February 9, 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

Updated Early Release Bus Drop Times

Our next early release school day is Wednesday, February 18. Our transportation company has updated the bus drop off times. Please see below for the updated stop times, and check the Bussing Handbook for full bussing information.

North Bus Early Release Drop Times:

Pleasant & Ione 1:13pm

McKinley & Lowry 1:20pm

McKinely & 29th Ave 1:23pm

Lincoln Dr & County Rd. D 1:28pm

James & Colleen 1:34pm

Central Bus Early Release Drop Times:

LaFond & Fairview 1:10pm

Dayton & Wheeler 1:14pm

Wheeler & Portland 1:15pm

Sargent & Wheeler 1:19pm

Portland & Hamline 1:24pm

Summit & Avon 1:28pm

Saint Clair & Erie 1:33pm

Steven & Bidwell 1:38pm

Ohio & Isabel 1:39pm

Rose & Prosperity 2:00pm

South Bus Early Release Drop Times:

Franklin & Seymour 1:15pm

31st Ave S & 24th St E 1:19pm

36th Ave S & 34th St E 1:24pm

45th & Minnehaha 1:28pm

28th Ave S & Minnehaha 1:35pm

Morning Arrival Reminders

Please take a few minutes to review the TCGIS Arrival/Dismissal Information and Attendance Procedures for our current school year. These documents will be available for review on an ongoing basis in our Student and Family Handbook.

Arrival Highlights:

Thank you to all families who have been working on getting students to school in plenty of time to enter their homerooms ready to learn by the time the morning bell rings!

You will note in our Arrival/Dismissal Information that children arriving to school after 8:10am must enter through the Main Entrance and sign in at the Front Office. Entrance Doors on the Van Slyke side close at 8:10am. Our Students in grades K-4 must have a parent sign them in; students in grades 5-8 may sign themselves in.

March OrderWindow for Bus, Kinderclub & School Lunch/Milk Opens February 10!

It's time to place your child's order for March! Please log on to our online store s tarting Friday, 2/10, and place your Bus, Kinderclub and School Lunch/Milk order. All orders are due by midnight on Friday, February 17 .

If your family is new to our online store, please click here for more information on our online store, how to "Register" for an account and how to navigate the website. Please note the school password needed during the registration process is TCGIS1 .

If you are a returning family and you need assistance with your Account Log-In information, please email us at ordering@tcgis.org.

Health Reminders for Our Families

Please be aware the flu season is upon us. Follow this link to find more information from our health office and watch for signs and symptoms.

Health Information for Families: Signs of Illness

If your child becomes ill while at school, staff will attempt to notify you. Please call the school office if you need to update your contact information.

If your child is not feeling well at home, concern for his or her well-being and the possibility of infecting others should contribute to the decision about whether your child should stay home from school. Please help us control contagious sickness by observing the following guidelines provided by St. Paul Public Schools. Thank you!

Keep your child home if he or she:

has a fever of 100°F or more during the previous evening or night or in the morning. Students must stay home until 24 hours after the fever is gone (without the use of a fever reducing medicine) and is healthy enough for routine activities.
has vomited or had diarrhea during the previous evening or night or in the morning. Student must stay home until 24 hours after the final episode.
has been placed on antibiotic treatment for bacterial conditions (e.g. strep throat or pink eye). Students must be on medication for at least 24 hours before returning to school.
has a rash that may be caused by a disease or if the cause is unknown, check with your family physician before sending the student to school.

If student is at home sick, please call the school office at 651-492-7106 to report the reason for absence. On the fourth day of illness, an excuse from a medical professional is required.

PBIS Elternbrief Extra

Over 300 Mausmünzen have been handed out to students in the past two weeks! We celebrated our students being Safe, Respectful and Responsible by having two drawings: one for elementary school and one for middle school.

Congratulations to Leo Koenig in Ka for moving safe in the hallway a nd c ongratulations to John Tuite in 5b for being responsible during passing time!

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.

Skiiiiiiiifoan!

Our 3rd annual Middle School skiing trip is returning! We will be making a trip to Afton Alps on Wednesday, March 1 for a fun day on the hills. There will be classes for beginners and the chance for more experienced kids to test out the slopes in groups with parent and teacher chaperones. Permission slips will be handed out starting on Monday , a sign-up sheet for parents and further information about the day will be reaching you within the next week. Stay tuned!

Get Rid of Your Unwanted Wood!

