Elternbrief
Issue: 248                                
June 2, 2016 
In This Issue

Quick Links
TCGIS Online Calendar
 Volunteer at TCGIS!
Take a look at current volunteer opportunities! If you are not yet a volunteer, but are interested in becoming one - please fill out an application here. Vielen Dank!
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Administrative Information
Spirit Week Next Week

Join us next week in our final spirit week of the 2015-2016 school year. The theme next week is "dress to represent your home".

Monday- Country
Tuesday - State
Wednesday - City
Thursday - School(TCGIS)

This may include any colors, clothes, or jerseys that are representative of the above group you associate with. 
Re-Enrollment Survey: Action Requested

Please fill out this form by Thursday, June 9. This form helps us plan for next school year more efficiently. Your participation is greatly appreciated!
End of the Year Picnic

Our annual End of the Year Picnic is from 11:30am-1:30pm on Thursday, June 9. We invite families to join for a lunch of hotdogs, fruits/veggies, chips, and cold treat! A suggested donation of $2/non-student is strongly encouraged. We will be collecting donations at the picnic.

We're looking for volunteers to help make this event a big success! We still need help with: 
  • Assembling and serving food (11-12 or 12-1)
  • Facepainting (11:30-12:30)
  • Bouncy house security (11:30-12:30)
  • Lawn activities (12:30-12:30 or 12:30-1:30)
If you would like to volunteer for any of these positions, please email Lauren Kalish at [email protected] and indicate which position, and which time. Thanks to our parent volunteers who have already signed up, and thank you to the PTO who generously donated money to make this event such a success!
Reminder to Pick Up Medication

This is a reminder that all medication at school must be picked up at the end of the year.

There are 3 options of when you can pick up your child's medication:
1. June 9 at the End of the Year Picnic (11:30am-1:30pm) when you sign your child out at the info table.
2. June 9 from 4-6pm from the Kinderclub staff member at a table in the foyer
3. June 10 from 8am-3pm in the front office. 

Any medications not picked up by 3pm on June 10 will be discarded.
Supply Donation

TCGIS annually requests that families make a $75 per child supply donation, and donations have been down this year. Some have asked why this is requested when families bring in supplies from a list provided at the start of the school year. This donation helps cover the extra costs compared to other schools resulting from our German curriculum, including disposable Hefte (workbooks) that the school purchases. If you haven't already and would like to make a donation, please do so in the front office. We appreciate your support in helping provide our students with high quality German educational materials! Checks can be made out to TCGIS, or you can pay through Order Lunches. It is labeled as "supply fee" on Order Lunches.
Parent Portal Open from June 9-30

The Parent Portal of Powerschool will be open from June 9 and will remain open until June 30. Parents can log in from June 9-June 30 to view final grades and teacher comments. 
Attention Current Kinderclub and Bus Families
  
In next week's Elternbrief (June 9, 2016), we will send out Kinderclub and Bus Commitment Forms, which will be accompanied by the 2016/2017 Kinderclub Calendar and Bus Routes. The forms will be used by TCGIS staff over the summer to determine proper staffing, training, and protocols to ensure quality child care and transportation services. We need all families who are interested in either program to fill out the respective form by Thursday, June 30. Contact Frau Ruggles with questions about Kinderclub, and Frau Wallace with questions about busing. 
Sommeramp: Only One Week Left to Register

There is only one week left to register your child for TCGIS Sommercamp 2016!  For more information, stop by the main office to pick up a flier or click here. C ontact Frau Ruggles with questions.
Summer Library and Playground Time

Thanks to a volunteer effort, we will be offering a few Summer Library Hours this summer! Families can come in on the dates listed below and check out German library books for a few weeks at a time. Catch up with school friends over the summer with play time on the playground after you find your books! *Please note that parents must accompany their children to the library.

To make this happen, we need 6-10 parent volunteers each time. If you can help, please sign up here or email Beki Cook.    

Dates & Times:
Friday, June 17 4pm- 7pm
Wednesday, June 29 4pm-7pm
Thursday, July 21 4pm-7pm
Monday, August 8 4pm-7pm

All books MUST be returned by the TCGIS Open House August 25.
Board Meeting Notes and Video

Couldn't make the last board meeting? Check out the video here and the notes here
Goodbye from Jeri Mullan

Click here for a goodbye letter from Frau Jeri, our school OT. 
Summer Band Lessons

Interested in taking summer band lessons? Click here for more information.
C&D Committee Looking For New Members

The Communications & Development Committee will be working on fundraising strategies over the summer and the fall and is looking for interested and talented members. If you have some great ideas on how to help the school bridge the gap between the funding the school receives from the state and the funding the school needs to operate effectively, contact Tina Haarbusch or Burkhard Tiessen.
Literacy Update from Gesa Zinn

How to Prevent Summer Learning Loss
Click here  to read a note from Gesa Zinn about preventing learning loss during the summer!
 
The Bärchen Literacy Group
The Bärchen Group is the last German literacy group that was started this year. Thus, first graders joined the Mäuschen (K) and the Häschen (2nd grade) to work on early literacy skills in which sound recognition, blending of letters, and reading of syllables, words, and texts are important
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Curriculum Corner
Information on Class Composition Procedure

We at TCGIS have been busy wrapping up the last few weeks of this year and organizing the next. One item high on our list has been the placement of students into their next grades/classes. Please read the introductory letter from Mike Mullins, Curriculum & Instruction Director. Then click here to view TCGIS' procedures developed by a team of TCGIS staff members. If you have any question, please refer to our FAQs
PTO   
PTO Announcement 

Our June meeting will be on the 7th from 6:30pm-9pm at the GAI. Please note this is not the 2nd Tuesday of the month. This event is bring your own beverage (alcohol is allowed) and child care will not be provided. We will be voting on the budget for next year and on proposed bylaws changes 
 
 
Please register for the June 7th Meeting here.    
GAI  
GAI Announcement

Save the Date! Deutsche Tage 2016 - June 11&12 
Are you ready for the best of the Germanic-American Institute? With two full days of authentic German food, beer, live music, and vendors, the excitement over Deutsche Tage 2016 is already buzzing around the GAI.  New activities this year include a community mural, an interactive art map, social media scavenger hunt, performance by new German community choir Liederkranz, and new cultural demonstrations on both days. Plus, enjoy our returning favorites, such as our Bicyclists' Biergarten, Viennese Kaffeehaus, authentic Maypole dancers, and classic Fiaker carriage rides. Visit the GAI website for more info: www.gai-mn.org