SAYREVILLE – After nearly two decades of service to the Sayreville School District, a math and science teacher has retired from her position.
At a recent meeting, members of the Board of Education honored the retirement of Andrea Latz, a Grade 5 math and science teacher at Samsel Upper Elementary School (SUES). Her retirement became effective following the end of the 2019-20 school year on July 1.
According to Superintendent of Schools Richard Labbe, Latz had taught at the district since 2001. She began her teaching career at the Sayreville Middle School until joining the then-newly opened SUES in 2004. In addition to math and science, she also taught social studies and served as an Academic Support Instruction (ASI) teacher.
“She easily transitioned to this new building and became a leader among her colleagues,” Labbe said. “Mrs. Latz is a constant contributor for the betterment of the building and our entire school district. She has volunteered for many committees through the years and her opinion is always incredibly valued. Mrs. Latz has served this community on such committees as textbook committees, grading committees, standards-based report cards committees, faculty advisorship, character education, poetry committees and, of course, she was a strong leader in our Sayreville Education Association.
“She has shared her talents to writing math curriculum, planning the History Bee, the ASI family night, Rainbows program and instructing our staff on New Jersey ASK [Assessment of Skills and Knowledge], which was our previous assessment that we used,” he continued. “Mrs. Latz is a constant contributor. She thoroughly prepares the students for their next level of education and provides them with the support they need during the learning process. She analyzed data and prepared lessons to meet the needs of all of her students throughout the many years that she served them so impeccably.
“To help her learners, she was trained on many different strategies and techniques, including a responsive classroom approach to character education. She is an advocate for her students and her colleagues. She is seen as a leader within and will be missed greatly. We will miss her involvement and her drive, but most importantly, we will miss the fact that she was an excellent educator whose commitment was unwavering.
“Mrs. Latz, Andrea, we wish you the very best in the next chapter of your life,” the superintendent said. “May you enjoy a happy and healthy retirement. On behalf of the administration, faculty and staff of the Sayreville Public Schools, we congratulate you on a well-deserved retirement and we thank you for the impeccable manner in which you served this district and for all that you have done for all of your students.”