May 15, 2020
I’ve been asked a few times this week how the remote learning experience is different for us as Jewish school. Maybe you’ve noticed these things too:
Attention to the Soul: Other schools make an effort to attend to social emotional health or to teach children about “mindfulness.” At Mirowitz, caring for the soul is our expertise! Our students know that Judaism offers wisdom and shared rituals that strengthen our emotional health. They have deep conversations about words of Torah and how they guide us. And as they join together (via Zoom) for t’fillah each day, they experience moments that help them make meaning of our world.
We all have power: The first day of school every year begins with this reminder: YOU have power. You use it every day. Your job is to use it to make a positive impact. The world is learning this message as we sacrifice our normalcy for the sake of public health. For Mirowitz students, understanding that their individual behavior impacts the collective community is part of their world view.
Community: With two weeks “in the cloud” behind us, we now know for certain that the magic of Mirowitz transcends walls. We have watched our students connect, discover, create and celebrate…knowing that they are part of something bigger than themselves. They are a part of a kehillah of shared values, of intimate relationships and of profound memories.
This afternoon, we joined together for Kabbalat Shabbat. As we do every week, we sang the words of our school anthem:
This is our kehillah.
It’s our community.
Here I can be myself, be who I want to be.
At Mirowitz I grow! At Mirowitz I see
that I can be myself.
That we’re a family!
Those words were written last year by Mirowitz middle school students, and they articulate everything we want Mirowitz to be…in the cloud or in person.
As we remain physically distanced in our homes over the coming weeks, we know that the term social distancing is a misnomer! We are deeply, socially connected and blessed to be a Mirowitz family.
Shabbat Shalom,
Cheryl Maayan