Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft / Dear TCGIS Community, 

I hope this message finds you all well and enjoying the last days of summer before school starts. We have been busy at the Twin Cities German Immersion School the last few months. We hosted summer school for a few of our rising 1st graders, held summer camps that had kids running and doing sports, playing with cardboard, and even one celebrating Harry Potter. Our work shifted this week to the coming 23-34 school as we welcomed our new teachers for the 2023-2024 school year.  

In addition to our new teachers, we welcomed Catherine Radecki, our new Dean of Students, who will sit on our academic leadership team and lead our school’s PBIS (Positive Behavior of Interventions and Supports) initiatives in grades k-8. Willkommen, Dean Radecki! Thanks for choosing TCGIS. 

In addition to hosting students in our building the last three months, TCGIS administration has been working hard to implement this year’s legislature’s session. We are working through new policies that will turn into statues that have schools adding free meals, menstrual products and overdose medications, bringing restorative practices to the forefront of discipline and impacting curricular and funding issues. Catherine and I along with Lead Special Education Coordinator, Andrew Haugen, and our Dean of Academic Support, Esther Neu, along with our school board, will be ensuring that these laws are put into policy for the 2023-2024 school year. For more information on the impact of this year’s session you can check out this document put out by the Minnesota Department of Education. 

As we look to the next school year, I know that the most important thing on most students’ and parents’ minds is “Who’s in my class?” and “Who’s my teacher?” We are making the final touches to our schedules. Teacher assignments will be published to Infinite Campus by August 21st. For our new families and as a reminder for our returning families, here is the link to our class composition guidelines on our website. 

The teachers, staff, administration and I look forward to see you in a few weeks at Back to School Night on Thursday, August 24th from 5:30-7:30pm. 

Genießt die letzten Sommerwochen! Bis Bald,

Elizabeth Zehnpfennig, Principal

Class schedules and teacher assignments will be available in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal starting August 21st. Once you're logged in, click on "Schedules" item in the Menu. If you have any trouble logging in, check out the Infinite Campus Help Center for Parents & Students. 

On March 17, 2023, Governor Walz signed the MN Free School Meals bill into law. The MN Free School Meals Program is a permanent program that provides state reimbursement to schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program so that students can have one breakfast and one lunch at no cost at school. The Free School Meals Program began on July 1, 2023. We are excited to offer this program at TCGIS starting this school year! For more details about this program, please click here.

We want to make sure your student is receiving proper health care at school. If your child will need medication during the school day, please be sure to review the Medication information on page 22 of the Family Handbook and Policy 516.

In order to administer medication to a student during the school day, we require the Medical Authorization Form, signed by both the health care provider and the parent/guardian. 

• All medication must be in its original package with a valid expiration date and labeled with the student's name.

• Medication drop off including completed paperwork:

Back to School night - Thursday, August 24th from 5:30-7:30 pm.

Our Health Office Associate, Monika Avery, and Mariah Schoonover (consultant nurse) will be available to receive your child(ren)'s medication together with the completed authorization form. 

For questions or alternative drop off options please email mavery@tcgis.org

Lunch: Please inform our Food Service Coordinator at lunch@tcgis.org if you would like your student to be placed at the “nut free table”.

If your child is 12 years old and/or entering 7th grade next school year, Minnesota State Statute 121A.15 requires your student to have a dose of the Tdap and Meningococcal vaccine to return to school. If you choose to opt out you may file a medical exemption signed by a health care provider or a non-medical exemption signed by a parent/guardian, and notarized (vaccine needs to be specified). Please see page 2 of immunization documentation.

Return completed immunization documentation to TCGIS once available, latest by August 15th. We accept any form your health care provider uses for immunization documentation. Send to: email info@tcgis.org, mail or fax to the school:

Twin Cities German Immersion School,

1031 Como Ave., St. Paul, MN 55103; ATTN: Monika Avery

Fax (651) 330-2270

The TCGIS Math team offers regular practices and opportunities for students to compete against other schools in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. The team is open to all 6-8th grade TCGIS middle school students of all abilities, offering students that are interested in additional mathematical challenges beyond what they are experiencing in class. Math team meets on regularly from mid-September through the first Friday in March for an hour and a half each Friday and has regularly scheduled meets on Mondays.

In practices, students learn tips and strategies for solving common mathematical contest problems and hone their skills in mock competitions. They gain the tools to persevere in the face of challenge and build the confidence needed to tackle a problem that they may not have seen before. 

More details about the team, math enrichment resources, and more can be found on the Math Team’s website. Please email Herr Graf (sgraf@tcgis.org) with any questions.

