Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft! / Dear TCGIS community,

Congratulations to our new kindergarteners who did such a great job on their first day yesterday. It was a delight to see them and their parents and caregivers fill the playground, full of anticipation and excitement. We are proud of them and all of our new students in various grades for embracing the challenge and benefits of immersion education.

A couple of important reminders as the school year gets underway:

Attendance and punctuality: Daily attendance and on-time arrival are critical for student success. (Attendance procedures can be found here.) Our elementary school classes begin with Morgenkreis (morning circle), a wonderful time for class bonding and daily routines. Middle school classes also begin with important routines and information that create both academic and social-emotional frameworks for well-being and success. 

Parents at drop off and visiting school: Our expectation is that students are able to get themselves to their classrooms from their drop-off point. (Kindergarteners will be met on the playground by their teachers for the first few days.) In order to aid in the transition to the classroom, parents should not be in the hallways with their students. 

If you wish to visit your child’s classroom, as outlined in our Family Handbook, please reach out to the teacher ahead of time. For the safety of all, all visitors, including parents and regular volunteers who have an established reason to be in the school building during instructional hours, must check in at the front desk and wear a visitor’s pass at all times while in the building. 

Thank you for your attention to these details and for your partnership in making this a successful school year!

Sehr 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!

TCGIS relies on family donations toward busing to fund our extended bus routes. No family is required to donate, but please consider contributing financially to our bus program.

This school year, Bus donations can be made in our new Infinite Campus “School Store” (not in Boonli). Please log into your IC parent portal and click on “School Store” on the left hand side, then select “Bus Donations”. You will have a choice between monthly bus donations “August/September Bus Donation” or “Annual/Semester Bus Donations”. Select your student in the “Recipient” drop-down menu and choose your bus donation in the “options” drop-down menu then proceed to “Add to Cart”. Enter a preferred payment method before checking out your cart. 

If you have problems with your Infinite Campus parent log-in, please contact Nicole Crashell.

Kinderclub will send out an email to all registered parents on Friday, Sept 2nd at 8am, to ensure a correct email list. Please email Michaela Bromenschenkel (if you DO NOT receive the notification. Thank you!

Our TCGIS community garden is a collaborative effort to grow produce to donate to the local food shelf. Right now is prime harvest time, and your family could pick cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers and then deliver them to Keystone Community Services on behalf of TCGIS. It’s a fun and meaningful way to live our TCGIS value of community! Sign up here and get all the garden details here. 

The TCGIS Diversity & Belonging committee organizes affinity groups for our school community. TCGIS Affinity Groups are groups for staff, students and parents, aimed at bringing together individuals with a common identity to foster community. They are an integral and operational component of fulfilling the TCGIS mission and vision. Learn more about the affinity groups for BIPOC and LGBTQ2+ community members, and our task force for Modern Families (single/coparents/blended families).If you are interested in being add to the email distribution list for upcoming events, please sign up here.

“Stop! Collaborate and Listen!” That’s what the Parent Council is all about. Want to work together with the amazing people at TCGIS to represent family perspectives and help to create an engaged, supportive and responsive community? Consider joining the Parent Council and find new ways to connect with other parents and families as well as stay informed about the school and how it functions. Special bonus, you can connect with the other councils and administration on a regular basis.

Meetings are once per month for a one-year term. Currently, those meetings take place on the second Monday of the month from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm. Many Parent Council members also attend other school committee meetings and attend to other tasks between meetings on an as-needed basis, however, these additional tasks are optional and it’s ok to dip your toe in the water or dive right in, whatever you are comfortable with.

Each class section has an elected representative on the council. Nominations will be open until September 10th. The election will be held September 19-30 via a Google Form-Ballot. We would love to informally meet all new and old PC representatives on October 1st during the PTO 5K Fun Run and then there will be a joint meeting on October 10th to transition the old Parent Council to the new. 

To nominate yourself (or someone else with their permission), please fill in your information in the Nomination Form here. Nominations will be collected until September 16th.

Curious about what it's like to serve on the Parent Council? Watch our Welcome Video, visit our webpage, or email parent-council@tcgis.org to be connected with a Parent Council representative to answer your questions. 

Led by Herbert Engelmayer of Vienna Community Arts, TCGIS students will explore traditional and contemporary song repertoire in German. Students in grades 3-8 are welcome to join.

Practice will start in September, and will be once a week on Thursdays from 3:30-4:30PM. Please contact Herbert at infoviennarts@gmail.com or at 612-505-2892 if interested.

Do you enjoy planning events, and using your creativity and artistic skills to design displays? Do you like books!? If so, consider joining Library Club!

Library club meets every Wednesday after school from 3:20-4:30. This year there will be two sessions: a fall session (Sept. 28-Dec.14), and spring session (Feb.15-Apr. 26). 

What do we do in Library Club? 

• Design and set up monthly book-related displays in the library
• Each student “adopts” a bookshelf to keep organized during each meeting and class library visit
• Work together to plan one library event for fellow students

If interested, print and fill out this application by September 12th. Applications can be dropped off in the library. Please email Frau Zimmerman with any questions.

Herr Stephenson is looking for an assistant or two to help with the wood working after school activity. It will be on Thursdays, next to the parking lot. If interested please contact Scot Stephenson.

Parents have the opportunity to participate in a voluntary grade-level Family Contact List that is shared and managed by Eltern Kontakte (parent contacts, a.k.a. EKs). This list can be used to set up playdates, send birthday party invitations or connect with other parents in your child(ren)'s class/grade. Parents decide which details to share. Click here to sign up by September 5th.

