FAQ

As of September 2024, 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:

* Dyslexia, which means the student struggles with decoding (reading accurately and fluently)
* Language impairment, which means the student may struggle with vocabulary, comprehension and oral and written expression
* It is not uncommon for a student with an LBLD to also struggle with attention and executive functioning, which often overlap with LBLDs

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 and provide direct instruction to support their executive functioning skills. 

The mental health team collaborates closely with the faculty to support students with ADHD in the classroom. They also work closely with outside providers for students who benefit from medication and/or therapy.

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. 

We serve only kosher food and observe all holidays in accordance with the Jewish calendar. Shefa nurtures our students’ commitment to Jewish values and teaches the skills to enable them to participate fully in Jewish life.

We believe that both inclusion models and stand-alone special education schools can be effective and appropriate for different kinds of learners. For many families, inclusion is an excellent option. However, each child is unique, and the needs and desires of the families in our community are diverse. 

Many Jewish parents choose to send their children to secular special educational schools, sacrificing a Jewish education in order to provide their child an appropriate academic program. We believe that families should not have to choose between a setting that meets their child’s academic needs and one that provides a Jewish education. The Shefa School offers families a new choice that previously did not exist — a Jewish community day school exclusively focused on serving the needs of children with learning differences.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, meaning there is no hard deadline for submitting an application. However, spots are limited, so the sooner you can submit your application, the better!

Yes! A crucial part of our admissions process is for every student to spend time at Shefa.

* K-1st grade applicants will often join a playgroup style interview
* 2nd-8th grade applicants will visit the school for a couple of hours to experience our classrooms, interact with peers and meet with the admissions team

These visits are invaluable for us to get to know the students and for them to get a sense of Shefa and begin to feel more comfortable here.

The Shefa School is committed to having a socioeconomically diverse community. Finances should not be a barrier to any student’s participation in our program. 

‍Families may apply for financial aid through FACTS; requests will be considered on a needs basis by the tuition assistance committee. 

Also, families seeking tuition reimbursement from their local school district can apply for an extended payment plan that will reduce payments based on financial need until the case is resolved.