MDIH | Student Services

Contact Information:

For additional information regarding Special Education and Student Services please contact:

Deb Cook Westfahl
Student Services Coordinator and School Psychologist

414/351-7380 x1061

Sue Berndt

Student Services Assistant

414/351-7380 x1010

More Resources

Alcohol and Drug Prevention

The Partnership for Drugfree.org

North Shore Health Department

REDgen

County Services

Milwaukee County Resources

Mental Health Crisis Line (24-hour emergency information) 414/257-7222
Survivors Helping Survivors Support Group. 414/276-3122
Mobile Urgent Treatment Team (MUTT). 414/257-7621
National Alliance on Mental Illness - NAMI Greater Milwaukee 414/344-0447

Family Resources During COVID-19 Closure

Family Resources:
- CASEL CARES "So Now What? Supporting Social Emotional Learning (SEL) at Home"
  - This information is for parents/ caregivers toward supporting themselves, as well as their children, in this health crisis.
  - Slides
  - Webinar
  - Parent Self Care - Child Mind Institute - Prioritizing your own well-being benefits your whole family
  - From the National Child Traumatic Stress Network - Activities to do during this extended time at home
  - Boredom Busters - Arts, Culture, Online Classes, Legos, Broadway Musicals, Animation and MORE for Free!
- Triple P - Children's Hospital of Wisconsin - Free parenting classes and consultation
How to Talk to Your Child/Family During the COVID-19 Pandemic:
- The National Child Traumatic Stress Network: Supporting Children During Coronavirus (COVID 19) - This resource gives ideas of how to talk to your child about the virus and pandemic.
- COVIBOOK - This is a resource that can be used with your elementary school child to learn more about the virus and how to stay safe.
- Coronavirus BrainPop - Video for intermediate age and older students
- Coronavirus Video - Phoenix Children's Hospital - How to keep yourself safe
- PBSKids - How you and your kids de-stress during Coronavirus
- Bright Horizons - Parent and child talking points on COVID-19, developmentally appropriate, in “just right amounts.”
- Resources to Support Social-Emotional Wellness and Coping - Developed by school psychologists in Florida in response to the COVID-19 crisis. All resources are relevant EXCEPT for the crisis intervention information. Our local emotional support links are included separately on the MDIH Parent / Caregiver Resource page.
- Virtual Calming Room - Sometimes life can be overwhelming and it can be hard to work through difficult times. This Virtual Calming Room was designed by District 196 in Minnesota to assist in identifying different strategies for managing emotions. We hope these tools will provide helpful outlets and practices for when life gets tough.
Mental Health
- Mental Health and COVID 19
- HeartMath - Emotional Understanding and Management is a (temporarily) free online, fun learning experience resource for Social Emotional Learning (SEL) activities for kids. The program is structured around six thematic adventures or units of instruction
  - Adventure 1: The Physical Heart
  - Adventure 2: Healthy Heart Habits
  - Adventure 3: Investigating Emotions
  - Adventure 4: Emotions and the Heart
  - Adventure 5: Getting Unstuck
  - Adventure 6: Sending Love and Care
- Free SEL learning and support for adults
- Crisis Intervention and Emotional Support:
  - Crisis and Suicide Prevention - Call 800/273-8255 or chat here
  - Veterans Crisis Line - Call 800/273-8255
  - Hopeline - Text "HOPELINE" to 741741 - from anywhere, anytime, about ANY type of challenge or struggle. Help and hope is just a text away. HOPELINE™’s purpose is to offer emotional support and resources before situations rise to crisis level. Texts received reflect struggles with breakups, relationship issues, job loss, bullying, LGBTQ issues, parental issues, school, friends, or any struggle a person is experiencing. A live, trained specialist receives the text and responds quickly. Each person that texts is important to us and we care about what they are dealing with.
- Emotional Support
  - COPE HOTLINE - 24-hour emotional support and crisis intervention from trained volunteers. Serving MKE, Ozaukee, Waukesha, Washington and Sheboygan counties. All calls are anonymous and confidential. Spanish Support available 9:00 PM – 9:00 AM; 262/377-COPE (262/377-2673)
  - WARMLINE (Peer-run) - A non-crisis, peer run, support line for people with mental illness. Volunteer staff are available from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. most evenings; 414/777-4729 “Call us. We’ve been there.”

How To Talk With Your Child About Violence

It’s always difficult to understand why such terrible things happen. Children might feel confused or worried. These are normal responses. So when/how do we talk to our children about the tragic events throughout the world? Please trust your gut as to whether or not there is a need for a conversation with your child about such events. Monitor their behavior for any “out of the ordinary” behaviors.

When to have a conversation:

depends on the age of the child or their awareness of a situation
monitor a child's behavior for any “out of the ordinary” behaviors

Children may worry:

that the event could happen to themselves or a loved one;

that they could be separated from someone they love or be left alone;

about their safety or that of their loved ones.

The Child Development Institute suggests five ways to talk about
violence with children:

Let your child know that they are safe.
Allow your child to ask questions.
Turn off the news around your child.
Explain that violence is never a solution.
Tell your child ways they are safe.

Source:
https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/

Additional Resources:

Intervention

HOPELINE - Text “HOPELINE” to 741741

800/273-TALK (8255) National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Mental Health Resources

NASP Families

American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Facts for Families

North Shore Health Department

REDgen (local community action group, promoting balance and resiliency in the lives of youth and families)

National Alliance on Mental Illness - NAMI Greater Milwaukee (414/344-0447)

Reading

Growing Wisconsin Readers

Resources for parents of children with special needs

Southeast Regional Center
Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin
Children's Dyslexia Center of Milwaukee - tutoring
Special Education in Plain Language:A User-friendly Interactive Handbook on Special Education Laws, Policies and Practices in Wisconsin - 2009, Third Edition, Including a 2019 Supplement

School Safety

One of our district objectives is to provide a learning environment that is safe, supports learning, and attends to the social and emotional development of students. We are deeply committed to examining the steps we need to take for student safety. We have worked together to build strong practices and we remain committed to looking at areas for continuous improvement. Please reach out to us if you have questions or concerns so we can keep an open line of dialogue around school safety. Click here to learn more about some specific measures we take as a district to provide safe, secure environments for our students, staff, families, and community.

Social-Emotional Development:

Social Emotional Learning: Parent Toolkit

Suicide Awareness and Prevention Information:

DPI-WI Youth Suicide facts

NASP - Preventing Youth Suicide: Parents and Educators

REDgen (local community action group, promoting balance and resiliency in the lives of youth and families)

Suicide Prevention Resource Center

Prevent Suicide Wisconsin

American Association of Suicidology

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Who Can I Contact for Assistance?

Jeff Bohacek, Guidance and Counseling