Dedication continued

Each morning Pitcher children came through our school doors. When they left each afternoon, they were better children because of you. Every day at Pitcher you have been teaching, supporting, guiding and inspiring children. As a result you are transforming the world, one day and one child at a time. Now in our “new normal” your dedication and commitment to educating the next generation is making a difference in their lives. To some you may just be a teacher, but to your students you are a hero. As you look upon this 2020 Teacher Appreciation Week, please know that I view all of you as extraordinary educators and am deeply appreciative of your work with our Pitcher children.

-Dr. Karol Howard

In case you do not already know, I am retiring. June 30th is my last day with KCPS. I have worked in the schools for 32 years and I have enjoyed every year. My time at Pitcher has been such a joy. I have had many people ask me why I work in the schools. I tell them that if they were ever experienced the schools then they understand the family atmosphere and dedication that it invokes. KCPS has been good to me and I will miss my family. But most of all I will miss my Pitcher Family. I cannot choose just one person that means the most to me. Each of you holds a special place in my heart. If I had to choose it would have be our illustrious principal. Dr. Howard is such a gift to us all. I take with me some wonderful memories. I cannot imagine a better place to end my career. Keep up the excellent work that makes Pitcher the best school in KCPS.

I will remain forever apart of the Pitcher Family,

- Sherry Stark

To Ms. Mayhew. You are an awesome elementary teacher! Also, I just love your sense of humor. Thank you for always making me laugh. Love, Shumate

To the PBIS team.  Thank you for all you do, and for going above and beyond all the time to make our school a better place. You all rock!

To Ms. Ide.  Thank you for everything you do to help our school.  You are awesome.  

To Ms. Davis.  Thank you for being our digital

liaison and for all your digital help during the school year.  You are awesome.

To Dr. Howard. You are an awesome leader. 

Thank you for all you do with the data to help us teachers.

To Ms. Bowles. I enjoy being your team mate!  Thanks for always being there for me. You are

awesome! Love, Shumate

To the ENTIRE Pitcher staff:

What a difference ten years makes! I took the buyout because our building was out of control. I won't go into detail. I just want to give a shout out to all of you for changing things around. I enjoy coming to work again and I love watching you interact with the students. From Ms. Thibault

I would love to give a big THANK YOU to Kelsey Davis! She goes beyond the call of duty to help with our IT/Virtual questions/problems! She always takes her time and never makes you feel bad! Thank You Kelsey! 

-Sheila Brayboy

it has been my joy and my privilege to work at Pitcher Elementary.

-Stephanie Mayhew

Shout out to Mr. Craft for always being willing to help with students when needed! –Mrs. Davis

To the LINC staff.  Thank you for being there for the students and for all you do to help our students and our staff.  

To Ms. Stark and Ms. Palmer.  Thank you for everything you do to help our school.  Because of your work, we are a well oiled machine.

We couldn’t do it without you.

To the cafeteria staff. Thank you for all you do for our students. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

A million times thank you!

To Mr. Craft.  Thank you for inspiring our students to be their best selves.  

To the tutors.  Thank you for all you do to help our students.  You

are all amazing, and your contributions help our school so much! 

Thank you!

To Ms. Kintz. Thank you for lighting up our school with your smile and your laugh!  You are awesome.

To Ms. Plonka.  Thank you for going above and beyond daily!  You are an amazing teacher.

To the custodial staff.  Thank you for everything you do to make our school a better place.  You are appreciated.

To Ms. McAndrews and Ms. Penaloza.  Thank you for all you do to help our staff and students.  We would be lost without you.

To Ms. McPheeters.  You are amazing.  I love your enthusiasm, kindness, and drive.  I love that you look on the bright side of things.  Thank you for being there for me and for us all. You make Pitcher a better place.  Thank you.

To Ms. Meyer.  You are such an amazing teacher.  You inspire me more than you can imagine.  I love walking into your classroom, and I love watching you with your students.  You are so appreciated. Thank you for making our school a better place.

To Club SpEd (Ms. Day, Ms. Angel, Mr. Petentler, Ms. Sheperd, Ms.Douglas).  Thank you for all you do to help our students. Your dedication to our students is amazing, the demands on your time are daunting, and yet you always have time to be welcoming and helpful to anyone who crosses your path.  Thank you for everything you do.

