Kudos

I am a guest teacher at Charles Rushe Middle School and I’d like to give a shout out to our registrar-sub coordinator, Lorraine Majowicz. She somehow manages to get coverage for the classes daily. She makes us feel welcomed and appreciated by working with our schedules and helps us when we come across any problems on any and all issues that may come up daily. Because of her support I will continue to sub at Rushe as long as she is here!

Linda Amason

I CAN’T THANK DEBBIE PARKER ENOUGH!! She literally saved my daughters life!! So many times people get in a hurry around buses. Thankfully Debbie was watching for just that! While dropping kids off in the afternoon at the school a driver was speeding around the bus. My daughter was seconds from stepping out in front of the car. It was like I was watching a nightmare!!! Debbie blew her horn and startled the driver making him stop. I have never been more scared and grateful in my life! Debbie will always be a hero to me for just watching out for my girl that day!!
Please give her all the praise in the world, a life is irreplaceable and she saved one very dear to me!!

Thank You,
Lisa Kerr

To Whom it May Concern,

Our staff has rode on bus W151 (Driver is Diane Salmond and Bus Assistant is Kathleen Wingate) on two different occasions during this school year for student behavior issues and we would like to let you know what we have witnessed during the bus rides. First off, we’d like to explain that there is a large group of scholars on this bus (many ride two to a seat).  We want you to know how caring, interactive and proactive the driver and assistant are with the scholars on this bus. 

The driver greets the scholars, by name,  as they get on the bus and has kind words as they exit the bus. She also reminds them, as they get off,  to watch for her cues to cross the road when necessary.

In the afternoon, the  assistant takes the time to scan as the scholars get on the bus and checks off who is present and who is not. She has coloring pages and clipboards ready for a couple of scholars, she sings and does finger plays with a scholar she sits with to help keep them calm while riding, she talks about current, appropriate things, with the older scholars, and when the last two scholars are waiting to be dropped off, she moves to the seat behind them and they sing together. 

The kindness and caring that these two ladies display toward our scholars is amazing and we are extremely fortunate that they are working with us.

Sincerely,

Cotee River Elementary

Good morning,

As I am sure you are aware, we have many unsung heroes in our district. One of those heroes is Heather Wallen. She goes above and beyond the call of duty for her students and staff. She is continuously doing things to build relationships within our school. Her open door policy makes it easy to communicate with her. When we are having a rough day, we know we can count on Heather to listen. She is always positive and finds solutions to make things easier. I have been with the school board for 21 years and can honestly say she is AMAZING and a huge asset to WES. I could go on all day about so many positive things she has done. Please help our staff give her a huge KUDOS.

Thank you,

Mrs. Dianna Huffstutler

Hi Ms. Carpenter,

I just wanted to take a moment to let you know how special and rare you are. My daughter comes home almost every day since joining your class, telling me how much she is learning from you and how compassionate you are as a person. She tells me that sometimes, without any reason academically, you talk to her, just to ask how she is doing and how her day is going. I can't tell you how far that goes with a student who is new and may seem like an extrovert, but truly feels like she has a lot of trouble fitting in. You are a shining light for my daughter and I can't tell you hoe much that means to us, as a family. Your kindness and ability to teach a child with attention issues is beyond measure and I hope that you get all the thanks you deserve.

Many, Many thanks,

EV

Hi Ms. Marks,

I don’t know if you recall when I came to you about enrolling Josiah and Gideon over two years now. I was scared to death to make the change from private to public, but knew I had to do something for the kids as Josiah was clearly not progressing. He has thrived at your school and most importantly gained the confidence he needed to be successful. We have been out of state this last week for our yearly trip to see some Fall colors with some fresh crisp apples. Ms. Renberg sent some math pages for Josiah to work on. He becomes frustrated quickly when he does not get the concepts especially when I try to explain (because I do It the old way). I wrote Ms. Renberg to let her know that I was not sure he would complete them as he is struggling. She wrote me back and told me to check my email. Ms. James not only explained the concepts to him but sent a video of herself working out several problems on the board. To see the smile on Josiah’s face when she says Hi Josiah and him now understand it speaks volumes about your staff. He was not even present for the lesson and she took the time to make a video and told him he could come see her when he gets back if he still struggles. This shows to me a true caring environment that my children are in when they are at school. I really do appreciate how the school is ran and the choice of teachers that are there. This is our third year there and have yet to have a bad experience. I work in the community and hear all kinds of ways parents are struggling in other schools in Pasco county and am very thankful to you and your staff.

Rachel Rosinski

Dear Patricia:

Wife Mary recently received your letter regarding LINA term life policy’s future availability.  In search of additional details, I called the contact telephone number in your letter.
Michael Cook not only answered the call, but gave us all the information we needed to make an informed decision about her future insurance coverage.
Michael’s handling our inquiry and concerns was quite knowledgeable and professional.

Respectfully,
Robert and Mary Laird

Kind words and recognition are sometimes things we think about but rarely ever give voice to.  I would like to take a moment and recognize Marchman Technical College’s Cosmetology program and instructor Jonica Teague.  I had the honor of being a model, for believe it or not, one of my former students whom I have known since Mary Giella Elementary, all the way through to her graduating Hudson High.  I volunteered to be her hair guinea pig and was not sure what I was getting myself into. 

