Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft / Dear TCGIS Community, 

Last Saturday was Read Across America day in the United States and this Monday our Lesemarathon started at TCGIS to coincide with this nationwide celebration of reading. The theme for this year for RAA was Create and Celebrate a Nation of Diverse Readers that connects nicely with our own “Leseabenteuer” theme (Reading Adventure). 

Reading is such an important part of development. Reading:

• Reduces stress and helps you relax. 
• Improves your concentration and memory.
• Vocabulary expansion and strengthens your writing abilities. 
• Enhances your knowledge. 
• Increases your imagination and creativity.

I encourage a conversation with your student(s) about what they are reading for the individual competition and what their goal is as a class. Our goal as a school is 150,000 minutes read. Dean Radecki and I will be celebrating this success with some silliness at a future assembly. Stay tuned for more information and happy reading!

Elizabeth Zehnpfennig, Principal

No School TOMORROW: March 8th

This is a reminder that there will be no school tomorrow, March 8th.

Spring Conferences Sign-up Closes Next Week

The Spring conference sign-up opened February 28 and runs through Wednesday, March 13. Click here to read more about the conferences. Contact info@tcgis.org with questions.

Conference Dates:

Thursday, March 28, 4-7:30pm

Friday, March 29: 8:00am-3:30pm

Kinderclub Needs Full Day Help

Kinderclub is looking urgently for staff on Full Days (no school days). Shifts can be anywhere from 4-8hrs, looking mostly for 8am-3pm. If you are available to help out or know somebody looking for a part time job, please reach out to Michaela Bromenschenkel. Upcoming Full Days: March 28th and March 29th

Re-Enrollment Survey for All Current TCGIS Families

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! 

Playground Feedback Survey

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.

TCGIS Lesemarathon (Read-a-thon) ends next week!

Our 4th annual Lesemarathon for all K-8 students is happening now! 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!

Bookmark Contest Winners!

Congratulations to Bram K. (4c) and Adeline H. (8b) for winning our Bookmark Contest! The theme this year was "Leseabenteuer: Reading Takes you Places." Your winning designs will be printed in bookmarks for the whole school to enjoy! (Runners up were K-4: Townsend (4b), Adair (3c), Mila (KC), and 5-8: Hazel S, Maya E.)

Student Council - Schülervertretung

Did you know that every Advisory has a representative for Student Council? They meet once a month to discuss topics that are effecting our students in their school day.

In their last meeting on March 1st they finished their proposal for the Playground Task Force and they also worked on a suggestion for the wellness policy that they want to send out soon. It is a joy to watch them work for our school and for them it is a great experience to serve the student community, get experience as leaders and try to make changes for the better.

Cross-Country and Track-and-Field Camps U of M 2024

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.

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 these upcoming intercultural engagement gatherings. 

Our March activity is a group scavenger hunt at the Midtown Global Market on Sunday, March 10, 1-2pm. We’ll need to provide expected numbers to the market; please let us know you’ll attend.  

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!

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 on March 15 and March 22. Cookies will also be available for purchase then. If you have questions, contact our cookie manager.

Still Looking for Coaches for Track and Field

The Twin Cities German Immersion School (TCGIS) is looking for 1-2 assistant coaches for Outdoor Track-and-Field, preferably with experience in jumping, sprinting and/or hurdling.

The season starts at the end of March and runs through early June. Practices are on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays with several meets throughout the season. Click here for more info.

Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs)

The MCAs (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments) are administered state-wide each spring in grades 3-12. Assessments begin in March and go through the beginning of May. Click here to learn more about the MCAs.

On the day students take their MCAs, they should bring: 

• Their fully charged school Chromebook (7th- & 8th-graders)
• A quiet snack (optional) and water bottle
• Comfortable headphones (bluetooth headphones are not permitted for this exam)
• 1-2 sharpened pencils
• A book or drawing/coloring materials in case they finish early (note that it must be a paper book, not a Kindle or other electronic device)

• Maskenball is just over 2 weeks away on Saturday, March 23rd! Book the sitter, start looking for an out of this world outfit and get your tickets here!

• Our newest fundraiser is also the most delicious. Driven Coffee is a fantastic local company that sells coffee, teas, snacks, and more. And the best part is that there is no wait! Once you order, it comes straight to your door in just days. Closes March 14th Order here!

• And our favorite fundraiser - Gerten's is back with the Spring Plant sale. Get those flower and vegetable gardens planned! Closes March 27th Order here! ID 550

• Conferences are coming up - that means we're buying dinner for the staff on Thursday night. If you're able to donate a few bucks for pizza you can do it here.

A huge thanks to you - without you, we couldn't do all of the fun and amazing things we do!

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!

Recess Supervision Volunteers

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.

Communication Meeting: Tues., March 10 - 4PM; Zoom

Fundraising Meeting: Wed., March 11 - 8:15AM; Zoom

Cmte of the Whole: Thurs., March 12 - 6:30PM; Room 310

Diversity & Belonging Meeting: Tues., March 19 - 6PM; Google Meet

March Board Meeting: Thurs., March 21 - 6:30PM; Room 100/Zoom

Honoring TCGIS Staff for 3, 5, or 10 Years of Service

At last week’s meeting, the Board of Directors honored TCGIS staff celebrating milestone years of service (3, 5, or 10 years). Whether in-person, or virtual, we thanked them for their dedication to our school!

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. 

A Thrilling Teen Murder Mystery Night in German!

German Storytime

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

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!

German Summer Camps

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!

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

In the community as well as our school we see a lot of bugs going around, especially concerning Gastrointestinal Illness and Pink Eye. In school we keep disinfecting desks, door handles, encouraging washing hands, etc. 

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.

Friday, March 8

• NO SCHOOL

Monday, March 11

• Parent Council Meeting

Thursday, March 21

• Board Meeting

Saturday, March 23

• PTO Maskenball



TCGIS Google Calendar