Heather Bertelson

A2 STEAM @ Northside
912 Barton Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
April 30, 2016
To Whom It May Concern:
It is with great pleasure that I write this recommendation letter for Rachel Stemm. I have known
Rachel in a professional capacity since September of 2015 when she came to A2 STEAM @
Northside, which is a K-8 Project-Based School. During this time, I observed her in many roles
such as collaborator, instructor, facilitator, and learner.
Rachel works hard in the classroom to create a safe and fun learning environment. She spends
countless hours planning core instruction, creating formative assessment, and reflecting on her
practice. Her teacher superpowers are facilitating dynamic group discussions and offering
probing and scaffolding questions at just the right moment. Being very capable in differentiating
instruction, she is fully aware that students come from a variety of backgrounds and life
experiences and often need different things.

Rachel is proactive. There is never a moment when she does not have a plan. After whole
group mini-lessons, she begins small group or individual conferences to support or extend
learning. She quickly assesses what is needed and does an excellent job differentiating not
only the activity but the level of support that each particular student or group requires. Rachel is
very organized and gets things accomplished in a timely and professional manner.
Rachel jumped headfirst into a school that falls outside the scope of a traditional school. Here,
we create units of study using backwards design based on the standards, needs of students,
and a PBL framework. As part of her School of Education coursework, she was required to
develop and teach a unit that supports the needs of the classroom. Rachel did not rely on pre-
purchased curriculum that typically only meets the needs of a few. Rather, she tackled a large
amount of social studies standards and created a fantastic unit on government where the
students used their new knowledge and understanding of government to propose a K-5 student
council for our school. This unit fits beautifully with our 4th grade style, content standards, and
expectations and will be used for years to come.
Rachel continues to go above and beyond the walls of the classroom. She attends and
contributes to our grade level meetings, staff meetings, and school sponsored events. She fit
right into our staff and it was a pleasure to have her here for the 2015/16 school year. Again, it
is with great pleasure that I recommend her for placement in your district. She is and always
will be an asset to any place she chooses to work. If you have any questions, please feel free
to contact me at 269-274-1155 or bertelson@aaps.k12.mi.us.
Respectfully,
Heather Bertelson