Support Heilicher Education With Your Year-End Holiday Donation

During this Festival of Lights, we recall how special our school is. Being back together this year as an extended Heilicher community has truly reminded us of what makes our school strong and vibrant — joyful children’s voices in the hallways, parents and grandparents volunteering in the classrooms, and amazing teachers dedicated each day to helping our kids learn and grow. 

On this Chanukah, we ask that you please join us in making a gift to the Heilicher Annual Fund. It takes the participation of our entire Heilicher community to help keep our school thriving for current and future generations. We have already raised $300,000 in Annual Fund support, and our goal is to double that achievement this school year. To meet that mark, we will need contributions from parents, grandparents, alumni families, and the entire Heilicher community.

Please feel free to make your gift online at hmjds.org/donate. You may also contact Beckie Skelton, Heilicher institutional advancement director, by email or at 612.419.3290. She would be happy to help you make a gift or pledge by phone or email. Payment on pledges can be made any time before the end of June 2023.

Most of all, we want to wish your family a Chanukah full of light, warmth, and happiness.

With gratitude,

Cantor Joshua Fineblum and Andrea Golden

Yehuda Gruenberg and Orlee Tatarka

Heilicher Annual Fund Parent Co-Chairs

Torah Thoughts from Doc

Read a brief message about this week's Torah portion, Parashat Mikeitz. The key to recognizing truth is to be freethinking and open-minded.

Mark Your Calendars!

• Friday, December 23-Monday, January 2 - NO SCHOOL: Winter Break
• Sunday, January 8 - Mitzvah Project, 10-11:30 a.m.
• Friday, January 13 - NOON EARLY DISMISSAL: Teacher Grading Day — School's Out Available
• Monday, January 16 - NO SCHOOL: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

View the full Heilicher calendar online

Key Dates for 2022-2023

Lunch Opt-In Available

Opt in now for your student to start receiving lunches on Tuesday, January 3. If you would like to sign up for the Heilicher all-inclusive lunch program for the remainder of the school year, email Annie Byrne by Friday, December 30. Check out the menu and policies on the Heilicher website. The cost is $91.67 per month.

January and February School's Out

Heilicher will offer School's Out on the afternoons of Friday, January 13, and Friday, February 3. There is no programming on MLK Day, January 16. School's Out programming will take place 12-4 p.m. Students must bring a cold, dairy or parev lunch from home.

January's programming will include slime-making with Kidcreate Studio. A professional yo-yo player will perform for February's School's Out.

Registration for School's Out is available on Jumbula. Each costs $55. Registration for each program closes one week before the program start date or when the roster is full, whichever comes first.

Midwinter Extracurriculars Start in Late January

Registration for midwinter extracurriculars is open on Jumbula. Registration for each class closes one week before the program start date or when the roster is full, whichever comes first.

Fifth-Grade Hosts a Mitzvah Project

Mitzvah Project Drive 

On Sunday, January 8, the fifth grade is hosting a mitzvah project from 10 to 11:30 a.m. The morning will be filled with mitzvah stations and activities. In order to make this event a success, we need the help of the Heilicher school community. A Mitzvah Project Drive will take place to gather items for blessing bags/care packages. We ask that students in each grade bring different items to school between January 3 and 6 so we have them for the January 8 event.

• K-2 brings socks
• 3-4, brings hand warmers 
• 5-6 brings granola bars 
• 7-8 brings lip balm

All items can be dropped off outside the Heilicher office. Please bring items no later than Friday, January 6, at 10 a.m. 

Mitzvah Project Day

The fifth grade has planned a day for hands-on activities with the goal to raise money for charities related to cancer research/support, animals, and children's hospitals. Some of these activities include making blessing bags with the Drive items, making cards for isolated people, and friendship bracelets for first responders. We ask that everyone attending please bring a canned food item to donate day of.

What: Fifth grade presents the Mitzvah Project

When: Sunday, January 8, 10-11:30 a.m.

Where: Heilicher dining room and library

Heilicher Communication Center

Please continue to report COVID-19 diagnoses or close contact exposures, as well as symptoms of any other illness, promptly through the Heilicher Communication Center, even during Winter Break. This reporting portal is absolutely critical to keeping our Heilicher faculty and staff informed of student illnesses or absences and maintaining the health of our school community.

New Illness Information in Heilicher Communication Center

To keep you informed of the illness in school, the Heilicher Illness Dashboard showing the number of cases of influenza/influenza-like illness, COVID-19, and strep throat in school is now available. It will be updated each school day and include both staff and students. You will continue to be notified by email if a case of these illnesses has been detected in your child's classroom. We hope you find this informative.  

The Heilicher Spirit Shop is Open!

Order Heilicher apparel and accessories online at the Heilicher Spirit Shop.

Volunteer Opportunities

Sign up to help at All-School Lunch and/or All-School T'filah.

• All-School Lunch: Help set up and clean up our all-school lunch on Wednesday(s) in the auditorium 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
• All-School T'filah: Help us set up for all-school t'filah (prayer) Monday(s) in the theater 8:15-9 a.m.

Grade-level volunteer opportunities will be sent out by room parents.

Keren Or Creative Arts Contest

Keren Or (Ray of Light) is a creative arts contest for teens in grades 7-12. Students can submit poetry, prose, and photography. Winning entries will receive cash prizes and certificates, and their work will be published in the American Jewish World newspaper as well as on the Keren Or website. The works will also display at the Sabes JCC. Heilicher students and alumni received prizes for their works in last year's contest.

The submission deadline is 5 p.m. Friday, February 17. Rules and the submission form are available on the Keren Or website.