October 20, 2016

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!

Administrative Information

Parent Teacher Conferences - Sign Up Starts Tonight

Coming up quickly are parent teacher conferences! These are from 4:00-7:30pm on Thursday, November 3 and 8:10am-3:30pm on Friday, November 4. The sign up opens tonight at 7pm. The master password is fall2016ptc

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.

Join Us for our Halloween Parade!

We are looking forward to a fabulous, safe and creative Halloween enjoyed by all students! With good weather, we are hoping for a parade at the end of the day, making for another great opportunity for parents to connect with the school! Please get your cameras ready and come to enjoy the fun and creativity from 2:15-3:00 on Monday, October 31!

Interested in meeting our new director, Ted Anderson? Come at 1pm to enjoy donuts and cider sponsored by our Girl Scouts, and for a chance to chat with Ted.

Give to the Max Day 2016 to Benefit the Intern Program!

Our interns are an essential asset to the success of our school. In the coming weeks we will outline what it means to TCGIS to build on this collaboration with bright, young educators from Germany, Austria, Italy (yes, German is also spoken there!) and hopefully soon Switzerland and maybe someday even from the Alsace in France.

Please help keep the program running!

TCGIS String Invitation

Herbert and Nancy Engelmayer, of Vienna Community Arts, will sponsor a String Orchestra starting in November. Orchestra times will be Mondays, approx 5-6, twice a month. Details TBA. This is open to all string players enrolled at TCGIS. You do not need to be studying with VCA. The orchestra will be funded by Herbert and Nancy, and directed by Elena Kolbrek and Sarah Guhl, both violin teachers with Vienna Community Arts. There is no cost to participants. Parents please contact Herbert or Nancy at 651-773-9525 for an interview request.

Reminder: November Order Window for Bus, Kinderclub & School Lunch/Milk CLOSING Friday, October 21!

Log on to our online store https://tcgis.orderlunches.com now and place your child(ren)'s Bus, Kinderclub & School Lunch/Milk. All orders are due by midnight on Friday, October 21.

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].

Get Your Bids in for the TCGIS PTO Community Auction

The TCGIS PTO Community Auction and Strudel Sale are going on now and will run through 9 pm Tuesday, October 25.There are more than 100 items in the auction this year, including a wide variety of events for kids , families , and adults . Please check out the Teacher Treasures and Admin Adventures generously donated by TCGIS teachers and staff. Check out our list of events by grade . In addition, there are many yummy food items, gifts, and useful services available. And don't delay your sign-ups and bids; a couple of events have already sold out! Also order a delicious strudel -or two. There are 10 varieties of sweet and savory strudels. They make great holiday gifts, too.

All auction and strudel sale proceeds benefit the TCGIS PTO and ultimately our students and school through classroom enrichment funds, staff appreciation, and community building activities. In the first five hours on Tuesday the auction made $2,500. Please continue to be generous!

Questions? Contact Becky Deimel and Astrid Knott Johnson at

[email protected] .

What Does Special Education Mean to You?

SEAC Meeting Monday, October 24

Please join the Special Education Advisory Committee for our October 24 meeting Monday from 6:30-8:30pm in room 100. We are seeking input from all parents and staff about what the words "special education" mean to you. If you can't make it to the meeting, but would like to contribute your thoughts, please send an email to [email protected] .

Please RSVP here: https://goo.gl/forms/VBmM0xRKW7a73FPL2.

Thank You for the Boxes for Martinstag!

THANK YOU for bringing in your cereal and oatmeal boxes!!! Frau Lenburg has collected the boxes needed to make almost 300 lanterns with the K-3 students for Martinstag. Thanks to the volunteers who are preparing the boxes, many classes will start making their lanterns next week. We can't wait to show them to you at the Martinstag celebration at the Landmark Center on Sunday, November 13!

Upcoming Scholastic Book Fair

Get ready for the scholastic book fair! The book fair this year will take place from October 31 through November 4. You can also shop the online book fair! Opening Monday, October 24, through November 11. Click here for our book fair homepage link.

Hours: Monday, Tuesday Wednesday 3:30 to 5:30

Thursday: 3:30 to 7:30

Friday: 8 to 3:30

We are also looking for volunteers to help during at the fair! Please click here to sign up today!

"I Am Your Neighbor" Supply Drive

The Girl Scouts would like to thank all those who donated to the "I Am Your Neighbor" supply drive. We took three van loads of supplies to the International Institute of MN - the supplies will be used to help in refugee settlement into our community. We're so thankful we're part of such a giving community. Thank you.

Click image to enlarge.

Please Check the Lost and Found!

Our lost and found has gotten very full in the past few weeks! We strongly encourage you to come and look through the items if you are missing something! We will be donating all items in our lost and found shortly after Thanksgiving break.

Curriculum & Instruction Corner

Please click here for an update from Mike Mullins in the Curriculum and Instruction corner. This week he and Esther Neu are highlighting some aspects of the Capstone exchange trip.

PTO

PTO Announcements

Click here to find out more about these upcoming events:

Parents' Night Out at Urban Forage Winery & Cider House, Nov. 10, 5:00-8:30 pm , f eaturing cider by glass and wine by the bottle, with 20% of proceeds going to the PTO
PTO Meeting Nov. 15, 6:30-8:00
Sign up to host a future Kaffeeklatsch here.

GAI

GAI Announcements

Two New Advanced German Topics Courses this Fall/Winter

We have two new short-run classes for adult intermediate to advance German students. Starting Tuesday, November 8 and running for four weeks is our Fall Conversation Class: Gesprächsrunde - Aktuelle Themen, an interactive class for students who wish to expand vocabulary and increase fluency in conversation. For advanced to native speakers we will also be offering our Winter Literature Class: Aktuelle Literatur - Lesen & Diskutieren st arting on Monday, December 5 and running through January 23 (no class on Dec 26 and Jan 2). Visit www.gai-mn.org/adults to learn more about these exciting new opportunities.

Konzert mit Kantorei

Saturday, November 5 at 7pm

$20 GAI members, $25 for non-members

Lovers of choral and folk music will enjoy this evening with renown choir Kantorei. Led by Austrian music director, Axel Theimer, Kantorei will perform Volkslieder ( Folk Songs) from Germany and Austria in the GAI ballroom. There may be an early taste of Christmas with a few German and Austrian carols, and there will be an opportunity to do a 'sing-along' to a few of Kantorei's favorite tunes. Visit www.gai-mn.org to register and learn more!