Lower School Enrollment Process
Grades 1 - 4
The Amos and Celia Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School Lower School admissions process includes a number of steps that are designed to help us understand each of our applicants as learners and to enable us to determine whether the Day School is a good match for your child and family.
Meeting and Tour—Seeing Our School Community First Hand
We invite you to attend one of our Prospective Parent Open Houses, or to schedule a private meeting and tour to learn more about our program and see our teaching and learning come to life. You will witness engaging, integrated lessons and experiential learning designed to inspire students to view learning and community engagement as lifelong ventures.
Application—Getting started
To obtain an application, please contact Admissions & Outreach Director Abbe Payton at 952.381.3566 or apayton@HeilicherJDS.org. Receipt of your completed application form (signed by all parents/legal guardians) and $200 non-refundable application fee starts the formal admissions process. We will contact you to schedule your admissions appointments. (Please see Admissions Timeline below for important dates.)
Individual Screening—Getting To Know Your Child As An Individual And As A Learner
All prospective grade 1-4 students meet one-on-one with Test Administrator Julie Ziessman or School Psychologist Gay Rosenthal. One of them will administer a screening test, usually the McCarthy Scales of Children’s Abilities and/or the Woodcock-Johnson, Third Edition. A brief interview with your child will also be conducted, providing information about interpersonal skills and social-emotional development. This process will take approximately one hour. During the entire appointment, one parent/guardian (not nanny/babysitter) must stay in the Day School office waiting area. There may be a short parent/guardian questionnaire to fill out during this time.
School Visit—An Opportunity To Learn and Share More Information
Upon completion of the above, we will ask that your child spend all or part of a day at the Day School in his/her current grade. This visit will give your child an opportunity to experience a “snapshot of Day School” as well as enable our teachers to observe your child formally in a classroom setting.
Previous School Records—This Important Documentation Is Necessary
Our admissions office will provide you with a Request For Records Form for you to fill out and give to your current school so it can forward your child’s complete file directly to the Day School. This information, including past report cards, provides the Day School Admissions Team with important information about your child in a classroom setting. This information is due to the Day Schoolin advance of the parent-only follow-up meeting.
Follow-Up Meeting—The Partnering Process Begins
Next, you will be invited back for a parent-only follow-up meeting with Gay Rosenthal and Julie Ziessman, to obtain feedback and hear what we have learned about your child. We hope that the information provided at this meeting will give you valuable insights about your child’s profile as a learner. This time is also one for you to share any information about your child that you do not feel was communicated on your application form. As part of our ongoing partnership with families, we hope that both parents in a dual-parent household can attend this meeting.
Final Review—The Admissions Team at work
The Admissions Team meets regularly to review applicants’ files. Admissions criteria used to determine whether or not the Day School is an appropriate learning program and environment for your child include: information from the application; in-person visit to a classroom; school records; and any other information provided in writing by parents. Sometimes the Admissions Team will request additional information before making a decision about admission. (Please see Additional Information below.)
Admissions—A Thoughtful Decision
A letter of acceptance, along with an enrollment form, fee schedule, and Parent Covenant, will be mailed to your home, in accordance with the Admissions Timeline listed below. Please review, sign and return the enrollment form, along with a $600 deposit (applied to tuition), by the date indicated on the contract, to hold your child’s place in the upcoming fall class. Enrollment forms received after the date requested will be considered on a first-come/first-served basis, pending space availability.
Families with children accepted by Passover will have the opportunity to fill out and return a Class Placement Form. All families will be invited to attend a variety of Day School events and meetings during the summer leading up to enrollment, including New Parent Orientation and an Ice Cream Social.
Financial Assistance—Available To Families Who Qualify
The Day School is committed to socioeconomic diversity. If you are considering applying for financial assistance, please be sure to check this box on your application. A financial assistance information package will be mailed to your home early in the calendar year.
If you are unsure whether you want to apply for financial assistance, or want more information about what type of documentation is required to show “demonstrated need,” please contact Business Director Steve Richardson at 952.381.3510 or srichardson@HeilicherJDS.org. He can speak with you confidentially and provide you with a ballpark idea of your family’s expected tuition contribution.
Please carefully read all financial assistance information, including submission deadlines and instructions, as there are a number of specific procedures required.
Approximately 30% of Day School families receive some degree of financial assistance. The Day School does not offer any full scholarships.
Additional Information
Partnering between school and home is key to a successful experience. Please provide the Day School with any/all outside testing or evaluations done by OT, PT, medical, psychological, or other professionals. The more information we have about your child the more successful we will be in meeting his/her needs!
Admissions Timeline
Admissions Timeline
* Families whose application forms and fees are received by mid-December, and who have completed the other necessary steps in a timely manner, will receive early notification of admissions near President’s Day.
* Families whose application forms and fees are received by mid-February, and who have completed the other necessary steps in a timely manner, will receive notification of admissions near Passover.
Admissions Questions
This listing is designed to ensure that we meet the needs of prospective/incoming students and families as effectively as possible. Please use this guide as a reference when further admissions-related communication is desired.
If you have questions regarding scheduling admissions appointments, please contact Ethan Tarshish, Admissions Assistant, at 952.381.3506 or etarshish@HeilicherJDS.org.
If you have questions regarding admissions procedures, please contact Abbe Payton, Admissions & Outreach Director, at 952.381.3566 or apayton@HeilicherJDS.org.
If you have questions regarding financial assistance and/or payments, please contact Steve Richardson, Business Director, at 952.381.3510 or srichardson@HeilicherJDS.org.
If you have questions regarding the Lower School program, please contact Helen Siegel, Lower School Director, at 952.381.3500 or hsiegel@HeilicherJDS.org.
If you have any other questions or concerns regarding your child, including those related to family stress or changes, please contact Gay Rosenthal, School Psychologist, at 952.381.3500 or grosenthal@HeilicherJDS.org.
Hebrew Language Learning—Preparing Your Child For A Dual Language Program
The Day School is open to students mid-program, with little or no Hebrew language experience. During the defined school day, the Day School will support your child with his or her Hebrew language learning through small-group work and differentiated instruction. The school is committed to providing a variety of flexible Hebrew groupings, to accommodate many learning styles and paces.
In addition, students entering in grade 2 or above will be asked to seek private summer Hebrew language tutoring, usually two times per week. The school may also recommend some less-intensive tutoring during the school year. The school will provide families with the names of Hebrew tutors familiar with teaching our curriculum. Compensation for these tutors will be the family’s responsibility.
The Day School also recommends attendance at its summer Hebrew Immersion Camp, run jointly with the Sabes JCC.
Non-Discrimination
The Day School admits students of any sex, race, color, religion, or national or ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. The school does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, or national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, athletic or other school-administered programs.
