ISSUE 479 / December 9, 2021 |
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Greetings from the Executive Director |
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Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft! Dear TCGIS community,
If you haven’t already, I encourage you to participate in the calendar survey for families that was included in last week’s Rundbrief. This is an important annual opportunity to provide feedback on the shape of our academic year.
I look forward to seeing many of you at this evening’s second Covid vaccination clinic. Thank you for all you are doing to help protect our school and the broader community.
I have enjoyed time in classrooms this week, including a colorful Hanukkah lesson in two kindergarten classes and drama presentations of Kafka short stories in one of Herr Dahl’s classes that required students to focus intensively on other ensemble members and to emphasize gestures and sound effects to tell their stories. Mesmerizing.
There is so much creativity and learning filling this school. I hope it is filling your homes, too.
herzlich,
Kirsten Christensen
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Incident Response Team (IRT) |
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The IRT tracks COVID cases in this dashboard which will be shared weekly. |
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Covid-19 Booster Clinic: Friday, Dec. 17 |
SAVE THE DATE! Friday, December 17, after school we will have a COVID-19 booster clinic. Anyone age 18 or older who have previously received COVID-19 vaccinations are eligible for a single booster dose. We will again host Cub Pharmacy to provide COVID-19 booster doses.
You may choose which vaccine you get as a booster dose. You can get a booster dose that is the same brand as your previous shot or shots or choose a different brand. Watch the website and our Facebook and Insta channels for more details!
Why do I need a booster shot?
COVID-19 vaccines are very effective, but new data shows protection may decrease over time. This is normal and expected.
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TCGIS Guidelines Follow MDH Recommendations |
TCGIS’s Incident Response Team's primary goal is to continue in-person learning as safely as possible. To support this effort, please review our guidelines below concerning COVID-19, based on the MDH Decision tree.
Quarantine with a Positive Test Result
An individual who has a lab-confirmed positive Covid-19 test must isolate for 10 days and if symptoms are better, can return without further testing. Return day is day 11. MDH strongly recommends not to test for 90 days to avoid false test results.
Close Contacts: Fully Vaccinated Individuals
Individuals are considered "fully vaccinated" 14 days after the second dose. This category also applies to individuals who had a positive test within the last 90 days and are past their quarantine.
These individuals not need to quarantine, unless they develop symptoms or test positive. It is strongly recommended that vaccinated close contacts do a PCR/molecular test 5 days after the last contact with the positive individual.
Close Contacts: Unvaccinated Individuals
This includes individuals who are within the 14-days since receiving dose #2.
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We offer the shortest recommended MDH quarantine of 7 days with a negative PCR/molecular test on day 5 or later. Return day is day 8. A quarantine should NEVER be shorter than 7 full days. MDH also recommends longer quarantines.
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A household member tests positive: If you are not able to isolate yourself/student from the person that tested positive, the quarantine starts after the 10-day isolation period of the lab-confirmed positive individual, leading to a cumulative quarantine of 17 days (10 days isolation, 7 days shortened quarantine with negative PCR/molecular test result on day 5 or later).
Day Zero (0) and Return Day
The first day of symptoms, a lab-confirmed positive result, or a close contact with a person testing positive is considered day 0. Isolation or quarantine starts the following day. Return day is the day after the completed isolation/quarantine period.
Status Updates during Quarantine
If families are able to isolate a student from an in-household confirmed positive individual, OR if families elect to keep a vaccinated close-contacts at home, please contact Monika Avery (mavery@tcgis.org). This communication helps keep our internal attendance accurate and our teachers updated.
Email Communication
We monitor emails daily and are striving for fast and efficient email communication. Due to the large quantity of emails we need to prioritize, please state your student's class (ie. 5B, 2C) in the subject line as well as a brief description of your main question or update (e.g. "Negative test - school tomorrow?" Thank you for being our partner in navigating these challenging times.
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Free Weekly COVID Testing at TCGIS |
We continue to offer PCR testing with Zepto Life Technology on Tuesday mornings at TCGIS. If you would like to sign your child up for testing, please complete the Zepto Registration and Consent Form, and TCGIS Consent Form. These can be emailed to dnicholson@tcgis.org or turned in at the front office. To be included in the upcoming week’s testing, forms should ideally be received the preceding Friday at noon.
If you prefer to test on your own, we encourage you to use the Vault at-home tests. They are free of charge, easy to order and use. You do need to have internet access to use the Vault home tests. You may also use the Minnesota Department of Health Testing Location finder to locate PCR testing near to you. Scroll to below the map and add your information using the drop-down menus. Be aware that the “Provider Testing Sites” may have costs associated with testing.
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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:
- Updated Quarantine Procedures
- Updated MDH Decision Tree
- Weekly COVID-Testing at TCGIS
- Keep Sick Kids Home this School Year
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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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Lost and Found: Please pick up before Winter Break! |
Missing jackets, gloves, water bottles and more? We can help! Please remind your student to come and pick up your missing items from the lost and found. Feel free to come and look through it as well.
Location: West Entrance, bottom of the staircase.
We will be donating any remaining items to keep our “lost and found” organized and easier for students to search for items.
