Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft / Dear TCGIS Community, 

Charter Schools are also non-profits organizations. Non-profits are no stranger to volunteerism. TCGIS has many volunteer opportunities for you to give back to our community at the end of the Rundbrief this week. The Germanic-American Institute has Deutsche Tage coming up, Lake Como neighborhood has a cleanup and gardening, and our school is sponsoring a table at a Youth Pride event. The last day of school fest is rapidly approaching and could use some volunteers as well. See below for more information. Danke im Voraus/thanks in advance for helping our community!

Elizabeth Zehnpfennig, Principal

End of the School Year Medication Return Procedures and Reminders

Pick up any emergency medication your student has in the Health Office on the last day of school:

• Wednesday, June 12th (last day of school) 12:00 pm till 12:45 pm:
• West entrance by the parking lot

If you have any questions or would like to arrange a different pick up time, please contact Monika Avery. Medication not picked up by the last day of school will be discarded as pharmaceutical waste per district policy and state statute.  Click here to learn more about medication return and preparation for the new school year.

Return Your Library Books!

Please make sure all TCGIS library books are returned to the TCGIS library. If you are not sure if your student has a book checked out please contact the classroom teacher or the library team. Please contact the library team if you cannot find a book anymore. Thank you for helping to keep the library a space with many books for all students.

Beach Themed Middle School Dance - Tomorrow!

Let's celebrate the Class of 2024 and summer with the last middle school dance of the year on Friday, May 31st! DJ Erwin will bring his show once again! The theme is beach! Purchase tickets online in the school store under "Field Trips." 

• 5th/6th Dance is 6:00-7:15 p.m. 
• 7th/8th Dance is 7:30-9:00 p.m.

Last Day to Check the Lost & Found - June 12 at 1 pm

Last day to check the Lost and Found is the last day of school, June 12, at 1 pm! After this time ALL items in the lost and found will be donated.

Graduation Yard Signs - 10 Left!

Did your 8th grade graduate want a yard sign but forgot to purchase one? You are in luck! We have 10 extra signs for sale in the Infinite Campus School Store. Buy yours today to get it before graduation!

Don’t Forget to Buy a Yearbook

Haven’t bought a yearbook yet? You still have time! Our yearbook is only $25! Go to jostens.com now and purchase a 2024 TCGIS yearbook! 

Kinderclub Returning Family Survey (2024-25)

Please fill out this survey if you are planning to use Kinderclub AGAIN during the 2024-25 school year. This is for RETURNING Kinderclub families only! Thank you!

Playground Task Force: Progress Update

The task force has been meeting weekly to develop plans for updating the school playground in stages, beginning this summer. In March, the school community provided input via a survey: view results here. Student Council members outlined their suggestions in a presentation. Student Council members met with the task force and another meeting is planned once designs are ready for review. These students have done a great job becoming proactive in making positive changes at the school. Thank you to everyone who provided ideas and feedback – this will influence decisions on equipment and design/layout of the outdoor play space. For more updates, visit the website.

Registration for TCGIS Fall Sports CLOSES TOMORROW!

Sign up for our fall sports on May 15-31 on Infinite Campus (school store). There is a $50 late fee for registrations after May 31.

Band info for 4th grade (and new 5-8) students

In 5th grade your children will have an introduction to the TCGIS Band. Being part of a band requires a time commitment (lessons and home practice) and a financial commitment (instrument purchase and repair, music purchase, and lesson fees).

I encourage you to read my introduction letter and visit my website. On the website there is also a link to a youtube playlist featuring former TCGIS kids talking about their instruments and why they play! If you have any questions, contact me, Krista Johnson, via email or phone.

It's Parent Satisfaction Survey Time!

We warmly invite you to participate in our annual Parent Satisfaction Survey which will be available through June 12. This annual survey was developed collaboratively by the TCGIS Parent Council, Staff Council, Administration, and Board. Your feedback plays a vital role in helping us fulfill our mission of innovative education of the whole child through German immersion. 

Special Education Advisory Council

The next meeting of the Special Education Advisory Council (SEAC) is scheduled for Monday, June 3rd 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 will be 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.

BIPOC Affinity Group Potluck Picnic Sign Up

Our 10th and final event of the 23-24 school year is on June 8, 11am -1 at the Como playground. Please sign up to bring a dish! Not familiar with this affinity group? This group organizes fun gatherings to foster community and positive relationships among TCGIS BIPOC community members, make connections and increase a sense of belonging for BIPOC students, families, and staff. We hope you will join the fun!

Resources for Anti-Discrimination Action Group

The Diversity & Belonging Committee is establishing the Anti-Discrimination Action Group next school year and is asking for recommendations for resources. These resources should help families/teachers discuss discrimination with students and/or help the community learn. Please fill out this short survey with your suggestions. Thank you!

