Elternbrief
Issue: 288                            
May 11, 2017 
In This Issue

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May 17: Early Release Wednesday
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Administrative Information
GO VOTE in the Board Elections!

Vote for THREE board members this year to serve three year terms . You may pick up and drop off your ballot packet before and after school in the carpool lines or in the TCGIS office. Read the board candidates bios here.  

If your child rides the bus, please feel free to print your ballot and signature card . You will need to provide one smaller envelope (for your ballot) and one larger envelope (for the smaller SEALED envelope and signature card). We suggest you do not send your ballot to school with your child.  Only 1 ballot per envelope.

For voting eligibility, procedures, and instructions, please visit Board Elections FAQ 2017  
All ballots must be dropped off (or postmarked) by 4:45 pm on Friday, May 19.
2017-18 Bussing Survey

It is time to begin planning for our 2017-18 student transportation!

If you are a family that  currently uses TCGIS bussing, or are  interested in using the bussing service next year, please fill out our  2017-18 Bussing Survey by  midnight on  May 12, 2017.

This survey will help our transportation provider, JME Transportation, determine bussing interest and needs for next year. Our routes and stops will be revised, as necessary, to be centrally-located among groups of families interested in bussing service. 

You can expect to recieve more information regarding registering for bussing service in the 2017-18 school year prior to  June 9, 2017.

Please contact Gael Braddock at  [email protected] for any questions you have about our bussing service.
Volunteer at the End of Year Picnic!

Mark your calendars for June 8 to celebrate our End of the Year Picnic! The picnic will be held at the Como Park Pavilions and will be from 11:30am-1:30pm. To help make this event a success, we need help from parent volunteers.

Please click here to sign up today! Please email Lauren Kalish at [email protected] if you have any questions.
Transition to Middle School Parent Information Night

The 5th grade teachers and administration invite 4th grade parents to attend a Parent Information Night on  Monday, May 15th from  7-8pm. Learn about how our Middle School helps students learn and the changes that are in store for your student as they transition to Middle School at TCGIS.  

We look forward to seeing you!
 
Waldsee Biohaus Trip Fundraisers

Sign up for events, enjoy time with the TCGIS community, and raise money to help the 6thgraders pay for their trip to Bemidji to visit Waldsee! Register online   or in the front office.

Mother/Daughter Tea with MaryAnn and Isabella DeRuiter
Enjoy an afternoon tea with MaryAnn and Isabella
Saturday, May 13 from 1 - 3pm in Minneapolis (1512 E River Terrace, 55414)
for up to 10 participants - $10 per participant

Cricket in the Park with the Simha/Kroell Family
Learn how to play cricket and enjoy some snacks (including Indian delights!)
Saturday, May 13 from 1 - 4pm at Falcon Heights Community Center
for up to 20 people - $10 per participant

Screen Printing with Anna and Freya Botz
Bring a T-shirt or use a provided flour sack towel to create a screen printed design!
Saturday, May 13 from 2 - 4pm in St. Paul (143 W Baker Street, 55107)
for up to 8 people - $10 per participant

Other Opportunities:
  • Grab some circus snacks (popcorn, pretzels) and chai to enjoy during or after the performance of "Zirkus Morio" by the 3rd graders on Thursday, May 11 at 5pm. Proceeds from the snacks will go to the trip fund.
  • Allison Burkow will also be donating a portion of her LuLaRoe sales on Sunday and Monday, May14 and 15. Contact Allison for more information at [email protected] for more details.
Lost and Found - Pick Up Scheduled May 15!

This is the last call to pick up items in the Lost and Found before our scheduled pick up on  Monday, May 15! Items will be available to look through on  Friday, May 12, but will be packaged for pick up early  Monday morning.

Moving forward, Lost and Found items will be donated on a monthly basis. You will see a "last call" for pick up the  Thursdayprior to the mid-month donation date. Please be sure to have your students check the Lost and Found promptly after an item is misplaced.

For questions about the Lost and Found process, contact Gael Braddock at   [email protected] .
Update: Girls Excel in Math-New Summer Camp Opportunity

Mrs Morrissey, assisted by  SIAM (Society for Industrial and Applied  Mathematics) Student Chapter at the University of Minnesota, is offering a Summer Math Camp for Girls. Learn more about Mrs Morrissey  here .

The Poll results are in! The camp will take place the week of August 14th through 18th. Please take  this survey  to help determine what grade levels are interested in participating by Monday May 15th. Camp registration forms will be sent out in next week's Elternbrief.
Congratulations and Thanks to our Volleyball Players
 and Parents

Congratulations and thank you to all of the volleyball players and parents who made our second season successful! We would LOVE to have enough players to have a 5th/6th grade team next year. If you did not play this year and are interested in a list of summer volleyball camps, please contact Coach Kulhanek at [email protected] for details. And players, please remember: return your jerseys ASAP!
Thank You, PTO!

