ISSUE 565/January 25, 2024

Message from the Executive Director

Dear Families,

It's a new calendar year at TCGIS, and this marks my first complete year as the Executive Director with the school. TCGIS, like most schools, has spent the past few years regaining its pre-pandemic rhythm. The authorizer noted at the site visit on December 14, 2023, that: “TCGIS students seem to be used to school again and everyone reported that it had been a much better start of the year. Higher expectations seem to be back, both by administration of teachers and by teachers of students. This was refreshing to hear and also to see demonstrated in the classroom visits.”

Join me TONIGHT at 6:30 p.m. as I present more details at the board meeting in the updated “State of the School” report. We hope to see you in person or online. We look forward to once again experiencing pre-pandemic learning levels in a nest of community and support at TCGIS.

Karen Klinzing, Executive Director

School News & Updates

In memory of our beloved staff member, David Meis

At TCGIS, we are still in a period of mourning for our teacher and colleague, David Meis. We extend our deepest condolences and invite you to read his obituary, recently shared within our community, as a means of finding solace together. Grieving is a process that manifests unexpectedly, and in the upcoming weeks, if you notice your student requires any additional forms of support, we encourage you to connect with us.

6-8th grade Parent/Caregiver group TOMORROW 12-1 p.m.

6-8th grade Parent/Caregiver group is meeting virtually tomorrow from 12-1 p.m. Click here for the Google Meet link. This group is designed to bring parents and caregivers together in their parenting journey. You are welcome to join this group at any time and as often as you like.

BIPOC affinity group gathering this Sunday!

The next scheduled gathering of BIPOC community members is this Sunday (1/28) at 11:00 at the St. Paul Winter Carnival Vulcan Snow Park. We’ll watch the sculptors work during this opening weekend and vote for our favorite sculpture in the People’s Choice Awards. Then we’ll meet up for lunch at the St. Paul Bagelry.

11 am-12:15 pm: View and Vote for favorite snow sculptures
Minnesota State Fairgrounds 1265 Snelling Ave N, Saint Paul, MN
12:30-1:30pm: Lunch at St. Paul Bagelry

Please RSVP to receive further communication about the event.

Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC)

The next meeting of the Special Education Advisory Committee will be Monday, January 29th at 5:00pm in Room 99. SEAC is open to community members who want to be involved in supporting, advocating, and advising on special education related issues at TCGIS. Meetings are facilitated by Andrew Haugen, Lead Special Education Coordinator at TCGIS. If you are interested in joining the conversation, please consider attending this upcoming Monday evening.

Our “Lost and Found” is exploding and will be donated NEXT WEEK! (Jan. 31)

Our “lost and found” is well stocked, please come and look for your student’s items if you are missing anything: Jackets, sweaters, water bottles, lunch boxes.

Our main goal is to return them to the students. Kids are overwhelmed with finding their lost things among all the other similar items: Please label everything! White marker works well on black boots or jackets.

To keep our “Lost and Found” organized and easy to navigate for our students, we will donate it next week. Last day to find missing items: Wednesday, January 31st.

Herzlichen Dank, Interns, Mentors & Host Families

Last Friday was the last day for 7 of our fall interns: Grace Quante, Carina Pfaff, Katja Epple, Elisa Daus, Paulina Reus, Sirin Killis, and Esra Özkaya. (Tom Kühn and Nico Betzenbichler are full-year interns.) We are grateful to our interns for the investment of their time, talents and energies in our school community, in our classrooms and with their host families.

We are so thankful for our mentor teachers, who welcome and integrate the interns into our school community, and provide daily opportunities for interns to learn-by-doing, to develop their pedagogical skills and talents, and to understand the cultural differences between the U.S. and German educational systems. Herzlichen Dank to these colleagues who were mentor teachers for our fall interns: Anke Krug, Leonie Manus, Valerie Goerlitz, Margaret Sims, Scot Stephenson, Luc Jannsen, Heidi Scholtz, Chris Tabisz, Amy Peterschmidt, Claudia Müller, Kathrin Gilhoff, Anna Miller, Kevin Eberhard, Ren Melk, Sam Graf.

We also express our heartful thanks to our host families! The following families provided our interns with a welcoming home and Minnesota-family, and a true immersive experience in Midwestern and U.S. culture: the Robertson Family, the Quant Family, the Ankel Family, the Prowe Family, the Theis Family, the Weston-Miller Family, the Savaraid Family, and the Partenheimer/Chesla Family. Herzlichen Dank!

This important and robust program is only possible because of the generous support and engagement from our teachers, staff, host families, interns, and donors to the Annual Fund! Thank you for your support!

