Home Program Learning Support Services
Park Day School provides a rigorous academic program while offering a structured, support system for students who may encounter learning challenges along the way. Classroom teachers, Learning Specialists, and the K-8 School Counselor consult regularly in support of individual students who may be struggling in a particular area. There are three Learning Specialists (K-2, 3-5, 6-8), and their primary role is to help support classroom teachers to ensure each child is learning successfully.
Learning Specialists also offer small group pull outs and push ins K – 4. In Middle School, a small number of students work with the Learning Specialist to receive supplemental instruction and extra time to navigate the workload in lieu of participating in the Spanish language program. For students with challenges that go beyond the scope of our general education program, families typically employ private educational therapists who may coordinate with the school to support students on campus before, after, or during school hours.
At the heart of our program our goal is to support students. Sometimes we are able to provide accommodations and scaffolding within the program, and other times a student may benefit from a different type of school environment.
Learning Specialist
julie.bowers@parkdayschool.org
Julie has a Masters Degree in Special Education from Bank Street College of Education and a graduate-level certificate in educational therapy from Holy Names University. She is thrilled to be coming back to Park Day School after taking the last six years to develop her educational therapy private practice. Julie worked as a fifth and sixth grade teacher at Park Day for 13 years. Before that, she taught in myriad educational settings, including special education and bilingual schools. When she is not working, Julie enjoys watching both her sons play baseball, going for hikes with her dog, and camping with her partner.
carrie.kartman@parkdayschool.org
Originally from Ithaca, New York, Carrie has lived in the Bay Area since 1979. She holds degrees in Drama, Creative Writing, and Educational Therapy. She began her teaching career in the Creative Writing department at S.F. State University in 1995. Since then she has taught at Everett Middle School as a member of San Francisco WritersCorps/Americorps, tutored in the East Bay for over ten years, taught drama as a Teaching Artist with Walnut Creek Civic Arts, and been a classroom teacher at Raskob Day School and Bayhill High School. She was a Learning Specialist at The Mills College Children’s School, conducted psycho-educational assessments for The Ann Martin Children’s Center, and most recently was the District Reading Specialist in Piedmont Unified’s Special Education Department. For over ten years she has maintained a private practice in educational therapy. Carrie joined Park Day School in 2018. She has also published essays, articles, and short fiction, and her plays have been seen in local theaters. Carrie was a founding board member of Twins by the Bay, a local support group for parents of twins. In her free time she can often be found at the theatre, or enjoying the outdoors.
sara.mohn@parkdayschool.org
Sara holds a Masters Degree in teaching from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA, and a graduate-level certificate in educational therapy from Holy Names University. Before joining Park Day in 2015, she was a classroom teacher for seven years, including one spent in Japan. She has taught grades 2-4 as a self-contained classroom teacher, and has been a reading support teacher for third-graders. Additionally, she has worked as an intervention tutor while completing her educational therapy studies. She has training in Orton-Gillingham, Slingerland, and Lindamood Bell structured reading methodologies. Outside of her professional life, Sara likes to spend time with her husband and two daughters, take long runs on trails, and play fetch with her furry pup, Millie.