JOHN F.

DEERING MIDDLE SCHOOL

2 Webster Knight Drive, West Warwick, RI 02893
A Carnegie School Since 1996

Telephone: (401) 822-8445

Fax (401) 822-8474

Subhash Chander
Assistant Principal

Kimberly Laliberte Assistant Principal

Brian Dillon Principal

May 10, 2013

To Whom It May Concern: Jared Santurri completed a seven week student teaching placement in my Language Arts classroom during the Spring 2013 semester. Prior to this placement, he completed over 20 observation hours in my classroom as he was preparing to student teach. Over the course of his experience, Jared became part of a five person team that serves 67students. On this team, he was responsible for teaching two regular sections of seventh grade Language Arts and one section of a seventh grade Language Arts Collaborative. He also taught two sections of Academic Strategies to seventh graders on this team. Additionally, Jared was responsible for two sections of seventh grade Academic Strategies for students that are housed on a different team and a sixth grade A Period class. Mr. Santurri researched and implemented a writing unit for all sections of his seventh grade Language Arts classes. The unit used mystery solving to teach argument writing. Through the creation and implementation of this unit, Jared demonstrated his competencies in all the essential areas of instructional success (content pedagogy, assessment, personalized learning, critical thinking, communication strategies, and classroom management). The pedagogy of the unit was solid and supported by the common core; Mr. Santurri did his own brainstorming, research, and planning to put together a unit that culminated in students producing evidence that they had met the seventh grade argument writing standards. His instruction and feedback were impressively learner specific, as he succeeded in scaffolding and differentiating so that all students were pushed to think critically and produce high quality products. Jared's communication skills are excellent, his instructions and expectations are always clear to students. This makes him a successful classroom manager.

In addition to the writing unit, Mr. Santurri created a reading unit to support and extend student learning during the reading of the Gordon Korman novel, The Titanic: Unsinkable. He also took over the day-to-day responsibilities of the classroom including homework, daily language warm-ups, and grading and reporting.

Jared's positive and enthusiastic personality is a real asset to his craft. He has a great rapport with his students, and is considered a valued team member by his colleagues. He is professional in both dress and demeanor and is always ready to challenge students and himself. One of the most impressive things about Jared is his commitment to reflection. Jared reflects on every lesson, all the time. He is constantly driven to make his lessons better, and he seeks out and utilizes feedback in order to positively affect instruction and, in turn, student learning.

I am confident that Mr. Santurri will be an asset to any staff that is lucky enough to work with him. He is confident, knowledgeable, and already possesses many skills of a seasoned practitioner. Please feel free to contact me for further information:

Mrs. Melissa Magiera Language Arts Teacher John F. Deering Middle School 2 Webster Knight Drive West Warwick, Rl 02893 401-822-8445 (work) 401-821-0607 (home) 401-316-3892 (cell) mmagiera@westwarwickpublicschools.com

Sincerely,

Melissa A. Magiera