Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft / Dear TCGIS Community, 

PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) is a school-wide implementation of student expectations and behaviors. It is a big part of our identity at TCGIS. PBIS aligns with our values of challenge and support, curiosity, kindness, community, and intercultural engagement. This system sets students up for success by clearly stating expectations for behavior and encouraging positive behavior as staff members see it. To celebrate our students and our system-wide implementation of PBIS, TCGIS has added student assemblies to our monthly or bi-monthly routine. 

The first elementary assembly of the year is this week on Thursday. The students will be learning the routine of what it means to have an assembly and gather to sing a song about fall. We will celebrate together as a community and look forward to the break! 

The middle school will have their second assembly of the year at the end of the month. Assemblies are a monthly occurrence in grades 5-8. The entire student and teacher population will gather in the Sporthalle and review expectations around our school, celebrate recent accomplishments of fellow students, and engage in a little healthy competition among advisories. This month’s assembly will have an added focus on Bullying Prevention Month.

Thanks to all of our teacher leaders who help to plan these important “Fests.” Thanks to our dean of students, Catherine Radecki for leading our PBIS initiatives at our school. If you are interested in joining this team as a parent, please reach out to me or Catherine. 

Elizabeth Zehnpfennig, Principal

Humanitarian Crisis in Israel

It is with heavy hearts that we watch the news coming from Israel, Gaza, the Palestinian Territory and their neighboring countries. We know members of our TCGIS community have family and friends in the midst of this appalling humanitarian catastrophe. Please join us in sending our heartfelt thoughts and prayers for those who are worried for their loved ones in the region right now. Join us in our wish for an expedient, respectful, and peaceful end to the devastating human suffering occurring in Israel, Gaza, and the Palestinian Territory at this moment. 

This humanitarian crisis will likely continue to unfold over the coming days and weeks. We want to provide our families with resources to have age-appropriate conversations with children; we will send these in a separate message tomorrow. After fall break, the school will be assessing how to address the news specifically in the educational setting.

Conference Dates:

• Monday, November 20th, 4-7:30: all meetings will be offered in-person and virtual (Elementary, Middle School, Special Education)
• Tuesday, November 21st, 8:10-3:30: all meetings will be offered in-person and virtual (Elementary, Middle School, Special Education)

We will send a Constant Contact email with sign-up information on Wednesday, October 25 at 8pm CST (when the window opens); sign-up runs through Wednesday, November 8 at 8pm CST. Please contact info@tcgis.org with questions.

Please find resources for you as a parent/caregiver on TCGIS Student and Wellness website, and click here for bullying awareness & prevention resources for parents.

November registration is now open and closes on October 17th.  

Kinderclub is CLOSED in the afternoon on November 6th for training!

You miss it - we might have it! Items will be donated on a monthly basis. Our “lost and found” is well stocked, please come and look for your student’s items if you are missing anything: jackets, sweaters, water bottles, lunch boxes. Our main goal is to return them to the students. Kids are overwhelmed with finding their lost things among all the other similar items: please label everything! White marker works well on black boots or jackets. To keep our “Lost and Found” organized and easy to navigate for our students, we will donate on a monthly basis. Last days to look for items before donation are:

• October 26th
• November 30th
• January 25th
• February 29th
• March 28th
• April 25th
• June 12th

Parent Council will be hosting an evening to bring together all families for time to connect, learn more about all of the ways one can become involved as a parent to support our school, and how our school supports each family. Mark your calendars for Monday, November 6th, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm! We plan to have child care available for those who will need it.

November 9th at 5:30 PM

We will celebrate St. Martin's Day with music, a reenactment of the story, the lantern parade and a bake sale.

We also will be hosting a Coats and Coins drive! Stay tuned for more information.

All TCGIS winter sports (basketball, indoor track-and-field, and Nordic skiing) will begin the week of Monday, November 27 (team practices and competitions). Weekly update emails will start up 1-2 weeks before the start of the season. Sign up for our winter sports on Oct. 1-15 on Infinite Campus (school store). For more information, please check out our winter sports slideshow. With questions, please contact Athletic Coordinator Tabisz.

