metro
"Independence is very
important to me. I love spending
time with my children instead
of needing their help."
Student
Needs
Hillel delivers
on promise to
educate kids
at their level.
Gabriella Burman
Special to the Jewish News
I
t's been a long road to the bimah for
Matthew Chayet, but the obstacles
along the way only made his arrival
there sweeter.
The seventh-grader at Hillel Day
School in Farmington Hills celebrated
his bar mitzvah at Temple Israel in West
Bloomfield on Oct. 12.
"I am so excited!" he said, nodding his
head vigorously.
Chayet, 13, of West Bloomfield was
born with many medical issues. He has
spent 400 days in the hospital because
of respiratory problems over the course
of his young life. Despite his health
concerns, which have left him with
significant fine motor and learning dis-
abilities, he is "the happiest kid:' says his
mother, Fawn Chayet.
In addition to his physicians and thera-
pists, much of the credit for Matthew's
well-being goes to the education he has
received as well as the environment at
Hillel, says his mother, where "he has
never been bullied and where he feels
worthy because kids are taught that
everyone is worthy:'
The school has accommodated Chayet
by reducing the quantity of his work-
load and allowing him to use a laptop
or iPad to compose his work and share
ideas, "which has been a breakthrough in
communication for him:' says Michelle
Bortnick, resource specialist at Hillel for
grades 5-8.
Matthew was previously pulled out of
class to work without distraction in the
resource room when he was younger,
but now Bortnick challenges Matthew to
become self-sufficient in the classroom.
"We are training students for life after
Hiller said Robin Rosen, coordinator for
support services for grades 5-8. "In the
real world, you don't have someone hold-
ing your hand:'
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Meeting Student Needs
Hillel accommodates students with a
variety of learning challenges, such as
dyslexia, ADHD, receptive and language
impairments, hearing impairments and
central auditory processing problems.
As these students transition to high
school, Rosen meets with her counter-
parts at each school to pass on whatever
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November 14 • 2013
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Fawn and Adam Chayet flank their
son, Matthew, at the bimah.
accommodation plan has been in place
at Hillel.
"They take our reports as seriously
as they do any individualized education
plan from a public school," Rosen said.
Hillel also accommodates gifted stu-
dents who have shown mastery in their
subjects, using a workshop model in
reading, writing and math that allows
for differentiated learning. After a mini-
lesson on a particular skill, students
work in small groups and independent-
ly, often under the tutelage of two teach-
ers per classroom in the K-4 general
studies classrooms.
According to Joan Freedman, director
of curriculum and library, gifted stu-
dents who need "higher-order thinking"
enrichment opportunities will engage in
"independent study, student-choice proj-
ects, acceleration and project/problem
based learning:' Accelerated math stu-
dents are placed into Math Trailblazers,
the advanced math curriculum at Hillel.
Hillel administrators say that while the
school has a mission to educate as many
Jewish children as possible, the school
is not equipped to handle students with
severe cognitive, physical or behavioral
disabilities.
"There are other places that do it bet-
ter," Rosen said. "However, there are kids
who have left, addressed their needs and
come back:'
Dr. Jennifer Friedman, dean of student
learning, said, "We are continuing to
work to improve our capacity for meeting
a wide variety of student needs, including
academic, behavioral and social-emo-
tional, in order to fulfill our aspiration of
giving every Jewish child a comprehen-
sive Jewish education:'
In addition to providing two teachers
in every K-4 general studies classroom,
the school, under Friedman's charge, is
restructuring the support that already
exists to target students who need more
time to learn a skill as well as those who
need less time.
As the parent of a child whose special
needs have been met at Hillel, Fawn
Chayet, and Matthew himself, could not
be happier.
"Matthew feels safe here:' she said. "He
wishes he could stay forever:'
❑
Gabriella Burman coordinates
communication at Hillel Day School.