ISSUE 465/ August 19, 2021 |
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Greetings from the Executive Director |
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Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft!
Dear TCGIS Community,
Greetings from the beehive of the TCGIS offices and classrooms! We are busily and eagerly preparing to open our doors to students and families. This week we were delighted to welcome our new teacher cohort, some of whom are not just new to TCGIS, but also to Minnesota and to the U.S. We encourage you to reach out to any of them to add your welcoming voice and help them feel at home in our community.
I am particularly grateful this week to Esther Neu, Dean of Academic Support, Jesse Whitney, Director of IT, and Nicole Crashell, Enrollment Coordinator, who are putting finishing touches on the roll-out of Infinite Campus, our new student information system. This is an enormous undertaking that will have positive impacts for both staff and families, with streamlined parent communications, a more user-friendly interface in the parent portal, and increased features and resources for our community. More details about the roll-out are available below.
For those who have not yet had a chance to review it, I encourage you to familiarize yourself with our Safe Return to In-Person Learning Plan for the coming school year. Please also look for a communication on Friday, August 20 with some clarifying information and responses to questions that have come from parents in the past week.
I wish you all a wonderful remaining few days of summer sun and relaxation.
mit freundlichen Grüßen,
Kirsten Christensen
Executive Director
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Incident Response Team (IRT) |
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COVID-12 Vaccines for 12-15 year olds |
Right now, only one-third of Minnesotans 12-15 years old are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Getting vaccinated prevents severe illness, hospitalization, and death; it also helps reduce the spread of the virus in communities. Vaccination is currently the leading public health prevention strategy to end the COVID-19 pandemic. Please get your kids (age 12 and older) vaccinated now. This is also the perfect opportunity to ensure your child is caught up on other vaccinations they need to stay safe in school.
How youth and families can get their free shot:
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Use the state’s Vaccine Locator Map to find a local vaccine.
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Check for vaccine appointments using the Vaccine Finder. Parents can search for appointments by vaccine type (e.g., Pfizer).
- Parents can contact their primary health care provider or a local pharmacy.
Vaccine Incentives:
Minnesotans can now submit their requests for the $100 vaccination rewards program here. Minnesotans 12 years of age and older who have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine since July 30 can submit a request for a $100 Visa gift card. The form will remain open for submissions for Minnesotans who get their first dose until August 15.
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Back-to-School Preparations |
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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!
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Hybrid Back-to-School Night Updates |
In last week’s Rundbrief we announced that we are hosting a hybrid version of our traditional Back-to-School Night this year. In this way, we can best accommodate those with the highest transitional needs, keep the number of people in the building lower, and provide all students and families opportunities to ‘meet’ the teachers.
In order to accommodate both in-person and virtual meetings for families with students in more than one grade, and for our teachers who will be available both in-person and virtually, we have scheduled the evening as follows:
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.: in person for Kindergarten, New Students, 5th Graders*
6:30 - 7:00 p.m.: travel time for families and staff who will Zoom at 7:00 p.m.
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.: in Zoom for grades 1,2,3,4,6,7,8
Please note: this is a change from our original plans of 6:30-7:30 p.m.
In-Person Attendees
We ask that students come with just one adult, if possible, to help keep the number of people gathered in classrooms and in the building as low as possible (due to concerns about the Delta variant of Covid-19).
Safety Reminders for In-person Attendance:
- Masks are required for all individuals over 2 years old in our building. (Documented exemptions apply.)
- Maintain 6 feet of distance between your family unit and teachers or other families.
- Please stay home if you are sick.
Zoom Attendees: Submit your questions for teachers in advance
As we did last year for Back-to-School Night, we are collecting parent questions for teachers by grade level in advance. In this way teachers can address many of your questions during their Zoom meetings. Please submit your question(s) by grade level in this Google Form by Tuesday night. Thank you for saving curriculum- specific questions for a later time.
*We realize that there may be kids who are not new, in Kindergarten or in 5th grade and who have a distinct need to do an in-person meet-and-greet with a teacher. For those families, we ask you to fill out this form by Monday, Aug. 23, and a staff member will contact you about a time slot.
Stay tuned for more details!
This weekend we will email all families a longer Back-to-School Night update with more details for the evening. We are currently updating our Back-to-School Night webpages with all of the important information families learn about busing, lunch orders, Kinderclub, and the health office.
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We are excited to be in the final stages of our transition from PowerSchool to Infinite Campus! Infinite Campus is a district-wide student information system designed to manage attendance, grades, schedules, assessments and other information about the students at TCGIS.
