ETGAR Program

ETGAR Program

Hillel Day School of Boca Raton established the ETGAR program to provide for the needs of special students. The Hebrew word etgar is literally translated as challenge. In the modern Israeli idiom, the word represents the concept of fulfilling one’s potential through the achievement of goals that are not always easily attainable. Achievement of these goals, on either a personal or a national level, defines our being. Such achievement expresses our true character and, most importantly, demonstrates that we are able to attain any important goal that we set in life. An etgar is something we choose to do because we believe in its importance, because we are passionate about bringing it to fruition. As a school community, our etgar is to teach as wide a spectrum of Jewish children as possible. The ETGAR program helps us meet this goal. The program provides intensive intervention and special services for students with severe learning disabilities. Additionally, Hillel Day School also provides services for children whose intelligence level makes it difficult for them to handle the dual curriculum of the Jewish day school.

Program Design
Self-contained classrooms - student teacher ratio of 4:1

The self-contained classroom provides special needs children with a nurturing environment where two teachers (one secular, one Judaic) experienced in teaching the learning disabled address their difficulties. These students feel safe in trying new challenges without the risk of the public failure that potentially awaits them in the regular classroom. The student spends the majority of the day in a structured environment, without the distractions present in a regular classroom, participating in a program of study designed to address the student's specific needs. Whenever appropriate, the student participates in regular classes with other students of the same grade level. Classes in art, music, physical education, library and computers afford the special needs student the opportunity to interact with other students of a similar grade level as well as the general school population.

Students receive their primary instruction from the ETGAR classroom teacher. They are mainstreamed, however, for any academic subject for which they qualify. Both a Judaic Studies teacher as well as a secular studies teacher staff each class.

School Psychologist
The school psychologist provides testing for special needs students, writes Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) and oversees implementation of IEPs. The key to success in working with students who have special needs is early and accurate diagnosis as well as developing a series of interventions to help meet the specific needs determined by the testing process.