2024 Honorary Service Awards

Mrs. Tran is one of the best teachers we’ve had the honor of experiencing. She is kind and gentle, making the students feel comfortable and safe in her classrooms, as demonstrated by my child’s joy in going to school each day. She is creative and encouraging, as demonstrated by the class play she puts on and the weekly sharing the kids do in front of the class. She is organized and thoughtful, as demonstrated by how she communicates with families, plans out projects the kids get to bring home, and comes up with ideas for engaging the students. I know my child gained valuable skills in her classroom, spanning from good character role modeling, to confidence building, to academics. We are lucky to have her at Sinnott!

From the student’s perspective, reasons that she is great:

• On Friday she gives the students Roars tickets and exploration time.

• She’s really nice and caring.

• She comes up with great ideas for the class, for example the idea for doing the play.

Ms. Tran teaches Room 16 and has been at Sinnott for approximately 30 years. She is very patient with the kids. She shares her life experiences with the kids and teaches them very practically. An example of this would be when she shared her experience about Identity theft. Another example would be when she shared her fun experience in Texas, when a photo of her has a rocket launching in the background. All these experiences teach a lot to these little kids and kindles their interest to know more in these topics. My daughter who is in her class now adores Ms. Tran and has great respect for her. Her curriculum is very well balanced with public speaking opportunities for the kids to improve, creative writing, theater (the Hansel and Gratel Play) and doing all this consistently. Keep up the excellent work and service, Ms. Tran. Your teaching and techniques would have a great impact on these young learning minds.

She has been a shining light in my students academia. Her teachings are very well structured and she comes with a big bright smile everyday ☺️

She carefully chooses the right homework for the kids. My daughter has grown so much last year in her writing and reading skills. She encourages good behavior in kids. The Hansel and Gratel show was an amazing show that might have taken a lot of effort. The kids throughly enjoyed it and it was an exemplary performance. We appreciate all the efforts Ms. Tran has put for the kids this year.

Ms. Tran is a very dedicated and hardworking teacher. Her teaching skills have helped students learn and grow in a better way. I really like her emphasis on writing. She really focuses on each child as per their needs. She is very creative and artistic and motivates kids to do better. Her approach towards handling kids and commitment to her work is really amazing!! We would like to acknowledge her efforts and hard work in shaping little minds.

Ms Tran is an amazing teacher! She makes a great effort to really see each of her kids improve in the classroom. Her classes are very well structured and she makes sure that the kids are able to maximize on their potential every single day.

Ms. Tran's teaching methodologies for the 2nd graders have been impressive. Ms. Tran's weekly homework covering four dimensions (Math, Writing, Reading and Speaking) have helped Athira improve on those areas. Ms. Tran's efforts to perform a play involving all the kids in the class is commendable.

Mrs. Nina Galfano may not be your typical classroom teacher, but she is an indispensable part of student learning at Sinnott.  As one of our speech therapists, she works with students who need help with speech, language, and communication.  My son was one of these students.  With a speech delay entering kindergarten, he lacked the academic and social readiness to confidently negotiate the curriculum and the classroom.  He was not speaking to his teacher nor his peers.  As a parent, it was difficult to watch him struggle in following directions and classroom routines, and figure out life as a new elementary student. 

In collaboration with his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Galfano provided supports to help my son access the curriculum and participate to the best of his ability in class. We were also new at navigating the IEP process as parents. We greatly appreciated Mrs. Galfano’s guidance in helping us understand the services provided to our son by the school and she was always willing to answer any questions we had. I was especially impressed when Mrs. Galfano took time out of her work day to call me personally to discuss my concerns about my son with me. The extra time she devoted to my son not only assuaged my fears of my son not acclimating to kindergarten but also made us feel cared for and valued as a new family at school. 

Now in our second year at Sinnott, my son continues to thrive with Mrs. Galfano’s dedication and support to his academic and social needs. He struggled in acclimating to first grade, similar to kindergarten, but Mrs. Galfano was right by his side, with her unwavering smile and encouraging attitude, ready to help him tackle the challenges of a new teacher and classroom. She was also right by my side, keeping me updated with his progress or struggles he may be having in school. Sometimes these only amounted to  quick chats in the hallways during pick up, but those mere five minutes made me feel comforted as a parent that someone was keeping an eye out for my child at school. Speech therapists are only required to work their contracted hours per school day but it is obvious that Mrs. Galfano goes above and beyond the call of duty.

