ISSUE 597/November 7, 2024 | |
Message from the Executive Director | |
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Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft / Dear TCGIS Community,
We are busy preparing for our annual Martinstag celebration. You are all invited to join us next Friday, Nov. 15th for an evening of music, drama and a Laternenumzug around the block. Festivities begin at 5:30 pm and elementary families will receive more information from their classroom teachers. Thanks to Nina Maslofski for her work with Suzanne Hall, Amy Peterschmidt, Tilde Hamer and Amy Lenburg on this.
We ask our students and families to consider how they can participate in our Week of Generosity next week. Thanks to our Fundraising committee for organizing the second annual "Münzen Matter'' Coin Drive. Maybe your student has some coins from a piggy bank or allowance to add to the drive. The winning class will earn a Playground Party on our new playground.
To honor the story of Martin, our community has also arranged a coat and hygiene product drive. With the shift in weather, I am sure we all took stock of whether jackets still fit or not. Please consider donating your last year’s jackets to our coat drive.
Elizabeth Zehnpfennig, Executive Director
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Receive Text Message Alerts from TCGIS | |
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TCGIS occasionally uses text messages to share important information (e.g. Snow Days) with the community. To make sure you receive the messages, please follow the instructions here. Email info@tcgis.org with questions.
| School Pictures & Class Composites are ready to order! | |
Click here to view and order
- TWIN CITIES GERMAN IMMERSION SCHOOL
- Event Code: FE117024
- Images are secured using the email address(es) provided to us by the school
| TCGIS Coat and Coin Drive Starts on Monday! | |
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Münzen Matter at TCGIS! Last year, TCGIS students collected nearly $2,000 in coins to support our school during our Week of Generosity! We are excited to hold this FUNdrasier again this year in addition to our winter clothing collection and hygiene item drive to support Joseph’s Coat. The fun kicks off on Monday Nov. 11, so start gathering coins and items! Click for more info.
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Join Us at St. Martinstag! | |
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TCGIS Martinstag Lantern Parade November 15th, 5:30 - 7:30PM
All elementary school kids are in the process of crafting their Laternen for this year's Martinstag celebration and Laternenumzug. You are invited to join us on November 15th for an evening of Music, Drama and a Laternenumzug through the school's neighborhood. We will meet in the gym at 5:30PM and listen to the Band playing, the Choir singing, 2nd grade singing a song and an enactment of the Martinstag Story by some 6th grade students. Following the inside program, there will be a Lantern Parade on the sidewalk around the school neighborhood, which will end in all of us gathering on the playground to sing together (Route change from previous years - no Chatsworth Park). Afterwards, you will be offered baked goods, hot dogs or Bratwurst in the school cafeteria from our 8th grade families as a Capstone fundraiser.
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Book Sale after St. Martinstag! | |
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After the St. Martinstag celebration, come inside for the capstone bakesale and also stop by the Used Book Sale! Perfect for Holiday Gifts! Interested in volunteering at the book sale? Email the library!
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Eighth grade students will be making Ofrendas in Spanish class beginning November 1 for Día de los Muertos, and we need 65 shoe boxes! Students can bring them to the Spanish classroom.
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In Need of Warm Clothes/Winter Gear/Hygiene Products? | |
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Are your children are in need of warm clothing, winter gear or hygiene products? Reach out to Assistant Principal Catherine Radecki with your child's needs.
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Winter Enrichment Classes: Coming Soon! | |
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Our first few weeks of fall enrichment classes this year have been a successful launch, but we're coming up too quickly on Winter Break and it is already time to start looking forward to the next session of Enrichment Classes!
Consider this an invitation to think about leading an after school enrichment class! Staff and parents have led classes and clubs of all sorts- there’s room for playful, thoughtful, academic, and silly activities. If you have an idea for a new after school activity or have questions about what leading one might involve, please email Mangan!
Here are the details for the upcoming Winter session of enrichment classes:
- Each class will run from 3:30-4:30pm afterschool on your chosen day of the week.
- The Winter session of Enrichment Classes will run from January 6th (the week immediately after Winter Break) through March 26th (the last week before Spring Break) for a total of 12 weeks (PD days and holidays, etc. notwithstanding).
- Classes do not meet on no-school days (e.g, PD days, school holidays).
- Registration for students/families will open on December 10th, aligned with Kinderclub's registration period.
- If you have any questions about TCGIS Enrichment Classes, or if you would like to inquire about leading a class, email Mangan!
