Learning Coach Corner
Family Advisory Council
Amy Jandrisevits
My name is Amy Jandrisevits and I am one of the parents/Learning Coaches on the Family Advisory Council. I have three kids – each doing a different program! My youngest is a second grader at WIVA and I believe that academic success depends on a good home-school connection, which is why I am a part of this council! I have my MSW and I own a nonprofit – A Doll Like Me – where I make dolls for kids who don’t see themselves on toy shelves (kids with limb differences, cancer, facial differences). I like the idea of homeschooling, but I’m not sure I want to teach all of the subjects! I think that virtual learning gives us the best of both worlds – she learns and we can do extracurricular activities to highlight what she’s been learning.
I know that virtual school can present its own challenges and I’ll be the first to tell you that sometimes it’s hard! The role of the Family Advisory is to offer help (parent-to-parent) and help direct you to the right person/people. Sometimes it’s just being heard and supported.
Tricia Cefalu
Hello! My name is Tricia and I have an eighth grader at WIVA. We have been with WIVA since 2022, and love it! I have two daughters and 2 grandsons. I am on the Family Advisory Council because it helps me be a better Learning Coach and I want to be there to give back knowledge or time to others if I am able.
Teri King
Hi, my name is Teri King and I have been with WIVA since 2021. I have four kiddos and two grandchildren. My youngest is in middle school, and I have a young adult who just graduated from WIVA in 2024 and two adult children who are in their 20s. I am excited to be a part of the Family Advisory Council. I look forward to getting to know more families and helping in any way that I can. I have been a stay-at-home/work-from-home mom for many years and I really enjoy being a huge part of my children’s education experience. We chose virtual learning due to medical issues and I am so thankful for WIVA being an option for us and so many other families.
We plan on having our middle school student continue with WIVA through high school as well. There are so many amazing teachers at all levels and we have really enjoyed getting to know them. My now-graduated student who had an IEP got assistance that they needed to succeed that they weren’t getting before. I have recommended WIVA to other special needs parents simply because I have been so impressed with how the staff came together to work as a team to make sure that my kiddo was able to succeed. I can’t wait to have the opportunity to get to know more of you.
Kristen Klein
My name is Kristen Kklein and my students have been with WIVA since 2020. We chose this program because we saw the great potential individualized learning has. My students are completely different people, and this program allows us to celebrate those differences. I have a background in early childhood education and communications that led me to working in nonprofits. When my children came along, they became my full-time job. A challenging job that I’m thankful for every day. In addition to being a full-time learning coach and sports taxi, I own a small business where I make personalized gifts. It brings me so much joy to create things that people will treasure. My goal for being on the Family Advisory Council is to create a partnership between the learning coach community and the school to best support our students.
Tim Lau
I am Tim. I am a husband to a wonderful wife and a father to three fantastic boys. I retired from the US Marine Corps in 2006, and I went on to retire from the Fire/EMS service in 2020. My wife and I enrolled our oldest son in WIVA during the pandemic, and his younger brother this year for kindergarten. While online learning makes for a different experience in schooling than what I – and most everyone else – had as a kid, I am excited about the opportunities it gives for my boys, and for my family as a whole. I am happy to offer my suggestions for a better WIVA through the Family Advisory Council, and I look forward to the coming years of WIVA being a part of my family’s learning. It is not lost on me as a parent/Learning Coach, my days look much different than other parents’ lives who have kids in other schools, but I welcome the active role I can have in my children’s learning and futures; I hope you will, too, as a part of the WIVA community!
Jennifer Perrodin
We are on our third year with WIVA and my student loves it. My student is special needs, and I have always had to have a high level of involvement in his care and education. I am college-educated in English and Art, and a published author, a painter/fine artist, I teach horsemanship and horseback riding to people of all ages and work therapeutically with horses with my son. My daughter is almost 20 and is going to be a music teacher and was publicly schooled, but I had her reading Dick and Jane books at age 3. She’s a great role model for Sawyer. It has been a joy to watch him thrive with the WIVA staff and counselors provided, and he especially loves Mr. Dahl and his OT therapist, Mr. Hodges. He previously received speech therapy for two years through WIVA with Ms. Roberts and they are still in touch today as friends. I am happy to take an active role in his learning and watching his excitement when he learning is a wonderful position that I am happy to find myself in. Thank you for allowing us to have a voice in his education.
Sabrina Reynolds
Hello, fellow Learning Coaches and students! I am Sabrina, and my pronouns are she/her/they. I am in my late 40s and my youngest “kid” plans to graduate here in just a few short years. In my life, I have experienced traditional homeschooling, public brick-and-mortar/in-person school, some college, and a few private school procedures. Nearly fifteen years ago, we decided to try virtual public school due to the possibility of a more flexible schedule, and more time with our loved ones. By the middle of our first year with WIVA, we had “fallen in love” with virtual public school. Since technology is advancing, educational needs are growing, and society is always evolving, I could not be more confident in the possibilities that WIVA, DCA, ISWI, and the mass amount of people involved in all of it have created. We are one big field of flowers and thriving together! I love questions and I will always do my best to help. Fair warning: I am very talkative and detail-oriented, so it likely won’t ever be a short conversation, but I LOVE active communication and multiple perspectives, so just jump right in!
If you are interested in joining the Family Advisory Council, please contact Family Engagement Specialist Lynne Heinzelman at lheinzelman@wivcs.org.