Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft / Dear TCGIS Community, 

Today is the day that our German exchange students and their teachers arrive! TCGIS’s Capstone Exchange is an opportunity afforded to our 8th grade classes through GAPP, the German American Partnership Program. It is a reciprocal exchange experience that is partially funded through the US and German governments. Our new friends are arriving from small communities in Rheinland-Pfalz close to the Dutch border. They will be with us for about two weeks and will join in on as many of our classes as we can arrange. We like to think of them as additional 8th graders, not just visitors. 

The Capstone Exchange in our 8th grade culminates in a 3 week visit to our exchange partners at the end of Spring. Being able to interact with German students in the language they have been learning or maybe already speak and learn about each other’s culture is an amazing experience that we are fortunate to have.  

Thanks to Katharina Schirg, Esther Neu and Dani Nicholson for all of their work on this part of the exchange.  

Elizabeth Zehnpfennig, Principal

TCGIS utilizes Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), an evidence-based, tiered framework for supporting students’ behavioral, academic, social, emotional, and mental health. It is a way to create positive, predictable, and safe learning environments for our students and staff.

Our school PBIS values are:

Sicherheit (Safety), Verantwortung (Responsibility), Respekt (Respect), Freundlichkeit (Kindness). One way we acknowledge our students when they show expected behavior is by giving them Mausmunze (Mouse coin/tickets). On Fridays, we draw classroom winners.

This week's winners are: Jace (KA), Julia L. (KB) , Rowan R. (KC) , Ernie (1A), Hugh (1B) , Elise (1C), Axel (2A), Damian(2B), Luba (2C), Charlotte (3A), Liam B. (3B), Berlin (3C) , Agula (4A), Dominic DiVito (4B), Josh (4C) , Emerson (5A), Olympia (5B), Berlin H. (5C), Jonas Linder (6), Max Pasterski (7) Aisha Dahm (7), Milo K (8), Gus (8). Congratulations!! Thank you for showing Safety, Responsibility, Respect, and Kindness!

• Kinderclub Registration for October is currently open and closes on September 17th. 
• Kinderclub is sending out email reminders regarding Registration dates opening/closing. We have had a few emails bounce back, probably due to a Typo in the email address. If you are not getting these emails, please contact Michaela Bromenschenkel 
• Kinderclub is looking for 2-3 additional staff members. If you are interested or know anybody looking for a part time job, please reach out to Michaela Bromenschenkel

Frau Lenburg is collecting empty cereal boxes and round oatmeal boxes! The Kindergarten through third grade students will be making lanterns in art class in a few weeks for Martinstag, and we need lots of boxes. Students can bring them to their classroom, the art room, or the office. Any adults interested in helping to prepare the boxes in October (an at home cutting project) can reach out to Frau Lenburg. Stay tuned for more information about the Martinstag event in early November!

Students will be able to start using the library on September 18th. This will also be the week when classes will start visiting the library.

Library Club

If your 6th, 7th or 8th grade student is interested in being a library club member, they may pick up an application in the library. Applications are due October 5th.

To make after-school pick-up as smooth as possible moving forward, we offer here a few gentle reminders.

Wednesday, September 20th is National School Backpack Awareness Day. Therapists across the U.S. and around the world promote proper backpack use with tips to avoid back pain from carrying heavy loads! Here are 6 tips to help you and your student make smart choices about selecting, packing, lifting, and wearing a backpack:

1. Wear a backpack on both shoulder straps

2. Backpacks should weigh no more than 10% of a students body weight

3. Use a chest strap to distribute the weight evenly

4. Pack heavier items closest to the back, lighter items towards the front

5. Tighten the shoulder straps so the backpack hangs at the waist

6. Choose a backpack with wide strapes, padded back, and a chest strap

We are excited to kick off the school year with a potluck gathering on Saturday, September 30, from 5:00-8:00pm at the Como Park Firepits. This is an opportunity to build community among BIPOC families and we especially want to welcome new BIPOC families to the TCGIS community. Please RSVP here and indicate what category of food you’d like to bring. Weather permitting, we’ll have a bonfire, yardgames, and the playground is just up the hill.

We are hosting the first Kaffeklatsch of the year - Friday September 22nd. We'll be out at the ping pong tables after drop off. Join us for some coffee and conversation. Elementary families will be able to go into the classrooms for Morgenkreis. 

The Annual PTO Oktoberfest 5K and Fun Run is coming up on Sunday October 8th. Run, walk, skip - whatever you want to do - and join us!

Sign up here - https://2023-oktoberfest-5k-and-fun-run.cheddarup.com

Our super awesome Trick or Treat event will be on Saturday, October 28th. 

Sign up here so we know how much candy we need! You can also use that link to sign up to host a table - decorate a space and dress up and hand out candy to the kids! It's super easy and fun. 