All 8th grade students and parents: please attend the Capstone meeting in the cafeteria at 7:30 on Back-to-School Night, whether your student is hosting a German student or not. The first half of the meeting will focus on the daily schedule for the 2-week exchange which will impact all 8th grade students. The second half will focus on hosting a student, so families who are not hosting may leave before that part. 

If you have a bicycle that an intern could borrow from you this semester, please email Katharina Schirg (kschirg@tcgis.org) and she will pass along the information. (We are seeking at least one bike for a tall (6'2") person.)

Vielen Dank! 

Did your kid(s) lose items last year? Do you remember what chaos the Lost & Found was? Save yourselves and order Mable's Labels. Not only are they amazing and stick on everything, a percentage of the sale goes to TCGIS PTO! 

If you order now, you'll still get them before school starts with free standard shipping!

Students grades 3-8 are invited to join our choir for another year of happy singing and performing in German, Thursdays 3:15-4:30pm. First practice is Sept. 7. For more info call Herbert at 612-505-2892 or email at vcaherbert@gmail.com

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 read the entire Rundbrief. Danke!

Eltern Kontakte (parent contacts), or EKs, are parent volunteers who provide an additional communication channel between the teacher(s) and the parents in their child(ren)'s homeroom/grade. 

Each homeroom and grade-level have 1-3 EKs who work together to support the class or grade-level teachers, connect parents with each other and help strengthen our community. Managing the voluntary grade-level Family Contact List is also an important part of the EKs role. 

Much of this fun volunteer position can be done remotely since it primarily consists of communicating via email. If you're interested in volunteering as an EK this year, please fill out this brief form. Vielen Dank!

We are looking for our TCGIS community to help keep our community garden watered, weeded, and to harvest when it's time! Everyone in the TCGIS community is welcome and encouraged to sign up to help support- the time needed is minimal and flexible! We have a step-by-step guide for tending the garden so all experience levels are welcome and appreciated!  Sign up HERE to join us this summer! Details on how to jump in will be sent to all who sign up. Please reach out to Terra Erickson or Julie Alkatout with questions!

We are looking for people who are interested in participating in the LGBTQIA+ affinity group to share experiences, give advice, and build community. We are trying to establish regular meetings including a get-back-to-school event for families to connect. Please reach out to Kris Cramer if you are interested or have any questions.

Board Meeting: Thurs., Aug. 31 - 6:30PM - Room 100 & Zoom

Finance Meeting: Tues., Sept. 5 - 6:30PM - Zoom

Cmte of the Whole: Thur., Sept. 14 - 6:30PM

Vienna Community Arts provides lessons in piano, violin, ukulele, and classical guitar. Lessons are onsite at TCGIS during afterschool hours. Contact Nancy at 612-505-2883 or Herbert at 612-505-2892 or email infoviennarts@gmail.com. Visit our website at www.artsvienna.org

Focusing on St. Paul and the German and Irish immigrant communities during Minnesota's bitter temperance battle, Professor Sabine N. Meyer's book examines the ever-shifting ways that ethnicity, gender, class, religion, and place affected the movement. Tickets include a beer or glass of wine - $15 GAI members/$20 non-members. Buy tickets here.

Free film begins at 8:45 PM

You're invited to enjoy a freshly grilled bratwurst or Currywurst meal and some cold beer or wine in our big back yard. When it gets dark, we’ll show the German film Cleo (2022) on an outdoor big screen, so bring your lawn chairs, blankets, an bug spray.  

Buy meal tickets here by August 13 and save $2.

The board’s Diversity & Belonging committee would like to highlight upcoming events in the Twin Cities as opportunities for intercultural engagement- one our school’s core values. Click here to learn about highlighted events!

It's time to get ready for the new school year! Elementary and Middle School Supply lists are located on our TCGIS website. TCGIS practices sustainable supply practices and encourages students to reuse old supplies.  

ZuVon is a parent-school collaboration that offers eco-friendly ways to get to (zu) and from (von ) TCGIS. Their website includes information about a new carpooling initiative and local transit options.

If you're interested in exploring carpooling to/from school, fill out this Google form. Your address and limited contact information will be used to populate a Google map similar to the one on this page. Starting August 11th we will share the link to an unlisted Google map that will include limited contact information with those who have opted in (through the form) and are interested in setting up a carpool with nearby families. Once families have this info, it's up to them to contact possible matches and arrange the carpool.

August 24: Back to School Night for all families

August 28: 1st Day of School for Grades 1-8

August 30: 1st Day of School for Kindergarten

September 4: Labor Day (No School)



TCGIS Google Calendar