Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft / Dear TCGIS Community, 

​​As we embark on another exciting school year, it’s the perfect time to shine a light on our incredible Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO). Their efforts play a vital role in enriching our K-8 community, fostering collaboration between parents and teachers, and enhancing the educational experience for all our students. Our PTO fundraises for enrichment programs, hosts community events, and supports our teachers and staff.

One of the best ways to help the PTO support our community is to contribute to their fall auction. This auction is a major fundraiser, with all proceeds supporting our amazing teachers, staff, and students. The donation deadline is October 14th. Click here to donate! We invite you to get creative! Consider donating gift baskets, baked goods, handmade crafts, or unused items like candles and toys. You can also share season tickets, gift cards, or even host a fun gathering such as a community meal or a murder mystery party.

Join in on their upcoming community event, Cookies & Canvases, on Sunday October 6th at 2pm in the TCGIS Cafeteria. This is a sip and paint style - kid friendly and adult activity. Click here to secure a spot while they’re still open!

Thank you, PTO, for being an integral part of our school community. Together, we can make this year truly special for our students!

September 21: Fall Plant sale opens (code 550)

October 6 at 2:00 pm: Cookies and Canvases fundraiser at TCGIS. 

October 24: Fall Auction opens.

October 27 at 1:30 pm: Halloween Party at TCGIS - sign up to host a table. 

Elizabeth Zehnpfennig, Executive Director

Reminder: NO SCHOOL October 3rd

This is a reminder that there is no school on Thursday, October 3rd. The front office will be open from 8 am - 12:30 pm.

Car Drop-off and Pick-up Reminders and Tips

Como Avenue has become unnecessarily congested at arrival and dismissal times. Please do not idle, stop or park on Como Ave except the exception articulated below.



Instead drivers may idle, stop, or park on any of the perpendicular streets to Como: Lexington, Churchill, Oxford, Argyle, and Chatsworth (in purple below), and also on Jessamine, a block south of school, and on West Como Blvd., north of Van Slyke.

There is one exception: drivers may park on the north side of Como (the same side as our school), only between Van Slyke and the driveway by our playground. We allow this as long as the south side and the rest of Como Ave remain free of cars, allowing for two lanes of traffic to pass. As the map below shows, there are many more places to park than the few no-parking areas on Como Ave.

Finally: For student safety, please have them exit and enter the door closest to the sidewalk (rather than the traffic-side door). 

Frau Lenburg Is Collecting Empty Cereal 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 the first part of November!

Opt - In Family Contact Lists

In order to facilitate communication between families such as playdates or birthdays we offer an opt-in family contact list by grade level. Elternkontakte (parent contacts, or EK's) for each grade maintain their lists and parents are welcome to add or edit their information throughout the school year.

Parents are not obliged to share contact information at all, and if you choose to share your contact information, you may freely decide which details to include. Please enter only those contact details that you would like to share with other parents in your student's GRADE. Contact Paige Yurczyk, Communications and Community Outreach Manager, with any questions.

Host an Intern!

This fall, 10 wonderful interns joined TCGIS, enriching our classrooms and community in countless ways. Thank you for everything you do, liebe Interns! We’re excited to welcome new interns in the spring! 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! 

Parent Council: Save the Date & Extended Nominations Deadline

1. Save the Date: Monday, October 7, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm

Parent Council is once again hosting in cooperation with the TCGIS administration: Parent Social & Orientation Night! The purpose of this event is to bring parents together to get to know one another, learn more about the school and ways to get involved, share strategies for parent success at TCGIS and connect with Director Zehnpfennig, Assistant Principal Radecki and Dean Maslofski and representatives.

2. The nominations window for the Parent Council nominations has been extended to Wednesday, Oct. 9th! If you are interested in representing your child’s classroom on this advisory council, please click here to find the form! (Not sure? Visit us at our table on 10/7 to learn more about PC!)

Aki's Breadhaus Ordering is Coming...Soon!

We want to keep you informed about our partnership with Aki's Bakery. While we all miss ordering fresh baked good each week, we’ve learned that their delivery service is temporarily paused due to their current move to a new location.

Rest assured, Akis is committed to resuming this service as soon as possible. In the meantime, we encourage you to support this wonderful local business. Click here to visit their website. Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to enjoying Akis Bakery’s delights together again soon!

Local Businesses: Join Us for Our Annual PTO Trick or Treat Event!

We’re excited to announce our upcoming PTO Trick or Treat event and invite local businesses to be a part of the fun! The event is on October 27th at the TCGIS cafeteria from 2pm - 4pm. This is a fantastic opportunity to connect with our community, showcase your business, and spread some Halloween cheer.

We invite you to set up a table at the event where you can hand out candy, treats, or other fun giveaways. This is a great way to engage with families, promote your brand, and create lasting connections in our community. To secure your spot, please click here to sign up.

TCGIS Athletics Leaf-Raking Fundraiser

Our athletic teams will head out in groups of 4-6 students along with 1-2 chaperones around Como Park to rake leaves in our neighbors’ yards on two Saturdays in November at 12 noon until 3 pm (actual raking at 12:30-2:30 pm).

