacher-leader of PBIS and Learning Headquarters. In addition, she is a fantastic teammate for the Mandarin team. She has sustained an excellence in instruction, innovative instructional strategies, and a passion for her profession. She is an amazing teacher with so much compassion for her students, as well as teaching. She always goes above and beyond in everything she does for her students, co-workers, and everyone around her. She has an incredible dedication to the Mandarin program and support of new teachers.
District Teacher of the Year
Suzy is a tireless advocate for Lakeside students, families, and the community. She coordinates many responsibilities with humility and grace while also providing an exceptional learning environment for her students. Suzy's classroom is marked by active, engaged students. She works closely with her grade level teammates to gather data, review student progress and plan lessons and strategies to increase all students' achievement. And her students LOVE Ms. Bass. She provides an environment promoting trust and achievement; all students in her classroom recognize this. Suzy is a bedrock member of the Lindo Park PTA. Not only does she spend countless hours working closely with the PTA, but she also organizes the annual Run for the Arts, a districtwide fundraiser that has hundreds of participants. As if that wasn't enough, Suzy also organizes and co-hosts the 4th and 5th grade Science Club. This eight week course prepares students to compete in the County's Elementary Science Field Day. And finally, Suzy is a trusted colleague and friend to many of the staff at Lindo Park. She is a great listener and is always ready to help a teacher in need. Suzy does it all and she is still ready to go!
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