August 26, 2021

We are looking forward to welcoming our students in just a few days! Be sure to take pictures, tag us, and use our filters on Facebook and Instagram. Facebook filters: Take a photo with Roary or with a Heilicher banner! Also find the filters by clicking any photos with the filters posted to our Facebook Stories. Instagram filters: Take a photo with Roary or with a Heilicher banner! Also find the filters by going to hmjdslions on Instagram and clicking the three stars icon.

Mark Your Calendars! CANCELED DUE TO RAIN! Thursday, August 26 (TONIGHT) - Heilicher Summer Social 6-7 p.m., Camp Olami White Tent on the Sabes JCC field Monday, August 30, or Tuesday, August 31 - Planned start-dates for kindergarten (K students will attend for a full day on either Monday or Tuesday of the first week of school. All K students will attend school together on Wednesday, September 1. Monday, August 30, and Tuesday, August 31 - Back-to-school parent coffees 8:15-9:15 a.m., Camp Olami White Tent on the Sabes JCC field Wednesday, September 1 - Heilicher Opening Ceremonies 8:30-9 a.m., via Zoom Monday, September 6 - No School: Labor Day Tuesday, September 7 - No School: Rosh Hashanah Wednesday, September 8 - No School: Rosh Hashanah

CANCELED DUE TO RAIN! Tonight's Heilicher Summer Social Due to anticipated rain, we are canceling tonight's Heilicher Summer Social. We look forward to seeing everyone next week!

UPDATED - IMPORTANT Travel Reporting and Testing Guidelines Travel Reporting and Post-Travel Testing After additional consultation with members of our Health and Safety Committee, we have decided to eliminate the mandatory testing requirement for students following domestic travel. Families do not need to report their domestic travel to Heilicher. NOTE: We are still requiring mandatory testing and quarantine following international travel, which must be reported on the travel form in the Heilicher Communication Center. Also use this form to report if you have guests visiting and staying with you from another country. At this time, we are asking all families to familiarize themselves with the attached What the Experts Say About COVID-19 Risks document and to continue to make thoughtful and conservative choices to help protect our community. As we have stated before, the continued health of the community rests on all of our shoulders. Recommended Testing Before Beginning of School Year In an effort to start the school year from a place of health and safety, we are strongly encouraging all students and staff to take a rapid test between Friday, August 27 and Sunday, August 29. This could mean a Rapid Antigen or Rapid PCR between Friday and Sunday, either at home or at one of the community testing sites around the metro area. We understand that this could feel like an imposition or hardship for your family. However after conversations with our Health and Safety committee, we feel this request helps us further safeguard our community. If your student tests positive, please fill out the Heilicher Communication Center form, and Nurse Katie will be in touch with you regarding the next steps. NEW - Permission Required for COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Testing at School We now have Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Nasal Swab tests available at Heilicher. To give permission to our school nurse to perform a test on your child if they exhibit signs or symptoms of COVID-19 during the school day, we ask that you please submit a permission form in the Heilicher Communication Center. Please sign this form prior to Monday, August 30.

Updated FAQs and Covid Policies for 2021-22 We have updated our FAQs to provide you with important and timely information about our school schedule, co-curricular programming, hot lunch, drop-off and dismissal, COVID-related policies and procedures, and more. We also continue to update our COVID procedures document, with additional information regarding our policies and protocols. If you have any time sensitive questions regarding the FAQs included here, please reach out to Heilicher Returns.

Back-to-School Parent Coffees After dropping off your students, please join us at the Camp Olami White Tent on the Sabes JCC field on Monday, August 30, and Tuesday, August 31. Prepackaged muffins and coffee will be served.

Heilicher Opening Ceremonies Join us via Zoom on Wednesday, September 1, 8:30-9 a.m., for our virtual Opening Ceremonies. Students and faculty who are new to Heilicher will have a special mention, and we'll bless the eighth graders who have just entered their last year at Heilicher. Parents, grandparents, and alumni are encouraged to join!

Mask Reminders All students, faculty, and staff at Heilicher must wear masks at school, indoors and outdoors. We ask that masks be well-fitting and worn over the nose and mouth at all times. Masks may not be vented, and neck “gaiters” are not permitted.  Please ensure that your child has at least five masks at school at all times. Heilicher staff may ask a student to change to a different mask if it is not well-fitting or does not meet COVID safety standards.

REMINDER: Drop-off Procedures This school year, drop-off at the beginning of the school day will be at the ​south door ​of the Sabes JCC (front of the building). This is the only drop-off entrance; parking for any period of time is not allowed. To drop off your child, please drive to the far east side of the parking lot, circle around, and pull up along the curb outside the south entrance. Please allow your child to exit the vehicle from the passenger side only.

School's Out Programming Canceled for September Due to low enrollment numbers, and consistent with our commitment to not mixing grade level grouping in K-5, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all September School's Out programming. We will reevaluate this decision at the end of September for School’s Out dates in October and beyond. If you have already preordered School's Out programming for September dates through your MSA account, your account will be refunded. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please reach out to Evelyn Sadlowski with any questions.

Dress Code for Grades K-5 For the safety of our students and their ability to participate in all school activities throughout the day, please make sure students in grades K-5 wear athletic shoes to school daily.

Art Supplies for Grades 3-6 All students in grades 3-6 need a paint shirt labeled with their name to be kept at school. We ask that families keep the following art supplies to keep at home.

Heilicher Annual Benefit Please join us for the 2021 Heilicher Annual Benefit as we celebrate our wonderful Heilicher community and honor Heilicher alumni parents and community leaders Stacy Pinck and Brad Birnberg and Jill and Jon Halper. This is an adults-only event. Sunday, October 10, 2021 5:30 p.m. Beth El Synagogue 5225 Barry St. West, St. Louis Park Purchase tickets and learn more about our honorees here. NOTE: Masks must be worn by all attendees, and proof of COVID vaccination is required.

Heilicher Hallway Chat Make sure to join "Heilicher Hallway Chat" on Facebook. The Heilicher Hallway Chat is a private Facebook group for parents run by parents. The purpose of this group is for casual conversation like the type you might have in the hallway or parking lot when you have five minutes to chat.

From the Desk of Nurse Katie Immunizations Incoming students will need to have updated immunizations before coming to school. These forms were sent to you in your enrollment packet. If you have misplaced your forms, please reach out to Heilicher nurse Katie Ruff. When COVID-19 vaccines become available for your child’s age group, please get them vaccinated! Currently, the CDC says the COVID-19 vaccine can be administered at the same time as other immunizations. COVID Testing We encourage families to get tested frequently, even when asymptomatic. Free at-home testing is available through Vault/MDH. You can order up to two spit tests at once, and there is no limit on frequency. Test results are usually available within 48 hours. Families may also want to purchase over-the-counter antigen tests to have at home.

School Calendar For up-to-date information on events such as holidays, family programs, and extracurriculars, go to the school calendar available on our website.

Condolences Condolences to Heilicher parents Daniel and Sarah Kaye and their children, Maya and Sadie, on the passing of Daniel's grandfather, Alvin Kaye.  Mazel Tov! Mazel Tov to Heilicher student Avery Hoffman on his upcoming Bar Mitzvah on Saturday, August 28.

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

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