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Special Education Program
“Educate the child according to his ways.”
Proverbs (Chapter 22, Verse 6)
“If he cannot learn the way we teach, we had better teach the way he can learn.”
Robert S. Buck
These are the mottos of our special education team. Our heritage teaches us that we as Jewish people are obligated to teach each child according to his/her ways.
Keeping this in mind, Temple Israel Center Religious School began a special education program in December 1997, in which children with special needs can develop into active and knowledgeable members of the Jewish community.
We provide a continuum of services to our students. We have a Tigbur/Learning Center program, which provides enrichment and remedial services to our students in the mainstream to allow them to succeed and achieve their goals in the least restrictive environment. We design and implement behavior modification programs to be used with certain students and classes in the mainstream and we work with the mainstream teachers to educate them about their students’ needs and help them make the appropriate modifications.
In addition, we have two self-contained classes, which services students in grades three through six who are unable to achieve their goals in the mainstream classes even with support services. These classes meet twice a week. When needed, we have an additional self-contained class for grades one and two, which meet once a week.
In order for a student to receive placement in either of these programs, they need to be referred, assessed and placed.
Our self-contained classes are open to children with varying difficulties including learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders with or without hyperactivity, emotional disorders, pervasive developmental disorders, speech and language disorders, physical disabilities and other health impairments. The special education curriculum parallels that of the mainstream students, employing multi-sensory approaches targeted at the students’ differentiated learning styles.
When appropriate, the program provides every opportunity to mainstream these students so they become active members of the school and the congregation at large. In addition to in class studies, the students enjoy music and/or art classes as well as many school-wide activities throughout the year. This program creates numerous opportunities for academic and social growth amongst our students.
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