School’s Comprehensive Educational Approach Balances Academic and Social-Emotional Growth
As the 2024–2025 academic year draws to a close, the Marilyn and Sheldon David IVDU School for Special Education is preparing to launch a new chapter: this September, a dedicated girls’ middle school will open in Brooklyn, New York. The new division brings together the current elementary and upper school programs and underscores IVDU’s commitment to addressing growing communal needs through its innovative approach to Special Education.
Under the umbrella of Yachad — a division of the Orthodox Union dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals with disabilities — IVDU serves boys and girls from kindergarten through age 21 with mild to moderate learning, social, and developmental delays. The school operates branches in Brooklyn, the Five Towns, and Lakewood, New Jersey. In addition to those locations, students also come from Monsey and the North Shore.
“IVDU is always listening to the community and finding ways to be supportive,” says IVDU Head of School Rabbi Michoel Druin. “Over the past few years, we’ve increasingly heard that students would benefit most from our upper school programs if their journey began in middle school. Opening our first-ever girls middle school will better prepare students for our upper school experience.”
The middle school will serve girls ages 10 to 13, some of whom may have previously attended mainstream schools, resource room programs, or other special education settings, and are now ready to prepare for IVDU’s unique Upper School program. Modeled after IVDU’s successful holistic upper school program, it will emphasize both academic excellence and real-world readiness. Class sizes will be capped at eight students, with grade placement determined by a combination of age, cognitive ability, and social-emotional development to ensure personalized attention and differentiated instruction. Each class will be staffed by a lead teacher and an assistant, with additional support personnel available as needed. To accommodate the new division, IVDU is also expanding its physical space to include new classrooms, therapy rooms, and inviting social spaces.
“Students benefit from a comprehensive, robust curriculum focused on reading, writing, math, and kriyah, delivered through multi-sensory methods,” says Rabbi Druin. “A typical lesson may involve learning a concept, reading about it, and then reinforcing it through a creative, hands-on project.”
Sensory integration is also woven into the curriculum through group activities like drum circles and movement-based games, which help build body awareness and self-regulation while keeping students actively engaged.
Middle schoolers will also hone social skills such as boundary setting, turn-taking, and making eye contact, with support from social workers, behavior specialists, occupational, and other therapists, often in group settings. Skills will be practiced throughout the day during class transitions, lunch, and recess.
Malky Halberstam has served as principal of IVDU Girls Upper School for the past decade and will now also oversee its Girls Middle School. She notes that Activities of Daily Living (ADL) skills that foster independence are a primary focus at IVDU.
“Students may learn everything from how to cross a street, to following a recipe, or making a list and following through with it,” she says.
The middle school will serve as a bridge to IVDU’s upper school, which offers both Regents and non-Regents tracks. All students participate in a versatile career training program, built to meet students where they are and to support them in reaching their full potential. Many IVDU students go on to post-high school programs, seminary, employment, and marriage, and lead fulfilling lives.
“In the upper school, we encourage students to explore different paths and gain real-world experience via career training, including job internships and learning practical skills like driver’s ed, working in stores, computer basics, graphic design, and even coding,” says IVDU Career Training Coordinator Faigy Augenstein. “In middle school, we lay the groundwork with pre-career training; helping students to build the academic, social, and emotional skills they’ll need to succeed in high school and beyond.”
IVDU maintains a strong Bais Yaakov environment, with daily davening and a full limudei kodesh curriculum, including Halacha, Parsha, Chumash, and Navi. Monthly yemei iyun, chesed initiatives, Shabbatons, holiday programs, and chagigos cultivate ahavas Torah, middos tovos, spiritual growth, and Jewish pride. All middle school students will also take on extracurricular leadership roles, known as ‘G.O.’ (General Organization) jobs, which emphasize teamwork and boost self-esteem. In addition, students will collaborate to produce and star in the much-anticipated annual school production.“Beyond infusing IVDU with added ruach and simcha, the extracurricular activities and G.O. roles give our girls a chance to shine outside of an academic setting,” says Halberstam. “Working collaboratively and solving problems with peers reinforces their personal contributions and significance as members of a greater team.”
Yachad International Director Avromie Adler sees great potential for middle and upper school students to form meaningful relationships, with upper school students serving as positive role models.
“We are excited for our new girls division under the capable leadership of Malky Halberstam,” he adds. “IVDU School continues to innovate and respond to our community’s evolving needs. This new structure creates a supportive pipeline for our girls, from middle school through high school, ensuring continuity, connection, and a strong sense of belonging.”
For many parents, discovering IVDU has been transformative. As Halberstam notes, they consistently express gratitude for the school’s personalized attention, Torah-centered values, and the dramatic academic, social, and emotional growth they witness in their daughters.
“Many parents have said, ‘I can’t believe we didn’t know about IVDU sooner,’ or, ‘this has been a life-changing experience for my child,’” she reflects. “IVDU was once the best-kept secret. But the word is now out, and we’re excited to welcome and help empower even more students to reach their full potential.”
Halberstam’s greatest nachas is seeing students who previously struggled with low self-esteem or had difficulty forming friendships, becoming more confident, socially engaged, and excited about the future.
“At the end of the school year, all students stand up and share their accomplishments with the group —many of whom may have never spoken in public before. At IVDU, our incredible team builds them up and encourages them to step outside their comfort zones. Knowing that others believe in them contributes to their sense of self-worth. It’s like watching a wilted flower gradually stand tall and bloom into a beautiful rose. Experiencing that transformation time and time again is truly something special to be part of.”
Limited spots are available for the 2025-26 academic year. To learn more and to register, please visit www.ivdu.org and contact Esti Veshnefaky at esther.veshnefsky@ou.org, or 718-758-2999.