Monsey–In response to a growing communal need, Ashira is establishing an integrated girls’ high school program to provide individualized instruction geared specifically toward the needs of each student. The Ashira mission is to provide every Jewish girl, regardless of her academic level, with the ability to develop into a self-confident young woman who is a productive, contributing member of the Jewish community. They plan to open Ashira’s doors in September 2015.
Ms. Sarah Levy and Mrs. Bracha Cohen, qualified and experienced special education teachers, will co-direct the Ashira program. The successful transitional program at the Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey is the educational model for the Ashira program. “A vital part of chinuch is helping each child recognize and use her strengths to promote her growth,” says Cohen. “It is our goal to guide every girl to achieve her true potential.” The small class size will provide a venue for each girl to progress academically and absorb hashkafa throughout her high school years, while enjoying a typical high school experience.”
Ashira emphasizes the integration and inclusion of diverse learners within the greater framework of an established school. Students whose primary areas of challenge are in the academic domain, with social and emotional levels of development comparable to their peers, will have an opportunity to seamlessly integrate into the general education environment.
With its highly trained staff, and by using contemporary, research-based methods, Ashira will provide a comprehensive high school education to their students with a focus on basic skill instruction and post-secondary transition. Ashira will be hosted by Ateres Bais Yaakov in Monsey, NY, where students in the Ashira program will benefit from the beautiful campus, warm atmosphere, and professional leadership at Ateres Bais Yaakov. Ashira students will be mainstreamed when appropriate and be included in non-academic, social activities, giving them an equal opportunity to shine with their peers. Girls will participate in myriad extracurricular activities offered at Ateres Bais Yaakov.
Ateres’s dean, Rabbi Aaron Fink, is enthusiastic about Ashira. “Ateres proudly welcomes the Ashira program as it launches its pioneer year of specialized education to service high school students from the Monsey, Passaic, and Bergen County communities. This kind of program is long overdue. We look forward to seeing Ateres girls and Ashira students grow in their Yiras Shamayim, sense of achdus, and appreciation for one another as Hashem’s children, with potential to be tapped and refined as they give to one another.”
Contact: Sarah Levy and Bracha Cohen via [email protected] or call 845-541-5250.
