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The Charlotte Jewish News - January 2011 - Page 16 60I6 pining CHiNfseAuaioN DllEiiSDonE: SouiNWEtiTiiiiNAniiii; omoNAL Satiirdaj, Febmr; 12tti B PI. AntHlliSIOfjiHCLIIDIiS: DiNlllDltlljif “DAMBUNe'MllNliV San Lsroer Center [or Gulturat Arts \m Jeiiisb CsiDiDiiiiit; Geater SSD/persoii or SSO/Eouple or S^O/coiiple [kmd Mm JiDnar; SOIli] For kemtks, please toitatt JFS at [704]!M-i!}S or namUnSardis.ofl fiourmet' SoutfiHftj® ‘■'fi/Oii • Out^~^ fcv 'fiers^ Different, Not Less By Bonnie Bornstein I love to watcti my son, Jostiua, walk into school each morning. He tells me goodbye, blows three kisses, and skips into Charlotte Jewish Day School. To you this may sound nice. To me, it is a gift. Joshua is a compassionate, curi ous, and affectionate ten-year-old boy. He loves his school, his friends, and his family. He likes Tae Kwon Do, camp, and learning new languages. He loves going to the zoo and on vacations. Joshua is also autistic. I always knew Joshua was dif ferent. By preschool it was clear. His speech was delayed. He wouldn’t climb on playground equipment. He had a hard time transitioning from one activity to another. My husband, David, and I had him evaluated and got a two- hour lesson about sensory process ing disorder and how delayed he was in fine motor and gross motor skills. We left the meeting feeling physically, mentally, and emotion ally exhausted. Most of all, we felt alone. When Joshua was four, we received the autism diagnosis. We also had Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools come into his preschool for speech therapy, occupational therapy, and self-help skill train ing. Friends and family would compliment us on all we were doing for him. To us, there was no option. Joshua was our child. Early intervention was more important to us than anything else in the world. Was it difficult? Sure. Was it time consuming? Yes. Expensive? Absolutely. Worth it? 100%, not just for Joshua, but for our family. So we did the best we could in preschool. Then it was time to decide on which grade school to Charlotte Jewish Day School By Jove! I think I’ve found the perfect Assisted Living Community! Summit Place OF SOUTHPARK AssistedUving&Memoty Care Community Here’s to a Happy, Healthy New Year! Joshua Bornstein send Joshua. Both our psycholo gist and preschool director told us to look into the Ein Gedi program at Charlotte Jewish Day School. I learned that the program allows for all Jewish children to get a quality education. That included my Joshua. I learned that the pro gram was named after the oasis region in Israel and was an oasis in school. The program allowed Joshua to be in the resource room when needed, and mainstreamed with the other children when appropriate. Joshua is in his fifth year in Ein Gedi. The class size has varied year to year. Several of his class mates have moved or graduated. One thing has remained the same, however As the name implies, Ein Gedi is a true oasis. Joshua is thriving, learning, and getting so much love and attention. He is in the third grade classroom for most of his day, but goes to the Ein Gedi room for math, reading, and for Judaica. Unfortunately, special educa tion comes with a large price tag. Like the rest of the school, our tuition only covers a portion of the costs. Just as the school has fundraising efforts, we have Ein Gedi fundraisers. For the last three years our big fundraiser has been a fabulous morning of Mah Jongg, silent auction, and nosh. This year is no exception. I invite you all to play with your regular group, learn how to play, or just come and schmooze. This year we are hold ing this event on Thursday, February 3 in the morning at Lemer Hall. It is not only for a great time but also for a great cause. Please consider a donation to the program, even if you can’t attend the event. Temple Grandin is an autistic professor and inventor who has been making a lot of headlines recently. Her Emmy award-win ning movie was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. I had the pleasure of hearing her speak and the Autism/Aspberger’s conference in Charlotte this past October. The first thing she said was, “I can’t stress enough the importance of early intervention.” I’m sharing Joshua’s story for two reasons. First, is to let every one know about the Mah Jongg fundraiser for the wonderful Ein Gedi program. I also share our story for anyone that has ever loved a disabled child. There was a line in the movie “Temple Grandin” that brought me to tears. “Different, not less.” No truer words can be spoken about Joshua. David and I have been a part of the wonderful Charlotte Jewish community for ten years. We hope to see continued support for all families with exceptional children. ^ Viva Klezmer! Visits Schools in Lake Norman Area • 3 Delicious Meals a Day • In-house Physician and Therapy Services • Massage Therapist • Adult Counseling Services • 24-hour Care as Needed • Pharmacy Access • Housekeeping Included • Quality Care for Every Life Stage Charlotte’s Premier Assisted Living & Memory Care Community 2101 Runnymede Lane Charlotte, NC 28209 704.525.5508 www.SummitPlaceofSouthpark.com a Bell A DIVISION SENIOR LIVING BELL PARTNERS The Jewish Council of Lake Norman contiues to bring the Klezmer Program to schools in the Lake Norman area. Two programs were presented in the Mooresville Intermedialte Schools during this past month. The program is pre sented by Viva Klezmer!, as they have been for many years.The stu dents listen to Klezmer music, learn Yiddish words, and dance a Hora. When you hear the students excitement, you know that these programs are making an impact on educating the students about Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish Council of Lake Norman is grateful to those who understand the value of these pro grams and have made contribu tions that make them possible. Contact Herb Spindel, 704-875- 7324 if you too want to be a con tributor. ^ Viva Klezmer! Visit www.charionejewislinews.org for back issues and archives.
The Charlotte Jewish News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Jan. 1, 2011, edition 1
16
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