Special Services at Pleasantdale
District 107 provides a continuum of special education programs and related services within and outside the general education setting to meet the unique learning needs of our students. Placement in separate special education classes is considered only when the services needed by the student to meet his/her goals cannot be adequately implemented within the general education classroom.
If a student requires more specialized instruction and programming not available within the school district, District 107 is committed to seeking other appropriate placement options outside ofthe school district. This includes both public and private facilities.
The Pleasantdale 107 Support Programs guide offers a thorough description of the services available.
Pleasantdale is proud to be a member of LADSE, the LaGrange Area Department of Special Education, a cooperative located in LaGrange Illinois serving 17 member school districts in west Cook and east DuPage Counties.
The Illinois State Board of Education Special Education Services site offers information for parents on topics including early childhood special education, Project CHOICES, parent training, and links to the document A Parent's Guide - The Educational Rights of Students with Disabilities in English and Spanish.
Our Programs and Staff:
Speech/Language Services
Our two therapists facilitate speech and language development in the pre-school Bright Beginnings program through co-planned classroom lessons and activities. They also provide speech/language services for K-4 students identified with needs in the areas of articulation, voice, language, or fluency. Services are provided in a variety of ways including classroom based services and in the speech room as needed.
I am Susan Podbelski, one of the full-time Speech-Language Pathologists in the elementary building. I have been working for District 107 since 2001. I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degree in education from Illinois State University in the field of speech-language pathology. I also hold my Certificate of Clinical Competency from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and am licensed in the State of Illinois. I have worked in a variety of settings, but the educational setting is definitely my passion. It is a joy to support children’s learning and to develop their skills as competent communicators in a quality educational setting such as Pleasantdale’s!
Can You Guess My School??
My name is Joanne Histed. I graduated from Western Illinois University, with a BS and an MA, both in Speech/Language Pathology. Work for me began here several years ago (time flies when you are having fun!!!). My training has offered me the opportunity to provide speech and language services for children/students from birth to age 21. What I have found is that kids are great no matter where they live or what school they attend. I am certain that I work in the best school that anyone can find anywhere. Working at this school with the high level of teacher professionalism with heart felt compassion for kids is an honor.
What is the name of my school????
Please feel free to call or e-mail Joanne Histed or Susan Podbelski with any questions you may have about your child’s speech-language skills or our program here at Pleasantdale Elementary School.
Joanne Histed can be reached at (708)246-2828, jhisted@d107.org.
Susan Podbelski can be reached at (708)246-2836, spodbelski@d107.org.
English Language Learners
The purpose of our ELL program is to support the students' English language skills in the areas of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Visit our ELL page for additional information and useful resources.
Resource Services
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Christine Markovitz has been a resource teacher at Pleasantdale Elementary since 1991, co-teaching language arts and/or math in grades 1-4. She also teaches reading and math to children who have been identified as having special needs one-on-one or in small groups. She received a B.A. from Scripps College in Claremont, CA, and an M.Ed. and an Ed.S.in special education from the University of Arizona. After graduate school she was a special education teacher in Tucson for several years before moving to Illinois. She and her husband have two sons and a daughter-in-law, and she feels very fortunate to teach at Pleasantdale with great students and a dedicated staff.
Chris Markovitz
cmarkovitz@d107.org
708-246-2861 |
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Denise Spetter has been teaching at Pleasantdale Elementary and Middle Schools since 1988 as a special education teacher. She has received a bachelor’s degree in Special Education at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb Illinois. Her endorsement is in learning disabilities and educable mentally handicapped children. She is certificated as a Highly Qualified teacher. She has taken courses in Direct Instruction, Intensive Phonics, Orton-Gillingham, Differentiation, and Math Their Way. She supports students in the classroom co-teaching and small groups. I to strive inspire my students to be the best they can be. She and her husband have three children, a Lhasapoo named Cooper, and lives in a nearby suburb.
Denise Spetter
dspetter@d107.org
708-246-2871 |
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Karyn Lisowski has been teaching since 1985 but has been at Pleasantdale since 2010. Prior to coming to Pleasantdale she taught for 13 years at Mannheim School District 83 as a special education resource teacher. She took some time off from teaching to raise her two children and has returned to the field she loves. . . teaching. She doubled majored at Eastern Illinois University in Special Education and Elementary Education in 1985. She received her master's degree from National Louis University in Early Childhood Education. She is certified as a Highly Qualified teacher. She has been trained in Orton-Gillinham, Reading Mastery, and Language for Learning. She also works part time with the Center for Gifted through Northern University as a co-director for the Burr Ridge site.
She lives in Willow Springs with her husband Tom and two children.
Karyn Lisowski
kalisowski@d107.org
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(updated 08/31/2010)