Dear TCGIS Community,
This email is a followup to the May 28th email from Director Ted Anderson regarding the egregious death of George Floyd and the aftermath his death triggered in the Twin Cities and throughout the world. Toward the end of the message, Director Anderson challenged our TCGIS community to use our privilege to push positive change forward. The second challenge was to implement the TCGIS vision to hear others and see others and to think and act in a manner that is open to the world.
Call to Action
Prioritize self-care.
Take a moment to let your shoulders drop, unclench your jaw, and take a deep breath. Parents, caregivers, and educators cannot pour from an empty cup. Only offer what you can easily give and no more. Since emergency distance learning began, TCGIS guidance has been to focus first on social and emotional needs, rather than academics. That focus is more important now than ever before. While many of us identify as helpers and caregivers, sometimes we also need care and help. In working toward change, we’re continuing a marathon, not embarking on a sprint, and we need to allocate our energy accordingly. Let’s ask for help, offer help, and support each other as a community.
Talk about race and listen.
Have candid conversations with children, family members, and colleagues. Listen to learn from those who have different perspectives than your own. For ideas on how to approach conversations about race and social injustice, visit
https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race
.
Join TCGIS Board committees.
Last summer, the School Board established a Diversity & Belonging committee to support the schoolwide goal of increasing the diversity of students and staff over time. You’ve read updates from the board throughout the year. Get involved and contribute energy to the efforts that are underway and share new ideas and opportunities. We may not have all the answers, but are committed to making sure that our school improves in its attention to equity and anti-racism education. TCGIS is an opportunity engine that should serve kids and families of all backgrounds and we appeal to our whole community to roll up our sleeves, get to work, and make this happen.
Vote for TCGIS Board candidates.
We need a strong leader for the Diversity & Belonging committee to take this work to the next level. Please help elect a candidate to fill this important role. Voting ends this Friday, June 5.
Support our Twin Cities community.
The Twin Cities are reeling from these tumultuous times, and many people have a strong desire to act. Please consider giving directly to any of these
local organizations to support those most in need
in the greater community, including TCGIS businesses and families directly impacted by the recent violence. We also seek volunteers to tend to the new
TCGIS community garden
, and we’ll donate the vegetables we grow this summer to a local food shelf.
George Floyd’s memorial service is Thursday, June 4, at 1pm in Minneapolis. We can honor and respect his memory, his family, and those in our community that are hurting by taking time to reflect on how we can commit to making our community just, kind, and inclusive of all. Until everyone feels they truly belong, we have work to do, starting with ourselves.
AND
Support further equity work at TCGIS.
This school year, we worked with a local racial equity education nonprofit organization,
AMAZEworks
, who provided guidance to our committee and anti-bias training for TCGIS staff, administration and the Board. We learned to strive beyond “Inclusion” and to work toward “Belonging” for our community members. (To be included by others is nice, but there is power in belonging). We commit to dedicating the
next $5,000 received in donations to implementing more AMAZEworks anti-racism educator training
in the next school year.
Donations can be made here
,
or send a check to the school office.
Challenges accepted? We thank you for everything you do on behalf of the Twin Cities German Immersion School and on behalf of the greater community.
In closing, we recognize that our community includes people whose loved ones, livelihoods, or homes are affected by proximity, by race, by occupation, and a myriad of other ways. Our international teachers may be particularly anxious and overwhelmed with what is happening in the United States, so far from their families and their homes. Anyone in the TCGIS community needing support can email
info@tcgis.org
and school staff and School Board volunteers will do our best to connect you with the needed resources.
With Gratitude,
Julie Alkatout
Chair, Board of Directors
Stephanie Forsland
Vice Chair and Chair, Governance & Leadership Development Committee
Rich Iwen
Secretary and Interim Chair, Diversity & Belonging Committee and
Chair, Communications & Outreach Committee
Dianne Bell
Chair, Fundraising & Development Committee
Lisa Linnell
Administrative Liaison and Chair, Workplace Culture & Innovative Education Committee
Emily Albers
Teacher member & Co-Chair Governance & Leadership Development Committee
Richard Heid
Treasurer and Co-Chair Finance & Facilities Committee
Nic Ludwig
Co-Chair Finance & Facilities Committee
Silke Moeller
Community member & Staff Liaison
Sam Imbo
Community member & Staff Liaison
Chris Tabisz
Teacher member & Parent Liaison
