Kindergarten

Our kindergarten teachers open the gates to the excitement of learning. Through hands-on, experiential activities, teachers lead our children to more independence and self-confidence while providing foundational skills in an environment that promotes a love of learning.

Jenny Palmer, M.A., Kindergarten General Studies Teacher, earned her B.S. in elementary education from St. Cloud State University and her M.A. in classroom instruction and a K-12 reading endorsement from Concordia University. Jenny joined the Heilicher faculty in 2004. She enjoys attending workshops and observing in other schools to gather new ideas to apply in her own classroom. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, baking, playing games, traveling, being crafty, and practicing sign language when she can. 

Hadassa Slager, Kindergarten Hebrew and Jewish Studies Teacher and Grade 4 Hebrew Teacher, earned a B.Ed. in ESL from the University of Applied Sciences of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and a Certificate of Jewish Studies from the Ministry of Diaspora Affairs in Israel. She is working toward a master's degree in Jewish education at JTS. Hadassa was born and raised in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. She made aliyah to Israel and studied and worked there for 11 years. Hadassa moved to Baltimore with her family and then relocated to the Twin Cities in 2005. She has taught Judaics, Hebrew, and ESL in the Netherlands, Israel, Baltimore, and here in the Twin Cities. She taught International Baccalaureate Hebrew language at St. Louis Park High School, where many Heilicher alumni were among her students.