Wednesday, June 1, 2016

A Letter to Team Prototype

B.D. Billinghurst Middle School
6685 Chesterfield Lane
Reno, NV 89523
(775) 746-5870
Fax:  (775) 746-5875

                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                                                      Sheri-Lyn Cutler, Principal
THE BILLINGHURST BIGHORNS                                                                                                      Lindsay Kendrick, Assistant Principal

                                                                                                                                                                     

June 1, 2016

Dear My Absolutely Favorite Students (and parents too!) of Team Prototype,

It is with both excitement and sadness that I announce I will be leaving the English classroom for the school’s biggest classroom, the Library Media Center.  I will no longer be a member of the Prototype core team, but I’ll be just down the hall as the new Teacher-Librarian (TL) for the Bighorn Nation.  The transfer to my new position will go into effect in August for the 2016-2017 school year. 

After 16 years as a secondary English teacher, I am excited to use my experience, in combination with my new Library Media Specialist endorsement from Central Washington University, to support students and teachers in information literacy and reading promotion.  I’m very nervous as I move into this second phase of my career in education, but I’m looking forward to working at a school-wide planning level.  My two biggest heartaches are leaving a team between two school years and leaving the relationships one can only develop while working so closely with students year after year.  I am grateful to have been a part of nearly 2,000 middle school lives during my years as a classroom teacher.

Mr. Tanner Zahrt will join team Prototype as the new English teacher for next school year.  He is a 3rd generation teacher in his family. He lives in northwest Reno and is looking forward to teaching in his neighborhood school.  Mr. Zahrt will be transferring from Spanish Springs High School, and he has prior middle school teaching experience.  In our meetings, Mr. Zahrt and I have reviewed your student portfolios and the curriculum we’ve covered so far, and discussed our team’s procedures, traditions, and culture.  He plans to maintain as much classroom routine as possible while introducing his own strategies and techniques. 

Although your core team will feel a bit different, I have no doubt that Mr. Kivi, Mrs. Campbell, and Mr. Zahrt will guide you through a rigorous, fun, and memorable 8th grade school year.  I will still be a part of your team in interdisciplinary planning and support, and I will have the opportunity for direct teaching and co-teaching in the Library Media Center.

I wish you a relaxing summer and a great start to your 8th grade year.  Be sure to visit me often, and if you’re interested in becoming a student assistant in the Library Media Center for a class period next year, I’ll give special preference to Team Prototype!

Love,


Mrs. Jennifer Rice, M.Ed., LMS (that’s new J)