Kinderclub is urgently looking for staff. If parents are interested in helping out, they can bring their children for free PLUS they will get an extra afternoon of Kinderclub for FREE! 

Please also reach out Michaela Bromenschenkel if you have any friends/family interested in a part time afternoon/morning shift. German NOT required this year! Thank you!

• Morning arrival on Van Slyke Ave and Como Ave is supervised daily between 7:50am - 8:10am. Students arriving after 8:10 a.m. must enter through the building’s Main Entrance (located by the staff parking lot) and sign in at the Front Office

• Students are dismissed from school at 3:15pm. Students remaining at school after 3:30pm without adult supervision, and/or with no dismissal plan indicated in PikMyKid will be directed to the Front Office. All student dismissal plans for Grades K-4 must be managed through the PikMyKid app; Middle Schoolers should discuss their daily dismissal plans with their parents each morning.

• Como Ave, the street that runs south of our school alongside the new campus addition, is NOT intended for parent parking. Once the weather worsens and snow arrives, this will be of even more critical importance as the city does not consistently plow Como, and it thus becomes essentially a one-lane road. Even now in beautiful weather, cars parked on both sides narrow the street down to one lane. Thank you for parking on the side streets (highlighted below in orange) instead.

• Pro Tip for Dismissal: A fast way to collect your child(ren) is to park in the neighborhood (see orange parts on the map) and meet them on the playground. Students delegated as "Walking Pick-up" in Pikmykid come directly to the playground at 3:15. (At 3:30 the playground is used by Kinderclub and we ask "Walking Pick-up" students/parents to depart at that time so Kinderclub staff have oversight of their students.)

Please find the information and instruction letter and the application form for the Educational Benefits program for the 2022-2023 school year. TCGIS is back to operating under the regular National School Lunch Program. All USDA pandemic waivers have expired and therefore last year’s Seamless Summer Option (SSO) is no longer available as a meal program during the school year.

However, your child(ren) may qualify for Educational Benefits (such as free/reduced lunches as well as reduced fees at school programs like Kinderclub and Afterschool Activities). We encourage our families to fill out an application. At public schools like TCGIS, your application also helps the school qualify for education funds and discounts.

Applications can be submitted at any time during the school year, however in order to receive these benefits for the first day of school, please submit your completed application form no later than September 1st. Forms may be emailed to Alex Weeding or dropped off at the front office.

If you have any questions or need help with your application, please don't hesitate to email Alex Weeding or call the front office: 651- 492-7106.

The Board of Directors met on Wednesday, August 31 to recognize the outgoing Director of Operations & HR Ashley Weston Miller and thanked her for all she has done for TCGIS through these challenging years.

Executive Director Christensen spoke about HR updates and the Organizational Health Survey Takeaways. Furthermore the board approved the SY2223 lunch prices, and the Board and Cmte of the Whole meeting schedule. Click here to view the board packet. 

Due to technical difficulties we were only able to upload the second half of the meeting. The recording of the meeting is available here.

TCGIS is a thriving school community whose mission is enhanced by many dedicated volunteers, including our Board of Directors. Please consider contributing your talents and expertise to the Board by serving on one of our subcommittees. While the time commitment is minimal (1-3 hours monthly), the impact on our school is significant! Most committees meet bimonthly via Zoom. Read descriptions of the committees here. Thinking about volunteering on a board committee and have questions? Share your contact info and interest here and a board member will contact you!

Communication & Outreach; Zoom; Wed, Sep 7, 12 PM; Contact Chair Moeller

Fundraising; Tues. Sept. 13; TCGIS Room 97 or Zoom Contact Chair Reich

Diversity & Belonging; TBD; Contact Chair Eberhard

Governance Tues.; Sept. 13, 4:30PM: Zoom Contact Chair Albers 

Finance & Facilities Tues.; Sept. 20, 6PM; Zoom Contact Chair Heid 

Board Meeting Thurs.; Sept. 29, 6:30PM; Room 100

Households can order up to 16 free Covid-19 tests by September 2nd through the federal government. Find out more information here.

Friday, September 9 | 4–10 PM

Saturday, September 10 | 10 AM–10 PM

Oktoberfest is synonymous with beer, and this year, we will have an even larger selection than ever. The iconic Paulaner is imported directly from Munich and our local brewer, Utepils, is based in Minneapolis. We’ll also feature an array of foods, from favorite German fare like Gerhard’s bratwurst and Aki’s pretzels to Currywurst and more. With non-stop entertainment and fun for the whole family, it’s a two-day celebration of German food, beer, and culture! More information can be found here.

Saturday, October 8, 2022

4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Spezialagenten: You have 60 minutes to find and neutralize a poisonous substance planted at the GAI by the notorious Dr. J. Save the city of St. Paul and yourselves—auf Deutsch—und macht schnell!

Each one-hour Escape Room session will have groups of participants working together to solve the puzzle. Register for a start time between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

For teens ages 13+

This activity is in German—at least an A2 level of German is recommended. More info here.

Join the GACC for their annual golf tournament on Monday, September 12th at Crystal Lake Golf Club. Register here.

Welcoming new and continuing students! Vienna Community Arts offers private studio instruction in piano, violin/viola, ukulele, and classical guitar, after school hours on-site at TCGIS. Fall session begins September 6. Contact Herbert or Nancy at infoviennarts@gmail.com.

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.

September 2: No School (Professional Learning Day)

September 5: No School (Labor Day)

September 9 & 10: Oktoberfest at the GAI

September 21: Early Release Day



TCGIS Google Calendar