To Ms. Smith. Thank you for all you do to help all the students and staff at our school. You do an amazing job keeping up with all of the demands on your time. You rock!

To Ms. Grandanette. You are an awesome teacher. I would absolutely love to be in your class. I love your creativity and spark. Thank you for all you do.

To Ms. Brayboy.  Thank you for all you do for our students and staff.  You are awesome.

To Mr. Houck.  Thank you for your hard work and determination. You are an inspiration.  

To Ms. Ashby and Ms. Bestgen. Thank you for all of the time and energy you put forth to make our school a better place. You are both valued and appreciated.

To Ms. Cornelius. Thank you for always being willing to help out in a pinch. You work so hard with your students and it shows in more than academics. It shows in their mindset and their perseverance. You are so appreciated. Thank you for making Pitcher a better place.

To Ms. Conner.  Thank you for all you do to make Pitcher a better place.  Your students are so lucky to have you as a teacher. You inspire them and you inspire other teachers more than you can ever know.

To Ms. Tobaben. Thank you for your hard work and dedication. You make our school a better place for both students and staff. You are greatly appreciated.

I just want to say that Pam Douglas has my back and I am so glad that we are in this together. 

Thank You Pam. Love ya

To Ms. Temple. Thank you for being there for our students. You are an awesome teacher.

To Ms. Halpin.  Thank you your all you do for our students and our staff.  Your students love you so much.  Thank you for making Pitcher a better place.

To Mr. Schneider.  Thank you for all you do to help Pitcher shine. You rock!

To the Pre-K staff. Thank you for being there for our students. You are very appreciated.

Mrs. Angel has been a wonderful partner. She is supportive and helps me figure out ways to present material so that her kids are engaged.

Mrs. Shepard is a fantastic teacher and is very helpful when she is in my room for science. She has good ideas and is willing to share them. 

Mrs. Thibault is sweet and very helpful. She helps the students stay engaged in science and is very good at explaining concepts when they don’t understand. 

Nurse Debbie is patient and kind to me and my students. She helps them get the care, uniforms, or glasses that they need. She also takes the time to bake goodies for the staff and check in on us. 

To Ms. Thorne. Thank you for all you do to help our students. Your willingness to go above and beyond for the kids is amazing and an inspiration. Thank you for making Pitcher a better school.

Ms. Plonka helps me when I am having bad days. She’s a good listener and always manages to see the positive in the situation. 

From Ms. Thibault - To Ms. Angel: What fun to work with her! The students love her and enjoy learning in her class. She makes each one of them feel special (which they are of course).  

Mrs. McAndrew is very helpful. She gives me background knowledge on the ELL kids in my class as well as suggestions for how to best help them. She has a good rapport with the kids.

Ms. Ashby is always willing to listen to my concerns and often has a smart solution or a different way to approach the problem that I’m facing.

I appreciate her patience.

Thank you Mr. Schneider for helping me in many ways since I came to Pitcher. You have been a great mentor throughout my time at Pitcher. I am thankful for our friendship and that you are my grade level partner! –Mrs. Davis

Kelsey- Thanks for being so dependable with my computer woes!

-Francie

From Ms. Thibault - To Ms. Plonka: Wow! Calm under pressure. Like others in our building she is able to keep students engaged without shouting. They appreciate her hard work. Lots of learning is going on!

Mrs. Bestgen is helpful and she is good at sharing resources that help my students. I appreciate her positive attitude. 

Ms. Kintz is very organized and she has a good sense of humor.

From Ms. Thibault - To Ms. Tobaben: What an incredible teacher! I have the privilege of being in her science class. Challenging students don't seem to challenge her :). She is able to keep control without raising her voice. Her students respect her and do their best. They are learning incredible things :)

Mrs. Day has been a wonderful co-teacher. She is willing to try whatever I dream up and she shares her resources that help make our class even better. I’ve really enjoyed collaborating with her.  

Mr. Schneider is a good person to talk to if you need resources or have a question.

Mrs. Connor is positive even when things are tough. She is good at communicating and is very helpful. 

