ISSUE 561/December 7, 2023 | |
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.
| |
Gratitude Kaffeeklatsch: 8:00 a.m. TOMORROW | |
|
Join us Tomorrow, December 8th, at 8 a.m. for a Kaffeeklatsch dedicated to our volunteers, interns, donors, host families, parents, and generous community. As a way of saying thank you, we will have coffee and treats for all! This event will take place in the TCGIS foyer.
There will not be a Morgenkreis visit at this event.
| |
Give your student(s) a chance to speak German at home: host an intern! | |
|
We are still seeking 5 host families for interns who will join TCGIS in February! Katharina Schirg and our current interns will be available at Kaffeeklatsch tomorrow to answer your questions about hosting! The next intern cohort starts Feb. 5 (arriving shortly before); their last day with families is Sun., June 16.
| |
James and Leo Nutt with their intern Anna Schwerdfeger last spring. | |
Garth, Sharon, Keisha, and Tala with their intern Ecem Üzum, and a friend, last spring. | |
|
Please provide your feedback about the calendar in this brief survey by December 13th. The calendar committee will use the results to help inform decisions about the 2024-25 school calendar.
| |
First Parent/Caregiver group TOMORROW, December 8th, 2023 | |
Join us during or after Kaffeeklatsch in room 97 for our first parent/caregiver group time from 8-9am for parents and caregiver with students in grades K-4. See future meetings here! | |
|
Out next school Spirt day is on 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.
| |
Fall Enrichment Classes Ending...Winter Registration Beginning! | |
|
The fall session of Enrichment Classes is concluding next week... but the upcoming session is starting soon! Fall Enrichment Classes will meet for the final time in the week of December 11th-15th.
Keep an eye out for winter session registration to begin this Sunday, December 10th! We will have new classes on offer, as well as some coming back for another round. Click here to see the descriptions of each class that will be offered.
| |
Peace Pole - A gift from the class of 2023 | |
|
The gift from the class of 2023 is a peace pole. It reads "May Peace Prevail Upon the Earth" in English, German, Ukrainian, since many of the TCGIS community have roots there, and Dakota, since the school stands on the traditional homeland of the Wahpekute Dakota. The purchase funded ten trees to be planted in Africa. Thank you to Andy Nesset for installing it on the Como Avenue side of the building.
| |
School Pictures & Class Composites are ready to order! | |
Support TCGIS Families this Holiday Season - Update! | We have 3 gift cards so far. Many thanks! We have 12 more to go. 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. | Noise Cancelling Headphones Needed! | |
We are looking for donations to support an increase in student need for noise-cancelling headphones! Noise-cancelling headphones can help students maintain their focus and concentration by providing a quieter environment. The classroom setting can be a challenging environment for some students who may be more sensitive to noise and other external stimuli. Please go to our Amazon Wish List to help.
Danke! Thank you! - Natalie Voxland, Occupational Therapist
| |
|
Every half day, we organize a lunch for staff and 3 grades co-sponsor. Since December's half day is the day before Winter Break, we want to go big! If you have the ability, please consider donating a few dollars to make it even better!
Want to know what your kid's teacher, EA and your favorite staff member really want? Check this out - most of the Staff filled out a form of their Favorite Things. You can use this for birthdays, holidays, and general giving.
| Buying wine for the holiday season? Support Capstone while you do it! (21+) | |
|
Order here to support Capstone 2024. When ordering wine from this page (except the discounted GAI packs), 20% of your pre-tax total will be donated to Capstone. Thank you for your support!
| |
Festival of Cultures: Update | |
|
The Diversity & Belonging Committee is hosting the second Festival of Cultures to celebrate the diversity of our school by sharing our unique cultures through music, art, storytelling, dance, food, and community.
It will be held on Thur., February 8, 2024, 5 pm-7 pm. Cultures that will be represented this time are: German, Serbian / Balkan, Latvian, Norwegian, Colombian, Swiss, Finnish, Sami American, Guatemalan / Irish, Japanese, Russian, Norwegian, Korean, Scottish, Syrian. It is not too late to sign up; please fill out this short Google Form if you are interested in representing another culture. We are also looking for volunteers to help with booths. Thank you for your consideration! If you have any questions 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! | |
There are no volunteer needs at this time. | |
School Board (Schulvorstand) Announcements
| |
Upcoming School Board & Committee Meetings | |
Governance Meeting: Mon., Dec. 11 - 4:30PM; Google Meet | |
North Star Voices: Endurance and Identity | |
|
Saturday, December 9 · 2 - 3:30pm at the Minnesota History Center
Join Alexandera, an Ojibwe woman, farmer, artist, mechanic, and cyclist as she discusses her hopes to increase representation of Indigenous people in all spaces, including in parks and on trails everywhere. You'll hear her share her story as an unexpected athlete, her drive for shattering barriers and becoming a young biking champion. Free, but RSVP here to reserve seating.
| |
Backen und Bastlen—kids & adults | |
|
Saturday, December 9 | 1–3 PM
Spend an hour baking Vanillekipferl, a German Christmas cookie, then learn how to make straw ornaments in this fun activity for parent and child, grandparent and grandchild, or any combination of adults and children (at least 1 adult for every 3 kids, please.) For kids ages 6 and up. Includes all materials, ingredients, hot apple cider and some cookies to take home, if you don’t eat them all first! $105 members/$115 nonmembers for adult/child pair, additional children $40 each. Register here!
| |
|
Kleine Schneeflocke: Zauberhaftes Bilderbuch zu Weihnachten
Saturday, December 9 | 11–11:45 AM
This month we’ll read a wintery tale full of magic and light about a young girl wishing for a perfect Christmas tree, and a young snowflake wishing for the perfect place to land.
The storytime will be conducted in German and is geared towards children who have German as a home language, have been exposed to German through classes or immersion programs, or have at least basic knowledge of German. Held every second Saturday of the month.
Storytime is free but registration is requested. Older siblings are welcome!
| |
Intercultural Engagement Opportunities | |
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! | |
Our students need to bring winter gear to school | |
|
During the winter season please send winter gear with your student every day to be able to participate in recess safely and warmly. Students can bring clothes on a daily basis or keep a pair in their locker to make sure they are prepared for cold temperatures or snow. To go outside students need: Winter jacket, Hat, Gloves, Snow Pants in Elementary school. Please LABEL every item - sharpie, white pen, sticker work really well.
If providing winter gear is a challenge for your family the following places can help:
| Drop-off and Pick-up Reminder | |
|
Como Avenue has become unecessarily congested again at arrival and dismissal times. Please do not idle, stop or park on Como Ave except the exception articulated below.
Instead drivers may idle, stop, or park on any of the perpendicular streets to Como: Lexington, Churchill, Oxford, Argyle, and Chatsworth (in purple below), and also on Jessamine, a block south of school, and on West Como Blvd., north of Van Slyke.
| |
There is one exception: drivers may park on the north side of Como (the same side as our school), only between Van Slyke and the driveway by our playground. We allow this as long as the south side and the rest of Como Ave remain free of cars, allowing for two lanes of traffic to pass. As the map below shows, there are many more places to park than the few no-parking areas on Como Ave.
| |
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.
| |
|
Friday, December 8
Monday, December 11
Wednesday, December 20
December 21- January 3rd
| |
| | | |
