William M.

Strong Elementary School

820 Marion Avenue
Plantsville, Connecticut 06479
Telephone: (860) 628-3314
Fax: (860) 628-3322

Melissa Barbuto
Principal

July 22, 2018

To Whom It May Concern:

It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of recommendation regarding Ms. Jennifer Irazabal. Since I
worked with her closely as her supervisor, I feel delighted and confident to comment on her behalf.
I had the pleasure of working with Ms. Irazabal for the past four years as a classroom teacher at Strong
Elementary School in Southington, Connecticut. The students in her classroom have had a vast diversity
of academic, social and emotional needs. This setting has provided Ms. Irazabal the opportunity to work
with many diverse students while developing a well-balanced and highly effective teaching and learning
environment. Ms. Irazabal’s dedication to fostering the social and emotional well-being of her students
assisted her in creating a trusting relationship with all the students as they felt comfortable in taking risks
in their learning. Ms. Irazabal not only led this charge within her classroom, but was instrumental in the
implementation and sustainability of Emotional Intelligence within the entire school community. Ms.
Irazabal has spent the last four years as a key member of our School Climate Team. During her time on this
team she has led staff in professional learning and has been a role model to her colleagues and students.
I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to personally observe Ms. Irazabal on several occasions. She
was well prepared with plans that were rigorous with clear learning objectives for her students. In addition,
she adjusted her expectations, as individual situations demanded, while providing praise for individual
student accomplishments. Ms. Irazabal used a coaching model and reworded her questions to further assist
her students in meeting with success. She was careful to employ adequate wait time and varied her lesson
activities appealing to the individual learning styles of the children. Ms. Irazabal’s teaching skills and
abilities are clearly at the level of a master teacher.

Ms. Irazabal is professional in her demeanor and she is very knowledgeable and well organized. She is
always open to suggestions and very interested in growing within the profession. Ms. Irazabal has
demonstrated to me that she strives to go above and beyond in all that she does. It is with the highest
recommendation that I support Ms. Irazabal’s candidacy for a position within your school and district.
If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me at (860) 628-3314. I would be happy to answer
any further questions.

Sincerely,

Melissa Barbuto