Do you have a pile of scrap wood and lumber cluttering up your basement or garage? Do you want children to turn it into works of art? Then bring it to school and donate it to the wood working after school activity. It has come to Herr Stephenson's attention that not everyone knows of this valuable service to declutter your domicile. Just bring it to school, preferably by the stairs on the Como side, and email sstephenson@tcgis.org to arrange for pick up. Danke!

Send Us Your Yearbook Photos

The Yearbook study group is looking for photos for the 2016-2017 yearbook! 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

Girl Scout Cookies Are Coming

Starting Saturday, you will see Girl Scouts selling cookies across the metro. Our school's troop, Troop #57317, will be selling after school in the atrium starting February 16. Look for more details and dates next week, and plan to support our TCGIS Girl Scouts!

TCGIS Family Ski Day at Trollhaugen - Don't Miss Out!

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2017

Click HERE for full details.

Registration ends Monday for our TCGIS family ski day at Trollhaugen in Dresser, WI!

This year's rates:

Grade 7 thru Adult -- $15 lift ticket + $15 rental

Free lessons available with advance notice

Grades 5 & 6 -- $18 lift ticket/rental/lesson

Grades K-4 -- $28 lift ticket/rental/lesson

Children 5 & under -- FREE lift ticket + $15 rental

Lift ticket ONLY (age 6+) -- $15

Contact Manuela Thames or Kelly Huxmann with any questions or to register. Registration deadline is MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13 . We will collect payment and distribute rental forms and lift tickets in the school lobby on Friday, February 10 and Monday, February 13 . Cash or check only. Please click HERE for complete details.

Mardi-Gras 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.

Thank You for Making Maskenball a Success!

Thank you to everyone who helped to make Maskenball such a great success this year, raising over $7,500. Thanks to Aaron Gjerde for initiating the idea, making the connection to the University Club, and co-chairing the event.

Thanks also to the following: Annegret Theis and Kay Yanisch for encouraging 10 sponsors to step forward with financial support. Matt Burress and Becky Deimel for setting up and maintaining our online presence on the PTO website and the auction site for sales. Kelly Huxmann, Beki Cook, Sue Westacott, Karin Stiles, Clare Roney, Jacob Pasterski , C arri e Reay, Amanda Rohrer , Jessica Gallo, Elizabeth Lampert, and Krysia Weidell for taking on individual tasks. Luebbert Kruizenga , Tanya Novak, Heather Ninow, Michelle Loken-Price, and Anna Botz for their help the day of the event.

Thank you to everyone who financially "rounded up" to help pay for teacher tickets. And a special thank you to those of you who donated time and funds even though you couldn't attend the event! TCGIS has a great community! Please forgive me if I have forgotten any names.

Kristi Johnson, Co-Chair

Bring Us Your Old Shoes!

We are once again collecting your old shoes to donate to Shoe Away Hunger! If you have any old pairs of shoes that are still in decent condition, we will gladly take them off your hands (or feet!). Please bring your donations to the front office.

Looking for Spring Break Plans?

Stay at EastBaySuites right on Lake Superior in your own 1, 2, or 3 bedroom condo with a kitchen. Call soon (800-414-2807) and ask for the TCGIS German Immersion group discount for any of the days you can vacation. Feel free to bring friends and family.

Questions? Contact Chris Weimholt .

Box Top Submission Time!

The Box Tops submission deadline this year is February 24. Please don't let them expire! Send them to school so they can be counted in this years total. Each Box Top is worth 10 cents and they really add up -- last year we collected $2000.00!

PTO

PTO Announcements

PTO Rummage Sale April 8, 2017!

Closets and drawers overflowing? Can't get the car in the garage? We can help! Now accepting donations of gently used items. Kitchen, dining, décor, sporting, gardening, clothes. If one person can lift it, we'll take it! Items can be dropped of in the foyer during school hours through March 17.

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
Kaffeefklatsch, March 24

German Community Opportunities

Looking for a summer camp for your child? Send them to Waldsee, a German language village in Bemidji, MN, to continue their German immersion through the summer! Waldsee is one of fifteen Concordia Language Villages. There are programs for kids of all ages, as well as for the whole family! Click here to read about the various programs that Waldsee has to offer.

There are also plenty of scholarship opportunities. Deadlines are quickly approaching so don't wait! If you have any questions about the program, contact parents@waldsee.org. Der Sommer kommt - sei dabei!