Miss Natalie Meyer Schira, BA, proudly serves as a teacher of middle school English and writing. She graduated from Saint Mary’s College Notre Dame in 2012 with a major in English Literature and a minor in secondary education.

Since then, Miss Schira has dedicated herself to Catholic education, joyfully serving nine years teaching English in a Catholic high school in Iowa. Miss Schira has also been featured in publications and with awards and recognition for teaching and inspiration.

With a love of language and teaching, she is committed to cultivating students’ academic and emotional development and using her teaching credentials to collaborate with and support families and students. Miss Schira’s greatest loves include Christ, commas, communication, caffeine, and her beloved Chicago Cubs while living a life grounded in faith, joy, and opportunity.

To quote one of her favorite pieces of wisdom from her mother, “When life gives you hold music, dance.” Here at Aquinas Writing Advantage, Miss Schira is beginning her fifth year as a LIVE course teacher for the 6/7 and 7/8 Series middle school writing courses. She is also the Middle School Writing Support Specialist.

Check the current LIVE catalog to see Ms. Natalie Schira’s LIVE course offerings and sign up for her courses.

Donna Graziose, MA, MS, is a teacher with experience teaching across all levels—elementary through college—and a professional book editor for the Simplified Writing series of books and Word Mastery Skill Building workbooks. For many years, she has been working as an academic librarian for universities in New York, teaching writing, literature, research methods, and art history. Donna has also enjoyed teaching local homeschoolers for over 10 years in writing, literature, and history.

Donna, a homeschooling mom, is grateful for the homeschooling lifestyle where she can focus her children’s education on faith and family.

Here at Homeschool Connections’ Aquinas Writing Advantage program, Donna is an Instructor Access (IA) grading services instructor for the 7/8 Series Middle School and the 9 Series High School Foundational writing courses and the Advanced Punctuation and Grammar course.

GET INSTRUCTOR ACCESS AND LEARN WITH MRS. GRAZIOSE IN THE FOLLOWING MIDDLE SCHOOL UNLIMITED ACCESS RECORDED COURSES:

• MS 7/8-1, Simplified Writing for Middle School 1: Foundations of Composition I
• MS 7/8-2, Simplified Writing for Middle School 2: Introduction to Essays and Papers I
• MS 7/8-3  Simplified Writing for Middle School 3: Writing the Excellent Essay
• MS 7/8-4, Simplified Writing for Middle School 4: Writing Form and Style

GET INSTRUCTOR ACCESS AND LEARN WITH MRS. GRAZIOSE IN THE FOLLOWING HIGH SCHOOL UNLIMITED ACCESS RECORDED COURSES:

• HS 9-1, High School Writing Essentials 1: Essential Punctuation and Grammar I
• HS 9-2, High School Simplified Writing 1: Strong Foundational Writing Skills
• HS 9-3, High School Writing Essentials 2: Essential Paragraphs & Essay Writing
• HS 9-4, High School Simplified Writing 2: Beyond the Five-Paragraph Essay
• HS X-5, High School Writing Essentials 5: Punctuation & Grammar II

Mrs. Bonnie Donlon earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Literature from the University of Virginia. She taught writing at the Charlottesville Writing Center summer camp, then taught multiple subjects at The  Covenant School in Charlottesville, Virginia, with Pre-K through 4th-grade students, including reading and writing in the classroom and in the after-school programs. Mrs. Donlon also co-taught with her husband for the elementary level religious education program at St. Thomas Aquinas parish. When not teaching and grading student work, Mrs. Donlon enjoys reading, exploring the natural world with her children, and spending time with her extended family, including her sister-in-law, Mrs. Eleanor Nicholson, who is the High School Victorian Literature Instructor for Homeschool Connections.

Mrs. Donlon is the Assistant Director for Middle School with the Aquinas Writing Advantage program; teaches the LIVE 6/7 Series Middle School Writing courses, and is the Middle School Assessment Coordinator.

Check the current LIVE catalog to see Mrs. Donlon’s LIVE course offerings and sign up for her courses.

Check the current LIVE catalog to see Mrs. Hamric-Weis’s LIVE course offerings and sign up for her courses.

Aubrey Heki, B.A., has over 15 years of experience as a writing instructor, freelance editor, Assistant Lead Director of an online writing program, and Writing Assessment Coordinator with Homeschool Connections. She also served in a key administrative role at a private school for nearly three years. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Theory from Patrick Henry College, a classical liberal arts school in Virginia.

As Managing Director of the Aquinas Writing Advantage (AWA) program for the past three years, Mrs. Heki oversees daily operations and provides support to both AWA teachers and families.

She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and their four daughters, who range in age from preschool to middle school. Her favorite pastimes include enjoying a hot cup of coffee with a baked treat, reading to her children, baking sourdough bread, and spending time with family and friends.

Mrs. Heki teaches Word Mastery Skill Building courses for High School and Middle School, available anytime as Unlimited Access/Recorded courses.

• MS, WM-1, Word Mastery Skill Building 1: Apprentice Level (Middle School)
• HS, WM-5, Word Mastery Skill Building 5: Professional Level (High School)