David Valderrama was selected as the staff of the month for May! Valderrama is a teaching assistant and was chosen due to his work ethic and commitment to educating the students during the Continuum of Learning. His ensures all student’s needs are met through Zoom sessions, phone calls, and other synchronous and asynchronous methods, which shows his dedication to educating students. He has communicated with staff every step of the way and sought guidance when students were having difficulty with concepts. He is always willing to offer suggestions to improve the experience of distance learning for both students and staff, and actively seeks feedback.
Valderrama started with High Road of Wallingford in November. Since he began, Valderrama has always been a team player that wasn’t afraid to seek feedback and learn from his mistakes. Ms. Betlej, Special Education Teacher, is the first classroom he began in and boasts “We are all very grateful for everything Mr. Valderrama has done for us and are very proud for the professional growth he has had in the past seven months. He has established a positive rapport with many of our students and strived to help support classrooms as much as possible. His positive impact is exemplified through his charismatic Zoom sessions, and student excitement to work with him every day.”
Matt Berardesca, Operations Manager at High Road School of Wallingford, says “Valderrama is unselfish with his time. He not only assisted the teacher that he was assigned to work with but helped anyone, teacher or staff, that needed it. He was diligent in reaching out to the students to ensure that they had the help and support that they needed with assignments. He exemplified what it means to be committed to educating students.” Ms. Lieberman, Special Education Teacher, agrees and adds “Mr. Valderrama has been a huge asset as my TA throughout the school year, and especially since Continuum of Learning started in March. He is dependable and trustworthy, and has helped to organize and maintain routines. The students and myself are grateful to have him as part of the High Road team.”
Mr. Valderrama has helped all staff in the building, especially since the onset of distance learning. Ms. Buerkle, Special Education Teacher, is one of the teachers he was not assigned to but helped whenever needed. “He went above and beyond to support teachers and students during distance learning. He always acted in a professional manner and was always dependable and reliable.” says Buerkle. Thank you for all of your hard work and commitment to our students and the High Road team Mr. Valderrama! Congratulations on being named Staff of the Month!
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