Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft! / Dear TCGIS community,

As we head into our welcome fall break at this beautiful time of year, I wanted to take the opportunity to share a lovely tradition that started this year off for our youngest students. In Germany it is traditional for incoming first-grade students to receive from their families a Schultüte, a large paper cone filled to the brim with school supplies and goodies. Often the cone is almost as large as the child. In German schools, the children line up in the school yard on the first day with their cones. Last year, a generous parent donated cones for all incoming kindergarteners. This year, the school provided materials and volunteers assembled mini versions of the cones, with a tiny book and other supplies to start their year off right. 

Starting school is both fun and challenging, especially at an immersion school, and we are so proud of our kindergarteners for all their hard work in these first eight weeks of the year!

Wishing you and your families a restorative fall break!

Herzlich

Kirsten

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!

Fall Conference Dates:

Monday, Nov. 21: 4:00PM-7:30PM

Tuesday, Nov. 22: 8:10AM-3:30PM

Fall conferences will be held as follows: 

• Elementary School: Monday Conferences will be held in person, Tuesday Conferences will be held virtually via Google Meet
• Middle School: Monday & Tuesday Conferences will be held virtually via Google Meet
• Special Education: Monday & Tuesday Conferences will be held virtually via Google Meet

We will send a Constant Contact email with sign-up information on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 8pm CST (when the window opens); sign-up runs through Wednesday Nov. 9, 8pm CST. Please contact info@tcgis.org with questions.

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. We will donate for the first time this year before fall break. The lost and found is located at the West entrance (parking lot), at the bottom of the stairs.

November Kinderclub registration is now open. We have many additional spots open for that month. Please log in to Popsicle to book. Registration closes on October 17th at 6pm.

Interns are enthusiastic young educators from Germany, Austria and Switzerland who add so much to our school and our community. In January we welcome 7 new interns for whom we need host families! Interested in hosting? Please fill out the Host Family Application by Nov. 7. We begin matching interns with families in November. Questions? Learn more here: www.tcgis.org/host-an-intern.

Thank you to everyone who voted in the Parent Council election! The results are in, please click here to find your class rep. The first 2022-23 Parent Council meeting was Monday, Oct. 10th at 6:30 p.m. Please click here to see the meeting details. If you are interested in volunteering to represent any of the classes who do not have a representative, please email the parent council. As always, if you have anything you’d like the Parent Council to address, please email your individual class rep or the entire PC at parent-council@tcgis.org.

The Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) meets the first Monday of each month. See the flyer below for more information.

It is harder than ever to raise children in a time of technology. There is a whole digital play world offered to children. Some games are helpful and support the children’s learning, others are fun, and then others are very overwhelming to a young child's brain. It is hard as parents to keep up with all the games offered, checking what age is right for what game and how long to let them be on screens. To learn what is actually happening in your child's brain, see media guidelines, and view other resources, click here.

Thank you for the amazing job you do to continue to support your child to be successful in school and life. Interested in a parent/caregiver evening learning about raising children in a digital world? Then fill out this form.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the PTO Oktoberfest 5K and Fun Run. We had a beautiful day and had a great show of support from our community. We had 75 participate in the Kid's Fun Run and 120 participate in the 5K. We made just over $4000 which goes a long way in supporting our students and staff!

We need your help to make our Trick or Treat event amazing! Sign up to host a table and make a bunch of kids super happy. 

Use this link for more information.

You can sign up to bring your kids to walk through as well - it's free for everyone.

The Winter Plant Sale is happening! Start your winter and holiday decorations planning here.

Go to www.gertensfundraising.com, Store ID : 550

Strudel sale is on for one more week! A few sweet, a few savory, all tasty! Order them here. Click here to order.

Sales for both close on Thursday October 20th, and pick up will be Monday, November 28th.

The Math Team held its first meet this Monday, October 10th, competing in the Minnesota State Junior High School Math League (MJHSML). At thirty-three members, our team is the largest in the division. Math team is open to 7th, 8th and some intrepid 6th grade students, and we have both talent and depth to our team. Herr Graf and Frau Cornell are impressed by the commitment to excellence that we see in our student participants; we have found that the thrill of competition has honed students’ focus and perseverance. Also new this year are Team Captains, an added leadership component to the team. We’re excited that senior members are interested in nominating themselves to take on some of the responsibility for team preparation and move our team forward.  We are awaiting division results from MJHSML, but we saw impressive individual and team scores on Monday. Stay tuned to next week’s Rundbrief for the results of our first meet. Practices are held on Friday afternoons and our next meet will be Monday, October 24th.

Registration for TCGIS winter sports will be open on Infinite Campus (school store) from October 1 until October 15, and the season begins on Monday, November 28. All middle schoolers are welcome to sign up.

If you missed the winter sports preview after MS Curriculum Night, check out our slideshow.

TCGIS athletic calendars are designed so that students may participate in more than one sport per season.

