Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft / Dear TCGIS Community, 

Thank you for visiting with us at the Gratitude Kaffeeklatsch! It was well attended and a great opportunity to say thanks to our interns, volunteers and all other major supporters of TCGIS. Thanks to the GAI for the traditional German baked goods as well!

We are enjoying the few remaining days in this calendar year. This Friday we are having a PJ day in the Middle School to coincide with our December Assembly. Elementary students will sing songs to carry us into a long Winter Break next week.  

German culture uses a wonderful metaphor of sliding into the new year with their New Year’s greeting. So in the spirit of our German Immersion mission: Guten Rutsch und ein gesundes neues Jahr. Wishing you a healthy new year.  

Elizabeth Zehnpfennig, Principal

Early Release Day and No School

• Early Release Day: Wednesday, December 20th
• No School: December 21 - January 3

January Kinderclub Registration is Open!

Registration for January Kinderclub is now open and closes on Sunday, 12/17.

Middle School Pajama Day - TOMORROW

Out next school Spirt day is tomorrow, Friday December 15th - we are inviting all 5th - 8th grade students to dress up in their pajamas and have some fun at an middle school assembly during advisory. 

Hosting an intern can enrich your family for years to come!

TCGIS has hosted an astounding 223 interns since the 2012-13 school year! We can only do this with the generous support of families just like yours who welcome an intern into their home and their lives for a semester. Prior host families tell happy stories about attending their interns' weddings or visiting them when they travel to Germany, Austria or Switzerland. TCGIS 8th graders have been visited by past interns while on the Capstone exchange in Germany. Hosting an intern has short-term and long-term benefits for the whole family!

We are still seeking 3 host families for interns who will join TCGIS in February!

The next intern cohort starts Feb. 5 (arriving shortly before); their last day with families is Sun., June 16.

• Apply to host an intern by Sunday, Dec. 17.
• Visit tcgis.org/host-an-intern for more info.
• Have questions not answered on our FAQ? Email Katharina Schirg
• Meet the spring interns here.

Marcy and Leo Nutt with their intern Anna Schwerdfeger last winter.

Kelly Laudon and her children, Henrik, Micah, Aubrey and Ethan, with their 2nd and 4th interns, Kirsten Peters and Josi Crist, in Berlin, Germany, in August 2023.

Band Club Winter Sessions

The Band's Winter session begins Jan. 4. Students will have new schedules, but it can be found on my website.

The fee for Winter session is $154, unless you take private lessons elsewhere, or are a private student of mine. This fee can be split up and/or reduced if needed; just let Krista Johnson know. Likewise, if you are able to pay a little extra to help support other students, please do!

Holiday Joy Sharing - We are almost there! 

We have 6 children gift cards and 2 family gift cards so far. Many thanks! We have reached half of the children. We need 6 $30 and 3 $100 to reach the five families.



The Holiday Season can be difficult for many families. One difficulty can be the financial abilities to get gifts and food for the family to have a celebration. This year we want to reach out to 5 families within our TCGIS school community and help to make this Holiday a joyful time for everyone. We will accept and distribute 15 $30 gift cards from Target or Walmart for the children and 5 $100 gift cards for the parent so they can get food. Please drop your card off in the front office in an envelope named as "TCGIS Holiday Joy sharing" until December 16. Thank you for contributing to sharing Holiday Joy. 

PTO - Staff Gifts and Painting Sunflowers!

• Still trying to figure out a great gift for your kid's Teacher, EA's, and the best Staff? Check this list out to see if they filled out our Favorite Things survey.

• Join us for another fun Cookies & Canvas event. We'll be painting a cheerful sunflower scene, and have delicious cookies to snack on. January 20th at 10am. Sign up here!

PTO - Events with the Board!

We have 2 amazing events from the Auction put on by the Board that still have space! 

• There are 12 spots left for a Smorgasbord with the Board. January 20, 2024. Sign up here!

• There are 5 spots for Kickball with the Board on February 23, 2024 Sign up here!

Festival of Cultures - Performers Needed!

The Festival of Cultures task force is asking the community for performers we should invite to the event. Do you have a group in mind? Email Kevin Eberhard with any ideas.

It is not too late to sign up; please fill out this short Google Form if you are interested in representing another culture.

If you have any ideas regarding performers or would like to volunteer, please email keberhard@tcgis.org

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!

TCGIS will be at the Minneapolis School Finder Fair on January, 13th. The organizers of the event strongly encourage us to bring staff who speak multiple languages, particularly Spanish and Somali.

If you speak multiple languages and are interested, please reach out to Paige Yurczyk.

Thank you, Volunteers!

The Gratitude Kaffeeklatsch for volunteers was well attended and sparked joyful engagement amongst all who attended. Thank you to those who could bring your shining faces. For those who could not be there…. YOU ARE SO APPRECIATED! Your volunteerism matters. Thank you. 

The board of directors wishes you all a restful and joyful winter break. We will be taking a break from our volunteer board service and look forward to resuming our committee and board meetings in January. See you in 2024!

Governance Meeting: Mon., Jan. 8 - 4:30PM; Google Meet 

Diversity & Belonging Meeting: Tues., Jan 9 - 6PM; Google Meet

Fundraising Meeting: Wed., Jan. 10 - 8:15AM; Room 99/Google Meet

Cmte of the Whole: Thurs., Jan. 11 - 6:30PM; Room 310

Communication Meeting: Tues., Jan. 16 - 4PM; Zoom

January Board Meeting: Thurs., Jan. 25 - 6:30PM; Room 100/Zoom

Register now! Winter sessions start January 13.

Samstagsschule immerses children in a fun, interactive environment that promotes natural acquisition of language. Classes incorporate story-telling, singing and dancing, playing games and doing crafts, along with lessons at an age-appropriate level. For ages 4 to 16, beginners, intermediate, advanced learners and native/heritage speakers. Learn more gaimn.org/kids.

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

Opt-In to Texts on Infinite Campus

As the season turns colder and the possibility of weather related closures comes into play, please make sure that your Contact Preferences in Infinite Campus are set to allow Text (SMS) messages. TCGIS will send out text notifications if school is closing, but you have to opt-in to receive them. You can find these settings in your account under Settings, then Contact Preferences. Just make sure that the Text (SMS) boxes are checked and that's all you need to do.

Class of 2024 Graduation: Save the date!

TCGIS Class of 2024 invites you to the 8th Grade Graduation Ceremony on Sunday, June 9th, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at TCGIS. Mark your calendars. RSVP will be coming soon. 

Wednesday, December 20

• Early Release Day

December 21- January 3rd

• NO SCHOOL



TCGIS Google Calendar