December 2, 2021

One of this year's Hanukah miracles was our second vaccine clinic where we vaccinated 376 people! Keep celebrating Hanukah with Heilicher's choral groups singing "Candlelight" in the above video.

Sparks of Light and Learning “HaMorah Esther, I have a question.” It really is one of my favorite phrases. When one of my students asks me, “Why do we light the hanukiah this way?” or “How long should my candles burn for?” my answer is often, “It depends on who you ask.”   Then they roll their eyes at me a little because they know what is coming next. My eyes light up, and the cogs in my brain start moving in overdrive.  A long time ago, I decided that in these moments my job is to give the student at least two answers to their amazing inquiry, including sources. If I don’t have the information at the tip of my tongue, I tell them it’s my homework, and I’ll do the research.  And then comes the miraculous part. Read more from Hebrew and Jewish Studies teacher Elena Levitt.

Torah Thoughts from Doc Read a brief message about this week's Torah portion, Parashat Miketz. How do we remain a distinct people within a larger society and culture?

Mark Your Calendars! Thursday, December 9 - Picture Retake Day Wednesday, December 22- Sunday, January 2 - NO SCHOOL: Winter Break View the full Heilicher calendar online

Early Bird Pricing Closes January 3 for Mid-Winter and Spring After-School Activities/Athletics Early bird pricing for mid-winter and spring activities will close on January 3 — classes fill up fast! Visit the After School Activities Page or the Athletics Page to see what offerings are still available. Contact Evelyn Sadlowski to be added to the waiting list for any after-school activity/athletic offerings. Submit the After-School Activities Registration Form or the Athletics Registration Form prior to January 3 to secure early bird pricing. Payment will be collected closer to the start date for all future activities. *An Important Note on Mid-Winter Athletics After School Thank you for your continued partnership as we try our best to support a diverse after-school program in the 2021-2022 school year. Our hopes for this school year included the return of our wide array of after school offerings. This, however, has proven more difficult than originally imagined with the rise in the Delta variant late this summer. Heilicher will not be offering close-contact sports in January, which includes both K-2 and 3-4 Basketball. We are working on finding replacement athletic activities that pose less of a risk to our day school program. It is our belief that contact sports pose a greater risk to our community when played both indoors and across grade level pods. All current mid-winter and spring registrants will be receiving an email from Evelyn Sadlowski confirming registration and proposing alternative athletic programming options as currently available to us. Spring 2022 programming will continue outdoors as planned. We are continuing to assess our ability to support Volleyball for the Upper School starting in February.

Join the Heilicher and Global Jewish Communities for Candlelighting Please take a photo of your student(s) lighting the hanukiah and post them to Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #heilicherlights. We cannot wait to see our students fulfilling the mitzvah of lighting the candles for Hanukah! Keep tuning in on Facebook or Instagram to join our students in lighting the hanukiah and see their Hanukah songs, dances, and reflections. On the eighth day of Hanukah, 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, December 5, virtually join Israel's President Isaac Herzog to light candles with The Jewish Agency for Israel on Facebook.

Library Opening We are happy to share that Heilicher students will soon be able to visit the library and check out books. Please review this Library Use Agreement, as allowing your student to check out books indicates that you agree to its terms. If you would like to opt out of this agreement, please email Diane Greenberger ASAP, and we will suspend your child's library account until further notice. Thank you for your patience as we have worked to get the library up and running.

Picture Retakes December 9 Picture retake day is scheduled for Thursday, December 9. If you would like your child to retake their school picture, email their teacher and Ali Berdass.

Next Chance to Join All-Inclusive Hot Lunch Program We are pleased to hear that there are students who would like to join the all-inclusive lunch program. Students may join the program and start receiving lunches on Monday, January 3, 2022. If your child would like to sign up, please email Annie Byrne by Friday, December 17. The same date applies to take your child out of the lunch program.

COVID-19 Important Reminders! COVID-19 rates remain high across Minnesota. Even as our students are now becoming vaccinated, we need to stay vigilant about preventing COVID-19 transmission. Please remind your children to wear masks and practice physical distancing outside of school as they socialize with friends and engage in extracurricular activities, keep them home from school if they have signs of illness, and obtain a COVID-19 test if they have any potential symptoms. Please report any household COVID-19 diagnosis or exposure in the Heilicher Communication Center. These measures continue to be needed to keep our entire school community safe and healthy.

Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School www.hmjds.org STAY CONNECTED

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