We are looking for volleyball coaches for our spring season (February - May) as well as track-and-field coaches for our 5th-8th grade team for the winter season (December - March) and/or spring season (March - June). For more information, check out our website and our Athletics Handbook. We will begin reviewing candidates ASAP. With questions, email Athletic Director Tabisz ctabisz@tcgis.org

We're getting ready for the biggest and best fundraiser of the year - the Fall Auction! But we need your help to pull it off - we're looking for your amazing donations. Bring on your gift baskets, baked goods, crafts, art, event tickets, parties, classes and whatever else you can come up with! If you love it, someone else will too. The Auction runs right before the holidays and gives people a great chance to shop for gifts. Deadline for donations is Monday October 16th!

For more information and donation forms:

Great Stuff here, Great Gatherings here

Please email us at auctiontcgispto@gmail.com with any questions. 

The Fall/Winter Plant sale is live! Get your winter greens, poinsettias, wreaths, and more here. Enter code 550

Halloween will be here soon! Join us for our annual Trick or Treat event at the school on October 28th from 1-3. This is open to the public - bring friends! 

Sign the kids up here!

You can also be super awesome and host a table to pass out candy to our trick or treaters. Sign up here!

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!

Alumni Relations Subcommittee Member

The fundraising committee is looking for an Alumni Parent to volunteer as a Subcommittee Member to assist with Alumni related events and opportunities. We would appreciate a parents perspective and assistance during the implementation of these events and communications. If this is of interest to you, please reach out to Paige Yurczyk.

About the Board

The Board of Directors is the governing body of the Twin Cities German Immersion School (TCGIS), a public charter school and non-profit organization. The Board hires the organization’s Executive Director, provides strategic direction, and monitors school operations and performance to ensure the school fulfills its mission and vision. Learn about your school board members here! 

Cmte of the Whole: Thurs., Oct. 12 - 6:30PM

Communication Meeting: Tues., Oct. 17 - 6:30PM; Zoom

Board Meeting: Thurs., Oct. 26 - 6:30PM; Room 100 or Zoom

Governance Meeting: Mon., Nov. 11 - 4:30; Google Meet

TCGIS Alumni selected as the CBYX U.S. Participant of the Month!

On October 6, German American Friendship Day, former TCGIS student, Elisabet Severaid, who is participating in this year’s Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Vocational Scholarship Program, has been selected as the CBYX U.S. Participant of the Month for October. Gratuliere, Elisabet!

Click here to learn more!

Twin Cities Film Festival Premieres Teachers Lounge (German Language Film) (PG-13)

Twin Cities Film Fest, a nationally recognized film festival with over 140 film premieres from across the country is premiering the German language Oscar Contender, The Teachers Lounge (Das Lehrerzimmer) on Wednesday Oct. 25th @ 7:30pm (Showplace ICON Theaters in St. Louis Park).

Watch the trailer here! Learn more about the film here!

Friday, October 20 | 6–8 PM

Just in time for the cool fall weather, sommelier and German Wine Ambassador Amy Waller is back at the GAI to walk us through the exciting (and delicious) world of German red wine grapes. We’ll explore the diverse spectrum of German red grapes including Lemberger, Spätburgunder, and Trollinger. Buy tickets at gaimn.org/redwine

The board’s Diversity & Belonging committee would like to highlight upcoming events in the Twin Cities as opportunities for intercultural engagement- one our school’s core values. Click here to learn about highlighted events!

Now that we’re all settling into the routine of the new school year, this is a quick reminder to review the attendance guidelines listed in the 2023-2024 Family Handbook (pages 12-14). TCGIS follows the Minnesota state guidelines for excused and unexcused absences/tardies.

The following reasons for absence/tardiness are excused:

• Illness
• Medical appointments
• Religious holidays
• Funerals
• Extreme family emergencies
• Pre-approved family vacation days (each student has 5 per school year)

If you have any questions or concerns about your child(ren)’s attendance, please email info@tcgis.org.

Oct. 16-20: Fall & MEA Break

Oct. 26: PTO Auction Opens

Oct. 26: Board Meeting 6:30 pm Room 100 or Zoom

Oct. 28: PTO Trick or Treat Event

Nov. 6: Parent Social and Orientation Night 5:30 -7:30 pm

Nov. 9: St. Martin's Day 5:30 pm



TCGIS Google Calendar