While she may be busy balancing a full caseload of students with varied needs, attending to assessments and multiple meetings, Mrs. Galfano also devotes her extra time to the Sinnott community by helping at PTA events, including Fall Fest and the book fair egg hunt. This past fall, she returned to school on a weekend to help parents take down the banners after the event.

Mrs. Galfano may not see every student on a daily basis like other teachers do, but she is a very special person to many of our students. My son sees her as one of his constant cheerleaders and openly shares his life with her during his speech sessions. We are very grateful to have her in our son’s life at Sinnott this year and beyond. Mrs. Galfano's joyful presence and constant dedication to her students and the Sinnott community makes her the perfect nominee for Outstanding Teacher of the Year.

Ms. Laube is an amazing third grade teacher!

Her classroom is very inviting for the kids with different areas set up to encourage them to read and work. She shares pictures and detailed information with the parents each week about what's happening in her classroom and also organizes a lot of additional activities for her students. For example, we really enjoyed the Lemonade Play performance put together by Ms. Laube and Ms. Campbell's classrooms. My child also loved the class field trips to History Park and Tech Museum. They had a lot of fun during the Rock and Roll Day, and celebrate all the holidays with fun art projects. My child really looks forward to school each day! Thank you Ms. Laube for all that you do!

Miss Loanzon demonstrates great passion towards her students that the students are close to her. Special thanks to her help on my autistic kid that my girl feel comfortable and happy to attend each and every class( in fact she doesn’t want to miss a class) There are a lot of background preparations and works to take care of both grade 5 and 6. Key points are students are in healthy environments to acquired their academic skills which is really really hard to attain these days

Mrs Muratalla is an exceptional teacher. She sets high standards for her students, even in kindergarten, and the children are eager to grow and learn in the environment she nurtures. The day is packed with so much learning in a fun way. My child comes home every day with so much new information to share. She takes interest in each child, working with them at the level they're at and always challenging them to get better.

When my child writes a full sentence without mistake, Ms Muratalla acknowledged the effort, but also encourages her to write more (as much as she knows to fill the page). And the next time, my daughter does write more. There are many examples like this where I've seen kids do what is 'required', but Mrs Muratalla will find ways to help them get even better.

She goes to great efforts to make her kindergarteners empowered to make good choices. When she held a hot cocoa party in her class, she had each child fill out an order form, and that was what they got on their hot cocoa. my child took that experience and talked about choice and opinions for days.  

By setting this foundation of learning, self respect and curiosity at the start of their schooling, Mrs Muratalla has an outsized impact on children's education for the rest of their school career. Mrs Muratalla is ensuring they start off right in every way possible.

She is passionate to foster each kids academic and emotional progress. My girl develop confidence and eagerness to learn with joyful spirit. Please recognize her from the proud and happy parents!

Ms. Mackenzie is the paraprofessional in TK this year and she is a wonderful fit for it. She is warm and kind and the type of person that the students look forward to seeing. It’s because of her, our child feels comfortable going to school many days. Knowing Ms. Mackenzie is there brings a sense of calm and confidence that the day will be okay because her personality is such that she eases nerves with her approachable demeanor. Thank you, Ms. Mackenzie! 

We love Ms. Shieu! Fourth grade is a huge transition year with a lot for the students to manage and if it weren’t for Ms. Shieu’s amazing organizational skills, it would be overwhelming. From her thoughtful and organized website introducing us to her, to the way she helps the students track their due dates in their planners, to the way she carefully plans out the curriculum and communicates the progress to families across the multiple subject matters is so valuable. She even prompts us with questions we can ask the students at home about what they have been working on in class, helping us stay engaged with our children. I also have a firsthand view of her organization as I help her make copies every two weeks and she has things planned out for extremely well, definitely knows what she’s doing and what works. Additionally, I get to see her projects in action every two weeks and she has creative ways for the students to do hands on learning about things like geography, bridge engineering, and catapults, not to mention a holiday musical performance and spring play allowing students to explore the stage and build confidence in new areas. Thank you, Ms. Shieu! Sinnott is lucky to have you!

More praise for Ms. Shieu from the student’s perspective:

• She’s really organized with the schedule.

• She’s really nice.

• She can easily improvise if plans need to change.

• She comes up with fun ways to teach a topic.

• She makes running laps in PE fun.

