February 23, 2017

Take a look at current volunteer opportunities! If you are not yet a volunteer, but are interested in becoming one - please email Tina Haarbusch. Vielen Dank!

Administrative Information

Vielen Dank for a Wonderful Carnival of Cultures

Thank you to everyone who came out to last night's Carnival of Cultures! The evening was filled with entertaining performances across all grades, and it was clear that lots of hard work went into these performances. Thank you to all of the parents for their support, whether it was helping at the Capstone Cafe, bringing students to the Aula from their classrooms, or for simply being great audience members.

A special thank you to Herr Dahl and Frau Hall for organizing this wonderful event!

Parent Teacher Conferences - March 16 & 17

Coming up quickly are parent teacher conferences! These are from 4:00-7:30pm on Thursday, March 16 and 8:10am-3:30pm on Friday, March 17.

In next week's Elternbrief we will send out information on how to log in and how to sign up for conferences. This information will come out at 4:00pm, however you will not be able to enter the system to sign up until 7:00pm that night. Parents will be able to sign up for conferences from March 2 - March 15 at 1pm.

Call for Nominations & Applications for the TCGIS School Board

Find out how you can help our school, connect with our community, impact decisions and change. The work we do helps ensure that our school is able to provide a meaningful experience for our students.

We will elect THREE board members this year to serve three year terms. We are seeking any interested person (parent, teacher or community member), especially those with experience in board governance, financial compliance, marketing and development, legal matters or education.

If you are interested in serving or would like to nominate someone to serve details and forms are attached in the links below. You do not need to be nominated to apply.

If you have questions or want to talk to a current board member further about the role, responsibilities and expectations, feel free to contact any of the current Board members.

Important Dates

April 14: All nominations and applications due by 4:45 pm

Mid-May (TBD): Meet the Candidates Forum

May 15-19: Board elections, drop off all ballots by 4:45 pm on Friday, May 19.

Call for Nominations (detailed version)

Nomination Form

Application Form

Board Elections FAQ 2017 (including detailed timeline)

Think Spring! It's Closer Than You Think!

Mark your calendars for the TCGIS Plant Sale Fundraiser featuring beautiful, colorful 12" hanging baskets and 12" patio pots from Green Earth Growers, as well as Plant Gift Cards from Gertens Greenhouse. All orders must be received by Friday, March 24. Plants will be delivered to TCGIS for convenient pick up on Tuesday, May 9 and Wednesday, May 10 - just in time for Mother's Day!

Watch for ordering details in next week's Elternbrief. Any questions, please contact Christine Burbach at christineburbach@hotmail.com.

Call for After School Activity Instructors

Our last session of after school activities will be starting soon! If you would like to offer a class please fill out the attached form and email or hand it in to the office no later than Friday, March 3. This last session of After School Activities will start on Monday, April 3 - the first week back after Spring Break. If you have any questions about teaching a class, please email Lauren Kalish at lkalish@tcgis.org .

Pink Shirt Day!

The Service Learning Group is helping to support LGBTQ+ kids in our community feel welcome. We believe that no kid should feel unwanted or unwelcome at our school so we are celebrating Pink Shirt Day! By wearing a pink shirt your child will be raising awareness about bullying of LGBTQ+ kids in schools around the world. We ask that your child/children wear pink on February 28 2017.

Service Learning Thanks You!

Mardi Grad Mask Party

On February 28 from 3:30 to 5:30 PM in the cafeteria the Student Party Planning Committee is hosting a Mardi Gras Mask party with the theme "Free to Be You." We invite all K-8 students and parents to join us for this event. The TCGIS Gender Sexuality Alliance will be having a craft and bake sale and there will be dancing, music, games, and mask-making. The proceeds from the craft and bake sale will benefit The Trevor Project.

Sexual Education at TCGIS

Please click here to read a message from our Curriculum and Instruction Director Michael Mullins regarding sexual education at TCGIS.