School Board Election Results

Congratulations to our two elected school board members, Anna Miller and Jens Lindner! A big thank you to the 21% of voters who voted in this election. The newly elected board members will be seated at the June 27th board meeting.

School Board Searching for Community Board Member

TCGIS is still seeking community members with an interest in serving on our school board. A “community member” is a Minnesota resident who does not work at TCGIS, is not the parent/guardian of any child enrolled at TCGIS, is not an immediate family member of a TCGIS employee or board member, and is not involved in evaluating the school on behalf of our authorizer, the University of St. Thomas. If you know a community member who is interested in serving on the TCGIS board, please reach out to Director Hartman.

The end of the school year is coming and many people like to show their appreciation with a gift of sorts for staff. You can use this list. Not every staff member has filled it out, but hopefully this will help somewhat. 

We're still looking for some people to fill out the Executive Team next year. Roles are small, low commitment, and super fun. We work as a team to make the magic happen. If the roles aren't filled we are unable to commit to our normal fun events and support. We need you to help us out! The more on the Board, the easier and more fun it is for all of us. 

We are currently looking for Fundraising, Communications, and Staff Appreciation chairs. Please email us with any questions. We'd love to hear from you.  

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!

Volunteer at Youth Pride

Minnesota School Outreach Coalition’s Youth Pride is an annual event for LGBTQIA+ school-aged people! TCGIS was at this event last year and it was a huge success. We are excited to have a booth at this fun event again, and now it's time to organize volunteers to help out! Sign-up for a two-hour slot between the hours of 12:30-6:30PM on June 1. Advisors for our students' GSA group will be there with planned activities. Please sign up here if you are interested.

Represent TCGIS at Deutsche Tage - Free Drink Wristband (21+)

TCGIS is looking for volunteers to help represent us at the GAI's Deutsche Tage on Saturday, June 8 and Sunday, June 9. Anyone is welcome to volunteer at our tent! The open times on Saturday are only 1 hour and 15 min long! For volunteering at our tent you will get a free 21+ drink wristband ($10 value)! Bring a friend to volunteer and stay to celebrate! Click here to volunteer.

Lake Como Cleanup - Get Free TCGIS Swag for Volunteering!

TCGIS is delighted to support the Como Lakeshore Cleanup scheduled for Saturday, June 15 – 9am-Noon. Last spring we sent 30 TCGIS community members to the Lake Como Cleanup, let's see if we can beat that! We will give TCGIS shirts to all participants and ask you to wear them to the event! Click here to learn more

TCGIS End of Year Festival Volunteers Needed

On June 12th TCGIS will host its End of Year Fest! Consider donating some of your time to ensure that it runs smoothly. Staff members will be on site to direct you to your volunteer location and to show you what to do. Click here to sign up!

TCGIS Community Garden - Volunteers Wanted!

Last weekend we were able to plant our 2024 TCGIS Community Garden! Thank you to the awesome families that showed up to help prepare the garden for our next season-we planted in record time! We are looking for volunteers to help us maintain our newly planted garden! This is a flexible, family friendly activity that starts with light watering and weeding and moves into a busier harvest season toward end of summer! Check out the sign-up if interested! All donations go to our local community food shelf!

A Reminder About Public Comment

Every monthly business meeting of the board of directors provides the opportunity for public comment. As a reminder, public comment will be held during the June 27 regular business meeting. Please sign up for public comment here. Comments will be limited to 2 minutes. Please be advised that no identifiable information about individual staff members or students should be shared in public comment. Due to Minnesota data privacy laws, the Board can entertain no oral comments about individual personnel matters, negotiation matters, business contracts, or real estate transactions. Such matters should be addressed to the Board in writing. For more information, please refer to TCGIS School Policy 206: Public Participation at School Board Meetings.

Cmte of the Whole Meeting: Thurs., June 13 - 6:30PM; Room 310

Governance Meeting: Mon., June 17 - 4:30PM; Google Meet 

June Board Meeting: Thurs., June 27 - 6:30PM; Room 100/Zoom

Deutsche Tage (German Days)

Saturday, June 8 | 11 AM to 9 PM

Sunday, June 9 | 11 AM to 5 PM

One of St. Paul’s longest-running ethnic festivals, the family-friendly event takes place on the grounds of the Germanic-American Institute. To celebrate the GAI’s 30th anniversary as the non-profit for Germanic language and cultural studies in the state of Minnesota, the event features authentic German and European food fare, Paulaner beer, music and traditional dance and fun for the whole family. Click here to see the entertainment schedule.

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!

There are no reminders at this time.

May 31 - Middle School Dance

June 8 - BIPOC Year End Potluck Picnic

June 9 - Graduation

June 11 - MS Valleyfair Field Trip

June 12 - Last Day of School & Last Day to Check Lost and Found



TCGIS Google Calendar