TCGIS Rundbrief for April 28, 2022

Der Rundbrief

ISSUE 496 / April 28, 2022

Greetings from the Executive Director

Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft! / Dear TCGIS community,

Thank you to all who were able to attend last night’s event in connection with the Transfer of Memory exhibit and in commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day. It was incredibly meaningful to see our atrium filled with over 100 students, family members, and special guests from the Jewish Community Relations Council for our first in-person event there since the school was remodeled.

The opportunity to interact with 89-year-old Holocaust survivor Fred Amram, whose portrait is included in the exhibit, was particularly moving. Many also stayed for the screening of the film The Tattooed Torah and the Q&A that followed with members of the film production team. Our students’ direct and insightful questions made clear that they are eager to learn about the Holocaust and to understand why that knowledge matters for creating a world in which peace and tolerance can prevail.

If you were not able to attend last night’s event or have friends or family who would like to see the exhibit, it will be open to the public this Sunday, May 1, from 4-6 p.m. Finally, we hope many of you can join us on Thursday, May 5 at 6:30 pm for a Zoom presentation by local Jewish educator Heidi Schneider on “Judaism 101,” an opportunity to learn about Jewish religious and cultural history and customs. The event will be appropriate for students of all ages.

Herzlich

Kirsten

Incident Response Team (IRT)

The IRT tracks COVID cases in this dashboard which will be shared weekly.

IRT Update for April 28, 2022

In the last 7 days, 35 individuals in the school community tested positive for COVID. (April 22- April 28). We would like to remind our community of the following:

Masks are required indoors and on buses until we have 19 or fewer positive cases for a two week period. TCGIS will send an announcement when the mask requirement is lifted based on this metric. As Ramsey county Covid-19 community level remains in the low category, we will not require masks outdoors. You can see our Masking Policy here.
We strongly recommend regular weekly testing for Covid-19, both PCR/NAAT and Rapid Antigen. We provide weekly onsite PCR/NAAT testing and encourage you to sign your students up if they have not already. You can fill out the registration forms here.
TCGIS will distribute a rapid antigen test kit to each student this Friday, please consider using these over the weekend. If you are unable to use the BD Veritor (app required antigen tests), please contact Monika Avery.
Keep your students home if they are sick, even with minor symptoms.
TCGIS will contact entire classes of a confirmed Covid-19 case within their class. Please test your students, several times if possible, if they were in contact with a positive covid case. Unvaccinated individuals will be required to mask and complete several tests over a 7 day period.

In a continued effort to remain transparent, TCGIS has 20 positive Covid-19 cases connected to our 6th and 7th grade trip to Waldsee and 15 positive Covid-19 cases in the rest of our school population. Of those who have reported symptoms, most are reporting symptoms ranging from mild to moderate.

Reminder of Isolation Requirements

In January 2022, we shared the following update:

After careful review of the most recent guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and after consultation with the Minnesota Department of Health, TCGIS students who test positive for Covid-19 will isolate at home for 10 days. We are unable to ensure students are masked 100% of the time when around others due to our communal snacks and lunch.

This requirement acknowledges the following guidelines from the CDC guidelines:

They should continue to wear a well-fitting mask around others at home and in public until day 10 (day 6 through day 10). If they are unable to wear a mask when around others, they should continue to isolate for 10 days.
Avoid people who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease, and nursing homes and other high-risk settings, until after at least 10 days.

COVID-19 Updates Available on IRT Webpage

In order to shorten the Rundbrief, we will prioritize new items for this newsletter and link to our Incident Response Team Updates webpage so you can reference past updates more efficiently.

School News & Updates

Note: If you don't see the calendar at the end of your Rundbrief, the message has been clipped and you must click "View entire message" to see the full email. Danke!

Lost and Found: last chance to look through items!

Missing your student's coat, mittens, hat, etc.? We might have it! Please help us to return these items to their owners by looking through it before the end of next week. Our lost and found is located at the West Entrance at the bottom of the staircase. We will be donating any remaining items at the end of this week to keep our “lost and found” organized and easier for students to search for items.

S.E.A.C. Morning at the Park

Join the TCGIS S.E.A.C. (Special Education Advisory Committee) at Como Park Playground on Saturday, May 7th from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm for a low-key morning of fun!

Connect with special education families
Ask questions about special education
Find out how to get involved with SEAC

Hope to see you there!

Tell your friends and neighbors!

Did you know TCGIS still has room for more students in grades 5, 7, and 8 for next school year? Do your friends and neighbors know what your family loves about TCGIS?

If you're on social media, please share this Instagram post and/or this Facebook post within your networks or parenting groups, and share what you love about this school and community.

Your genuine recommendation is the best marketing of all and helps grow our community and keep our school strong. Vielen Dank!

