TCGIS Rundbrief for November 4, 2021

Der Rundbrief

ISSUE 475 / November 4, 2021

Greetings from the Executive Director

Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft! Dear TCGIS community,

Happy November to all! I want to offer my personal welcome to our Martinstag lantern parade tonight, beginning in the schoolyard at 5:30 and winding its way through our neighborhood. After popping into a couple of classrooms this week and seeing students working on and so proud of their lanterns, I am so looking forward to being part of this wonderful tradition for the first time. This lovely German tradition centered on generosity leads us beautifully into a season of giving and gratitude.

Thank you for being part of our school!

herzlich,

Kirsten Christensen

Incident Response Team (IRT)

The IRT tracks COVID cases in this dashboard which will be shared weekly.

Save the Dates: Vaccination Clinics at TCGIS

TCGIS will be hosting a Pediatric (5 - 11 year old) Covid-19 Vaccination Clinic on Thursdays, Nov. 18 & Dec. 9, after school. Watch your email and next week's Rundbrief for sign up information. If you have any questions, contact Dani Nicholson at dnicholson@tcgis.org.

Vaccinations Resources for Children ages 5-11

Contact your child’s primary health care provider, local public health or a local pharmacy.
Check the Ramsey County COVID-19 Vaccine website for community and mobile clinics in and near St. Paul.
Walk-in or schedule an appointment through Minnesota’s Community Vaccination Programs at Mall of America (Bloomington) or MSP Terminal 2. You can also get connected to a vaccine through Minnesota’s Vaccine Connector.
Use the Vaccine Locator Map to find vaccine locations near you.

COVID-19 Updates Available on IRT Webpage

In order to shorten the Rundbrief, we will prioritize new items for this newsletter and link to our Incident Response Team Updates webpage so you can reference past updates more efficiently:

Updated Quarantine Procedures
Updated MDH Decision Tree
Weekly COVID-Testing at TCGIS
Keep Sick Kids Home this School Year

School News & Updates

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 see the full email. Danke!

Tonight: Martinstag Celebration and Lantern Parade!

Join us tonight for the return of our annual TCGIS Martinstag tradition! This is an optional masked outdoor event to be followed by treats and warm drinks sold by our 8th graders, fundraising for their Capstone trip to Germany. This is a wonderful event to invite grandparents, neighbors and friends to join you.Wir freuen uns auf Euch!

Battery-powered tea lights will be available for purchase ($.50) from 5:20-5:35.

November 4th, 2021 5:30pm: On the TCGIS playground

Martingstag Songs: Laterne, Laterne (text with music), Ich geh’ mit meiner Laterne

Seeking Intern Host Families

In just two months these 10 Interns will join our community and we can't wait! We are seeking host families for these enthusiastic young educators who add so much to our school and our community. We begin matching interns with families this month. Questions? Learn more here:

www.tcgis.org/host-an-intern.

No Enrichment Activities Next Week (11/8-11/12)

Please note that there will be NO regular after school Enrichment Classes next week (the week of conferences). Unless you have been specifically contacted by your child(ren)'s instructor about a make-up class next week*, please plan accordingly & delegate an alternate dismissal mode in PikMyKid. If you have any questions, reach out to nkaplan@tcgis.org.

*3D Printing will meet for a make-up session on Tuesday, as communicated via email.

Kinderclub for Wed., November 24th

If you typically do not attend Kinderclub but now need care on November 24th, please email Michaela Bromenschenkel to register for that day.

PTO News

Thank you all for another successful Trick or Treat event! Thank you to all of the families that hosted tables - we could not do this without you. Thank you to everyone who showed up, we had an amazing crowd who enjoyed the beautiful weather, safe trick or treating, Yummy Tummy food truck, Capstone treats and the amazing DJ Lubbert.

And a reminder that the PTO Auction closes tonight at 9pm!

Our November 4th meeting has been moved to December 2nd to avoid a conflict with St. Martinstag. For our December meeting, we will welcome the Elementary, Middle School, and Academic Support Deans to speak about testing. Put it on your calendar now!

Reminder: Submit Application for Educational Benefits for 21/22 School Year by 12/01/21

There is still time to apply! Please complete this Application for Educational Benefits and return it before December 1 (but applications can be filled out anytime throughout the school year). For additional information (Q&A, income limits, instructions) please refer to our info letter or contact aweeding@tcgis.org with any questions.

Your application matters! It helps us identify families in need of assistance, whose children may qualify for P-EBT benefits (federal nutrition benefits) as well as additional benefits such as reduced fees at school (Kinderclub, after-school activities, athletic programs). Your application also helps the school generate state aid and qualify for education funds and discounts. Students in households that meet the free or reduced price meal income guidelines will generate compensatory revenue for their school.

Please email your completed Application for Educational Benefits to aweeding@tcgis.org or return to the office: TCGIS, Attn: Alex Weeding, Food Service Coordinator, 1031 Como Ave, St. Paul, MN 55103

Parent Teacher Conferences Are Next Week!

Thursday, Nov 11th, 4-7:30pm

Friday, Nov 12th, 8:10am-3:30pm

Here is the ZOOM Directory for your student/s conferences. Please click on the Zoom Link at your designated conference time.