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!

• TCGIS is delighted to support the Como Lakeshore Cleanup scheduled for Saturday, September 23, 9am-Noon.
• We will give TCGIS shirts to all participants and ask you to wear them to the event!
• Last spring, TCGIS sent 30 cleanup volunteers. Let’s see if we can match or surpass that!

Click here for more info!

The TCGIS Wellness Committee is in the process of reviewing our Wellness Policy this school year. We are looking for 2 interested TCGIS parents to participate. The Committee meets monthly until February to assess our compliance in policy and practice. Monthly time commitment: 2-5 hours. If you are interested in joining this Committee, please reach out to Elizabeth Zehnpfennig

The Curriculum Advisory Committee is seeking 2 community members to provide active community participation in: 

• Reviewing the school district instructional and curriculum plan, with emphasis on implementing the Minnesota Standards
• Identifying annual instruction and curriculum improvement goals for recommendation to the school board
• Advising the school board about development of the annual curriculum budget

If this is something you are interested in, please email Esther Neu. We are particularly interested in parents of Elementary students.

• Curious about volunteering for Parent Council and have questions? Take the opportunity this Friday, September 15th to ask current representatives your questions via Zoom between 6:15 pm - 7:00 pm
• For information about Parent Council and how to submit your nomination, click here
• For the 9/11/23 Parent Council meeting update, click here

The Food Service Team is looking for 2-3 Lunchroom Volunteers who enjoy working in a fast-paced environment to help with general Lunchroom Duties (assist younger students during lunch, end of session clean up), and minor kitchen support. 

Time commitment: 2 hours/daily (11am~1pm). Flexible schedule. If you are interested, please contact Alex Weeding at aweeding@tcgis.org.

Pictured from left to right, Director Wondi Tesfayesus, Director Lindsey Smaka, Director Laurie Hartman, Director Emily Albers, Chair Julie Alkatout, Representative Athena Hollins, Director Luebbert Kruizenga, Director Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, Vice Chair Kersten Reich, Secretary Abner Yemaneab, Director Kevin Eberhard. Not pictured: Treasurer Richard Heid.

The TCGIS Board of Directors welcomed State Representative Athena Hollins to conduct the oath of office for public school board members at our last meeting on August 31. We were delighted to foster this connection with Rep. Hollins, who represents TCGIS’s district (66B). We learned that Rep. Hollins visited Germany to learn about sustainability practices in building design and policy. She is also the parent of a language immersion student and recognizes the value and unique opportunities that immersion education provides children.

Cmte of the Whole: Thurs., Sept. 14 - 6:30PM (Room 100)

Governance Meeting: Mon., Sept. 18 - 4:30PM - Google Meet

Diversity & Belonging Meeting: Tues., Sept. 19 - 6:00PM Google Meet

Communication & Outreach Meeting: Tues., Sept. 12 - 4:00PM, Zoom

Board Meeting: Thur., Sept. 28 - 6:30PM; Zoom

The GAI is excited to announce it's inaugural fall fundraiser—Kabaret! Thursday, October 12, 6–9 PM, at Schmidt Brewery Rathskeller. Join us at the historic Schmidt Brewery Rathskeller for an evening of fabulous German food and drink, games and activities, amazing cabaret performances from some of the Twin Cities’ top theater talent, all in support of the Germanic-American Institute.

Tickets: $125–$150 

To purchase tickets, please visit gaimn.org/kabaret or call the office at 651.222.7027

Girl Scout Troop #57317 at TCGIS is getting ready for its ninth year. We are a multi-level troop of students in K-8, as well as a group of 9th-and 10th-grade TCGIS alums. We have fun, learn new things, and serve our communities. If you have a child who is interested, please contact the leader team at tcgisgirlscouts@gmail.com. Any age or grade can join at any time. We are also always interested in having volunteers and people who can share a special skill or activity with one or more of our program levels. Let us know if you can help!

Every 2nd Saturday of the month beginning October 14. Join us from 11 to 11:45 a.m. for a fun storytime auf deutsch! We’ll read, sing, and move around. Storytime will take place on the GAI lawn or inside Kinderstube preschool, depending on the weather. For children ages 3 to 6 years (older siblings welcome). Free! Please register at gaimn.org/storytime

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!

We're noticing lost items already without student names. Please label all student clothing that can be removed (shoes, jackets, long-sleeve shirts) as well as lunchboxes, snackboxes, water bottles and backpacks with student first AND last name. When items are labeled our staff can help return them to your child and together we can significantly reduce our Lost & Found. Danke!

September 14, 6:30pm – 8:30pm: Cmte Of The Whole Meeting

September 18, 4:30pm – 6:00pm: Governance Committee Meeting

September 19, 6pm – 7pm: Diversity and Belonging Committee



TCGIS Google Calendar