Mah Chadash - Self Reflection and Personal Growth

Self Reflection and Personal Growth

During Sukkot, we are instructed to spend time outdoors, no matter the weather, and connect with the rhythms of the earth. Immersing ourselves in nature inspires us, slows us down and helps us recall some important truths:

We are part of something bigger than ourselves.
We have been gifted a beautiful planet.
It is our sacred obligation to make this earth a better place.

I'm always reminded about how important it is to grow a generation of children who feel compelled by their Jewish heritage to build a better world. At Mirowitz, our community is intentionally designed to provide a model of what is possible. We want our students to leave us one day understanding:

Their every word and action has power — and that they can use that power to improve their community.
Kindness leads to more kindness.

Learning is naturally satisfying and leads us to higher understanding.
Their voice matters, and they should use it to make a change, resolve differences and share ideas.

This Sukkot, I hope your children will inspire others with their goodness, and that you carve out some time to be outdoors whatever the weather. Snuggle up under the stars with your children and ask them how they can use their power to better the world.

Chag Sukkot Sameach,
Cheryl

New Years Wishes for our Kindergarten Buddies

Rutie: I hope that Nadav and Leah have a safe and fun year.

Sam: I hope Lev and Shamaya learn fun things in math, science, social studies and other subjects, too.

Shira: I hope that Rosie and Jorry make a lot of new friends and that they love Morah Felica's class as much as I did.

Hallel: I hope Amitai and Aviva make lots of new friends and have a sweet AND healthy AND happy year!

Eva: I hope that Cameron and Sophia know that I'm always smiling at them even under my mask, and I'm wishing them a safe and fun kindergarten year.

Isaac: Aaron is awesome, and I hope he has an equally awesome Kindergarten year!

Max: I'm excited for Isaac and Isaac to learn lots of Hebrew!

Josh: I hope Ryan and Asher love their new friends, and still love them in 5th grade as much as I love mine.

Marni: I hope Ada and Kayla enjoy Kindergatrten. They only get one year of rest time, so enjoy that! And make lots of great friends, too! That's a big part of kindergarten! They will be your friends forever.

Dylan: I hope Harvey finds something he loves to learn! That's what makes school fun!

Malaya: I hope Josie and Eva are successful, love learning and making friends.

Ethan: I hope Jonah knows that if he works hard, he will do well. Don't give up! There is always someone at Mirowitz to help you.

Gage: I hope Yishama and Jacob make life-long friends in Kindergarten and that they love Mirowitz as much as I do.

Noah: I hope Graham loves his kindergarten teacher as much as I loved mine!

Sophia: I hope Eliyah is having fun in Israel and comes back soon! I hope the year is sweet for her.

Avishai: Both Max and I are having our first year at Mirowitz! I hope his is as great as mine is!

October 3-4: Sukkot
October 6: Sukkot Family Paint and Learn @ 5 p.m.
October 7: Sukkot Family Program: Welcoming Guests @ 5 p.m.
October 8: Sukkot Family Cooking @ 5 p.m.
October 10: Shmini Atzeret
October 11: Simchat Torah
October 15: Parent Conferences - Noon Dismissal
October 16: Parent Conferences - No School
October 26: Prof. Development - No School

November 3: Election Day/Prof. Dev Day - No School

November 12: Virtual Sneak a Peek (Open House)
November 13: 2:30 Dismissal for Shabbat Begins
November 16: Grandparent/Kindergarten Havdalah
November 25-29: Thanksgiving Break
December 3: Middle School Open House
December 7: Prof. Development - No School
December 10: 1st Night of Chanukkah
December 19: Winter Break begins
January 4: School Resumes

Sukkot is for Simcha (intentional joy)!

Let's fill the festival (which starts Friday night) with joy. Since we can't picnic this year, we have planned 3 nights of joyful togetherness for Mirowitz families!

Gather your family around the computer and join us for these celebrations. ZOOM links were sent to you in yesterday's Midweek Memo, and will be texted to you an hour before each event.

Tuesday, October 6: Family "Paint and Learn" @ 5 p.m.

Let's get creative with Ms. Burack, our talented art teacher, and Reb Scott, our director of Jewish life. We'll explore Sukkot water symbolism through the visual arts. Please have these supplies on hand:
- Sharpie
- Brush
- Pencil
- Blue tape
- 9x12 white paper

Wednesday, October 7: Welcoming Guests @ 5 p.m.

Judaics teacher, Morah Val Toskin will share a story and lead us in conversation about the mitzvah (and joy!) of welcoming guests, and what this practice means to us as a time of maintaining physical distance.

Thursday, October 8: Sukkot Cooking @ 5 p.m.