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MDE is requiring all school districts to adopt a Cell Phone policy by March 2024. TCGIS Administrators and Board Governance Committee are collecting input from our students, staff, and community as part of the policy creation process. With guidance from MESPA and MASSP, districts are encouraged to limit cell phone use during the school day. Click here to submit your input. See resources below for more pertinent information:
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BIPOC Affinity Group November Gathering--Greater TCGIS Community is Welcome! | |
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Please join us to celebrate "Friendsgiving" with the BIPOC group! We will meet in the school cafeteria from 5-7 pm on Saturday, November 16th. Please bring something to share--it can be as simple as a bag of chips, or as fancy as a roasted turkey. In keeping with our school's zero waste policy, please bring plates and silverware for your group. Click here to RSVP!
If you would like to be added to our group's email list, please contact Christine Chitambar.
| Support the Capstone Trip – Dine Out at The LowBrow! | |
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Join us on Monday, November 18th, for a fun night out at The LowBrow in South Minneapolis (4244 Nicollet Ave, 55409). Enjoy a great meal with family and friends, and 10% of all sales will go directly to support the Capstone Trip! Check out their menu here and mark your calendar! Thank you for supporting our students!
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Swag Store is OPEN until Nov. 22! | |
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The TCGIS Swag store will close on November 22 and the items will arrive BEFORE winter break. Click here to order your TCGIS swag!
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We feel incredibly fortunate to have 10 amazing interns with us this year, who are enriching our classrooms and community in so many ways. Thank you for all that you do, liebe Interns! As we look forward to welcoming 12 new interns in the spring, we are still in need of host families. Get to know them here!
Now is the time to apply to host an intern for the spring semester!
Interested? Please complete the Host Family Application!
Questions? Email Claudia Müller for more info!
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Coffee with the Principal--Save the Dates | |
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Frau Zehnpfennig would like you to save the date for a Coffee with the Principal event. For grades k-2, your coffee with the principal will be on Friday, November 22nd. For grades 3-5, she will invite you on Friday, March 14th and for our 6th -8th grade families, please join her on April 18th. For all three events, coffee will be served beginning at 8:00 in the atrium at our new cafe tables. The principal would like to engage you in conversation about your child/ren's education at TCGIS. RSVPs will go out a week before the date!
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TCGIS Athletics is Hiring! | |
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TCGIS Athletics is hiring an Assistant/Co-Coach for Basketball this winter. If you are interested please check out the job description here.
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Thank you everyone for supporting our fall fundraisers. Wondering where that money goes? We support the teachers and staff by providing them with good pizzas on conference night, stocking their lunch cart in the lounge, and covering the cost of coffee and tea all year. We support the students and classrooms by providing them with a budget for classroom enrichment and professional development. Want to keep up with all we are doing? Follow us at facebook.com/ptotcgis.
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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! | |
Represent TCGIS at UMN Kindergarten School Fair | |
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The Comm and Outreach Team is looking for volunteers to go with them and represent TCGIS at the School Fair at the UMN Child Development Laboratory School. Folks that speak languages such as Spanish and Somali are especially helpful! Nov. 14 from 3:30-5:30 Click here to sign up if you can help.
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TCGIS is looking for adult volunteers or child-parent team volunteers interested in serving as a crossing guard from 7:50-8:10 and from 3:15-3:30. This is a great opportunity to connect with the community. If you are interested -- whether in one day a week or in daily -- please email Esther Neu.
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Represent TCGIS at MPLS School Finder Fair | |
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The Comm and Outreach Team is looking for volunteers to go with them and represent TCGIS at the MPLS School Finder Fair at MPLS College. Folks that speak languages such as Spanish and Somali are especially helpful! Jan. 11 from 10-2 Click here to sign up if you can help.
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School Board (Schulvorstand) Announcements
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Upcoming School Board & Committee Meetings | |
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Committee of the Whole Meeting: Thursday, Nov. 7, 2024 at 6:30 pm in Rm 100
Governance Meeting: Monday, Nov. 11, 2024 at 4:30pm on Google Meet
Fundraising Meeting: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024 at 12:30pm on Google Meet
Finance & Facilities Meeting: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024 at 6:30pm on Zoom
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German Speaking Teens Meet-Up | |
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All German-speaking teens (13-16 yrs) are invited to join us for a casual get-together on the second Monday of each month during the school year, from 6:30 pm to 8 pm. The next meeting is on November 11, 2024.
Come for games, table tennis, movies, and more! Participation is free of charge, however, we ask that all participants become a member of the Germanic-American Institute if they aren't already. We ask families to consider supporting the program with a donation towards material and supply costs (suggested amount: $20-30).
Class dates: 11/11/2024, 12/09/2024, 01/13/2025, 02/10/2025, 03/10/2025, 04/14/2025, 05/12/2025
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