Sulam@JDS
Who We Serve
Supporting Students. Strengthening Community.
Sulam serves neurodiverse students who benefit from individualized special education support while learning within a Jewish day school environment. Students are generally of average to above-average cognitive ability and have learning needs ranging from mild to moderately significant.
Students entering Sulam must have a current neuropsychological or psychoeducational evaluation that includes a diagnosis, as well as a history of school attendance. The students we serve may have diagnoses including:
Autism Spectrum Disorder
Language-based learning disabilities
ADHD
Executive functioning challenges
Mild emotional or behavioral needs related to a primary diagnosis
Because successful inclusion depends on finding the right educational setting for each student, our admissions process carefully considers whether Sulam and our partner school can provide the support a child needs to learn, participate, and thrive. Sulam is not designed to serve students whose primary needs are significant emotional or behavioral challenges, including persistent aggression or behaviors that substantially interfere with participation in the school environment.
Our goal is not simply admission—it is finding the right fit so that a student has the greatest opportunity for success.
What Support Looks Like
“No two students learn in exactly the same way, so no two Sulam programs look exactly alike. Support is designed around the individual student and evolves as their needs, skills, and independence change. Our goal is to provide students with the support they need while keeping them connected to their classrooms, their peers, and the broader life of the school.”
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Sulam's special educators work directly with students to address their individual learning needs. Depending on the student, support may focus on reading, writing, math, organization, study skills, executive functioning, or other areas identified through evaluation and ongoing assessment.
The goal is not simply to help students complete today's assignment, but to teach strategies and develop skills they can increasingly use on their own.
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Each Sulam student has an individualized Formal Education Plan (FEP) that identifies areas of strength and need, establishes meaningful goals, and outlines the supports and accommodations necessary for success.
The FEP is not a static document. It guides our work throughout the year and evolves as the student grows and new needs emerge.
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For many of our students, knowing what to do is very different from knowing how to get it done.
Sulam helps students develop the executive functioning skills needed to manage school and become increasingly independent—including organization, planning, time management, task initiation, prioritization, and self-monitoring.
These skills become increasingly important as students move through middle and high school and prepare for life beyond Sulam.
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Parents know their children in ways no evaluation or school report ever can. We value that knowledge and view families as important partners in a student's education.
Through ongoing communication, meetings, and shared problem-solving, parents and educators work together to understand progress, address challenges, celebrate growth, and determine what a student needs next.
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Learning cannot be separated from how a student feels about themselves and their place in the community.
Our team supports students in developing self-awareness, confidence, self-advocacy, emotional regulation, social understanding, and meaningful relationships. We want students not only to succeed academically, but also to feel that they are known, valued, and that they belong.
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Inclusion works best when general and special educators work together.
Sulam educators collaborate closely with CESJDS teachers and administrators to understand curriculum and classroom expectations, anticipate challenges, develop appropriate accommodations and strategies, and problem-solve when a student needs additional support.
The student remains at the center of that partnership.
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We believe effective support should lead to meaningful growth.
Our team regularly monitors student progress through academic data, teacher observations, student work, FEP goals, and social-emotional development. That information allows us to recognize progress and adjust instruction and support when something isn't working.
And growth is not measured only by grades or test scores. Greater independence, stronger self-advocacy, increased confidence, meaningful friendships, and a growing sense of belonging are important measures of success as well.
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Ultimately, our goal is not for students to need Sulam forever.
We want them to develop the skills, strategies, confidence, and self-understanding that allow them to take increasing ownership of their learning and advocate for what they need.
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The right support today should lead to greater independence tomorrow. At Sulam, our goal is not simply to help students manage the demands of school, but to help them develop the skills and confidence to increasingly manage those demands for themselves.
As students grow, we intentionally encourage them to take greater ownership of their learning—to understand their strengths and challenges, use strategies that work for them, advocate for what they need, manage their responsibilities, and problem-solve when things don't go as planned.
Over time, the role of support should change. We measure success not only by what a student can accomplish with our help, but by what they are increasingly able to accomplish on their own.
Ultimately, we want our students to leave Sulam with a toolkit they can carry with them into Israel programs, college, the workplace, relationships, and adult life—along with the confidence to know who they are, how they learn, and what they need to succeed.