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Due to changes in FCC guidelines, we cannot send you texts without your permission. You can opt-in by going to your Infinite Campus account and changing your communication preferences. (Select 'Settings' from the user profile menu, then select 'Contact Preferences' and scroll down to check the boxes for phone, email.) We rarely send texts, but they are very useful with the snowy season upon us!
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We are seeing more and more students forgetting their water bottles at home and needing to get paper cups from the office. We want our students to stay hydrated throughout the day to maximize their learning and stay healthy. We are not yet using the drinking fountain and would like to keep unnecessary waste out of the landfills. Please check in with your child and make sure they are bringing their Wasserflasche, labeled with their name and class section! |
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TCGIS Calendar Survey for School Year 2022/23 |
Please give us feedback to help inform next year's school calendar by taking this survey. Topics include PD days, early release days, and breaks. Vielen Dank!
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Winter Arrival and Dismissal Reminders |
As it begins to snow, for the safety of our students, please drive slowly and use greater caution when approaching crosswalks. Additionally, please refrain from parking or stopping between the school and Lexington on Como Ave. The combination of narrower streets due to snow and cars parking there contribute to a traffic flow issue - 2-way traffic becomes a 1-way lane and the busses have difficulty navigating the narrow space. We encourage families to use side streets. Thanks for your teamwork on this! |
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Online Winter Book Fair open until Dec. 12th! |
The German Online Book Fair is now open! Until December 12th, families can shop for books in the German language. Visit our Online Winter Book Fair page to place your order. Each item has the option of donating to our annual fund, which directly supports our library!
Orders are estimated to arrive by March 1st, 2022, (just in time for our Lesemarathon (read-a-thon)!) and will be picked up at TCGIS.
Not sure about your student(s)' reading level? Here is a general guide to the reading levels in our school library. Your teacher may also have a good idea of their level(s). If you have any questions, please email our library coordinator, Frau Zimmerman. |
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Last Day to Register for Winter Enrichment Classes |
Tomorrow is the last day to register for the winter session of Enrichment Classes! The winter session will run from January 3rd to March 25th. There will be no classes the week of Midwinter Break (Feb 21-25) or the week of conferences (March 7-11).
We will be offering a wide range of activities. To see our course catalog for the fall session and scholarship information, check us out on the TCGIS Enrichment Classes webpage.
Registration is via the online platform Popsicle. If you do not already have a Popsicle account, you will need to make one. All information is on the Enrichment Classes webpage, or feel free to email nkaplan@tcgis.org with any questions.
Through Popsicle, you will be able to register your children for classes and pay for them all online. You will be able to view dates, locations, and instructors for all classes as well as a calendar view of your children's schedule. When the class is full, it will close automatically. The registration deadline is Friday, December 10th at 6:00 pm.
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Give to the Max was phenomenal!
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Together, this community raised $52,690, surpassing our Give to the Max goal of $45,000, and bringing us almost halfway to our Annual Fund Goal of $110,000!
Gifts to the Annual Fund touch every corner of our school and provide the financial support needed to ensure our students, teachers, staff and interns are able to thrive as we pursue our mission of innovative education of the whole child through German immersion.
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Thank you for your generous gifts and for your commitment to our students. Herzlichen Dank for being an integral part of the TCGIS community where together, we do more.
Haven't had a chance to give yet this year? Why not give today:
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PTO News: Simpls Soup & Maskenball! |
Our Simpls fundraiser is happening through the 20th! They create from scratch soups and pizza with local ingredients. Order here and get it delivered to door within a few days! Use Promo Code TCGIS2021.
Maskenball planning is underway! Maskenball is a great party that you won't want to miss, coming up in March. Aside from great music, food, and company, there will be Silent and Art Auctions.
We're looking for a few more people to help in the planning stages. Please email us at tcgispto@gmail.com for more information. Please feel free to stop any of us on the Exec team if you see us at the school as well! |
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Fabric needed for MS Art Classes |
Are you a quilter or sewer and have any spare pieces of fabric laying around that you can donate? Frau Henry is looking for any fabric you might have for future Middle School art projects! |
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Student Names in the Yearbook |
It's the time of the year when we are working on the yearbook. On the portrait pages we will print a picture of your child, along with their first and last name. If you want to have a different name than your child's birth name printed, then please fill out this survey by Friday, December 10th. You don’t have to fill it out if you want to have your child’s birth name printed in the yearbook. Thank you!
Want to get a recognition ad for your 8th grader? Get it here!
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School Board Announcements |
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School Board Information on the TCGIS website |
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Please see the Board’s website for information about how to volunteer on committees, attend monthly board meetings or watch recordings, and be engaged and informed regarding the governance of our public charter school and independent school district. All board meetings and committee meetings are on the online school calendar. |
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Kinderstube German@home Winter Semester
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Kinderstube German@home is an online, self-paced German language program offering fun activities for kids and caregivers to do together. We are enrolling new students for the winter semester starting January 17.
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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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December 10: Yearbook Name Survey Due
December 10: Winter Enrichment Classes Registration Deadline
December 12: Online Winter Book Fair ends
December 20: Last day of PTO Simpls Soup Fundraiser
December 20-31: Winter Break
January 3: Return to School
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