To my surprise, I walked into a facility that was up to date trendy!  The setting, made you feel like you were in an upscale hair salon. The products used on my hair were top of the line.  The service I received from my student beautician was one of the best experiences I have ever had at a salon.  I cannot begin to tell you how awesome my scalp treatment with massage was. The razor haircut brought out new color to my faded locks and I even got a stylish blow out before leaving.

Jonica Teague was the instructor on duty.  She walked around observing and giving constructive critique to her students and occasionally stepping in to show them a different technique.  She was very encouraging and did a fantastic job of building the student’s confidence.  She truly did a phenomenal job of preparing her students for work in the real world, from the moment I came into the salon to the moment I was checked out.

Rock on to those students choosing to learn a trade and not go the more traditional route of a 4-year college.  Rock on to Pasco County for having an school that caters to those wanting to learn a trade.  Also, rock on to instructors like Jonica Teague, who instill a love of hair design and encourage students to reach for their dreams.

I had such an outstanding experience, I am going to take this opportunity to also plug the fabulous services the Marchman Cosmetology Salon Renew offers.  Check out the link below for services and prices.   Take a moment and give the Marchman Cosmetology students an opportunity to make you feel pampered and beautiful.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/194MOrYrW4BkQ2KolkMx2O9ESgyEjyARI/view

Thank you,

Hope K. Faris-van-Ommeren

Mr. Browning:

Over the last year we have been short our Principal Secretary for the majority of the time due to some severe illness and pregnancy.  As a result, I have many times completed the payroll at my school.  This is a difficult task but this email is not about me.  It is about the folks in the payroll department, especially Joyce Sheer who has timelessly again and again given me her time to help our school be successful.  

I am absolutely amazed by the level of customer service she and the rest of the payroll staff have provided me.  I can easily say that we would have had some major issues if Joyce and the team were not constantly there for me.  Joyce is one of the reasons why Pasco County Schools is a great place to work.

Thank you

Ryan Brady

Ma'am -- above you'll find the list of my son Grant's teachers.  I just wanted to say thank you and WOW!  In Grant's entire school life we have NEVER had one teacher that compares to the slate of outstanding educators he has this year.  I promise you up till this year I dreaded him starting school more than I did when I was a student -- he has some disabilities and he's also been in the "gifted" program since his IQ is high.  That often makes teachers think he's lazy (and he might be a little) but honestly he's just not going to be the organized kid that pays attention 100 percent of the time.  But this year instead of dealing with it as a behavior or disobedience issue the group of educators above has really embraced him with compassion and understanding.

I don't have to force him to get up in the morning.  I don't have to remind him about homework.  The teachers he has have inspired him to do better. As a parent what they've done is an answer to a prayer. I called yesterday to just say thanks but that's not nearly enough.

Ms. Laferriere is the best math teacher in the history of math teachers -- I know the grade above doesn't look like it - but I PROMISE she is.  He has a couple make ups there.  She has helped Grant not dread math.  He's seeing it now in a different light.  He had the same terrible math teacher for three years in Alabama.  He's been hamstrung by that but Ms. L is working through that.

The compliments and understanding he has received from Ms. Pelliccia have motivated him to want to write more. Her compassion and willingness to work with him has inspired him to write more and better.  I know because we have an extensive editing session with every written product he turns in :blush: He texts me in between classes or at lunch to tell me how much she liked something or complimented him on his work. That's never happened before.

Mr. Pozun -- how can you not love this guy -- he sends out an email every week with his expectations for the week.  Grant I and I read that so he knows what to expect.  His classes, according to Grant, are "fun" -- to hear my son refer to any school as "fun" is a completely new thing.

Debate and Ms. Lucas -- what she did for my son this week actually brought me to tears and is likely the reason I took the time to write you.  The disability makes notebook checks a roller coaster ride into the bowels of Hades for both of us and the teacher.  Grant told Ms. Lucas about his issue and instead of the dismissive approach that he's gotten up till this year, she went above and beyond what I would have expected and helped him.  And I don't mean with suggestions I mean she really helped him. He texted me when he got off the school bus to tell me about it.  And then he called me to tell me how great it was.  Seriously, a 14 year old boy called me because he was excited about being organized. 

Ms. Narracci and world history -- what can I say -- up till her I feel like I've had to teach him the subtle points of history at home.  Up until her class it was death by powerpoint.  She spends the time telling them stories that bring history to life.  And her kindness and compassion towards him is so refreshing.

I wish I could come up with new things to say that are complimentary and I know I'm repeating myself but again -- WOW Ms. Pleus.  As a journalist and public relations person I was overjoyed when this class showed up on his schedule.  He'll get skills he'll be able to use to feed himself from this class.  That she took the time to teach them the functions of the camera instead of just the artistic part shows how much she loves her job and understands why a good foundation is important.

Why did I take the time to write you?  Because usually by now the guidance counselor and I are on a first name basis and planning social events together �� do you know how awesome it is to not even know who the guidance counselor is? And to not be able to recognize him or her at Publix?  It is the BEST.  I wanted to make sure you knew what a special groupd of individuals you have on your team.  I guess if I were being completely candid I'd say on "OUR" team because this is the first time in 9 year of education where I truly believe we are all working towards the same goal and using the same process to get there.  And I credit the teachers I listed above for simply being the best at what they do and you for exhibiting leadership that encourages excellence and a collaborative learning process.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you and thank your team.

Ken Holder