Ashley Bahr

1552 Edmundton, Grosse Pointe Woods, 48236

June 1, 2017

To Whom It May Concern:

It is with a great deal of enthusiasm that I am writing to you in support of Mary Lenhardt
for your lower school preschool coordinator position. In combination with her excellent
reputation as a preschool teacher in the Grosse Pointe community combined with her
strong interpersonal skills and work ethic she would greatly benefit your educational
program.

I have had the pleasure of working with Mrs. Lenhardt at Our Lady Star of the Sea for 5
years while she was both a preschool teacher and 2nd grade teacher. During her years as
a preschool teacher, I was teaching Kindergarten, and was always overjoyed to have
students from Mrs. Lenhardt's class in my Kindergarten classroom. Each month we
would meet and collaborate to discuss the preschool to kindergarten connection; we
would discuss curriculum, pacing, teaching strategies, best practices and school
expectations. Her preschool students were always well rounded and would always come
to Kindergarten with excellent fine and gross motor skills, strongly development
letter/sound recognition and number sense, with kind and compassionate
social skills. Through my experiences as a kindergarten teacher at Star of the Sea, I
always believed that Mrs. Lenhardt's students came well prepared compared to students I
had seen from other preschool programs. Mrs. Lenhardt was an excellent preschool
teacher and I believe she is highly qualified for the position at your school.

As an experienced preschool teacher, Mrs. Lenhardt always implemented engaging,

creative, developmentally appropriate, hands-on lessons that promoted meaningful
learning and prepared students for a successful Kindergarten experience. I always
enjoyed seeing Mrs. Lenhardt interact with her students and was amazed at how naturally
she was able to connect with and engage her students. She was also very talented at
making a project seem fun yet would have multiple learning goals as students would
create, build and explore. She recognized the diverse learners in her classroom and
would regularly differentiate lessons with consideration of multiple intelligences
and various learning styles to meet the unique needs of each student.

Mrs. Lenhardt advocated a safe and trusting learning environment that promoted
academic growth as well as essential life values such as compassion and respect. Her
effective classroom management techniques were exactly what you would hope for in a
preschool teacher; warm and gentle, yet very effective in creating an environment where
students felt safe to take risks, have new experiences and progress socially, emotionally
and academically. Most importantly, through open communication Mrs. Lenhardt
fostered meaningful relationships with students, peers, parents and other educators to
create a comforting community in which all can cooperate and learn. She is a highly
skilled communicator with colleagues and parents. Preschool families would receive
newsletters, timely email responses, phone calls and an open invitation to volunteer
or conference with her before or after school. At the end of a preschool day, Mrs.
Lenhardt would often be found sharing a quick positive aspect of a child's day with their
parents. Mrs. Lenhardt went above and beyond to share the preschool experience with
her families by inviting families to see a class play, volunteer at a class party, directing a
preschool Christmas concert performance, creating memory books and an end of the year
video. She was a well-loved and adored preschool teacher who always had parent
requests for their children to experience preschool with her.

Mrs. Lenhardt is a teacher leader. She would always support Star of the Sea by
volunteering to take new leadership roles such as marketing for preschool, sharing
professional development with colleagues, organizing after school events and leading
other committees. She is prompt, organized and dependable which made her someone
myself and staff would go to when we had questions or needed assistance.

I assure you that Mrs. Lenhardt can assist you in reaching your school goals. She is a
consummate professional who contributes to a healthy school culture, so that students
and teachers thrive. She is a person of integrity who has a wealth of talents and natural
gifts to share. She is exactly the kind of teacher that you would want for a child's first
school experience in preschool. I am certain that with her range of experience, combined
with her compassion, enthusiasm and intelligence will help enhance the academic and
social growth of your student body. She is a dedicated learner, leader and collaborator
and will help all students and teachers succeed.

Please feel free to contact me to discuss further how Mrs. Lenhardt can make a positive
contribution to your school.

Sincerely,

Ashley Bahr
ashleyabahr@gmail.com
(313)727-0874