Do you ever wish your own parents had sent you to Mirowitz? I feel that way all the time, and especially when I walk around the building and see how our students are blossoming as learners. Our constructivist approach is just so different from the approach my childhood teachers used.

They have been taught to look for powerful moments and unforgettable scenes. They have learned to seed their stories with their feelings, affinities, fears and interests. They are learning to express themselves the way professional writers do.

Each year, our students expand their skills by writing many stories within three broad genre of writing: narrative, opinion and informational writing. 

Fourth grade opinion writing takes the form of letters to their state elected officials about bills going through the Missouri legislature. They are preparing for a special fourth grade milestone when they lobby their legislators about local solutions to global issues such as animal cruelty, and local ones such as voting protocols. Fifth graders write persuasive essays about topics that matter to them: the value of volunteering, the importance of summer vacation, why you should recycle. And in middle school, student are defending a thesis about their literary analyses.

Our students are learning to use writing to express themselves, to communicate, and to process information. Most of all, they are learning that their ideas have value, and deserve to be put on paper. Their confidence in expressing themselves in writing is a gift they will value the rest of their lives.

שבת שלום,

Cheryl

• Shauni: You always hear about Middle School having so much girl drama, but we just don't. We are all know each other and get along so well.
• Eliana: We also have friends in other grades. I know so many kids in every grade, still feel close to my kindergarten buddies (who are now in 1st grade) and like having electives with 7th and 8th graders. We are all one community.
• Jordyn: I love that the teachers want us to speak out for change. I'll never forget talking to my representative about a food waste bill when I was in 4th grade. That gave me so much confidence.
• Annika: The overnights are amazing...like a big sleepover with your whole class, only you get to learn important things about the prairie and pioneer life. 
• Leah: I feel so lucky to have had teachers every year who really know me and how I learn best. Everyone in our class has different things that help them, and the teachers give each of us just what we need. 
• Maya: It's pretty great to be able to learn Hebrew every day! And it would be easy in another school to forget to celebrate some fun Jewish holidays like Purim, Tu B'svat and even Shabbat! At Mirowitz, Jewish holidays are an important part of our experience.