Elternbrief
Issue: 369                         
May 15, 2019 
In This Issue

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TCGIS Online Calendar

Upcoming Events
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Administrative Information
Office Closed 5/24

Due to the upcoming long weekend, the Front Office will be closed Friday, May 24, and Monday, May 27. 
Thank you for your Support at St. Paul City Council!

Thanks to all the parents, teachers and neighbors who attended last night's public hearing on whether TCGIS should be given historic designation.

Each side was given 15 minutes to present their case to city council members. Speaking in opposition to the designation and on behalf of the school, board member Kelly Laudon outlined how there is only one solution which provides the school with the regulation gym, larger cafeteria, private meeting spaces for special ed and additional classrooms the school needs. Historic designation would be a death knell for the school and saddle it with considerable historic preservation costs which a public school is not equipped to fund.

Teacher Kim Kulhanek spoke about how much the school means to her and how impressively fluent her students are already as second graders. That fact was underscored by 7th graders Aubrey Laudon, Malik Alkatout and Spencer Eidman who introduced themselves to the Council Members first in German and then English, and pointed out how much the school means to them. That clearly impressed the council members who later commented on that skill and ability.

The video link to the hearing is available here: The TCGIS portion begins at about the 2 hour mark
Upcoming St. Paul City Council

Mark your calendars for 3:30pm on May 22 when St. Paul City Council will vote regarding historic designation for the school. Please attend and wear TCGIS attire if possible.  
TCGIS welcomes Hertha Berlin!

On Tuesday, May 21, first division Bundesliga soccer club Hertha Berlin will be visiting our school. They will be in the Twin Cities to play a friendly match against Minnesota United on Wednesday, May 22, Hertha will be here with its full roster and coaching staff. Players will spend time with our kids, talking (auf Deutsch!! : - ] ) about life as a pro athlete and taking questions. They will also have the chance to get outside and play with them, too. TCGIS is excited to host these very special guests!


Reminder to Pick Up Medication

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

These are the options of when you can pick up your child's medication:
  1. June 12th at the End of the Year Picnic (10:00am-12:00pm) when you sign your child out at the info table.
  2. June 12th  from the Kinderclub staff member at a table in the foyer
  3. June 13th  from 8am- 12pm in the Health Office.
Any medications not picked up by 12pm on June 13 will be discarded.
TCGIS School Board Voting

Elections for the school Board will be next week, May 13 through the 17th.  Please read about the  three applicants who are running for election to the TCGIS School Board. 
  • Ballots will be available online or at car drop off and pick up.
  • All ballots need to be turned into the front office (or the car pick up/drop off line) by Friday at 4:45, or postmarked by Thursday at 4:45 and arrive at the school by Tuesday mail drop off.
Pick Up/Drop Off Reminders

As we near the end of the school year, please continue to be mindful of our pick up and drop off procedures.
  • Drive slowly and stop for pedestrians AT ALL TIMES.
  • Do not park on Van Slyke or Como Avenue on either side of the street between 7am and 5pm. This causes traffic congestion and dangerous conditions, especially in the winter.
  • Pull all the way up in the drop off/pick up lane; staff will assist students in locating their vehicles.
  • Please do not get out of your car unless absolutely necessary when dropping students off in the vehicle lines.
  • To avoid traffic and idling, we ask that you do not arrive excessively early for pick up. You can park in the neighborhood if you arrive early.
  • Avoid using cell phones in the pick up line.
  • By law, cars must remain 5 feet clear of all driveways and alleys.
  • Avoid parking in carriage walks and in front of fire hydrants.
Thank you for keeping our kids safe!
District 10 News

For all parents and staff living in D10, please get out and vote in the special election May 21st. TCGIS parent, Mike Mitchelson is running for a one year "at large" seat on the D10 community council. For more information see the D10 website.
GEMs Summer Camp Registration - NOW OPEN!


Missy Morrissey (Middle School) and Kim Kulhanek (Elementary School) are offering a summer MATH camp for girls with support from the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics Student Chapter at the University of Minnesota during the week of August 12th-16th. 

Registration Form  - Please complete for each child registered.

Who: All students entering grades 1-6
What:  GEMs Summer Math camp
Where: University of Minnesota, Vincent Hall
When: August 12th-16th, 2018, from 9am-12pm.
Cost: $150 (daily snack provided)

Contact Missy Morrissey at  gemsummercamp@gmail.com if you have any questions!
Congratulations to this Week's  Mausmünzen Winners

The selected students have shown exemplary behavior at TCGIS during the school day, and are representing their class and grade level. Meistermäuse have demonstrated to staff one or more of the following praised traits:  Sicherheit (safety),  Verantwortung (responsibility), and  Respekt (respect). 

Congratulations to Olivia (1a), Nadeen (4c), Luke (5b), Calvin (Kb), and Frau Kittock.  Keep up the good work!
Board Announcements
As previously announced, the Board has retained attorney and Land Use expert, Marc Manderscheid, to advise the school in its historic designation and building project matters. Read the letter he submitted to City Council in advance of the May 15 public hearing here.  

On May 8, the 3 candidates running for the TCGIS Board of Director's participated in the "Meet the Candidates" forum.  You can listen to the audio recording of that forum here

Upcoming meetings:
Fundraising meeting moved to: Thursday,  May 23, 8:15 am in room 308
Finance Meeting: May 21, 6:30pm
May Board Meeting: May 30, 6:30pm, room 100
PTO Announcements
Sunday May 19th 3-6pm - PTO Retreat
Retreat Details
Why: To wrap up this year, hear some highs and lows, and look ahead to new goals for the upcoming school year! 
Where:  Annegret Theis's "Club House" 1128 Churchill Street in the Garage
Parents and Teachers - All are welcome!!

Summer play dates!! 
See this list of all our parent-planned summer play dates. Always a good time has by all! 

A HUGE Thank You! 
Yes, to YOU! For your time and effort, for bringing a dessert and drinks to our staff, for showing up at PTO meetings, for sharing your voice and your time, for helping with Maskenball! 
As our school year draws to an end, the PTO executive committee wants to be sure that you know your efforts- great and small- this year have been seen and felt by teachers and staff. We thank you so, so much! 
Come to our end of year retreat to share ideas and listen to feedback about this year's events! Have a great idea? Bring it with you! Hope to see you there. 

GAI Announcements
W eekly camps from June 17 to August 23 on site at the GAI
Most camps are for children 7-9 yrs   - REGISTER NOW, CAMPS ARE FILLING UP!  NEW THIS YEAR: Intro to German for 5-9 yrs and German & Science for 10-13 yrs

See Solar in a new Light! Kaffeestube talk & field trip
Saturday, May 18 starting at 11:00am 
Join us after Kaffeestube for a presentation about Solar Energy and a road trip to a Solar Field in Stacy, MN

Save the date for our annual Deutsche Tage celebration June 8 & 9. 
Check our website for programs & details.