March 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

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. The sign up for conferences is now open. The master password is springhassprung

Before you log in, we suggest that you have the following information:

1. A list of all the teachers you would like to see. The online conference system will not tell you the names of your children's teachers.

2. The times you would like to have conferences. The system will tell you the available slots for all teachers. If the teachers you wish to see are not available, contact them to schedule an alternative time for a conference.

For further information, please find the attached parent letter and parent overview . The website to schedule conferences is here . Please note: you will not be able to sign up until 7pm tonight. The window to sign up for conferences will be open until 1pm on March 15.

**New for Spring Conferences: Middle School teachers will be meeting with parents and families in their own classrooms. We are excited to welcome you into the environment your student experiences daily. The list of room numbers can be found here. On March 16th and 17th printed copies will be available in the office, and posted on walls around the school for reference.

I ntroducing the Elementary School

and Middle School Coordinators

Hello TCGIS Community!

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves as the new Elementary school and Middle school coordinators; Kim Kulhanek, Katrin Zinnow, Missy Morrissey, and Beate Simon. Our main goals as coordinators are to streamline communication, lead collaboration, and increase efficiency in coordinating with Elementary School and/or Middle School colleagues around student-centered activities and initiatives. We hope to provide a channel through which teachers can coordinate with Administration to improve organizational processes and practices. (The full job description can be found here .)

We met for the first time last week, where we established norms and discussed upcoming conferences. We invite you to email all four of us using the email [email protected].

TCGIS Plant Sale: March 2 - 24

Please support TCGIS's Spring Plant Sale! Choose from an array of lovely hanging baskets and planters, or Gertens gift cards. Green Earth Growers, a local greenhouse producing high quality products with an emphasis on sustainability, has generously agreed to provide TCGIS with substantially lower procurement prices for this fundraiser. This allows us to sell these items at lower prices than other local stores and nurseries who buy their products from the same grower while still making a profit for the school!

You can have your Kuchen and eat it too! By purchasing your plants through TCGIS you can both support the school's programming via your purchase AND pay less than at many local establishments for the exact same item from the same grower! Don't know what plants you want yet? No worries! Buy a Gerten's Plant Gift Card and make your decision later!

The plants are reasonably priced and the proceeds will help the school fulfill its unique educational mission, through things like funding the internship program or purchasing German language materials.

There are several varieties of hanging baskets and planters. The baskets are $25 and the planters are $30. Gertens gift cards are available for $25 each. There are two convenient ways to order either by dropping off your order form and check made out to TCGIS in the front office, or by completing your order through Squared Up.

Orders are due by March 24 and plant pickup days are May 9 and May 10, just in time for Mother's Day. Questions? Email Christine Burbach at [email protected].

Upcoming Lockdown Drills

Over the next few months we will be practicing Lockdown drills. According to MN state law and TCGIS ISD 4152 Policy 806 we are required to have 5 lockdown drills. Please click here for more information about our lockdown drills.

Re-Enrollment Form Available Now

Is your family planning to return to TCGIS in the fall? Please help us prepare for the 2017-18 school year by returning a re-enrollment form your child by Friday, March 17. Students will be bringing a paper copy home this week or you can download a copy here. All forms should be returned to your child's homeroom teacher or can be dropped off at the School Office during Parent/Teacher conferences.

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)

Join the Strategic Planning Committee

We have established our Vision, Mission and Values for TCGIS and now we are defining our Strategic Plan for the coming years. We need the help of 5-8 parents/caregivers to be members of the Strategic Planning Committee. This committee will refine the initial draft of the plan and provide a final draft to the board. There will be multiple opportunities for feedback from the community during this process.

Expectations: In the next 6-8 weeks, plan on about 15 hours of time and attend our kick-off meeting on Monday, March 20, 5:30-7:00. In addition, you can expect to have 3 additional meetings in the months of April and early May. For further information or to join us, contact Christine VeLure Roholt, [email protected].

MCA Information

April not only brings longer days, but also Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) testing season in Minnesota public schools! Students in grades 3 - 8 take the the math & reading test; students in 5th & 8th also take a science test. Please find all of the useful MCA Testing Information in this memo.

If you have any questions not addressed here, please feel free to contact Michelle Wallace at [email protected] or 651-492-7016 x 304.

April Order Window for Bus, Kinderclub & School Lunch/Milk opens March 13!

It's almost time to place your child's order for April! Please log on to our online store starting Monday, 3/13, and place your Bus, Kinderclub and School Lunch/Milk. All orders are due by midnight on Monday, 3/20 .

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 [email protected].

Celebrate Your Student - Buy a Yearbook Ad

Want to celebrate your 2017 TCGIS graduate? Want to promote your business? Want to recognize your favorite teacher? The possibilities are endless! We even help you design and proofread your ad at no extra costs!

Questions? Please contact us at [email protected] . Submissions of your yearbook ad in jpeg from must be received by Sunday, April 2, 2017.

Ad rates for TCGIS families & friends: 1 page: $125.00, 1/2-Page: $70.00, 1/4-Page: $40.00. Please drop off your check (made payable to TCGIS) at the front office. Thank you for your support!

TCGIS Sommercamp

Summer is just around the corner! Why not make some plans to speak German while having fun learning in one of our summer language camps geared to incoming 3rd - 8th-graders?

Click here for details for TCGIS Sommercamp 2017. One-week camps will be offered July 10 - 28, 2017, and r egistration will open next week on Monday, March 6. All March registrations will receive a discounted rate. Don't miss out!

Registration for GAI camps for younger children (K-3) is also now available ! Check out their offerings here.

Summer Music

Vienna Community Arts will be on site at TCGIS during the summer months. We will offer lessons for continuing students and lesson packages for new students. If you are interested in exploring an instrument: there are private and "Buddy" lessons (you must have a buddy) available.

Contact Herbert or Nancy at [email protected] or [email protected] or by calling 651-773-9525.

Books for Africa

For the next two weeks (March 6-17) class 7B will be collecting books and funds for the local charity Books for Africa. Students from our class will be reading to elementary classes during this time to help raise awareness for the fundraiser. Books cost 50 cents to ship so we will be collecting monetary donations as well. Collection boxes for books and money will be located in the office!

Books must:

have been printed in 2002 or later
be written in English or French
not have a focus on violence or war

For more information please click here. Thanks from 7b!

Week
4 of the 5-Week De-clutter challenge

This week it's time to look at your basement and/or attic for the PTO Rummage Sale. You know all those boxes of items that have been sitting in those dark spaces for way too long? Now's your chance to get rid of them! Yay! Bring them to TCGIS and give yourself three cheers for a job well done!

Remember: March 17 is the last day to drop off items for the rummage sale.

Annual PTO Retreat March 11

If you like what the PTO has done this year for our community, have new ideas to share, want to get more involved, and want to meet awesome TCGIS parents and staff, join us for the annual PTO retreat on Saturday, March 11, 9-noon in Room 100. Stay for an hour or for the whole morning. We'll discuss our support efforts this year and plans for next year. All in the TCGIS community are welcome to attend.

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