Tips & Best Practices for Online Conferencing:

Make sure the device you are planning to use for conferences is plugged in and/or charged.
Change your Zoom Name: Label yourself "Parent of (insert student names)" so that teachers will know who you belong with when you join your conferences.
Minimize interference by keeping your phone or other computer devices away from the area where you are conferencing.
Teachers are on a tight schedule for conferences. Please do your best to join your conference on time and to stick to your scheduled time frame.
Find a quiet place so that background noise is not disruptive to your conference.

Epilepsy Awareness

Did you know that November is epilepsy awareness month? It is estimated that 1 in 10 people will have a seizure and 1 in 26 will develop epilepsy during their lifetime. Nationwide, 470,000 children live with epilepsy. We invite you to learn more here and also invite interested students and staff to consider showing support for epilepsy awareness by wearing purple on Thursday, November 11. That day is also the birthday of TCGIS EA Chyna Davis, who lives with epilepsy and works to raise awareness and increase support for others who live with it. Danke, Chyna!

New Online German Enrichment Opportunities

Looking for more enrichment opportunities for your student(s)? We just launched our brand new MINT Enrichment page. MINT is the German acronym for Mathematik, Informatik, Naturwissenschaften and Technik. It is a broad term used to summarize these academic disciplines. In the English speaking world, the acronym for MINT is STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. TCGIS students and families will find great resources and enrichment opportunities in both languages, German and English on this website. You will find magazines, websites, TV shows and apps that have a focus on one/some of the MINT/STEM disciplines. Please reach out to Frau Root-Joswig with any questions.

Student School Photos are Ready to View and Order

Good news! JostensPIX was recently at your school to photograph picture day,

and your student's photos are now available for viewing and ordering!

Click here to get started. Find your student(s) using event code FE77121.

Did you know?

You can personalize your photos with a variety of backgrounds and text
Photos are shipped directly to your home
High-res digital downloads are available
If you have more than one child, you can order together and pay once.

TCGIS Online Book Fair is Coming Up!

Be ready to do some holiday shopping and support TCGIS at the same time! Our online book fair will run November 15 - 28.

TCGIS XC & Track Mask Sale

Purchase your mask for $10 on Boonli! Youth and adult sizes available. Email Herr Tabisz with any questions.

School Board Announcements

BIPOC Family Affinity Group Meeting

The next meeting of the BIPOC family affinity group will be Saturday, November 20th, 9:30-11:00 AM at TCGIS. We will have donuts, coffee and juice in the cafeteria. We plan to discuss and define the charter of the affinity group while the kids have the opportunity to play in the Sporthalle, with supervision. Please RSVP so we can plan accordingly. If you have questions, please contact parent volunteers Christine Chitambar or Julie Alkatout.

Modern Families Affinity Group

The diversity and belonging committee is working to organize an in-person gathering of the affinity group for TCGIS modern families, including step-families, single-parent and co-parenting families. Please fill out this survey to help us gauge interest and determine the best date.

School Board Information & Meetings on the TCGIS website

Please see the Board’s website for information about how to volunteer on committees, attend monthly board meetings or watch recordings, and be engaged and informed regarding the governance of our public charter school and independent school district. All board meetings and committee meetings are on the online school calendar.

Community News

Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Poster Exhibition

There will be a Sophie Scholl poster exhibition on display at the University of St. Thomas on the second floor of the Anderson Student Center (ASC) until November 6th. The exhibition is part of the 2021 "A Time to Act" Campus Campaign sponsored by the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Washington, D.C. and the University of St. Thomas. It is free and open to the public during building hours. More info here.

Lecture and Exhibition: 1700 Years of German-Jewish Life

On November 10, David Brown of the Leo Baeck Institute (LBI), a New York-based library and archive, will present the Shared History Project at the opening of a related poster exhibition in the Iversen Center for Faith at the University of St. Thomas. His remarks will focus on how the objects were selected to tell stories of migration, exile, inclusion, exclusion, daily life, achievement, persecution, and exile, and how these topics are relevant not only to Jewish history, but to contemporary life in all diverse, pluralist societies. Register for this free lecture here.

There will be an exhibition on display November 8-22, 2021 in the Iversen Center For Faith lobby at the University of St. Thomas. The poster exhibition 1,700 Years of Jewish Life in Germany is based on the Shared History Project, which tells the story of Jews in Central Europe through 58 objects displayed in a virtual museum. This exhibition is free and open to the public during regular building hours. Find out more here.

Kinderstube German@home Winter Semester

Kinderstube German@home is an online, self-paced German language program offering fun activities for kids and caregivers to do together. We are enrolling new students for the winter semester starting January 17.

Study in Germany for English speakers

Saturday, November 6, 2021

9:00 AM - 10:30 AM

The GAI invites high school students, college and university students, and their families to a virtual information session with four participating German universities on Saturday, November 6, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The event is free but pre-registration is required.

Resources & Calendar

German Tutors for TCGIS Students

TCGIS has built a list of local university/college students interested in virtual private tutoring in German for TCGIS students. We update this Google spreadsheet of tutors regularly. Learn more here.