Winter Sports:

• Basketball coached by Jenna Powell
• Indoor Track-and-Field coached by Emily Albers, Michelle Loken Price & Chris Tabisz
• Nordic Skiing coached by Kirsten Partenheimer

Payment required at time of registration per sport (except Nordic skiing) per athlete: $200*

*Finances should not be a factor in deciding to participate in TCGIS athletic teams. If finances are a concern, please contact Coach Tabisz BEFORE registering because payment is required at the time of registration.

With questions, please contact Athletic Coordinator Tabisz.

Sport class is off to a great start this year, but I am looking for help from TCGIS families. Right now we have a few students who come to class without athletic shoes, so here is my reminder to please send your child with their sport shoes to school. This way our students can safely participate in class.

Secondly, if your family has old shoes in decent shape, I'd love to collect any shoes that could fit a student from Kindergarten - 8th grade, so when a student forgets their shoes, they can still participate safely in class. I will take donations all year, if your child outgrows a pair later in the school year.

Thank you so much!

Did you know you can support TCGIS during the University of Minnesota’s 2022 Community Fund Drive? You can! From now until October 31, TCGIS community members working at the U of M can direct their contributions to our school. Simply type “Twin Cities German Immersion School” (tax-exempt number 56-2443462) in the “add recipient” search function and make your gift today. Thank you!

Board Meeting: Thurs., Oct. 27, 6:30PM; Room 100

Governance: Thur., Nov. 3, 4:30PM

Cmte of the Whole: Tues., Nov. 8, 6:30PM

Fundraising: Wed., Nov. 9, 8:30AM

Communication & Outreach Committee: Wed., Nov. 9, 12PM (remote)

Diversity & Belonging: Tues., Nov. 15, 4PM

Board Meeting: Thurs., Nov. 30, 6:30PM; Room 100

Ab aufs Eis! German Night at the Minnesota Wild is back! Cheer on Minnesota’s hockey team at this special event with GAI members and friends on October 15. Buy tickets through our designated link to join us for a photo on the ice, pre-game gathering, and the chance to win fun prizes.

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

• New and Traditional Indigenous Music. When and where? Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, 7-8PM. Lloyd Ultan Recital Hall in Ferguson Hall, University of Minnesota. An evening of new and traditional music from three Indigenous groups. Read more here!
• Cine Latino. When and where? Oct. 13-20, 2022, 115 SE MAIN ST, Minneapolis 55414. Cine Latino is the upper Midwest’s largest showcase of the best new films from U.S. LatinX, Latin American, and Iberian cinema, and this 10th anniversary festival promises to blow the roof off with a full array of lively film screenings, engaging filmmaker conversations, and exciting parties to engage the Twin Cities’ growing Spanish-speaking populations and vast community of global cinephiles. Read more here!
• International Day of the Girl. When and where? When and where? Saturday, October 15, 2022, from 11:00 am - 3:00 pm at Fueled Collective, Downtown, Minneapolis. Local companies and organizations will come together to celebrate and empower girls and build community through fostering cross cultural identity collaboration, spark conversations, education, entertainment and interactive activities. Read more here!
• Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway at the Grand Opening of Norway House's Innovation + Culture Center. When and where? Saturday, October 15, 2022; 10:00 AM 2:00 PM; Norway House, 913 East Franklin Ave, Minneapolis, MN, 55404 (map) Her Majesty Queen Sonja of Norway will attend the Grand Opening of Norway House on October 15, 2022. The program will begin at 11:00am. The program and block party will include a ribbon cutting, food trucks, the dedication of the building, special guests, makers and community organizations, family activities, and so much more. This event will be outdoors! Please dress appropriately. Bunads, Norwegian sweaters, and casual Autumn attire. Oh — and don’t forget to bring your Norwegian flag to wave proudly as Her Majesty arrives! Read more here!
• 12th Byzantine Choral Festival When and where? Sun, October 16, 2022; 5pm-6:15pm at St. Constantine Ukrainian Catholic Church. An annual performance of Byzantine liturgical music which features local choirs. Free admission. Read more here!

Grass-roots, provocative, collaborative, and outside the traditional art market, East and West Berlin artists imagined new forms of social and creative life during and after the Cold War. Harvard professor and author Briana Smith will present her new book, Free Berlin: Art, Urban Politics, and Everyday Life, at a talk at the GAI followed by a Kaffee und Kuchen reception. She'll highlight some of the memorable, and often humorous, art projects. Learn more about it here.

The GAI is offering three special classes for your "FallVergnügen"—Vom Ton zum Topf, an evening pottery workshop auf deutsch, a film class focusing on WWII and the GDR, and a "Krimi" Buchklub class. Join our fun community of German learners! Register at here.

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.

October 14: Lost and found items donated

October 17: Kinderclub November registration closes

October 17-21: Fall Break

October 26: Fall conference sign up opens

October 31: K-4 Optional Halloween Dress-up day

November 21 & 22: Fall conferences



TCGIS Google Calendar