[ ELLM Newsletter - Coach Info - Office Information - Sites - Teacher-Get-Togethers - SEEDS] SW Florida EducationWorks! ELLM Coaches EducationWorks! Cindy Sans Cindy Sans is beginning her third year as an ELLM Coach. Cindy attended school in Wisconsin, graduating from Cardinal Stritch University with degrees in Early Childhood, and Early Childhood – Exceptional Educational Needs. She taught for a year in Kindergarten and 11 years in First Grade. During this time, she supervised Student Teachers and developed several programs, one with a neighborhood Retirement Home and another one which paired First Graders and Eighth Graders. To improve the home/school connection, she did Home Visits on a voluntary basis. This experience led her to the Head Start Program. Cindy Says, ”This is where I found my true passion. Pre-Kindergarten, the foundation of education, is where I can help children and their families get off to a great start.” Cindy believes in providing a positive educational experience for the children and works to make parents partners with the school in the education of their child. Cindy spent 6 years in Head Start with 3 of these teaching in Immokalee. Cindy truly loves coaching because she is able to use all of her past experiences to help teachers be the best that they can be. Beverly Rees Beverly Rees comes to her ELLM coaching position from the lab school setting at The Family Resource Center at Florida Gulf Coast University. She was lead teacher in the Mixed-Age Classroom of 2-3 year olds where she adapted and implemented the ELLM program. Beverly also supervised a team of student assistants from the College of Education. She worked with FGCU professors to provide assistance to education students in the areas of observation, development of lesson plans and served as a resource for their coursework. She was instrumental in achieving accreditation for the center by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Beverly has a B.S. in Elementary Education from Illinois State University and graduate work in reading; she has taught third and fourth grades in both rural and inner-city schools. She has served as a student teacher supervisor, district representative, presenter and volunteer for various projects. Beverly has a diverse background as a buyer in the specialty retail industry and as a talent manager for her own children’s careers in the entertainment business. Her experience in both education and business afford her the leadership, creative and organizational skills to make a life-long impact on our children and their teachers. Beverly has found a home with ELLM where all her talents, love of children, and enthusiasm are used on a daily basis. Mary Hubert Mary Hubert has been an Early Childhood Educator for 30 years and as a returning coach still lets her lively spirit keep her enthused about her role. Mary enjoys incorporating music and movement into lessons that she models for teachers as ways to show teachers how to captivate and extend the interest of young learners. Mary received a Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master's Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Mary taught Kindergarten for 19 years in Wisconsin, worked on curriculum revision, and mentored student teachers from the local college. Her Master's thesis and all subsequent research have been centered on appropriate ways to introduce emerging learners to beginning reading skills. After moving to Florida, Mary taught Pre-K for 9 years in Immokalee before becoming a literacy coach with the ELLM Program. While in Collier County Mary has worked on curriculum committees, served as a peer teacher for beginning educators, held a team leader position, and was chairperson of The School Advisory Council. The new experience of working with young children with little or no knowledge of the English language was quite a change from her days in Wisconsin. But it was an exciting challenge that Mary immediately embraced. Mary was first introduced to the ELLM Program while still a Pre-K teacher at The Learning Center in Immokalee. She was trained and piloted the program prior to funding from NCEF. Mary was impressed with the results after working with these at risk children and was eager to join this team of professionals that were sharing their skills with other educators and making a difference in the lives of disadvantaged young children. “It was just the opportunity I was looking forward to!" said Mary of her new position. Mary still finds it very interesting to work with public school teachers as well as those working in our private day care and faith based centers. Training the teachers on all of the components of the program has been another very enjoyable piece of the coaching job for this seasoned educator.