Sheila Danaher Educational Consultant Gust Foundation

January 29, 2014 To Whom It May Concern: For the last three years, I have had the privilege of working with Stephanee Kukankos at St. Benedict Elementary School. The first time that I worked in her classroom, she was a 2nd grade teacher pursuing her masters in special education. She was well on her way to becoming an amazing special education teacher since she was already modifying and coming up with creative modifications to use with her Tier 3 RTI students and those already identified with special needs. I am an educational consultant and work with St. Benedict on ways to develop an effective inclusive model Pre-K to 12. When she finished her masters degree, the administration offered her a special education position and the first ever inclusion specialist position at St. Benedict. I then began mentoring Stephanee as she developed an inclusion program at the elementary level. She already had a very good connection with the teachers and they respected her experience and expertise. It can be very difficult to change positions and take on a special education role in the same school but Stephanee always remains professional always thinking about what is best for the students she serves. She is dedicated and eager to learn all that she can by reading books and attending conferences. If I referenced a book or resource during our mentoring sessions, Stephanee would have purchased it or looked in to by our next meeting. She is willing to try new strategies and support her colleagues. She works collaboratively with general education teachers using co-teaching and by weekly co-planning to make modifications to lessons. She has created service plans and coordinated outside services such as speech and O.T. from outside evaluations since there arent other team members at her school. Communication and the ability to develop productive teams are strengths for Stephanee. She has moved St. Benedicts towards more collaborative teaching and has worked side by side with her administrator during many professional development workshops. She has open communication with parents and her fellow teachers. Her knowledge with balanced literacy and on-going assessment has improved reading for some students from 1-2 years behind to grade level. She is the go to person at St. Benedict for RTI, AIMS web and ways to adapt curriculum. This past year, the school hired a learning specialist for middle school and Stephanee has also supported him by meeting weekly to create a smooth transition for her former students.

Every week, I look forward to working with Stephanee and hearing her latest ideas on ways to support her students along with her eagerness to learn more. She comes to our meeting sessions with a list of questions and is eager to try out new strategies. Her dedication and knowledge will be truly missed at St. Benedict but she will be a great asset to any school district. Working first as a general education teacher, she has an understanding of the curriculum and how to meet the needs of her students through modifications while also supporting her co-workers.

Sincerely,

Sheila Danaher Educational Consultant