The Student Services Team at Santa Cruz Gardens is small but mighty! Though the team had many new members this year, they have worked diligently to become a cohesive unit and seeks always to serve students first and keep them at the center. The team at SCG is collaborative and creative, often finding unique ways to meet needs. SCG is truly a haven where students strengths are celebrated and needs are seen as assets in the making.
Judi is our Special Education Department Secretary and she also serves as the Ludlow Preschool secretary and registrar. In her job, she wears many, many hats. She works with parents, teachers, administrators, etc. She keeps our wonderful SPED director organized. She oversees our SEIS files and keeps us on track. She keeps track of all the legal paperwork. She places orders for all our supplies and all the SPED supplies. She is a terrific person and she does such a fantastic job juggling all of her responsibilities. I feel like she doesn't know how much we appreciate all that she does!
Sasha is such a kind and caring support for students and staff alike! Everyone knows that she makes an effort to check in as often as she can. Folks know that Sasha genuinely cares about our community and wants us all to suceed and grow together.
Alyson Paolini
Alyson is our amazing Speech/Language Pathologist for our preschool and preschool aged children in our district. She is exceptional at her job and the students love when they get to go to her office. She also joins my class for a bi-weekly circle time that the students really enjoy. She sings beautifully and makes everything exciting! She truly cares about each of her students and the staff around her. She is an all around terrific person!
ALLISON Lovell is exceptional because she’s:
Accepting of all students/their abilities; Advocate,
Leader; gives time to community by coaching girls’ swimming/golf teams, Listener; builds connections with students, Integrity; Models professionalism, Smart, Strong communication, Organized, optimistic, assists/boosts students’ learning when they don’t learn the traditional ways,
Nonjudgmental, Nice
Ms. Brown has worked tirelessly and selflessly over the past three years to maintain a sense of community connection and spirit of play and participation in the BCE K-2 SDC class, particularly during COVID. She has an excellent attendance record, teaches in the afterschool program, supports students with transportation, and is an excellent role model.
Carissa is the most caring, understanding, accepting, and inspiring boss I have ever had the pleasure to work for. Carissa has helped guide me in the beginning years of my career as a School Psychologist.
Students love working with Katie. Katie is fun, approachable and professional. Families appreciate Katie's communication and care. Staff respect Katie's ideas and efforts to address student needs. Katie Tidaback is a star.
The Student Services Team at Soquel Elementary is a force! They are thorough, thoughtful, organized, and deeply rooted in pursuing the best possible outcomes for students. They are creative problem solvers and exceptional practitioners. They have rolled with the ups and downs of the year in a way that is telling of their character and their commitment to serving students and supporting families.
Amy goes above and beyond with her work at the preschool. She is gifted in meeting our preschoolers as their individual level socially, emotionally and behaviorally. She is my right and left hand. The students adore her and the staff rely heavily on her. She is one in a million and I could not do my job without her!
Crystal’s dedication and boundless passion as our Family and Community Engagement Manager has united special education families, creating more togetherness and belonging within our district like never before. Through her outreach efforts, she has achieved continued success, creating a sense of community that transcends all barriers. Crystal's impact on the lives of those she serves is nothing short of extraordinary.
The student team at New Brighton Middle School is a well oiled machine. They are above all student centered. They are thoughtful, collaborative, and an all around joy to work with! The share the load and often collaborate on who's doing what to make sure that everyone is taken care of. Every member of this team is exceptional and we are so fortunate to have them!
Theresa Novak
Theresa will do anything to help any student. She is kind and respectful and sees the worth in each person she works with. She understands how to support all students by providing various types of scaffolding and diverse strategies, and she makes students feel valued and appreciated. She is absolutely appreciated by all the special education staff she works with also.
Laura is a SCIA for one of our special education students. She is extremely patient and caring. She is knowledgeable, proactive and an advocate for her student. I would like to nominate Laura for the dedication to her student and the progress the student has made of the course of the year.
The team in the annex is like Santa's Elves; often tinkering in the background in order to make things happen! There's nothing Sama can't do (or won't do) to support the student services team in being able to get the job done and done well! She is a wiz with data and makes SEIS and CALPADS play nice on the daily. Lily keeps our files in check and more importantly reaches our families in ways that the rest of the team sometimes can't! She is an exceptional asset to our team. Sasha couldn't be better at what she does. She is profoundly knowledgeable and keeps our sights rooted in inclusion and holistic social-emotional/behavior inclusive support. Liz is a program specialist extraordinaire. She is humble and service oriented, doing whatever is needed to support the success of our teams. Caitlyn is like a unicorn of a BCBA. She is collaborative, generous with her time, energy and expertise, and keeps our aides staffed and trained. Vicky keeps our students healthy, but she keeps the grownups healthy too! She cares for us all, body and soul, so that our entire student services team can be in tip top shape to serve students.
Shar Ames
Dr. Ames, our Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services, has done a wonderful job in supporting our Special Education Department in the absence of a seasoned Director of Special Education. She took over mid-year and has worked tirelessly to ensure that our staff and sped department are set up for success.
Lisa is the educational specialist at Brook Knoll Elementary School. She always goes above and beyond for the students at Brook Knoll. Her compassion for the students and enthusiasm to teach has been such an inspiration.
Barbara Crosser tirelessly helped me during CALPADS reporting season (and off season as well). She had nothing to gain by assisting me with the task but the smooth operation of a position she no longer held. I will never be able to repay her for what she did to me. I believe this nomination belongs to her. She is gifted in what she does and helps others that can not even return the favor. That's true giving. I believe she more than deserves this nomination. Please consider this remarkable human being. Thank you so much!
Cheryl has filled a critical hole in our special education staff at VH mid-year and supported in the completion of multiple additional IEPs with her high level of knowledge and experience as well as professionalism and collaborative attitude. Cheryl is a team player with high standards of excellence and dedication to her students.
Elaina has demonstrated excellent work as dedicated supportive aid for one of our special education students and been an excellent representative for the district in her knowledge of the case, the student, communication and rapport with the family, documentation and presentation at IEP meetings.
Erica goes above and beyond to support her students, families and colleagues. She is thoughtful and compassionate and loves her job. It is a privilege to work with someone so intelligent, kind and fun. We love Erica’s sense of humor and contagious laugh. We nominate her with appreciation and gratitude.
During these unprecedented times, Mr. Stein has been an incredible leader. He has led our team with kindness, compassion, understanding, and respect. Despite all of the chaos and unknown that this pandemic has created, not once have I felt a lack of confidence in our school and my role as a teacher here. I believe that Mr. Stein's disposition around campus has been integral in that.
Julie is kind, dedicated, knowledgeable and an asset to the students and school she serves! She provides a safe engaging space for students to grow and learn. Julie goes above and beyond to advocate and empower the students she works with because she genuinely cares about their success and wellbeing.
Michelle is very thorough and thoughtful in her role. She is wonderful to work with and always stops and takes the time to answer a question or provide input/feedback. She is so kind to all and I love working alongside her.
Stephanie is one of the best parts of our classroom. She treats all of my students with dignity and respect, and cultivates kindness by her actions. She works especially well with students who have more challenging behaviors, and her calm nature and easy presence attracts students to her. My students ask to be with her at lunch and during breaks because they love her and feel safe with her. She is always there to help students through their problems, and is a team player in the classroom.
