The first month of school has been filled with a warm welcome to our students and families. From Back-to-School Night and the New Parent Welcome to our Parent-Teacher Conferences, we’ve embraced the start of the year with community spirit. Our students have also been thriving, with memorable events like the Middle School Retreat, student-led Kabbalat Shabbat, and ruach-filled, friendship building All-School Lunches.
In this year’s Middle School Musar program, students began by mapping significant life influences to reflect on how they became who they are today, leading to the question: “Who do you want to be?” Musar teaches that personal growth is possible through reflection and regular practice, helping students confront inner obstacles to change. This process cultivates curiosity and encourages self-examination while grounding them in Jewish tradition and spiritual growth.
These moments go beyond the academic content of our dual general and Jewish studies curriculum, and they truly reflect what makes Heilicher unique — our commitment to cultivating curious minds and nurturing Jewish roots.
Our refreshed mission, vision, and values reflect this commitment. In the coming communications, we’ll explore Heilicher’s core values and how they shape our daily interactions:
Be a Mensch. Aspire to Excellence. Embrace Jewish Wisdom. Create Community.
The first value captures how we want the Heilicher community to behave: We act with integrity, kindness, and empathy, fostering a culture of belonging where every individual is valued.
In the lower school, students are already demonstrating small acts of kindness and support. During t’filah last week, a fourth-grade student noticed a third grader struggling to follow along while reading the siddur. Without being asked, the older student quietly leaned over to help, gently guiding their peer through the prayers and making sure they felt included.
Whether you’re a student, faculty member, parent, or administrator, we create spaces where learning thrives, creativity flourishes, critical thinking grows, and chesed (kindness) is woven into the fabric of the school. Being a mensch is simply who we are.
As Rosh Hashanah approaches and we begin a new Jewish year, we invite you to join us in building a world of mensches. We are deeply grateful for your partnership in educating and nurturing the next generation of leaders — rooted in their heritage and guided by purpose.
Shanah Tovah! Good Year!