Parents
Shefa serves children in Kindergarten through 8th grade.
Shefa (שפע) is a Hebrew word that can be translated to “abundance.” We believe our students possess an abundance of unique gifts, talents, skills, and insights. Our job is to nourish them emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually.
Shefa students are bright, engaged, curious and have language-based learning disabilities (LBLD).
Students who are eager to learn, who are socially connected and have a growth mindset do particularly well at Shefa. Each child’s shefa — their abundance of unique gifts, talents, skills, and insights — is the launching point for an instructional plan that fosters academic, social, and emotional competence and confidence.
By celebrating a child’s strengths, encouraging their interests, and giving them the tools to overcome their challenges, we create a warm, supportive community, where students feel understood, accepted, and valued.
A LBLD impacts students’ abilities to read, comprehend, write and fully participate in language-intensive mainstream classroom instruction. LBLDs include:
With Shefa’s research-based multisensory instructional program, students with LBLDs can thrive and return poised to succeed in mainstream settings.
About 50% of students with LBLDs have co-occurring ADHD. Shefa’s instructional program and classroom environments take this into account. We focus on student engagement and movement needs, provide direct instruction to support their executive functioning skills, and our support staff collaborates closely with faculty and outside providers to support our students with ADHD.
The Shefa School is a pluralistic community school, serving families across the Jewish spectrum. Our goal is to make Shefa a welcoming place that integrates rich Jewish values, community, culture, traditions, and holidays — regardless of each family’s particular practice or affiliation.
In the Lower School, Shefa’s homerooms are typically 12 to 14 students with 2 to 3 teachers. Reading and math are taught in small, homogenous groups that can range in size from 3 to 7 students.
In the Middle School, skills-based classes such as language arts, math, writing and Hebrew language are typically 4 to 8 students per class, with one teacher and a resident to support if needed. Content area classes such as Judaic studies, history and science are typically 10 to 13 students with 1 to 2 teachers.
Shefa has a large, full-time team of Speech and Language Pathologists (SLPs), an occupational therapist (OT), and school psychologists and social workers.
Unlike a traditional school where students are pulled out for related services, all of Shefa’s supports are embedded into the curriculum. For students who need additional pull-out support, there are small language, OT and social skills groups at designated times that do not interfere with the student’s academic schedule.
Yes. A nutritious and delicious daily, kosher lunch is provided daily to all students and is included in tuition.
Yes. We believe our students thrive in a setting that is warm and caring, structured and orderly, and that values individual expression and community cohesiveness. Our dress code seeks to balance and integrate these ideals, creating an environment that supports our students’ learning and our school values.
Both. Each semester we offer students a wide array of after-school club options such as Art Studio, Multi-Sports Clubs, Builders Club, Chess, Music, and Dance. Middle School students also have the option to join athletic teams.
