Middle School (Grades 6-8)

Heilicher is committed to providing all students with experiences that create lifelong problem solvers who can collaborate, adapt, and adjust to a diverse and ever-changing society. Students are encouraged to adopt a mindset rooted in persistence and growth and build skills for problem-solving and abstract thinking. Students develop their math abilities and knowledge through guided discovery, experiential learning activities, and engaging discussions in order to help students achieve a deep understanding of concepts.

Our middle school math program offers a variety of courses, including sixth-grade math, pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry, to meet the individual needs of our students, allowing them to build on their successes, access their full potential, and be prepared to excel in high school courses.

The sixth- through eighth-grade science program builds on its Lower School base by guiding students in learning about the natural world through laboratory experimentation. Students use various media to learn critical scientific content as well as to develop critical thinking skills. Throughout the Upper School experience, students will learn and practice various study and note-taking methods ensuring that they enter high school prepared to thrive as they continue their academic journeys. Our science curriculum is designed to align with Next Generation Science Standards.

Science by grade:

• Grade 6: Earth Science
• Grade 7: Life Science
• Grade 8: Physics and Chemistry

“It was my seventh- and eighth-grade science experience — especially all the labs — that led me to succeed in high school and college science and ultimately to medical school.”

— Heilicher Graduate

Our middle school social studies curriculum is aligned with Minnesota state standards and covers local, national, and global topics. We focus on helping students develop critical thinking skills by analyzing and interpreting historical events, sources, and perspectives. Through interactive lessons, students connect past and present events, explore cause-and-effect relationships, and build strong historical reasoning skills. By the time they graduate, students have a solid foundation of knowledge, along with the research skills and analytical tools needed to explore the world around them and become lifelong learners.

• Grade 6: U.S. and Minnesota history through the mid-19th century
• Grade 7: U.S. and Minnesota history from the mid-19th century to today
• Grade 8: Global studies and capstone research

“I was absolutely amazed after attending the eighth-grade presidential debate. I learned more from the ‘candidates,’ than I have from any of the major TV networks. The debaters were clear, concise, knowledgeable, and professional. I commend the students and the HMJDS Social Studies Department.”
 

— Heilicher Grandparent

Hebrew

The Hebrew curriculum at Heilicher is designed to build upon students’ previous knowledge of speaking, reading, and writing Hebrew in an authentic and functional manner. The program emphasizes developing deeper communication skills, enriching vocabulary, and fostering pride in students’ ability to express themselves in Hebrew.

Primary Goals of Hebrew Study:

• Effective Communication: Students learn to express thoughts and feelings about new situations, share interests, articulate opinions, and respond to others.
• Acquisition of Information: Students gain the ability to read and understand a range of texts, including newspapers, short stories, and longer novels in Hebrew.

Preparing Your Child for a Dual-Language Program

Across our program we are committed to providing a variety of flexible Hebrew groupings to accommodate many learning styles and paces. This allows us to welcome students midprogram with little or no Hebrew language experience. Regardless of the grade your child enters Heilicher, we will support their Hebrew learning during the defined school day through small-group work and differentiated instruction.

Students entering second grade or above with little or no prior Hebrew language experience will be asked to engage in private Hebrew tutoring during the summer preceding their enrollment. Heilicher will provide families with the names of Hebrew tutors familiar with teaching our curriculum. Tutoring is usually two times per week, and compensation for these tutors will be the family’s responsibility. Heilicher may recommend some additional tutoring during the school year.

“Our students naturally integrate their thinking and learning. Once, a student of mine even pointed out that the Hebrew word for horse (soos) was a palindrome, something she had studied in her English language arts class earlier in the day.”

— Heilicher Faculty Member

The middle school Judaic studies program is characterized by a strong emphasis on critical thinking, text skills, and values-based reading of texts. The curriculum challenges students to reflect on the lessons of Tanakh (Bible), the students’ connection to the Jewish people, and their interactions with the texts. Students expand beyond the Torah text to study:

• Mishnah,
• N’vi’im and K’tuvim (the books of the prophets and the Writings),
• Rabbinic commentary, including Rashi,
• Post-biblical texts, including Midrash (ethical stories on the text),
• The Talmud, and
• Legal and philosophical texts up to present day.