Will you help grow our Garden of Gratitude?

Simply make a gift in any amount online or via check to the TCGIS Annual Fund and tell us in whose honor your gift has been made. A flower with each honoree's name and your family name will be added to the garden that's just beginning to blossom on our cafeteria windows.

The TCGIS Annual Fund ensures that we can provide those opportunities and programs that are unique to TCGIS and to learning German like hosting interns and purchasing German language materials for the library and classrooms. Click here to make a gift today, or click here to learn more about fundraising at TCGIS.

Used Book Fair Recap

Thank you to everyone who supported our school at last week's two-day used book fair. Together we raised $1,963. A big THANK YOU to our fair volunteers - we appreciate you!

Congratulations to our raffle winners, Nicole Call and Natalie Lowe!

Earth Day Clean-Up

Last Friday, 5C went outside to celebrate Earth Day! They picked up trash around the school and the neighborhood. The students were very motivated to do something good for the environment and to clean up the sidewalks and streets with their furry friend Koda.

PTO News

Staff Appreciation Week

Staff Appreciation Week is next week! And we're busy putting together a week full of great things and fun for our TCGIS staff. We could use a little help pulling together some prizes for our Mystery Bags! More information here. Also, we recommend this article, which was written by a teacher and details more ways to help support school teachers & staff. Some of their ideas include: voting in local and state elections, volunteering in schools, mentoring or tutoring students, and writing a genuine letter of appreciation.

Maskenball: This Saturday!

Maskenball is this Saturday - the 30th! Due to rising Covid cases in our community, we will be officially making it a MASKED BALL and ask that you wear a mask to keep everyone safe. More information and tickets here.

Summer Camp Updates

Camp Openings for Current 2nd Graders

We are opening Camp Rocks (Week 2 : 7/5-7/8), Im Zirkuszelt Camp (711-7/15), and Painting with Watercolors Camp (Week 4: 7/18-7/22) for current 2nd Graders. Registration was extended until May 15th. Please log into your Popsicle accounts to book.

Afternoon Care Only Available

We are also pleased to offer Afternoon Care only during Camp Weeks. You do not have to be registered for Camp to utilize the 12:00pm-5:00pm Care. Cost for the PM without Camp is $150. Please register in Popsicle and email Michaela Bromenschenkel to be invoiced the additional $30.

K-2 Camp added for Week 4!

Due to high demand, we are adding another K-2 Camp! Reise um die Welt is open for registration ( Week 4 : 7/18-7/22). Register now in Popsicle before it fills up a second time! Please reach out to Michaela Bromenschenkel with any questions regarding Summer Camps.

Reminders

Transfer of Memory Exhibit at TCGIS

TCGIS is pleased to host a series of events in commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day. A reminder of the following upcoming events:

Sunday, May 1, 4-6pm - Transfer of Memory exhibit open to the public

Thursday, May 5, 6:30 pm at TCGIS-- Heidi Schneider from the Jewish Community Resource Center will speak on Jewish life. This event will be appropriate for all ages.

Save the Date: Middle School Dance

We are so excited to announce that the Middle School Dance is officially on the calendar! All Middle School students are invited on Friday, May 20th to hang out with friends and do some dancing in our new beautiful gym! The 5th and 6th graders dance will be from 6:00pm to 7:15pm; 7th and 8th graders will join us from 7:30-9:00. There will be a DJ and the dress for the dance is casual. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, April 22nd and can be purchased in Boonli.

5/6th grade students, please order from the following menu:

7/8th grade, please order from:

End-of-Year Picnic: Lunch Options

Vegetarian Lunch Option: Grilled Cheese Sandwich

In order to have an accurate count of how many vegetarian meals we have to order from Done Right Foods, please order from the following June menu in Boonli: "Lunch VEG ONLY: Picnic June 15".

Students who want the regular picnic option - as usual a hot dog on bun, do not need to order. Questions? Please contact us at ordering@tcgis.org.

SC Paderborn vs. Minnesota United: full-price tickets left!

Minnesota United will host TCGIS on June 11 as they take on Germany’s 2nd division team SC Paderborn. There are still regular-priced tickets left, available at $46. We’re excited to organize this again for our community!

What: Minnesota United FC versus SC Paderborn

When: Saturday June 11th at 7pm

Where: Allianz Field, St. Paul

Click here to purchase your tickets.

Carpooling Map Opt-in Form is Open

There are now 60 families who have opted in to using this Google form to participate in the 2022 Carpooling Map.

Interested in exploring carpooling to / from school? Fill out this Google form. We will share the link to the unlisted Google map with those who have opted in (through the form).

School Board Announcements

School Board Meeting Tonight!