Congrats to our Mausmünzen Winners!

We celebrated our students being Safe, Respectful and Responsible by having two drawings: one for elementary school and one for middle school.

Congratulations to Camryn Nagel in 7b for walking slowly in the hallway, Joe Weimholt in 4c for speaking German quietly in the hallway, and Persephone Waling in 1a for holding the door for others and picking up in the lunchroom.

We hope you have heard about Mausmünzen from your students, but if you would like more information feel free to look over the presentation students were shown.

Does Your Child:

Fidget a lot? Fight getting dressed? Struggle to calm down or get moving? Have supersonic hearing? Hate wearing certain clothing?

Join the TCGIS Occupational Therapist Tuesday, February 28 from 6:30-8pm in Room 100 to learn more about Children's Sensory Needs... and How to Meet Them. Child care is available. RSVP here. You must RSVP by Feb. 26 to use child care.

Sponsored by: TCGIS Special Education Advisory Committee

Join the 5-Week Declutter Challenge

For week 2 of the de-clutter challenge for the PTO rummage sale look in your closets.

So many to choose from: bedroom, office, front entry, or the dreaded under-the-stairs closet. Pick one or all (best choice) and find 10 (or more) items to donate to our sale. Items can be dropped off at TCGIS during school hours. Phew, doesn't it feel great to finally get rid of all that stuff? You really deserve this week's Grand Prize... give yourself a high five and a heapin' helpin' of you're awesome!

Out of Cookies? We Can Help!

If you've already gone through your Girl Scout cookies, TCGIS Troop #57317 will be selling after school in the Atrium on Feb. 24 , Feb. 27 , Mar. 1 , and Mar. 3 . Remember: they freeze very well so get a stash for the summer. Thank you to everyone who has supported our cookie sale.

Send Us Your Yearbook Photos

The Yearbook study group is looking for photos for school-wide yearbook 2016-2017! The photography and design teams would like to have them, to potentially include in our publication. Please send your photos to lbrask@tcgis.org.

Vielen Dank!

-Frau Louise Brask, Herr Malcom Yates, und das Mitglied der Jahrbuch AG

GAI

GAI Announcements

Resource & Information Fair: Sprechen - Studieren - Arbeiten

Friday, February 24, 3pm-7pm

Free and Open to the Public

In partnership with the Goethe Institut, the GAI is hosting the first comprehensive German language resource and information fair in the Twin Cities: Sprechen - Studieren - Arbeiten. If you are a student, parent, or individual who is interested in secondary German language education, studying at a German speaking university, or working for a global business, this is the perfect way to start gathering the resources you need. Connect with universities and professionals, and enjoy presentations from several key organizations about the resources they offer, including the Goethe Institut, Baden-Württemberg International, Carleton College, 8 Hours & Change, the GACC-MN, and more! This event is free and run open house style.

The GAI's Annual Pork Roast and Sauerkraut Dinner

Saturday, March 25 - $15 for Adults, $12 for Seniors, $6 for Children

1st Seating 3:30pm-5:00pm, Open/Walk-up Seating: 5:00pm-6:00pm

2nd Seating 6:30pm-8:00pm

Come celebrate one of our longest standing traditions, our annual Pork Roast & Sauerkraut Dinner! Enjoy family-sized portions of pork and as much of our secret-recipe sauerkraut as you can eat. You'll want to break out your Dirndl and Lederhosen for this event, especially while sipping a Pils and being serenaded by accordion aficionado, Dale Grove. Plus, enjoy perusing the vendors and partner organizations on the second floor before or after your meal. Click here to reserve your tickets.

PTO

PTO Announcements

Click here to find out more about these upcoming events:

PTO retreat, TCGIS, March 11
PTO meeting featuring a presentation on internet safety from the Jacob Wetterling Foundation, March 14
Pizza Night at Davanni's Roseville, March 21
Kaffeefklatsch, March 24
PTO Rummage Sale, April 8