You will have access to the Campus Portal which is a confidential and secure website that allows parents/guardians to login and view their child's progress in school. There is also an app available for both iOS and Android devices. The goal of the Campus Portal is to create a better partnership between parents and teachers, and to more efficiently communicate.
Logging into the Campus Portal will give you access to view the following real-time information about your child including:
- Viewing & updating your family’s contact information
- Health information & personal details
- Grades
- District and School Notices
- Schedules
- Assignments
- Attendance
- Reports
You will receive direction on how to activate your account during the week of August 23rd. You will need to activate your account and complete online registration for your student(s) within two days of receiving the account activation invitation. At that point, you will be able to view student schedules and teacher assignments as well as update emergency contacts and student demographic information.
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Class & Teacher Assignments: Week of August 23rd
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We know families are eager to hear about class/teacher assignments and we appreciate your patience. As in past years, they will be available the week of Back-to-School Night. Early next week parents will receive instructions to access the Parent Portal in Infinite Campus, in which class teacher/section assignments can be easily found. |
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Schultüten: A German tradition!
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Liebe Kindergarten-Familien,
The first day of school is just around the corner - isn't that exciting? In preparation for your child's first day of school, we wanted to share a German tradition with you today!
A Schultüte is a German tradition where parents give their child on their first day of school a giant cone filled with school supplies and treats. Students usually take the Schultüte to school on the first day but only unwrap it at home after their first day. If you want to make one for your kindergartener, please find directions here.
Viel Spaß beim basteln!
Frau Root-Joswig & Herr White
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Brush up on German before school starts! |
If your student’s German is a bit rusty after a summer off of school, consider using a tutor to help brush up on German before classes start. TCGIS has compiled a list of local university and college students available to tutor German virtually or in person. You contact the tutor directly and make arrangements with them. |
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Ready for the First Day of School |
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PikMyKid Dismissal Procedures for Grades K-4 |
Time to dig out your PikMyKid app and designate your dismissal! This year we will use the PikMyKid dismissal app for elementary school students only: grades K-4. These families will need to use PikMyKid (PMK) to set up a daily dismissal mode for their student(s).
If you have a 5-8th grade middle school student, you will NOT need to use PMK for them. Be sure to communicate daily dismissal plans with your student(s) so that they know where to go at dismissal each day.
Grades K-4th ONLY: Please update PikMyKid by Friday, Aug. 27
Please set your child(ren)’s Default Pickup Mode to the mode you will use most often: Van Slyke Car Pickup, Walking Pickup, Bus, etc. The window to change the Default Pickup Mode will close on September 3, after which you will need to contact info@tcgis.org to change your child(ren)’s default. Everyone’s default mode has been reset to "Van Slyke Car Pickup," so it is very important to change it if this is not your preferred mode.
You can also delegate recurring changes when you will use a pickup mode that is different from your default. Remember to indicate on the calendar how long the change should recur for. Delegating these recurring changes will be imperative for accurate dismissal procedures and we appreciate your help!
If you are a new parent and have not yet registered for PikMyKid, please find the instructions here. PikMyKid allows parents, teachers, and office staff to view a child's dismissal mode at the end of the day, whether it's bus, car pickup, Kinderclub, etc. Please download the app for iOS or Android, register your account, and set up your child's dismissal mode.
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Arrival & Dismissal Procedures for All Grades |
Morning Arrival
Sidewalk supervision for morning arrival on Van Slyke Ave and Como Ave is provided daily between 7:50am - 8:10am. Students arriving after 8:10 a.m. must enter through the building’s Main Entrance (located on the WEST side of the building by the staff parking lot) and sign in at the Front Office (see Attendance Policy for more information on tardy procedures).
Dismissal
Students are dismissed from school at 3:15pm. Students remaining at school after 3:30pm without adult supervision, and/or with no dismissal plan indicated in PikMyKid will be directed to the Front Office. All student dismissal plans must be managed through the PikMyKid app.
Late Pick-Ups
Students are expected to be picked up no later than 3:30pm (or 1:00pm on Early Release days). If, due to unforeseen circumstances, you are unable to pick your student(s) up on time, contact the Front Office (651-492-7106) as far in advance as possible.
Any student who is not picked up by 3:45pm will be sent to Kinderclub to ensure appropriate supervision. Students using Kinderclub due to late pick ups are subject to regular Kinderclub fees, and families will be billed retroactively through our online ordering system, Boonli, as needed. COVID-19 Impact: KinderClub may not be able to accommodate students who are not picked up on time due to staffing and limited spacing with COVID guidelines. The front office closes at 4pm and all students MUST be picked up by 4pm.
If students are habitually picked up later than 3:30pm, the School may require families to set up a standing plan for after-school care with Kinderclub.
