Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft / Dear TCGIS Community, 

We are almost ready to turn the page on September. The first month of school is behind us and the Fall break is ahead of us. Our Capstone exchange students and teachers head home today. We give a huge thanks to our TCGIS families for hosting these students! I had a nice time checking in with families at the picnic last night. It’s a great experience that I am so happy to offer our students here. 

We are preparing for other great TCGIS traditions in the coming weeks. Elementary teachers will reach out with more information about Halloween soon. The middle school is preparing for a Halloween Dance on Friday, October 27th. (Look for more information in a quarterly newsletter coming out on Friday.) And our specialist teachers are preparing for Martinstag. It’s a fun time to be a TCGIS student! 

Yours in the work, 

Elizabeth Zehnpfennig, Principal

On Wednesday, October 4th will be our first Early Release Day of the year. The school day will end at 12:45. Kinderclub will be open!

All early release days and school breaks are on the TCGIS School Calendar.

The Board of Directors are meeting tonight at 6:30 PM in Room 100. Your participation and involvement in the school community are greatly appreciated, and we look forward to sharing important updates and decisions with you. You are invited to join us or to listen to the meeting via Zoom.

Click here to learn more about tonights meeting.

All are welcome to attend this public meeting with the opportunity for public comment. Please RSVP to help in planning space and agenda timing. As always, messages can also be emailed to the entire Board by sending an email to: board@tcgis.org.

Please find parent resources all around Suicide Awareness & Prevention on the Student and Parent Wellness site. Learn about prevention, warning signs, how getting help, how to talk to your child about that and upcoming events provided by NAMI MN.

This year we will have a cover contest for our 23/24 yearbook! The theme of our yearbook is "European Specialties" which could include the German/Austrian/Swiss etc. colors, typical German food, holidays, celebrations... The winner will get a free yearbook! All entries must be turned in by Oct 23. Encourage your child to participate! 

If you would like to purchase a yearbook, use this QR Code!

Now that your students were able to check out their first books, please make sure your family has a plan for returning library books. Find a place in your home where you keep library books so that your student will be able to return their books on time.

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.

Universal screening for all students will begin on Monday, October 2nd and will continue until Friday, October 13th. However, some of our grade levels will begin with screening the week of the 25th (Middle school only; ELFE-II). 

Universal screening is an important part of our multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) framework at TCGIS. It allows us to identify those students who are on-track to meet grade-level standards in reading and math, and also to identify those students who may need some additional support to meet grade-level goals by the end of the year. Click here to learn more.

Frau Lenburg is still collecting empty cereal boxes and round oatmeal boxes! The Kindergarten through 3rd grade students will be making lanterns in art class in a few weeks for Martinstag, and we still need 164 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 at alenburg@tcgis.org.

On Wednesday, Oct. 4th, 2023, from 6:00-7:50 p.m. the Middle School Curriculum Night will be held in person. More information will be sent out via Infinite Campus this week, including the schedules.

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.

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.

Please click here to vote for your Parent Council representatives for the 2023/24 school year. The Election closes at midnight on Friday, Sept. 28th. To learn more about the individuals on the ballot please check out the nominations list.  

The next Parent Council is on Monday, October 9th. 

If you would like to contact the Parent Council for any reason, please email parent-council@tcgis.org.

The PTO Oktoberfest 5K & Kid's Fun Run is coming up on Sunday, October 8th! Bring the family and your friends! You can run, walk, skip - whatever you want and get the medal. Information and sign ups here

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

The Fall Auction is back! And right now we're looking for your amazing donations! Bring on your gift baskets, crafts, art, event tickets, parties, classes and whatever else you can come up with! More information and forms here 

Great Stuff here Great Gatherings here

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

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!

Saturday, October 7th 2:30-5:30

We only need 2 volunteers for each shift and the shifts are only 1.5 hours. The rest of the time is yours to enjoy the live music, pie contest, urban sustainability demos and more! Sign up here!

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

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

Finance Meeting: Tues., Oct. 3 - 6:30PM; Zoom

Fundraising Meeting: Wed., Oct. 11, 8:30AM; Room 99 or Google Meet

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

Governance Meeting: Mon., Oct. 16 - 4:30PM; Google Meet

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

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

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!

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

Sport teachers would like to remind parents to print or download the ABC Day Rotation Calendar. With winter around the corner, it is important that your student is dressed appropriately for sport.

The Lost and Found has seen an increase in the lunchroom. We are noticing that the sweatshirts and water bottles with names in them are easily returnable to students. Please see that your child's water bottle, lunch box, containers, jackets and sweatshirts all have their name and their class to ensure we get items back to students. If you are missing something, please visit our lost and found. All items not claimed are donated.

September 28: PTO Plant Sale Opens

September 28, 6:30PM: Board Meeting Zoom

September 28: PTO Plant Sale Opens

October 4: School day ends at 12:45

October 8: PTO 5k and Fun Run

October 10: Picture Day

October 16-20: Fall & MEA Break



TCGIS Google Calendar