Mishpacha – Family

The great thing about being a K-8 school is the opportunity for children in all grades to interact with each other. For example, the eighth graders are book buddies with the junior kindergarteners and the seventh graders collaborate on projects with the second graders.

Once a month, MJDS students come together for a special program organized and run by the eighth graders, called mishpachot, or families. Students form mishpachot spanning various grade levels and participate in activities together to welcome Shabbat.  The eighth graders are put into the driver’s seat. They plan and execute lessons, with the goal of engaging all the students in a positive, meaningful experience.

Last week MJDS had its second mishpachot of the year. As we begin to feel fall in the air, and Thanksgiving slowly approaches, the question we ask ourselves and our children is, “What are we thankful for?” Our eighth grade leaders posed this question to our students. While some responses included specific thanks such as “I am thankful for professional sports in Wisconsin” or “I am thankful for cupcakes,” the majority of the responses were, “I am thankful for my family, my friends and my school.”

This week the eighth graders took the opportunity to reflect upon their experiences during mishpachot; you can read a few of their blog posts here and here and a post by their ELA teacher here. This is our MJDS Mishpachot Tree of Thanks; come to MJDS and see how we are truly one mishpacha.

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