Tips for Drop off & Pick up
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To ensure student safety and a smooth traffic flow, please follow the school's drop-off/pick-up rules and traffic flow maps. Thank you for your collaboration!
Van Slyke Ave: Please do not block alleys, driveways, or public bus stops.
Como Ave: Pedestrians must use the marked crosswalks when walking across Como Avenue to enter or exit the school building.
Walking Pick-up: Please meet your child on the playground by the East Entrance. A staff member will bring your child(ren) out to meet you after dismissal.
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Carpool and Transit Tools for TCGIS Families |
There are now 25 families who have opted into using this Google form to participate in the 2021 Carpooling Map.
to/from school, please 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.
From now until the first week in September we will share the link to the unlisted Google map 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.
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August/September Order Window for Lunches/Milk Closes this Sunday, August 22nd
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Remember to place your order for August/September 2021! Please log on to our online store website Boonli to place your child's School Lunch/Milk order. Please make sure to check out your cart to successfully place an order. All orders must be submitted by 6pm on Sunday, August 22. Orders received after the 22nd will have a one-week delayed start date.
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Application for Educational Benefits Program SY 21/22 |
TCGIS is operating under the Seamless Summer Option this year which enables us to provide meals free of charge for all students! No application is required to receive this free meal benefit. Please find the information and instruction letter and the application form for the Educational Benefits program for the 2021-2022 school year.
However, your child(ren) may qualify for additional benefits such as reduced fees at school programs or the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) which is a federal temporary emergency nutrition benefit that is loaded onto electronic cards for families to purchase food. At public schools like TCGIS, your application also helps the school qualify for education funds and discounts.
Applications can be submitted at any time during the school year, however in order to receive these benefits for the first day of school, please submit your completed application form no later than August 20th, 2021. Forms may be emailed to Alex Weeding or dropped off at the front office.
If you have any questions or need help, please don't hesitate to email Alex Weeding or call the front office: 651- 492-7106. |
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Send Us Your Student’s Updated Health Concerns |
In advance of the full transition to Infinite Campus, which should take effect in the week of August 23, please help keep our health office up-to-date! If there have been any changes to the health concerns of your returning TCGIS student(s), email Monika Avery and Mariah Schoonover with the new information.
Please only email if there are new changes to your student(s)’ health concerns since the last school year.
This will help us be proactive so that each student’s health information is ready to go by August 30. Thank you for helping us start the school year safely!
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Health Office Updates for the 2021/22 School Year |
If your child will need medication during the school day in the 2021-22 school year, please be sure you:
- Review the Medication information on page 22 of the Family Handbook and Policy 516 - Student.
- Sign the Medical Authorization Form. In order to administer medication to a student during the school day, it is required that this is signed by both the health care provider and the parent/guardian.
- Have all medication in its original package with a valid expiration date and labeled with the student's name.
- Drop off your medication. 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 at our Back to School Night on Thursday, August 26 from 5:15-7:00 pm.
For questions or alternative drop off options please email Monika Avery, Health Service Associate. |
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School Supply Lists for Elementary and Middle School |
It's that time of year! Supply lists for Elementary and Middle School can be found below. Reductions have been made due to things we have in abundance and our Zero Waste initiative. Please feel free to reuse old items instead of purchasing new ones.
School Supplies Drop-Off
To reduce traffic on Back to School Night and the first day of school, please drop off shared supplies in the TCGIS lobby (near the cafeteria) during one of these times:
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August 24th & 25th: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
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August 26th & 27th: 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Please bring the shared classroom supplies only:
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Grades K-4: please label with your student's teacher.
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Grades 5-8: please label with your student's grade.
Please use the West entrance (by the parking lot) and use the doorbell on the post located a few feet away from the door to be let in. Thank you for working with us to start the school year smoothly! Please send any questions to info@tcgis.org. |
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Register for TCGIS Soccer! |
TCGIS Soccer is back this fall! We are offering soccer to 5th-8th graders. The 5th & 6th grade team will practice after school on Mondays and have games on Wednesdays, and the 7th & 8th grade team will practice on Tuesdays and have games on Fridays. Registration on Popsicle is open from now until Friday, August 27, at 11:59 PM. For details, please check out our website!
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Parent Council Update: August 2021 |
The Parent Council (PC) met on Monday, August 16th, via Zoom. Click here to read the full August meeting update and learn more about the topics we discussed:
- Welcoming our Board Liaison, Silke Moeller and new Executive Director, Kirsten Christensen
- band instrument storage and rehearsal space
- Director Christensen's updates on preparations for the new school year
- results of the Parent Satisfaction Survey
- and representing the Parent Council at the PTO Oktoberfest Fun Run.
