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Celebrating World Literacy Day with Briarwood Structured Literacy Teacher Stella Mercker

Erin Gregg on September 6, 2024

Celebrating World Literacy Day with Briarwood Structured Literacy Teacher Stella Mercker

World Literacy Day, celebrated on September 8, is a global reminder of the importance of literacy for all. At The Briarwood School, structured literacy is key in supporting students with dyslexia and other learning differences. In celebration of World Literacy Day, we asked Stella Mercker, a Structured Literacy Teacher in her ninth year at Briarwood, to share her thoughts on the impact of structured literacy and what World Literacy Day means to her.

Six structured literacy interventionists support Briarwood’s Lower School students. “Certified Structured Literacy/Dyslexia Interventionists provide targeted or intensive reading intervention services using structured literacy principles. They focus on phonological awareness, phonics (decoding and encoding), and fluency to help students improve their decoding skills,” according to the Center for Effective Reading Instruction (CERI).

When asked how structured literacy supports students with dyslexia and other learning differences, Mercker explained:

“Structured literacy supports all students! For one, it provides equity to the classroom and allows students to uncover the structure, complexities, and nuances of our language. People often assume that English doesn’t make sense and that it breaks all these rules — but if you use structured literacy in the classroom, students can see that English is wonderful and amazing. It has a structure, follows many generalizations, and the spelling of the words rarely breaks the rules. Structured Literacy means that literacy is taught systematically, sequentially, and explicitly — so nothing is left to chance — we cover it all.”

World Literacy Day holds special meaning for Mercker, as she reflected on the day’s significance.

“World Literacy Day is a day that we can celebrate equity in our learning — everyone deserves to learn how to read, and they should be taught in a way that helps them learn best. Structured literacy is designed to create strong, independent readers and writers. A reader is a leader, a change-maker, and an equalizer. ”

Mercker’s dedication to creating strong readers echoes the mission of our founder, Yvonne Tuttle Streit: Every child can learn and has the right to be taught in the way they learn best.

Introducing Winston: Briarwood’s First Official Therapy Dog Thursday

Erin Gregg on August 22, 2024

Introducing Winston: Briarwood's First Therapy Dog Thursday

There’s a new furry member of our Mustang community! The Briarwood and Tuttle Schools are thrilled to introduce Winston, an almost 2-year-old King Charles Cavalier, as the star of our Therapy Dog Thursdays. Winston, a certified therapy dog, spent the day visiting students across the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools and The Tuttle School. He offered his calming presence and provided an awesome brain break for students and faculty. The school counselors, Ms. Chapman and Ms. La’Zurs, utilized Winston in their daily activities, doubling the emotional support.

Winston’s first day was a success. One student shared, “It was the best day ever — he helped me so much.” Owned by Erica Zack, Executive Assistant to the Head of School, Winston is set to become a cherished part of the school community, providing comfort to students, faculty, and staff alike.

Therapy Dog Thursdays with Winston are sure to bring even more smiles and comfort to our Mustang community. We can’t wait to see the difference he’ll continue to make!