The TCGIS Board of Directors will convene at TCGIS tonight at 6:30 for its regular monthly meeting. The Board will recognize and thank selected TCGIS staff and volunteers for their dedication to our school. The Director’s report will include an update from the incident response team and the board will consider approving TCGIS’s proposed metrics for the authorizer contract. Regular meetings provide an opportunity for public comment in an open forum. The board also receives public comment via email to board@tcgis.org.

Recordings of the regular board meetings are uploaded to YouTube within 24 hours. Here are the links to the board packet and the Zoom meeting.

School Board Meet the Candidates Forum/Election Approaching!

Join us on Wednesday, May 4th at 7:00pm via Zoom to hear our four candidates talk about their visions for the school before the upcoming election the week of May 9-13, 2022. Read more about our candidates here! We thank the parent council and PTO for co-hosting the virtual forum to meet the candidates.

Monthly Diversity & Belonging Slideshow

The Diversity & Belonging Committee is sharing pictures and short texts about what is happening in classrooms. Although we don't have many visitors in our classrooms these days, we are proud to show what is happening here.

Upcoming School Board & Committee Meetings

The board of directors meets twice a month at the Committee of the Whole and the Regular Board meetings, both public meetings. All are invited to attend school board and board committee meetings. It’s a great way to stay engaged and informed regarding the governance of our public charter school and independent school district. Upcoming meetings and their agendas are listed below. Zoom links are available on the agendas and on the online school calendar.

April Board Meeting: Thurs., April 28, 6:30 PM; Agenda

Communication & Outreach Committee: Wed., May 11, 8:30 AM; Agenda

Governance Committee Meeting: Mon., May 16, 4:30 PM; Agenda

Diversity & Belonging Committee: Tues., May 17, 3:45 PM; Agenda

Finance Committee Meeting: Tues., May 17, 6:30 PM; Agenda

Committee of the Whole Meeting: Wed., May 18, 6:30 PM; Agenda

May Board Meeting: Thurs., May 26, 6:30 PM

Community News

St. Paul College seeks 1-2 Host Families for 22/23

St. Paul College is seeking 1-2 host families for German college students coming to Minnesota for the 22/23 school year. Students are participating in an exchange sponsored by the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals, which gives 75 German young professionals the opportunity to live with an American host, study at a local college, and complete a six-month paid internship in their career fields. Students are between 18-24 years old and host families receive $225 monthly stipend. Read more about the CBYX program and hosting FAQs.

Raising Funds for Refugees in Germany

The GAI has launched the Communities for Ukraine fundraising campaign to support Ukrainian refugees who have fled to our adopted “sister cities” of Plonsk, Poland and Zell, Germany. Together with many partners in our community, we are raising $20,000 by May 21 to provide critical aid to refugees who need housing and immediate economic support. There are now more than 300 refugees in Zell and nearby villages, with more arriving daily. Funds will go directly to the town of Zell to help them house more refugees. Please donate here.

KinderKino at Trylon Cinema

Saturday, May 7 | 3–5:30 PM

Quatsch und die Nasenbärbande (Fiddlesticks) (2014) is about the average village of Bollersville—a town so average that it is perfect for consumer research. The adults of Bollersville will do anything to remain that way, including putting all the grandparents into an old folks home to keep their statistical average! In an attempt to avoid the same fate as their parents, Rieke, Max, Lene, Paul, Suse, and Ben team up with a Nasenbär (coati) named Quatsch to set a world record and prove that their town is anything but average!

82 minutes long. In German with English subtitles. Best for ages 4 to 9.

Buy tickets here.

GAI's Pork & Kraut Curbside Dinner

$20 GAI members/$25 non-members

Order here by Sunday, April 24

Pick up Saturday, April 30, from 1–3 PM

Feed your Pork & Kraut cravings with our annual dinner, again available for curbside pick up. Prepared in-Haus, your meal will include a smoked pork chop, Helga’s secret recipe sauerkraut, sweet and sour green beans, boiled potatoes, Apfelstreuselkuchen, and a can of Paulaner beer! Order ahead, then pick up your Pork & Kraut dinner at the GAI Haus and warm it up at home. Guten Appetit!

Get a head start on German for your Preschooler!

Kinderstube German Immersion Preschool is enrolling for fall at its Minneapolis location -- less than a 20 minute drive from TCGIS! We welcome younger siblings to join our preschool. Through daily play, music education, art and science exploration, as well as outdoor play time, Kinderstube students are exposed to all the concepts of early childhood education--while learning German! No language experience from the child or family is needed. Learn more about 2022-2023 enrollment here.

Resources & Calendar

German Tutors for TCGIS Students

TCGIS has built a list of local university/college students interested in virtual private tutoring in German for TCGIS students. We update this Google spreadsheet of tutors regularly. Learn more here.