Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft / Dear TCGIS Community, 

We’ve returned to old routines with our five day week this week, just in time for a long weekend. 

When we come back after the time off, we have a few weeks left of semester one and will be getting ready for report cards. Infinite Campus is a great tool to use to monitor and track your students’ progress. 

Stay warm! 

Elizabeth Zehnpfennig, Principal

No School: Monday, Jan. 15th & Tuesday, Jan. 16th

No School: Monday, January 15th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day

No School: Tuesday, January 16th for a PD Day

Temperatures are Plunging: Please send your student with winter gear

It’s getting cold next week! As long as temperatures, including wind chill, permit, we will have outdoor recess. Please send winter gear with your student every day to be able to participate. 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, and stickers work really well.

If providing winter gear is a challenge for your family the following places can help:

• The Salvation Army’s centers are a place for families in crisis to get help, including coats for their children.
• Joseph’s Coats Shopping Hours: Mon/Wed by appointment only 9am – 3pm. Call 651-291-2472 to schedule your appointment.
• Wintercoats and more in Minneapolis and St. Paul Area

IN-Person Parent/Caregiver Support Group meeting TOMORROW 8-9am (Rm 99)

All parents of K-4 students are invited to meet this Friday 8:00-9:00 am in Rm 99. We had our first meeting last month and it was wonderful to see parents joining together, exchanging resources, comfort, understanding and encouragement. Do you need some new ideas, encouragement to continue the parenting journey in 2024? Join us, we meet once a month in-person! We offer also Zoom meetings. Here is the schedule

Festival of Cultures (Feb. 8) - Sponsor a Performer!

Help make our Festival of Cultures (Feb. 8) unforgettable by sponsoring a cultural performance group. Your support ensures a diverse and vibrant event, compensating talented groups for their contributions. Contact Kevin Eberhard to discuss sponsorship details. If you have any ideas regarding performers or would like to volunteer, please email Kevin Eberhard.

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

Win TCGIS SWAG in our Family Photo Contest!

Do you want free TCGIS Swag? Now is your chance! TCGIS will be having a Family Photo Contest on social media for ONE WEEK! From January 11th - January 18th.

How to enter:

1. Post your family or student with their TCGIS shirt on in a unique location like in another state, at a sporting event, at a community event or club, etc.
2. Tag TCGIS in your post! (linked below) If you have a private account, DM us a screenshot of the post to be entered, as we will not be able to see posts on private accounts.

Once these steps are completed, you will be entered to win a piece of TCGIS Swag of your choice! (Yard Sign, Car Magnet, Window Cling, T-Shirt). Posting on Instagram AND Facebook gives you double entry! Email Paige Yurczyk with any questions.

Don't have a TCGIS Shirt? Buy one on Infinite Campus today!

Seeking one more intern host family!

Hosting an intern has short-term and long-term benefits for the whole family! 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.

We are still seeking 1 host family for an intern who will arrive mid-February.

Their last day with families is Sun., June 16. Contact Katharina Schirg today if you can host and be part of this great program!

Educational Assistants Needed

The Special Education Department is seeking educational assistant candidates to provide academic and behavioral support for students receiving special education services. Days and hours can be flexible. If you, or someone you know, are interested in helping students with disabilities fulfill their potential through German immersion, please contact employment@tcgis.org. A full job description and collective bargaining agreement are available on our website. 

Gregs Tagebücher für die Bücherei - Diary of a Wimpy Kid for the Library

The librarians Frau Walz and Frau Stegmann were very happy on January 8th. Frau Gillhoff had handed over all 18 "Diary of a Wimpy kid" books to the library. The MS students had participated in a competition from the magazine Zeit Leo and won the 18 books from the German publishing house Bastei Luebbe. The books were sent to Frau Gillhoff's address in Germany and she brought them as a belated present from Germany.

Summer Camps 2024

We are currently setting up Summer Camps and this is the tentative list:

Grades K-2 Camps:

• Various Dance Camps (Ballet/Hip Hop/Jazz/Acro)
• Sport
• Kunst in der Natur
• possibly Harry Potter 

Grades 3-6 Camps:

• Track
• Coding I + II 
• Dance
• Art+Craft
• Pokemon
• Ich bin Ich    

Grades 7-8:

• Coding (week 7/29 and week 8/5)

Yearbook and Grad Ads - Buy Today!

Haven’t bought a yearbook yet? There’s still time! Use this link to order one. You can also still buy a grad ad for your 8th-grade student until February 8th.

If you would like a different name printed in the yearbook than your child’s birth name, please complete this survey by January 13th.

Winter Fun with the PTO

We have so much fun stuff coming up this Winter!

Join us for Cookies & Canvas where we'll snack on delicious cookies and create a piece of Sunflower inspired art led by artist and TCGIS parent Courtney. 

Saturday, January 20th - information and sign up here. The event is family friendly but kids below 2nd grade may need assistance.

