Congratulations to the Berkley Schools Teachers of the Year
Congratulations to the Berkley Schools Teachers of the Year
During the week of March 22, Berkley Schools administrators surprised District teachers of the year. With flowers, chocolate, certificates and signs in hand, teachers were visited while they were teaching. Principals and colleagues joined in on the fun, too. During the surprises, Superintendent Francis asked students to share one word they would use to describe their teachers. Students were eager to share their love for their teachers sharing words like: caring, loving, funny, kind, and smart.
Congratulations to the following Berkley Schools building teachers of the year!
Berkley Building Blocks: Jodi Miller, Early Interventionist, Birth-Age 3
On the nomination form, a parent shared this about Ms. Jodi: She is always attentive and sits and listens to everything that is going on with our family. Jodi provides resources and helps us to find information that can help our family as a whole. It is so helpful to have someone come into our home twice a week who is there to not only support our child but our entire family. She is truly amazing!
Angell: Michelle Hoerner, Kindergarten
On the nomination form, a parent shared this about Ms. Hoerner: Ms. Hoerner has done a tremendous job as our son's Kindergarten teacher. She is kind, patient, and communicative. She is consistently going above and beyond the call of duty and seems to be a superhero in her classroom. We were amazed from the first day with Ms. Hoerner's grasp on curriculum, her ability to build relationships, and the amazing connection she makes with her students and community. Personally, I was blown away on curriculum night during the first week of school. Ms. Hoerner not only knew every student's name by this event but also knew every parent...most of whom she had never met!
Burton: Pam Koretz, 5th Grade
On the nomination form, four students shared the following about Ms. Koretz: Ms. Koretz is the greatest teacher. She isn’t too hard on anybody and when anything gets tough, she will talk you through it and help you find a good solution. She won’t ever give up on you no matter who you are, what you need or when you need it. Ms. Koretz is amazingly understanding. Nobody ever feels like they are in a different place. They always feel welcome and safe.
Norup Elementary: Kristi Metz, English Language Development
On the nomination form, Principal Paul Yowchuang shared the following about Ms. Metz: Kristi is warm and relentlessly positive. She cares deeply about the families and creates strong bonds with them, which in turn makes students and families feel like they are part of our overall community. She creates opportunities for families to connect to school and culture, running events such as Language Learner Family Night, our elementary Thanksgiving parade, and our elementary LEGO Club. Parents, teachers, students, and administrators all love and respect Kristi.
In addition to being the Norup elementary teacher of the year, Kristi is also the Berkley Schools Elementary Teacher of the Year and will be honored at an Oakland Schools event in May.
Pattengill: Amy Girvan, 1st Grade
On the nomination form, Principal Shamika Womble shared the following about Ms. Girvan: Amy is a model teacher and serves as an example to our staff. Amy is vested in each of her student's success and works hard to ensure each reaches their full potential. Amy has the ability to inspire students to explore their gifts. She strives to design learning experiences that respond to her student's interests and preferences. Meeting the varied needs of students is demanding, but Amy's commitment to adapting instruction comes from her belief that children learn better through the use of different modes and methods of learning. Amy achieves this by understanding that all of her students have specific strengths that contribute to the classroom.
Rogers: Jen Rogers, 2nd Grade
On the nomination form, Principal Jack Gitler shared the following about Ms. Rogers: The families in Ms. Rogers’s classroom are made to feel that they are part of the room. Ms. Rogers
communicates with all families regularly and meets with them when needed. I have personally seen Ms. Rogers connect with families and show the same care and compassion to each family she encounters. It is evident that she believes in a strong home to school relationship. Ms. Rogers believes in a strong bond between the teacher and families at Rogers.
Anderson: Nell Bielecki, Science
On the nomination form, a student shared the following about Ms. Bielecki: Ms. Bielecki is a fantastic teacher, and I can honestly say that I look forward to her Science class every day! By presenting interesting topics, facilitating great discussions, conducting hands-on experiments, encouraging students to try new things, and welcoming all opinions, Ms. Bielecki does a great job not only teaching Science, but also making the learning process interesting and exciting. I also really appreciate Ms. Bielecki’s kindness and her willingness to go the extra mile to answer all of my questions and to help me in any way that she can to make sure that I succeed in her class.
In addition to being the Anderson teacher of the year, Nell is also the Berkley Schools Middle School Teacher of the Year and will be honored at an Oakland Schools event in May.
Norup Middle School: Carole Hoste, Band
On the nomination form, a parent shared the following about Ms. Hoste: My son has been a student in Carole’s middle school band program for three years. His technical musical growth and enthusiasm for playing can be attributed to the passion and dedication that she shares in her classroom every day. Jackson was in sixth grade at the height of the pandemic and band class was taught via Zoom. Online teaching was difficult enough; trying to help students develop their technique and produce a cohesive sound seemed near impossible, yet Carole made class engaging and encouraging. Her students grew, worked through the struggle, and deepened their eagerness to learn.
BHS: Jessica Sandtveit, Math
On the nomination form, a student shared the following about Ms. Sandtveit: She was awesome through the whole year. She was constantly engaged with her students and I was definitely one of them. I struggled a lot with focusing at the beginning of the year and she was constantly helping me and putting in the extra effort to make sure I could understand everything we learned. She was very good at adapting to every student's needs in an especially rambunctious hour.
In addition to being the BHS teacher of the year, Jessica is also the Berkley Schools High School Teacher of the Year and will be honored at an Oakland Schools event in May.