Ms.Tan has gone above and beyond by enforcing best teaching techniques. She focuses on overall development of students inside and outside of the classroom. 

Ms. Tan is an amazing teacher! She makes learning a lot of fun for the kids. During COVID, she organized an amazing play called Alice's Adventure In Idioms! She edited and put together recordings from the students and held a virtual screening party so that all the students and families could watch the play together. My son loved being in her class!

Ms. Adriana is an integral part of our school. Since joining us, she has quickly become known as a kind and trusted adult on campus who is available to help the student population. This might be for bumps and bruises, for illness, or for a mental health break and reset. She provides a safe haven for students that makes a big difference for many. And she does so with a gentleness that’s welcoming and special. Thank you, Ms. Adriana!  

Supported the IAC Bees program by spending extra time and making things happen over the years - an extended period of time. She is also there during the Fall Festival.

Mrs. Armino makes our school a special place. She is deeply committed to the PTA and always supports all the PTA programs and events. Thank you Mrs. Armino!

Nihar has done an amazing job as the PTA president this year! He has worked tirelessly to organize volunteers and program chairs, manage PTA communications and for fundraising. He has also encourage a lot of new PTA initiatives this year like the Read-a-Thon, Movie Night, Board Game Night, programs showcases etc. Nihar has set a great example for everyone else involved in PTA activities. Thank you Nihar for all that you do for our Sinnott community!

Tingna is an exceptional community member and Sinnott parent who in the past couple of years has successfully reinvigorated the PTA after the pandemic. She launched music and science programs to our 400 primary students, she created a network of communication channels for our families to stay connected, and keeps our school connected to the district and city leadership. As a mom of three, including an infant and two Sinnott students, and a small business owner, she continuously brings her energy and thoughtful and creative ideas forward to help our school provide the best experience for its students. I’m grateful to  work beside her with the music program and proud to have her represent our PTA. Thank you Tingna!

Subhashri has been chairing Sinnott Spelling bee for many years at Sinnott spending countless hours preparing and running the competition. Roughly 75+ kids sign for spelling bee each year helping these kids build their vocabulary which in turn helps them improve their reading, writing and speaking skills.

Elaine has done an amazing job as the Sinnott PTA treasurer and Book Fair chair this year! She is very dedicated and has come up with a lot of great ideas for fundraising this year. She planned and organized two PTA book fairs this year along with fun reading event and  the Read-a-thon. The extended book fair hours and sharing teachers' wish list book pictures made it easy for parents to purchase books for kids as well as their teachers. Elaine also did a lot of work as the treasurer and helped reimburse requests promptly and maintain financial records for the PTA. Thank you Elaine for all your efforts for our Sinnott community!

Elaine works hard and always go above and beyond to help the school and kids.

While Nithya had signed up for PTA board as the Parliamentarian, she quickly stepped up also as the PTA webmaster in the absence of one for the 23-24 school year. She did an excellent job at revamping the website and maintaining all relevant information for all the programs including creating a mobile friendly version. She also chaired the Tech challenge and the ACSL plus provided valuable information on individual competitions. Again cannot appreciate enough all the efforts that Nithya put in during the 23-24 school year to help the PTA and Sinnott kids.

Vanessa signed up for Events VP on PTA board for 23-24 school year. However, throughout the year she not only supported different PTA events as event VP but helped out and took over as PBIS Co-chair, Book-Fair Co-Chair, Spirit Wear Co-Chair and created amazing flyers on a short notice! Cannot appreciate enough her willingness to step up and show up each time!

At the beginning of last school year, our music partners of choice sprung a surprise and doubled the cost per child they would charge to offer the music program to Sinnott kids.

Katie took it upon herself not only to negotiate with the partners to see if the cost can be reduced to previous years amount. When it wasn't going anywhere she singlehandedly created the entire music program from scratch in record time, trained volunteers, recruited volunteers and got the program started! She continues to push the boundaries of excellence in the music program and also engaged with PTA actively in bringing overall improvements.

Katie has done a stellar job at organizing the new music program! When Music for Minors was no longer happening, Katie jumped in to help keep it going but under a new vertical. She made the onboarding/training process for new docents incredibly convenient for schedules. She has done an incredible job with making the docents feel welcomed and included. The kids love having music every week, and it is such a beneficial program! 

Katie, a diligent music chair, not only teaches multiple classes but also assists other docents, sharing new teaching content to benefit more classes. She is Sinnott's blessing.