Thank you to the PTO for hosting the Meet the Candidate Forum on Wednesday night and to community member Ronald Okenfuss for moderating the conversation. If you were not able to make it to the Q & A session with board candidates, check out the video here
Take a Course at the U of M this Summer

The Department of German, Scandinavian and Dutch at the University of Minnesota is offering a course this fall that might be of interest to former graduates from TCGIS who are now in 11th or 12th grade and eligible for PSEO (post-secondary enrollment option) to earn university credit and continue refining their German skills along with university students. Jenneke Oosterhoff, board member and professor at the U, has designed a course with topics that will be appealing to both juniors and seniors in highschool and university students coming out of fifth-semester German. The course meets only once a week, Wednesdays 4.40-7.10pm. While this is a long class session, this time has been chosen because once a week might fit a student's schedule better than twice a week. Each class session, however, will contain activities in multiple formats as well as short comfort breaks.

Attached is a flyer for the course. Feel free to contact board member Jenneke Oosterhoff with questions 

TCGIS at National History Day

Congratulations to Grace Philippon (7a) for winning first place at State History Day! Grace competed in the junior division paper category.Her paper is titled: Rachel Carson's Silent Spring: Standing Up for Women, Science, and the Environment. Grace will now move on the the National History Day competition in Washington DC where she will represent TCGIS and Minnesota!

summer
Summer Playdates

Calling all incoming Kindergarteners, soon to be first graders, second graders, and third graders: Let's get together this summer!  Join us for some play time with friends at a variety of local parks. We will meet up twice a month all summer. Come to one or all- no RSVP needed!

Mark your calendars:
  • June 15 - 9:00-11:00am Tamarak Nature center  5287 Otter Lake Rd.,  White Bear Township. (Has water features for play)
  • June 27 - 6:30pm-8pm Mattocks Park 450 S Davern St., St. Paul
  • July 16 - 5:00-7:00pm Brackett Park 2728 S. 39th Ave., Mpls (Has a splash pad)
  • July 21 - 9:00-11:00am Hyland Play Area (Chutes and Ladders) 10145 Bush Lake Rd, Bloomington
  • August 2 - 9:00-11:00am Mendakota Community Park 2171 Dodd Rd, Mendota Heights
  • August 13 - 4:00-6:00pm TCGIS playground 1031 Como Ave, St Paul
*Siblings are always welcome! 
Contact Becky Deimel (mom of Wyatt (3rd) and Bennett (1st)) with any questions [email protected]  
Interested in Joining the TCGIS Concert Band?

Current 4th graders will have an opportunity to try out instruments at a "petting zoo" during school on  June 2.  Letters have been sent out by your teachers, but can also be found here
 
Students in grades 5-7 are welcome by appointment only.  If interested, contact Krista Johnson at [email protected] or 612 209 3396 with questions.
Summer Band Lessons

Band teacher Krista Johnson will be teaching summer band lessons  on Thursday afternoons this summer. The cost for a 30 minute private lesson is $21. If you register for four or more lessons the cost is $18 per lesson.  To register email Krista at  [email protected] .
 
Dates available are:
June 16, 22, 29
July 13, 20, 27
August 3,10,17
*all dates tentative based on school availability 
Limited Time to Sign Up for Camp!

TCGIS Sommercamp
 runs from July 10 - 28 for incoming 3rd - 8th grades. Camps are filling up, so sign up your child today for a fun, week-long day camp with one of the following themes: circus, bees, cooking, folklore, mural painting, or book arts! Campers speak German all day and receive a T-shirt with the Sommercamp logo. Click here for more information. Registration window closes on May 31. 
GAI
GAI Announcements
 
NEW Summer Language Classes for Adults - Conversation and Literature
This summer the GAI is proud to present double the number of learning opportunities for our adult German students. Not only will be offering multiple levels and sessions of our Conversation and Review classes, but for the first time we are offering summer Literature courses for all levels - beginner, intermediate, and advanced.  Click here to learn more about our Summer Language Classes! 

Musik im Mai: Klezmerica 
Friday, May 19 at 7pm
Tickets: Special Price - $12 when you reserve before May 14! ($25 regular price)
Concert runs 1 hour 30 min with a15 min intermission.

Join us for the rare opportunity to hear the premier Klezmer band in the USA, Klezmerica, in the GAI Haus. Klezmer is a lively music tradition which comes from the Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe, including Germany, Poland, and Russia. Led by Joseph Vass, Klezmerica creates its own brand of Klezmer music, blending Yiddish folk music with classic Jazz, American Blues, and pop styles. While nationally recognized, Klezmerica has its local claim to fame with the popular musical  The Soul of Gershwin: The Musical Journey of an American Klezmer, which has played at the Park Square Theater multiple times, most recently this past December. Click here for tickets!
PTO
PTO Announcements

How can you help the PTO next year? Please fill out  this short survey   to let us know your interests.

Click here to find out more about these upcoming events:
  • PTO meeting, May 11, featuring a presentation by TCGIS librarian Sarah Dye on German literature for kids. Bring your own outgrown books for a book exchange.