Save the Date - Middle School Dance

The next Middle School dance will be Friday, February 23rd. There will be a DJ and snacks for purchase. Stay tuned for more info!

5th-6th grade 6:00-7:15
7th-8th grade 7:30-9:00

Sign up for our spring and summer sports on February 1-15 on Infinite Campus (school store). Please be respectful of the time and efforts our coaches and athletic director put into the sports program by signing up during the registration window. There is a $50 late fee for registrations after February 15.

Volleyball will start on Monday, February 26, and go through early May. Outdoor Track-and-Field will begin on Monday, March 25, and continue through the end of the school year. Summer Track will begin the first full week of summer vacation and go until the end of July 2024.

Weekly update emails from the coaches will start up 1-2 weeks before the start of the season. For more information, please check out our spring and summer sports slideshow.

With questions, please contact Athletic Director Tabisz.

Summer Camp Payments - NEW this year

We are offering payment plans this year for Summer Camps. Options are:

Pay in full
Pay deposit now with balance due on April 30
Pay monthly installments through end of April

Click here to see what camps are being offered this year. Stay tuned for a sign up!

PTO News

Our next meeting has been moved to Saturday February 24th. Join us for Book Bingo! Every winner gets to pick a book. RSVP coming soon.

Simpls has discontinued their Fundraising program. We'll be replacing it with a fundraiser from Driven Coffee! They have tasty coffee, teas, cocoa, and snacks. Starting February 15th alongside the Gerten's Spring plant sale.

MASKENBALL is coming! The fun will be on March 23rd.

But first, join us in planning an awesome event! We need people to help general plan/decorations, auction, and sponsorship. Email us at tcgispto@gmail.com or stop any of us when you see us.

Volunteer Opportunities

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!

Parent Marketing Ambassador

Do you want to get involved at TCGIS on your own time with the flexibility to do it remotely or in-person? We have the opportunity for you! We are looking for

5-10 Parent Marketing Ambassadors to help spread the word about TCGIS. It is a flexible position that is designed to be convenient for parents. Click here to learn more and to sign up!

Looking for History Day judges! Feb. 8th!

We are looking for numerous parent / family / friend judges for our school History Day competition. Commitment is 4 hours (or more!) on Thursday, Feb. 8th. 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!

Festival of Cultures Event Volunteers

The Festival of Cultures planning committee is looking for volunteers to help the event run smoothly. Check out the specific tasks and times on the sign up link. The 2nd annual Festival of Cultures is on Thu, Feb. 8 from 5:30pm-7:30pm. We have invited the public to attend and it will be fun! Please sign up using this link if you are interested in volunteering. Thank you in advance!

Playground Planning Task Force

The Campus Planning Committee is looking for additional volunteers for a Playground Planning Task Force. This group will work together to gather community feedback on playground improvements, seek professional services for playground design, create a design for the playground that can be implemented in stages. The first improvements would begin this summer if we have additional help on the committee. Meetings are held virtually, and the schedule will be determined by the group. Click here to sign up. Email Julie Alkatout with any questions.

Charter School Advocacy Task Force

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, part of a statewide grassroots action network 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. 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. Interested in advocating for equitable funding? Please sign up here.

School Board (Schulvorstand) Announcements

Board retreat rescheduled

The board rescheduled the retreat from February 17 to March 2, 2024. The retreat will be held at the Roseville Public Library from 10am to 3pm.

Upcoming School Board & Committee Meetings

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

Finance Meeting: Tues., Feb 6 - 6:30PM; Zoom

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

Fundraising Meeting: Wed., Feb. 14 - 8:15AM; Room 99/Google Meet

Communication Meeting: Tues., Feb. 20 - 6PM; Zoom

February Board Meeting: Thurs., Feb. 29 - 6:30PM; Room 100/Zoom

Community News

1st grade board-game playdate at the GAI

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.

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!

Reminders

Crosswalk safety at Student Pick Up

It has been brought to our attention that drivers have been attempting to drive through the crosswalks while a crossing guard has extended a flag for students who are crossing. These are vehicles driven by other TCGIS families. PLEASE BE PATIENT and WAIT for the crossing guard to get every pedestrian across the road safely BEFORE attempting to drive through the crosswalk to get to your destination. We know you have important appointments to get to but injury to a pedestrian will be a tragedy for all involved. Help us keep student pick-up safe.

Also, as a reminder, parking on Como avenue in the area in front of the school to pick up a student is not allowed. Please refer to the pick up instructions for alternate places to pick up your student.

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.