Elk Mound Special Education Staff

Director of Special Education: Jennifer Olson
School Psychologist: Kayla Lubbers
Special Education Secretary: Elena Seid
Mound View Elementary Certified Staff: Kim Thompson-Accola, Emily Crossman, Janis Larson, Stacy Powell
Middle School Certified Staff:  Angela Otto, Nicole Rygiel, Asia Weyenberg
High School Certified Staff: Meghan Andrews, Karin Javanovich, Jonathan Langreck
Speech and Language Pathologists: Malia Karshbaum, Lindsey Morley, Karen Wik, Carrie Begalke
Occupational Therapy:  Deb Hebert
Physical Therapy:  Jessica Erickson-Michels, Sarah Nystrom

Mound View Special Education Paraprofessionals: Ashley Burger, Bobbi Carothers, Steph Ische, Kayla Jackson, Stacy Kasper, Kaycie King, Karen Smith, Liz Wik, Heidi Pipkorn
Middle School Special Education Paraprofessionals:  Shawn Gilbertson, Terri Topper, Nicole Mullet
High School Special Education Paraprofessionals: Emily Bourget,  Lisa Yakesh
 

Comprehensive Screening

The Elk Mound Area School District has a comprehensive screening program to locate and screen all children with suspected disabilities who are residents of the district. Children are referred for special education evaluations by school staff including the classroom teacher, parents and other community service agencies (such as St. Croix County Birth to Three, Head Start, area preschools and day cares). Below are more detailed descriptions regarding our comprehensive screening options:

Three Year Old Screening - Each year the Special Education Team conducts pre-school screenings for three and four year olds who are not yet enrolled in school. Parents may register to attend and learn about child development and for the child to be screened for potential need areas. These screenings allow for district staff to assess a child’s social, emotional, cognitive, motor and speech development as well as vision and hearing. Please watch the district newsletter and special education web page for upcoming Screening Days. If you have a concern regarding the development of your child ages 3-5, please contact the Director of Special Education or School Psychologist. You do not need to wait for the next Child Development Day for a screening. 

Universal Screening – Universal Screeners are utilized in all grade levels, starting with four-year-old kindergarten. Universal Screeners allow our teachers to identify students who may be in need of additional academic support. Typically students who are two or more grade levels behind their peers in reading/and or math are identified as needing interventions in those content areas. Please see more information below about Response to Intervention.

Response to Intervention Team - The district offers assistance to students struggling academically, physically, emotionally, and behaviorally. An intervention team model/problem-solving team is available at each school building. The role of the team is to review data provided regarding the student and to plan interventions for success. Each school building principal, school counselor and school psychologist are active team members in data evaluation process. Dependent on the child’s needs, the team could determine that an evaluation is in need or that further interventions are needed to meet a child’s needs prior to a referral.

Special Education Resources

• An Introduction to Special Education – An overview of special education, great for parents who have newly identified children


• Special Education in Plain Language -- A User-friendly Interactive Handbook on Special Education Laws, Policies and Practices in Wisconsin


• Parents Rights Brochure – A brochure summarizing your rights as a parent of a child with a disability


• Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction – The DPI’s special education topic index


• Communication Options for Parents – Contact information of local support for parents who have questions regarding special education process, procedures or decisions


• Wisconsin State Parent-Educator Initiative – A program meant to help families and school districts find the resources that will help them build positive working relationships leading to shared decision making and positive outcomes for children’s learning
   
• Preparing for your Child's IEP meeting

Early Learning Resources

• Birth to 3 Program
• Wisconsin Early Learning Collaborating Partners
• Milestone Moments Booklet

School-Age Resources

• Navigation Guide for Wisconsin Families who have Children w/Special Health Care Needs and Disabilities
• Western Regional Center for Children and Youth w/Special Health Care Needs
• Brochure: Western Region
• Communicating with an Autistic Chlid: A Parent's Guide
• Bright Solutions for Dyslexia

Transition Resources

• Department of Vocational Rehabilitation
• Aging and Disability Resource Centers
• Social Security Administration
• Suggested Timeline for Transition from School to Adult Life
• Opening Doors for Employment
• Openings Doors for Post-Secondary Education and Training
• Opening Doors A Guide to Adult Services
• Transition Improvement Grant
• College Resource Center
• Scholarships for Students with Disabilities
• On-Line Colleges
• The Complete Guide for Deaf and Hearing Impaired College Students

Tips from your School Psychologist

• Key to Learning
• Transitioning from Elementary to Middle School
• Transitioning into Kindergarten
• Who are school psychologists
• Back to school
• Bullying
• Conferences
• Cyberbullying
• Good Social Skills
• Mood Disorders
• PBS
• Positive Behavior Intervention
• Resilency
• Response to Intervention
• Stress in Children
• Talking to children about violence

General Support Services

• Department of Health Services
• Katie Beckett Program
• Autism Society
• CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder)
• LD Online
• National Education Association
• Council for Exceptional Children
• Cerebral Palsy Guide
• Autism Society of Wisconsin
• National Down Syndrome Society
• Down Syndrome Association of Wisconsin
• Cerebral Palsy Group
• Birth Injury Center

Questions

If you have questions regarding the needs of your child and/or the special education process, please contact Jennifer Olson, Director of Special Education or Mike Miller, School Psychologist at 715-879-5744.

Annual District Notices

• Notice of Child Find Activity
• Special Education Screening and Referral Notice
• RTI Annual Notice
• Notice of Special Needs Scholarship Program