Lucky for us, our Hebrew teacher Rachy Armoza doubles as a chef and caterer! On Thursday, she'll share with us her own Sukkot culinary traditions and recipes. Come to the zoom with these ingredients for Lentil soup and pear turnovers:
Lentil Soup:

🥕 2 TBSP Olive Oil

🥕 1 large onion, cut into chunks

🥕 1/4 medium cabbage, chopped

🥕 3 celery stalks, chopped

🥕 2 large carrots, cut into chunks

🥕 4 garlic cloves, chopped

🥕 1 medium sweet potato, cut into chunks

🥕 1 medium zucchini, cut into chunks

🥕 1 lb package orange lentils, rinsed and sorted.

🥕 8 cups vegetable or chicken broth

🥕 1-2 TBSP ground cumin

🥕 2 tsp ground turmeric

🥕 1 tsp EACH Salt and black pepper

Pear Turnovers:

🍐 2 medium Pears

🍐 3 medium Apples

🍐 1/3 cup light brown sugar

🍐 1 tsp vanilla extract

🍐 1 tsp ground cinnamon

🍐 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

🍐 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

🍐 1/3 cup raisins (optional)

🍐 1 egg plus 1 tsp water

🍐 Cane sugar to sprinkle on top of pastries

🍐 2 sheets puff pastry (1 pkg Pepperidge has 2 sheets)

We'd love for Mirowitz to be the first thing people see when they google "Best Schools in St. Louis." You can help! Will you give us a 5 Star Review on Facebook or on Niche?

Then...tell your friends about the great year your children are having, and invite them to join you (virtually, of course) at Sneak a Peek. You can learn more here.

RSVP here

Fall conferences are Oct. 15 and 16, and you may choose your time slot using our Mirowitz App.

Login to the Mirowitz app. (You can download it from the Apple or Google Play store. Search "Mirowitz.") You can also log in through this link.
Select Conference Sign Up
Select 2020 Fall Conferences
Choose your child's classroom teacher and Hebrew teachers.
Choose a time slot.

Your child's teachers will send out the Zoom links prior to conferences.

Honor your child's teachers!

You can honor your child's teachers with a donation of $18 to the PTO's "Teacher Appreciation Fund." Your donation and honoree will be announced at Kabbalat Shabbat and recognized in this newsletter. The funds will be used to shower the teachers with surprises throughout the school year.

You may also honor your child on a birthday or to celebrate a special accomplishment.

Want to make a donation for next week? You can do so here.

We are so happy that Ami is at Mirowitz especially because HE is so happy to be at Mirowitz.

Bonnie Shafrin
Kindergarten Grandma

I love being with my students. They make me feel like a full person.

Nancy James
Middle School Math Teacher

We are happy our sweet Jacob is experiencing such a warm and caring school environment. He is thriving there, loves his Tefilah time, loves his new friends, loves learning Hebrew. We are fluent in Hebrew, and are amazed at the speed Jacob is increasing his vocabulary!

Lili Lang
Kindergarten Grandma

Elijah's Circle Donors ($1,800+) are invited to an exclusive event featuring NPR International Coorespondant and Mirowitz alumnus Daniel Estrin.

Sun, October 18
10 a.m.

If you'd like to join us, please contact Lee'at.

Marni and Gage who led the lower school in Torah study this week

and to

Caleb, Emily and Leah
who chanted Torah in the Middle School.

Bistro Kids is now offering To Go Curbside Meals on Wednesday afternoons. Meals are cold and packaged in oven safe containers. You can pick up your pre-ordered meals at the door of the B’nai Amoona kitchen between 3:10 and 3:40 p.m. Meals will be charged to your child's Bistro Kids account. Place your order HERE. Contact AJ with questions.

Wishing a speedy and complete recovery to:

Howard Handelman

PTO SURVEY

Please take our PTO Survey so we know how you'd like to be involved.

We look forward to a great year!

Alana and Jacque
20-21 PTO Chairs

Do you recognize your child's grandparents in the Zoom screen above? We had such a nice discussion about connecting with grandchildren during a pandemic! Thanks to Carly Sparks, LCSW (and Mirowitz Mom), for facilitating and to all of the loving grandparens who joined us from Maryland, Philly, Chicago, New York and St. Louis.

Click here for "20 Ways to Connect with your Grandchild during a Pandemic".

Click hear to learn about upcoming grandparent events.

You think WE are TEA-riffic! And we think YOU are TEA-riffic! Thank you PTO for the sweet treat for teachers! We do feel loved!

Mirowitz parents Sarah Mermelstein and Tom Eidelman (parents of 1st grader Max and 3rd grader Millie) established this memorial event 10 years ago in memory of their son Joey who died unexpectedly in his sleep at age 15-months. Each year, they celebrate Joey's birthday with a blood drive! You can sign up to donate blood here. Enter sponsor code: Joey.