I EDUCATION DETROIT'S HIGHEST RATES 12 MONTH CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT 8.200% 8A56% 8.300% 8.562% Effective Annual Yield* Minimum Deposit of $500 Effective Annual Yield* Minimum Deposit of $75,000 •Compounded Quarterly Rates to change without notice This is a fixed rate account that is insured to $100,000 by the Federal Savings and. Loan. Insurance Cor- poration (FSLIC). Substantial Interest Penalty for early withdrawal from certificate accounts. FIRST SECURITY BANK FSB MAIN OFFICE 1760 Telegraph Rd. (Just South of Orchard Lake) I OUR I MOUSING OPPORTUNITY 48 PHONE 338.7700 3527700 HOURS: MON.-THURS. 9:30-4:30 FRI. 9:30-6:00 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1988 MEMBER FSLIC Federal Savings & Loan Insurance Corp. Your Savings Insured to $100.000 Teacher Maria Sanko directs Yudi Hochheiser at the computer, while Yanky Perczyk, left, and Itzy Zeiler study the screen. P'TACH Brings Learning Disabled Into Mainstream of School Life HEIDI PRESS News Editor M oshe can't read. He can do math, parti- cipate in science, ex- cel at sports, is artistic and goes to regular classes just like his peers. But when it comes to reading, Moshe needs a little extra help. That's where P'TACH comes in. P'TACH, an acronym for Parents for Torah for All Children, is a program based at the Yeshivath Beth Yehudah and Sally Allan Alexander Beth Jacob School for Girls which helps learning disabled children be mainstreamed into regular school activities. Rather than focusing on the child's weaknesses, the program seeks to build self-esteem by working on his/her strengths. Founded in 1979 by members of the Orthodox community, P'TACH aims to give "every Jewish child, no matter what their affiliation, the Jewish education they're entitled to by their bir- thright," P'TACH board chairman Michael Hochheiser said. Hochheiser, who has two children in the program, will be the honoree at the organization's annual fund-raising dinner Jan. 8 at Congregation Dovid Ben Nuchim. Rather than group the children together in a self- contained class, P'TACH seeks to mainstream them as much as possible. They attend regular classes, except in areas where they need special attention. When the class meets in which they need ex- tra help, the P'TACH children go to a resource center where a teacher gives them projects and activities to strengthern areas where they have difficulty. "We hit the child on all fronts — visual, auditory and manipulative," explained Debbie Rothbart, a teacher, psychologist and coordinator of the girls' program. "We focus on building strengths, compensating for weaknesses." "The child doesn't miss out on anything," said Tzvi Burstyn, president of P'TACH. "The school cooperated with us in that sense." Burstyn explained that while all the other children are in English class, P'TACH students will be in their English class. When the other students study math, students in the P'TACH resource center study math. According to Dr. Rothbart, the children coming to the resource center often have a history of failure. The teacher will focus on building the child's self esteem, showing what he/she can do, and work- ing with the child until he . completes the task or activi- ty. To make the work more at- tractive to the child, the teacher will look for the child's area of interest — sports, music, art, history — gear program accordingly. At the same time, P'TACH promotes the resource center as a privileged area rather than a place for children with problems The non-P'TACH students are regularly invited in to see the room. But the special assistance P'TACH provides does not end with the day's-end school bell. Parents are encouraged to continue the process at home. According to Rothbart, "We work with the home in a sup- portive, non-intrusive way. We're available if they need us." About 15 students are serv- ed by P'TACH. There are two classrooms, but according to Burstyn the need is great enough for more. "We're look- ing to expand, but we're strangled by finances," Hochheiser added. P'TACH is funded by the annual dinner which provides 50 percent of the budget, a raffle, a public campaign each fall and by private solicitations. "We're at a critical point," Rothbart said. "We see gaps in the kids that we service." She said programs are need- ed for the emotionally im- paired, physically and developmentally disabled.