The following staff members were recognized at the Integrated Services Quarterly Meeting on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. Their nominations were filled with praise from colleagues; read on for just a few excerpts.
Dani Bassett, IS Teacher, Werner Elementary School
Dani leads the IS program at Werner. She welcomed me as a new teacher into the building, helped with scheduling and filled in gaps to better support the students at Werner. She goes above and beyond to advocate for her students’ needs and provides clear plans of how to engage students actively and using specific strategies. Dani uses research-based practices to meet her students’ learning goals and adapts them to meet the needs of each student. She always comes in with a smile and is eager to work with all students. Thank you, Dani!!
Brad Reimers, School Psychologist, Bauder Elementary School
Brad has been so helpful in supporting new staff at Bauder. He patiently answers questions and helps in any way needed. Thank you, Brad!!
Katrina Gough, IS Teacher, Bamford Elementary School
Katrina has been a team player since day 1! Before I even started as an official PSD employee, she stepped in to introduce herself and support students and parents who needed IEP questions answered or held a meeting that needed to be held. She has been crushing it at coordinating her new role at Bamford! Thank you, Katrina!!
Danielle Miller, IS Teacher, Wellington Middle School
Danielle jumped into WMS during the 2019-2020 and while it now feels like she has worked here for 10 years instead of starting her 3rd year, Danielle has been a tremendous addition to the WMS team. She is always caring and helpful to both students and staff. I have seen students with significant behavior difficulties make huge gains while working with Danielle. We are always bouncing ideas off of each other and making each other better teachers. She is the first to offer help if you need an extra hand or coverage for something. She engages students and gives them life skills that they will carry with them forever. Danielle has already made a huge difference for the students in our community. I hope she sticks around WMS for many years to come! Thank you, Danielle!!
Ale McGee, IS Teacher, Fort Collins High School
Ale comes to work everyday with a smile. She works so hard to meet the varying needs of all her students. Even when things get difficult she is ready to follow through and is always a team player. Thank you, Ale!!
Tara Gross, IS Teacher, Rocky Mountain High School
Tara has been a selfless leader for our department. She has taken on the challenge of scheduling all of our transfers and new students that came at the beginning of the school year. Tara is a selfless leader who always puts others before herself and the needs of her students above all else. Tara is an amazing educator and member of our team. Thank you, Tara!!
Brian Farkas, IS Teacher, Rice Elementary School
Brian has jumped into Rice with both feet forward! He is always responsive to student and staff needs and communicates directly and effectively with the team. An example is a student this year who has big emotions and big behaviors. Brian created a plan and a very detailed data collection sheet to track behaviors. Without this data, we would be two weeks behind in the MTSS process for getting this student more support at school. Brian is a joy to work with and his commitment to all students keeps me going on especially tough days. Thank you, Brian!!
Makenzi Semadeni, IS Teacher, Bennett Elementary School
Makenzi is a FANTASTIC team member and collaborator; this shows up in her ability to reach students because she creates such a unified team with all of the stakeholders in each student’s education (parents, general education teachers, administration, paraprofessionals, etc). This year she entered a new school and had a new caseload, and she has taken it on like a champ! She has been dedicated, hard-working, open-minded, relationship oriented, respectful, responsible, and caring. Thank you, Makenzi!!
Megan Kramer, BCBA & Madeleine Carter, Autism Coach, Poudre School District
Megan and Madeleine are both new to their position this school year. I am extremely impressed with the manner in which they support schools and work tirelessly to support students in extremely difficult situations. They also understand the importance of building supportive relationships with staff. They always keep the students needs first and foremost and are committed to their success. Thank you, Megan and Madeleine!!
Jenni Thomason, School Psychologist, Blevins Middle School
Jenni goes above in beyond in every aspect of her job. In my short time here at Blevins she has become the person I can go to when I have questions. Jenni is so supportive of all of us on the IS team and truly cares about the students and the school as a whole. Thank you, Jenni!!
Thank you all for your service and dedication to EACH and EVERY student in PSD!
Poudre School District
Integrated Services
Sarah Belleau, Director
Integrated Services Poudre School District 