Ms. Smith is a good listener and a wonderful advocate for the students. She works hard to make sure that all of the 6th graders that want to apply to Lincoln or Paseo are able to do so. Her positive attitude makes my day every time I get to talk to her. 

Ms. McPheeters organizes the winter concert every year and the students always enjoy participating because they know she won’t let them fail. 

Mrs. Bowles does so much for our school. She organizes events, like literacy night and the PBIS celebrations, and is part of the team that keeps the PBIS store organized and stocked. 

Ms. Stark is always helpful and patient with me, especially when I forget to turn in attendance or have to ask for help. She is very organized and the school wouldn’t be the same without her. 

Ms. Grandanette is full of amazing ideas. I love the way that she treats the students like artists. 

Mr. Craft has high expectations for his students’ behavior and he is very consistent.

Ms. Meyers’ classroom is lovely. I always sneak a peek inside when I walk past it. She is very knowledgeable and organized. 

Ms. Halpin helps run the student of the month board and organizes the PBIS store. Thanks for being so helpful!

Ms. Mayhew is a good person to talk to if you have questions about the union or about how things work in this district. She always does her best to help when you have a question or problem. 

Ms. Thorne isn’t shy about asking for help when she needs it or when she doesn’t understand something. She is good at finding online resources for her students. 

Mr. Petentler is helpful and willing to share his knowledge and classroom materials. 

My students look forward to Mr. Houck’s classes. He is fair and consistent. He motivates the students to be more active. 

Mrs. Brayboy held an essay contest this year and it helped my students engage in her class. The winners received brand new sets of books and they were both very excited. 

Shout out to Ms. Douglas for always making my 5th graders feel loved. Thank you for checking in on them during lunch and building relationships with them even though they are not your students! We appreciate you! –Mrs. Davis

Nurse Debbie never misses a birthday and my students love to get a shout out on their birthday from you! Thank you for thinking of the students beyond your nursing duty! –Mrs. Davis

Ms. Penaloza- You are a lifesaver at times! You will stop whatever you are doing to help out a teacher in need. Although translating is not your main role, you never complain and are always willing to help with communication through calls, texts, conferences etc. You pay attention to all of the students learning needs and prepare awesome hands on learning activities for them during your groups. My kids have always loved going with you and you form such great relationships with them. Thank you for all that you do for not only my kids, but helping me with communicating when needed!

-Ms. Halpin 

This is a shout out to everyone in the building. I could not be the teacher I am without any of you. I think we all make each other stronger educators and I love that we get along and work well together. I appreciate each and every one of you.

 -Leighann Kintz

I want to give a shout out to K-3 teachers. We all collaborate or work well together. They don’t judge and help out if it’s needed or they see myself struggling or just need assistance. They make coming to work every day worthwhile.

-Leighann Kintz

To Ms. Douglas.  Thank you for being my lunch buddy.  I always enjoy our lunchtime conversations.  Love, Shumate

Mrs. Shumate was one of the first teachers to reach out to me when I started working at Pitcher. She is all about books and is always willing to listen. She has lots of good ideas.

The whole staff at Pitcher is awesome. We are changing lives every day. I want to thank my amazing teaching partner Ms. Plonka for always helping me when I need it. Thanks to all for making our school great, it’s a pleasure to work with youall. -Mr. Craft

I appreciate the 1st-3rd grade hallway. We are a family! I enjoy our long talks in the morning and after school! We make sure we have each other’s back through it all!

Stephanie Mayhew- Thank you for always being supportive with all my new teacher woes. I think you are a pretty awesome and am glad you are on the road to recovery!

-Francie

I want to give a shout out to Julia Meyer. I do not know what I would do without my partner in crime. We work so well together and bounce off ideas of each other. If we are having a bad day we can talk about it without judgment and we always give ways that we could either do something different or give ideas if we are struggling with anything. Sometimes we are thinking something and the other one says it and we tell each other to get out of each other’s heads and just laugh, we are that in sync. She makes coming to work fun and I couldn’t ask for a better grade level partner.

 -Leighann Kintz

Felicia- You are an awesome teacher and your kids are lucky to have you. Thanks for always

being so supportive with Art!

-Francie