Message from the Principal | |
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Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft / Dear TCGIS Community,
I hope to see you at this year’s Maskenball put on by TCGIS’s awesome Parent Teacher Organization. I have commissioned our third graders to make my costume and am excitedly anticipating their creation!
It all happens on Saturday March 23 at 7pm at University Club in Saint Paul. All proceeds are used by our PTO to support our incredible team of teachers and students at TCGIS! Bis dann!
Elizabeth Zehnpfennig, Principal
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We would like to inform you that the family of Herr Meis has invited our community to attend his memorial on March 23 at 1:00 p.m. at the Open Book Performance Hall, 1011 Washington Ave S., Minneapolis. | |
Kinderclub April Registration and Closure | |
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Kinderclub Registration is now open for April and closes on Sunday 3/17. Please log in and book the days you need.
Kinderclub will be closed on April 15th for Training! Please make alternate childcare arrangements for that day.
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Get your minutes in! The TCGIS Lesemarathon (Read-a-thon) ends TOMORROW! | |
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Our 4th annual Lesemarathon for all K-8 students is ending tomorrow! Here's how students can participate: READ & RECORD! (any language counts!) From March 4-15, students track minutes spent reading, being read to, or listening to an audiobook using our minute tracker, being sent home with students on March 4th. All classes will set a reading goal and reward if they meet their goal. Students can also have fun completing the Lese-Bingo! If our school can log 150,000+ minutes, there will be an extra celebration!
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Spring Enrichment Classes Registration Open! | |
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Registration for the spring session of Enrichment Classes is now open! The spring session of after school activities will run from April 15th to June 7th. We will be offering a wide range of new and returning activities. For a full list of classes, click here for the list.
Registration is via Infinite Campus. You will be able to register your children for classes and pay for them all online; when the class is full, it will close automatically. The registration deadline is Sunday, March 31st at 11:59 pm. If you have any questions, or are curious about leading an enrichment class at TCGIS, please email Andrew Mangan.
| TCGIS School Calendar 2024-25 | |
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The Calendar for 2024-25 has been approved! You can find it linked from our website or by clicking here.
Kinderclub will offer FULL-DAY CARE on the following days:
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2024
- August 30
- October 3, 14-18
- November 1, 25, 26
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2025
- January 31
- February 14
- March 27, 28, 31
- April 1-4, 25
- May 23
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Kinderclub will be CLOSED on the following days: | |
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2024
- September 2
- November 27-29
- December 23-31,
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2025
- January 1-3
- January 20
- February 17
- May 26
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Updated Attendance Policy | |
Updates to TCGIS’s Attendance Policy (503) were approved at the February school board meeting. Please be sure to review sections 4.1 and 4.2 for additional clarity on which reasons for absence are considered excused or unexcused and new information about half-day absences in elementary school. The policy remains in agreement with the attendance procedures outlined in the Family Handbook. If you have any questions, please email info@tcgis.org. | |
Re-Enrollment Survey for All Current TCGIS Families | |
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Help us prepare for the 2024-25 school year by completing our re-enrollment survey! Please click here to fill out the survey by April 5th. If you have more than one student at TCGIS, please submit the form individually for each child in your family who is currently in grades K-7.
Filling out this form is not required in order to attend TCGIS next year but it is extremely helpful for the school. We gather information about returning and withdrawing students to plan our class compositions for the next year. We appreciate your participation; thank you in advance!
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Give Us Your Feedback on the Playground | |
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TCGIS's Playground Committee requests your feedback for updating Twin Cities German Immersion School's current playground area with a variety of playful, safe, and age-varied opportunities for approximately 600 TCGIS students from K-8th grade. Creative and efficient use of the school’s compact outdoor space is essential. Playground durability is high priority due to the wear rate produced by hundreds of students and daily use.
TCGIS's playground update will be a multi-year staged project. The final staged project plan will be determined after feedback is collected from constituents through surveys and listening sessions with students, staff, and families. Please consider giving us your feedback here by 5pm, Monday the 18th.
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Upcoming BIPOC affinity group events; all are welcome to join! | |
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Upcoming BIPOC affinity group events; all are welcome to join! The organizers of the BIPOC affinity group activities invite ALL members of the TCGIS community to join.
We had fun exploring the Midtown Global Market together with a scavenger hunt last Sunday.
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Our April activity is attending the relaxed, family-friendly MN Orchestra concert on April 7th at 2pm, featuring music from around the world. The concert is designed for audiences of all ages, including individuals with autism or sensory sensitivities. This is the first Sunday of Spring Break. We are trying to estimate how many tickets our group would need. Adults are $12 and kids under 18 are free. The performance is approximately 60 minutes. Your answers to this interest form will help guide our planning. Thank you for your time!
| Looking for Donations: PBIS Rewards & School Store | |
Our PBIS K-4 rewards treasure chest and 5-8 school store could use some refreshing new inventory! We would appreciate any donation to our Amazon Wish list here.
| Call for Nominations & Applications for the TCGIS School Board | |
In early May, the school community will elect three new directors to the TCGIS School Board. The work of the Board ensures that TCGIS provides a meaningful education and experience for all students.
All interested persons are encouraged to consider serving on the board! The Board represents the whole TCGIS community, and individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups such as BIPOC, LGBTQ, and families with neurodiversity are especially encouraged to apply, as are individuals with experience relevant to board work, such as finance, education, board governance, legal matters, management, and marketing.