In middle school students expand and synthesize their prior knowledge through a variety of projects. Students integrate technology into public presentations, the arts, and all their general studies, Judaic studies, and Hebrew classes. Students in middle school also learn principles of digital citizenship, appropriate use of current technologies, and digital organization.

The library is open daily during school hours. Individual students may stop by before classes begin and during the day when time allows. Middle school students visit the library in small groups or with teachers based on topics they are studying in classes across curricula. Students make use of both physical as well as online resources.

The middle school arts curriculum offers a choice of experiences that build on the foundation gained in the Lower School. Each trimester students have a choice from the two-three art classes offered. There is a Monday/Wednesday class, a Tuesday/Thursday class, and a Friday-only class. Students in grades 6-8 are required to take one M/W or T/Th art class per year. Each trimester offers a traditional art form, a digital art form, and a craft or skills class on Friday. Assessment of students is based on effort, improvement of artistic skill, creativity, and cooperation. Practice, incorporating new techniques, and being comfortable taking risks improve art skills. There is an art experience for everyone.

• Traditional studio art: drawing, painting, clay sculpture, and printmaking 
• Digital art: photography, graphic design, Photoshop (Adobe Creative Suite: Lightroom, Illustrator, Photoshop), and digital drawing (Sketchbook app on Chromebooks)
• Friday art choices, three per year, offer students an introduction or opportunity to further or discover a particular interest or skill: embroidery, digital drawing, watercolor painting, paper sculpture, and art history

“We feel fortunate that our daughter has so many opportunities at HMJDS to express herself artistically. You have played a huge role in building her art skills and her impression of herself and her abilities.”

— Heilicher Parent

As our students expand their study of diverse musical genres, middle school students start to learn to view music as an instrument for social change as well as a driving force in shaping the contemporary musical world.

Students in middle school may be offered additional music course offerings in vocal music, digital music, and/or music literacy, dependent on student interest and instructor availability. Music course offerings change from year to year, and some may be offered after school as extracurriculars.

One of the hallmarks of the performing arts at Heilicher has been a seventh- and eighth-grade musical in which students take on parts as actors, singers, dancers, and all of the production aspects of putting on a Broadway show.

“During her time at HMJDS, our daughter learned so much about American and Jewish composers and music in general.”

— Heilicher parent

The PE program at Heilicher emphasizes development of physical skills, improvement in physical fitness levels, respect between students through competition, and basic joy of play and participation. PE reinforces the Jewish values of being responsible to one another in how we behave in the gym as well as cooperation and sportsmanship. Students are mentored and coached by physical education teachers on teamwork and to support their physical, social, and emotional growth. Students will:

• Further their competence in the ability to control, throw, and catch a manipulative while moving, such as passing a basketball, hitting a pickleball, or receiving a ball while running.
• Gain a strategic and tactical understanding of a variety of sports, from creating space for oneself in ultimate frisbee to shot placement in racquet sports. This understanding can creatively be applied to other sports and activities.
• Gain knowledge of and participate in a variety of strength, endurance, and stretching activities, setting the foundation for a lifestyle that includes physical activity.
• Exhibit responsible personal and social behavior that respects themselves and others. 

After school, middle students also have the opportunity to participate in league play against other independent schools: soccer in the fall, basketball in the winter, and ultimate frisbee in the spring.

“I love the PE program at HMJDS. The variety of sports, engaging instructors, and focus on ‘fun’ as opposed to competition has given my kids greater confidence and skill. It keeps them active, boosts their overall health, and helps them learn better in the classroom!”

— Heilicher Parent

Students in sixth through eighth grades learn about sexuality through a learning program called Our Whole Lives (OWL). This curriculum provides accurate, age-appropriate information in human development, relationships, personal skills, sexual behavior, sexual health, and society and culture. A holistic view of sexuality, Our Whole Lives not only provides facts about anatomy and human development, it helps students clarify their values, build interpersonal skills, and understand the spiritual, emotional, and social aspects of sexuality.

Getting out in the world is an important feature of the Heilicher curriculum. All students attend a middle school reterat in the fall. Sixth graders participate in a four-day Northern Minnesota trip in the spring; seventh graders go to Washington, D.C., in the spring; and eighth graders participate in a capstone trip to Israel. Additionally, students participate in curricular field trips throughout their time in middle school.