As we close out Teacher Appreciation Week, thank you to the PTO for treating our teachers this week with decorations, baked goods, beverages, Shabbat supplies, and even spending time in the classrooms to give our teachers a break to enjoy a breakfast together!

And, of course, thank you to the teachers, staff, and administrators for everything they do to make Smith Jewish Academy the Twin Cities' school of choice for academic excellence in a nurturing Jewish environment.

Sarah G.'s book report brings the lessons of the Whole Brain-Child to life, highlighting the "upstairs brain" and the "downstairs brain" in a creative diorama that showcases how teachers can understand and support children as their brains develop.

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Learning at Smith extends beyond our students! Throughout the year teachers engage in ongoing professional development, and to cap off a text study of The Whole-Brain Child, each teacher chose a creative way to represent an area of learning from the book. Ms. Glassman’s project highlights how in high-stress moments, children operate from their “downstairs brain” (driven by emotion and reactivity). The role of the teacher is to guide the student back to the “upstairs brain” (where logic, empathy, and thoughtful decision-making can happen). This is just one way Smith nurtures students to have strong minds and become resilient, self-aware, and compassionate individuals.

This Teacher Appreciation Week, join us in thanking our teachers for their compassion, expertise, and ongoing commitment to being their best selves for Smith students. Thank you, SJA teachers!

The ultimate season is underway, and our SJA Lions are ready to roar!

We're excited to watch our student-athletes grow and build discipline, teamwork, confidence, and skill throughout the spring season. Go Lions! 🦁🥏

“Shanghai had saved our lives.”

Life was hard — full of poverty, starvation, disease, and, for a time, bombing — but Shanghai, China, is where Manny Gabler survived the Shoah after his parents fled Germany and then Italy, where Manny was born.

Manny told his family’s story to our middle school students yesterday to ensure we can say that we have met a survivor and that we will never forget. He left us with this takeaway:

“This is the second time in my life that I’ve lived under an occupation. The Japanese was one of them, and ICE was the second one. And I want everyone to remember that … what people’s skin color, religion [is], it doesn’t matter: We’re all human beings, and I hope you take that away from this.”

.Today was filled with joy as HaMorah Wendy and our eighth graders led the school in spirited song, bringing voices together in celebration of Yom Ha-Atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. Our full school community then gathered for a picnic and lively dancing, sharing food, laughter, and joyous pride and love — ahavat Yisrael. ✡️ Am Yisrael chai 🇮🇱

Fifth grade took on the challenge of life beyond Earth, researching what it would take to live on Mars and bringing their ideas to life through collaborative design.

Working in teams, students explored science, engineering, architecture, and community wellness to imagine sustainable life on Mars. They then translated their learning into detailed 3D colony models, constructed from recycled materials, demonstrating creativity, problem-solving, and a deep understanding of what it means to build not just structures but thriving communities.