Congregation Beth Shalom A SECOND CHANCE from page 15 COME HELP US KICK-OFF SHABBAT JAMS Carolyn Monis, co-founder of the schooh helps students Phillip Hellekjaer, 12, of Beverly Hills; Alex Jones, 10, of Huntington Woods; and her son Sam. . JOIN US FRIDAY, SEPTEMDER 9th with Hillel of Metro Detroit, YAD, and all age! Kabbalat Service • Family Service • Shabbat Dinner Followed by a Jewish Comedy Club with JOEL CHASNOFF now being taken for this fabulous Friday night experience Reservations are NEW ARRIVAL GAN SHALOM PARENT- IN& CENTER Exciting and innovative programs and classes for families and newborns through preschool: • Brunch, Bunch and Babies • Yoga and Baby • Parent-Tot • Parent-Tot Transitional • Hebrew in the House* • Art In Motion* • Science Discovery • Music Together • Music and Movement • Music for Little Folks Year Two *All-By-Myself classes For more information call SUSAN GARTENBERG, Director, Gan Shalom Parenting Center (Newborns-Preschool), Ext. 234 AWARD WINNING' RELIGIOUS SCHOOL PROGRAM Grades: Kindergarten through High School • Family Shahhat School • Youth Choir and Orchestra • Education and Social Retreats • Youth Socials • Kindergarten Enrichments For more information call DANNY KOCHAVI, Director of Religious Education Grades K-12, Ext. 216. For more information on tickets and/or synagogue membership, please contact Steven Weiss, Executive Director at the Synagogue Office at: 16 2q8-5q7-7970 For the upcoming school year, Morris anticipates doubling enrollment at the Learning Circle Academy from 10 to 20 students. Students will be grouped in two classrooms, one for younger students, ages 11-13, and the other for those ages 14-16. In deciding whether to accept a child into the program, the school considers both academic and social development on a case-by-case basis. The variety of learning styles dictates a highly individualized, cross-curricu- lar style of teaching. "One of our kids has a 136 IQ," Morris said. "It's not that they can't learn — they just learn in a different way. Alex McDonald, 13, has imagina- tion, insight and an excellent memo- ry, but has difficulty reading due to severe dyslexia and other visual pro- cessing problems. Sam Morris and Alex frequently " Please join our congregational family for the Holidays. 8/25 2005 time to develop abstract reasoning." The Eton Academy in Birming- ham, a private school for special needs students in grades 1-12, does not accept children with autism, she said. In fact, Eton has .referred chil- dren like Sam and other students to the Learning Circle Academy. "The Learning Circle has good people and we have seen excellent results with students we've referred to them," said Pete Pullen, Eton Academy head of school. "There's a school for every student, for every need," he said "They do very good work with students we're not necessarily set up to work with." 1014490 read together, Morris said — "Sam helps Alex read and Alex helps Sam - interpret." Alex's mother, Bonnie McDonald, is a former president of the Autism Society of America's Oakland County chapter — although she has now learned that her son's disabilities do not include autism. In co-founding the Learning Circle Academy, her goal was to provide "a school that offers hope and real solu- tions to parents whose deepest fear is `how will my child be able to care for himself when I am not there to watch over him?'" The school's tuition is $17,000 a year, comparable to the cost of other local private schools. • "One hundred percent of our tuition goes to salaries, materials, and rent," Morris said. A panel of contributors and sup- porters help fund the school, which has received 501(c)3 status as a tax- deductible nonprofit organization. Does the Learning Circle Academy method work? Well, all 10 students in the school's opening year have re- enrolled. And, at a recent Learning Circle open house, Andy Patronik, who used to cower in corners, stood up and sang a solo in front of every- one, friends and strangers alike. The song he picked — "I Believe I Can Fly." ❑ For more information about the Learning Circle Academy, see the school's Web site: www.learningcircleacademy.org . The school's telephone number is: (248) 538-0115.