Join Herr Tabisz for some Epic Sledding! We know it may not seem like it right now, but the snow will come soon! Sign up for a few hours of awesome sledding and fun on Saturday February 10th.

Our next meeting has been rescheduled to Saturday February 24th. Join us for Bingo in the morning! More information and RSVP link coming soon. 

Capstone Fundraiser: Dino's

TCGIS Capstone is hosting a fundraiser at Dino's (1700 E Snelling Dr. Falcon Heights, MN 55113) on January 21st from 11 am - 7 pm. 20% of all sales will be donated to the 2024 Capstone. Order online using "Fundraiser" as your first name or mention you are there for the fundraiser when ordering in restaurant. See you there!

January Parent Council Update

The Parent Council (PC) met in-person and over zoom on Monday, January 8th. To read the meeting notes and learn more about Parent Council, click here.

Holiday Joy Sharing - THANK YOU!

Thank you for all who have made sharing holiday joy possible! We were able to give some to all the 5 families! On behalf of all these families I extend their thank you and appreciation. Thanks TCGIS community that you see and care for people in our community and made such a wonderful surprise for these families possible. 

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.

Looking for History Day judges! (Feb 8th & 9th)

We are looking for numerous parent / family / friend judges for our school History Day competition. Commitment is 4 hours (or more!) on either Thursday, Feb. 8th or Friday, Feb. 9th (or both!). No experience necessary - we'll show you what to do! Parents of students of all ages welcome to sign up! Email Frau Melk with date/time availability. Vielen Dank!

Are you a part of a cultural group? Let us know!

If you are a member of a cultural group or community center (e.g. Polish American Cultural Institute of Minnesota, Turkish American Society of Minnesota, Ethiopian Community in Minnesota, etc.) and would be open to sharing information about TCGIS with the group, please reach out to Paige Yurczyk. The majority of new families find TCGIS through current families. We would love to share information about our great school with communities that share our value of intercultural engagement and global perspectives.

The Communication and Outreach Committee is seeking 4 members of our school community (staff, parents, and teachers) to join our Charter School Advocacy task force. Our task force will be part of a statewide grassroots action network being organized by the MN Association of Charter Schools (MACS). The goal is to increase the number of voices advocating for important charter school issues with lawmakers. This year the task force will work on storytelling, issue advocacy, and building relationships with legislators. The group will receive periodic training from MACS to help us be great advocates for our school! More detailed information from MACS is available here. If you are interested in participating along with the Board Chair, please sign up here.

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

Governance Meeting: Mon., Feb. 12 - 4:30PM; Google Meet

Saturday, January 20, 2024 | 12–3PM

106 E Diamond Lake Road | Minneapolis, MN 55419

Join us at the GAI's Minneapolis Kinderstube to meet our incredible teachers, see the learning space, and enjoy treats. 

What is Kinderstube?

Kinderstube is a German language immersion preschool program of the Germanic-American Institute. The program focuses on a social-emotional approach that offers play-based learning in a fun environment, while also preparing children for future academics.

Kinderstube is a community-based approach. Families with children in the program have monthly get togethers and a parent group for support and friendship. They also have the wonderful GAI community of language and cultural events providing lots of social opportunities for all ages. Learn more and register here!

Come join us for a few hours of board-game-fun for TCGIS first graders and their families in the GAI Rathskeller on Sat Feb 3, 2024 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM.

In addition to being fun to play, playing board games can help with child development by providing kids with opportunities for problem solving, decision-making, deferring gratification, and dealing with mistakes. We will focus on the joy of it all, some light snacks will be provided. To keep the experience pleasant for everyone, we kindly ask not to bring more than 2 kids per attending adult.

This event is free, but registration required, so we know how many people to expect.

The GAI's Samstagsschule classes for kids and teens focus on the natural acquisition of language in an interactive and fun environment. With an incorporation of singing, crafts, games, and physical motion along with lessons at an age-appropriate level, our creative instructors make "Saturday School" something kids look forward to! Classes available for ages 4-16, and begin January 13. Learn more and register at gaimn.org/kids

Upcoming STEM Events in MN

Looking for STEM activities this winter? Minnesota Academy of Science has complied a great list of upcoming events. Check it out!

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!

Reminder: Please keep your students home if they are not feeling well, signs my be atypical

Infections are back and before our winter break we saw all kinds of symptoms from stomach aches, GI distress, headaches, cold symptoms, and more. 

We love our students being in school. To avoid outbreaks and the spread of contagious illnesses among them and staff please keep your students home if they are sick, even with minor symptoms. If your student doesn’t feel well in the morning, please monitor and rather send to school later in the school day.

Click here for more information!

Monday, January 15

• NO SCHOOL - ML King Day

Tuesday, January 16

• NO SCHOOL - PD Day

Friday, February 2

• NO SCHOOL - Teacher Grading Day



TCGIS Google Calendar