For the first Saturday, November 2, it will only be the cross-country team so that AD Tabisz can troubleshoot with a smaller group. (Funds collected on November 2 will be used for all athletic teams.) But the second Saturday, November 9, will be open to all TCGIS athletic teams.

Athletes, parents and guardians: please sign up to volunteer.

For more information, check out our slideshow, and email Coach Tabisz with any questions.

Please spread the word to Como Park Neighbors who might like their yards raked this fall. They can sign up here. 

TCGISers at TC Marathon Weekend

Every year, we have several TCGIS staff and parents / guardians running in the Twin Cities 10-Milers, Half-Marathon and Marathon. Let's cheer them on!!

If you are running and would like TCGIS folks to cheer you on, please email Athletic Director Tabisz to get added to this list. We will add bib numbers later so that you can track our TCGISers on the course.

TCGIS Winter Sports Registration

Sign up for our winter sports on October 1-15 on Infinite Campus (school store). Please be respectful of the time and efforts our coaches and athletic director put into the sports program by signing up during the registration window. There is a $50 late fee for registrations after October 15.

Our winter sports will begin the week after Thanksgiving. Basketball will go until mid/late February, and Nordic Ski and Indoor Track-and-Field will have practices and competitions through early March.

Weekly update emails from the coaches will start up 1-2 weeks before the start of the season. For more information, please check out our winter sports slideshow.

NEW FOR BASKETBALL 2024-2025

Families will be assigned to cover shifts as scorekeepers, hallway monitors, and cleanup supervisors at all home games. Families may of course switch among themselves. We need these shifts to be covered in order to have home games. With questions, please contact Athletic Director Tabisz.

Fall Plants, Auction and More!

TCGIS Plant Sale Now Open!

Go to gertensfundraising.com and enter Store ID code 550 to get started!

Donate to the Fall Auction!

Donate things (gift baskets, crafts, treats, etc) or gatherings (sledding party, bingo night, pizza party, etc) - donate what you are passionate about! Please fill out a separate form for each donation.

Click here to see all the PTO news and more information about our fundraisers and events.

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 the Twin Cities Book Festival

Join us in representing TCGIS at the Twin Cities Book Festival! Come to Tilden Park on October 19th for a day filled with readers, writers, publishers, and purveyors of all things literary! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Paige Yurczyk.

Board Meeting: TONIGHT

Join the TCGIS Board for our September board meeting TONIGHT at 6:30 p.m. in Room 100 or via Zoom. Board meetings are a great way to learn about our school, gain a more in-depth understanding of projects and priorities, and be exposed to new opportunities for involvement. We hope you can join us!

Upcoming School Board & Committee Meetings

TCGIS Board Meeting: Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 at 6:30 pm in Room 100/Zoom

Finance Committee Meeting: Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024 at 6:30 pm on Zoom

Fundraising Committee Meeting: Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024 at 12:30 pm on Meets

Committee of the Whole Meeting: Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 at 6:30 pm Room 100

Become a Daisy Girl Scout Today!

A Girl Scout Daisy is in kindergarten or first grade, the perfect time to become a Girl Scout! Everything Daisies do—from planting a garden to making a circle of friends—sparkles with that "first time ever" newness. Along the way, Daisies gain important social skills, learn how to be a good friend, and discover the world around them. Every Daisy meeting is an adventure filled with sisterhood, giggles, learning, and fun! 

The TCGIS Troop #57317 (for grades K through 5th grade) meet locally once a month on Tuesdays from 6:00 - 7:15PM. For more questions, information, or to find out how to join the TCGIS troop, contact Kate Durbin. 

Liederkranz Youth Choir at TCGIS with Herbert!

New season and new program for 3rd to 8th graders! Our choir enters its 3rd year with exciting news! We will add choreography to our song repertoire to become a Youth Show Choir! Frau Emma Theis, the new assistant to Herbert with students to create stage moves. This will add new experience to the children while enhancing our performances. Choir practices will be Thursdays 3:15 to 4:30 pm. Contact Herbert by email or phone.

35th Annual Czech and Slovak Festival

FREE Admission

Ethnic Food, Czech-Style Beer, Music, Sokol Gift Shop, Dance and Gymnastic Performances, Children’s Games, Silent Auction, Street Venders, Exhibit, Special Guests

383 Michigan St, Saint Paul, MN

11 am - 5pm

Hocus Pocus in the Park

Bring along a blanket or a lawn chair and enjoy a starlit night of fun with friends and family! Movies in the Parks are pet friendly events (unless otherwise noted), but pets must be kept on a leash no longer than 6ft at all times. Unless otherwise noted, all movies will be closed captioned in English. 

Friday Sept 27th we are showing Hocus Pocus (PG) 1993 at the Como Midway Pavilion. Click Here for More Info.

*Movie will take place in the ballfields near the picnic pavilion. Note that this is NOT the Como Lakeside Pavilion.

Sep 26 - Board Meeting

Sep 28 - 5th Grade Playdate on the Playground

Oct 1 - Finance Committee Mtg

Oct 7 - Parent Social & Orientation Night (Parent Council Event)



TCGIS Google Calendar