If you would like to run for the board or nominate someone else to run for the board, additional details and links to the nomination form, application form, and FAQ are available here.
| Want a Reminder for the Ordering Window at Aki’s Breadhaus? | |
Would you like to receive an email reminder when the ordering window is open for Aki's BreadHaus and when the orders have arrived at TCGIS on Fridays? Click here!
| Cross-Country and Track-and-Field Camps U of M 2024 | |
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The Cross-Country and Track-and-Field Camps at the U of M will be on Sunday-Wednesday, July 7-10, 2024.
The XC and T&F camps are for athletes of 12-18 years of age (rising 6th-12th graders), and the future stars camp starts with athletes at 5 years of age. We have had athletes participate in all three camps in 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023. Coach Tabisz attends each year, and Coach Kittok and Coach Albers have also attended in the past. Our athletes have always done the day camp, but there is also an overnight option (mostly for high schoolers). Please fill out our quick interest survey.
Finances should not be a factor in deciding to participate. With any questions, please contact Athletic Director Tabisz.
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The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to TCGIS! Looking for Volunteers! | |
Save the date for the book fair April 1st-5th from 3:30 to 5 pm in Room 97. The English Team is looking for some parents to help us run the fair! If you’d like to sign up, contact Rachael Schlee.
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One of our focuses since January 2024 has been helping students work through and manage feelings surrounding grief. We had the opportunity to contract with Canine Inspired Change to offer "dog lounge" sessions for a small group of students. These small group sessions will be weekly for the next five weeks. Families have already been notified if the school team identified their child as one who might benefit from this opportunity. We are happy to be supporting students in this new and unique way!
| Girl Scouts Need Your Aluminum | |
Junior Girl Scouts at TCGIS (grades 4 & 5) are working on their Bronze Award project, the highest award they can earn as Juniors. They are combining their interests in helping animals and helping the earth through recycling and reusing. They are collecting cans to raise money to purchase items for a wildlife care organization. There is a bin outside the front office. Their goal is 500 pounds and they will be collecting through March. If you have questions, please email tcgisgirlscouts@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!
Looking for cookies? Order here and pick up your cookies at our school booths TOMORROW and March 22. Cookies will also be available for purchase then. If you have questions, contact our cookie manager.
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- Maskenball is next weekend! Get your tickets now and join us for a great night! We'll have food, music, drinks, an art auction, and great community. Can't wait to see you there!
- The Gerten's Spring plant sale is going through March 27th. Pick the best vegetables, flowers and grasses for your yard. Pick up is May 10th at the school. ID 550
- The Auction is coming up next week! Keep your eyes on your email and your wallets ready! We have so many amazing things - Timberwolves tickets, State Fair tickets, restaurant gift certificates, Aurora FC swag, and so much more! It will be open from Tuesday March 19th at 4 pm to Saturday March 23rd at 8:30pm. The link will be sent out on Tuesday. The Kid's Art Auction will be held on Saturday March 23rd from 10am to 9pm.
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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 read the entire Rundbrief. Danke! | |
Campus Planning Committee | |
Interested in the future of our schools campus and design? We are looking for additional volunteers to participate on the Campus Planning Committee. If you have interest in thinking about campus planning needs and priorities for the next 10-20 years then email Karen Klinzing. | |
Recess and Lunch Supervision Volunteers | |
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Looking for something to do? Want to volunteer, but prefer to be outdoors? Come volunteer at recess!
Recess chaperones walk around the playground during recess and make sure students are playing safely. With the weather getting nicer, this is the perfect way to get involved at TCGIS and get some sunshine! Schedules are flexible. Email Alex Weeding if you are interested.
The school is also looking for volunteers to supervise students in the lunchroom at lunch time. For details, please email Esther Neu.
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School Board (Schulvorstand) Announcements
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Upcoming School Board & Committee Meetings | |
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Diversity & Belonging Meeting: Tues., March 19 - 6PM; Google Meet
March Board Meeting: Thurs., March 21 - 6:30PM; Room 100/Zoom
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German Storytime - THIS WEEKEND! | |
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March 16 | 11-11:45 AM
Please join for a fun-filled storytime auf deutsch. Children and their families will immerse themselves in stories, songs and activities that foster language skills. Free, but registration is required.
Please note: the storytime will be conducted in German and is geared towards children who have at least basic knowledge of the German language.
Click here to learn more!
| Apprenticeship and You–An Emerging Path to a Meaningful Career | |
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Wednesday, April 10 | 6 PM
Increasingly more U.S. students and families are choosing apprenticeships as the debt-free, post-secondary education option leading to a rewarding and high paying career. Join us to learn more about local, national and international opportunities for both youth and adults seeking an alternative career path. Hear directly from apprenticeship directors at Bühler and ICATAP, and learn how apprenticeship can empower your future. Register here!
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Weekly camps for ages 5–16, July 8–August 9
Add a GAI German camp to your child’s summer fun. Our half-day week long camps (with optional extended care) immerse campers in themes such as In der Märchenwelt (into the world of fairy tales), Musiktheater (musical theater), All Things Bauen (engineering), Küchenexperimente (Kitchen Science) and more! German beginners to bilingual children are welcome. Click here to learn more!
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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! | |
Please keep your students home if they are not feeling well | |
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To avoid outbreaks and the spread of contagious illnesses among students 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.
Please see our handbook (page 25) for when to keep a student home.
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Thursday, March 21
Saturday, March 23
Thursday, March 28
- NO SCHOOL Evening Parent Conferences
Friday, March 29
- NO SCHOOL Parent Conferences
April 8 - April 12
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