Read the full August meeting update for details about the above topics and to learn about the role of the Parent Council and plans for this year's Parent Council elections.
If you have any questions or anything you’d like the Parent Council to address, please email your class representative or the full PC at parent-council@tcgis.org. |
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If your child(ren) is/are feeling anxious about school ... |
It is a normal to feel anxious as we go back to school. Children and adults have these feelings. Some kids know how to regulate their emotional state, but many do not. As a parent/guardian, you can share with your child(ren) these ways we can help calm our bodies and feelings by taking care of ourselves:
- Stick to daily routines such as waking up and going to bed for a school schedule
- Practice a consistent sleep routine
- Start now to adjust your sleep schedule for school time
- Eat healthy foods
- Move your body by going for a walk or bike ride
- Play and spend time outside
- Talk and/or play about what is making you anxious
- identify feelings and where in the body we feel nervous and anxious
The Child Mind Institute is an excellent resource for parents with useful information applicable to all ages.
TCGIS school social worker, Diana Erwin, can collaborate with you on how to best support your child(ren) returning to school and while at TCGIS.
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NAMI MN: Back to School Anxiety Presentation |
Going back to school has always been tough. There is a new teacher, new classmates, new routine, and it can be hard to get back into the habit of school after three months of summer. Combine that with fears around a global pandemic and spending an even longer time away from school, and it is no wonder that anxiety behind going back to in-person learning is skyrocketing both for children and parents. Join NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) for our “Back to School Anxiety” presentation, where we will discuss ways to prepare your child for going back to in-person learning, as well as strategies for how to keep their anxiety at bay both during and after school.
Friday, August 20, 12:00-1:00 p.m.: Register here. Thursday, August 26, 12:00-1:00 p.m.: Register here. |
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School Board Announcements |
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Volunteers needed for the TCGIS community garden! |
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Help is needed in the TCGIS community garden over the next few weeks. Our work is paying off, and we have lots of vegetables ready to donate to the Keystone Midway Food Shelf. We especially need help watering the garden and harvesting and donating vegetables during the weeks of August 22, and 29, and September 5.
The time commitment is very minimal and flexible to your schedule. Sign up here. |
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Upcoming Board & Committee Meetings |
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Board meetings will be held in-person at TCGIS Room 100 with the opportunity for non-board members to attend via Zoom. The public is also welcome to attend in-person as the room capacity allows within public health guidelines. Committee meetings will continue via Zoom to make them easier to attend. Zoom information for each committee can be found on the public school calendar and are linked below. All are welcome to join committee meetings! You can find links to the committee charters here. The charters will be updated by each committee for the 21-22 school year.
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Kindergarten Meet-Up in St. Paul |
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Families with incoming kindergarteners are welcome to meet for one last get-to-know-you play time before the school year starts. We'd love to have you join us on Saturday, August 28th from 10 am until noon at the Randolph Heights Elementary School playground (corner of Jefferson Ave and Syndicate St S.) in St. Paul. Questions? Please email Anna Lindquist. Hope to see you there! |
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The Fun Run is back! We're on for Saturday, October 9th! Registration coming soon!
Our first meeting is Thursday, September 9th. Put it on your calendar and be there! We'll be discussing what is new his year and how you can help. As of now, the meeting is scheduled to be in-person and we will update where and if anything needs to change.
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Kinderclub, our before and after school care program, is hiring for the 2021-22 school year. Alumni students (High School Seniors) are welcome to apply! Please read our job description for more info. |
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GAI: Introducing Kinderstube German@home
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Kinderstube German@home is an online, self-paced German language program that offers fun enrichment activities for kids and caregivers to do together at home.
Parents or caregivers will receive weekly content updates with four activities that they can do throughout the week or on the weekend with their children. Each activity has been designed to take 15 minutes to complete. Students and caregivers have the opportunity to meet virtually with their instructor once a month for a check-in.
Tuition is $320 a semester or $600 for the full school year. For more information, visit our website, email kinderstubeathome@gaimn.org, or call our office at (651) 222-7027. |
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Vienna Community Arts Fall Music Lessons begin August 30. Registration begins August 1 for new and continuing students.
Contact VCA Office - Herbert and Nancy at 651-304-6205
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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. |
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August 20: NAMI Back to School Anxiety Presentation
August 21: Kaffeeklatsch with new Executive Director Dr. Christensen (Zoom)
August 24-25 (8am-4pm): Shared Supplies Drop-Off
August 26: NAMI Back to School Anxiety Presentation
August 26: Back to School Night at TCGIS
August 26-27 (12-4pm): Shared Supplies Drop-Off
August 28: Kindergarten meet-up at Randolph Heights Playground (St. Paul)
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