Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft! / Dear TCGIS community,

Our German exchange students and their teachers are on their way back to Germany as you read this. What a rich and wonderful 2+ weeks we have had with them in our school and homes! They have been practicing English and getting to know U.S. and Minnesota culture and have also been sharing their culture and language throughout the school. 

Although the capstone partnership mostly involves our 8th graders, this week the exchange students have read stories in elementary school and held panel discussions and talked about their schools in grades 5-7. Ask your students if they had the chance to meet our friends from Germany. Their presence here is a vibrant example of our school value of intercultural engagement.

We wish our exchange partners eine gute Reise and are delighted that our students and staff can look forward to a happy reunion in June in Germany!

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!

We have a full agenda for tonight’s board meeting including a summary of the parent survey results from parent council, update on academic performance with assessment results, and Executive Director’s report with a discussion of the SY21-22 annual report. The board will also recognize and thank the organizers of the 8th grade capstone exchange and the 8th grade families who hosted and supported the German exchange students the past 2 weeks. The board packet is available here and the Zoom link here.

The board of directors meets in Room 100 at TCGIS, and board meetings will again be available for remote viewing via Zoom. Public comment is encouraged and welcome ahead of the meeting via emails to the board (board@tcgis.org) or in-person during the open forum near the beginning of board meetings. The recordings of the board meetings will continue to be available. The board welcomes guests to join us in Room 100, and are pleased to offer the option for remote real-time viewing.

Please click here to vote for your Parent Council representatives for the 2022/23 school year. Each FAMILY has ONE vote PER child; if you have more than one child, a parent may vote in each child's class. The Election closes at midnight on Friday, Sept. 29th. To learn more about the individuals on the ballot please check out the nominations list.  

The new Parent Council will have their first meeting on October 10th at 6:30 pm with both the old and new representatives. We have some parents planning to rotate off and some parents hoping to stay and we look forward to continuing our momentum as we meet new council members. 

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

TCGIS Oktoberfest 5K and Fun Run

Saturday, October 1st

11:30 AM Fun Run | 12 PM 5K 

The TCGIS PTO Oktoberfest 5K and Fun Run is this Saturday!  Been meaning to sign up but haven't yet? Go right here to do that. Join the community and get a cool medal to show off to your friends. Don't want to run? That's cool too! This is a great opportunity to meet up with other families, socialize, and have a good time! 

Save the Date: The first Kaffeklatsch is next Friday, October 7th and we're hosting! Come by for some coffee, snacks, and conversation after morning drop off.

Our Trick-or-Treat event is coming up on Saturday, October 29th. It's free to attend, but we do ask you sign up so we know how many kids to plan for.

We're also still looking for some of you amazing families to host a table - sign up yourself, Oma or Opa, aunts and uncles, cousins, or your neighbors! We want to see everyone. 

We're hosting our Immer Sportlich XC Invitational Meet before the PTO Kids' Races and 5K this Saturday morning in Como Park. We still need volunteers. Sign up on this document and see you there!

Kinderclub has a few more spots available for Full Day Care, October 5th and Fall Break. Registration will be opened for those spots on Saturday morning at 8am and close on Sunday at 6pm.

Kinderclub can also add some more aftercare spots for October. Please email Michaela Bromenschenkel (mbromenschenkel@tcgis.org).

Hello TCGIS Families! Our fall universal screening process is almost here!

Universal screening for all students will begin on Monday, October 3rd and will continue until Friday, October 14th. 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.

Students in every grade level will participate in at least one assessment so that we can learn more about their current skills and knowledge. Teachers will also complete social emotional rating scales (SRSS-IE) for students in all grades. See here for a brief summary by grade level and more information.

Results are essential for making sound decisions about who needs extra support to reach grade-level standards. Furthermore, these assessments fulfill compliance requirements by both our authorizer, the Univ. of St. Thomas and the State of Minnesota. We encourage you to check out a resource we have developed to help answer frequently asked questions regarding the universal screening process. The link to this resource can be found here.

We also have a presentation that was prepared last year that describes MTSS at TCGIS, including assessment and intervention procedures. 

Jostens will be here on Thursday, Oct 13 to take student photos. Retake Day will be held on Nov 3. Our TCGIS event code is FE42022. Further directions here. Preview, personalize, and pay at Jostenspix.

Want to have fun by helping us to design and paint some neat murals? Interested in putting art onto the walls of our school? Zoom with us for our ""Design Our School"" meeting October 4th at 7:30pm. 

We are a squad of nice humans who loves to make art projects happen at TCGIS. We're working on a few cool ideas now and want your thoughts and ideas. We're the same people who brought you the cool cafeteria mural and organ pipe sculpture, and we have plans for more.

We love people who help with budgets, emails, painting/design, fire code, cross-committee communication, land acknowledgement, global culture and people who are willing to be there and try something new. You don't need to be an artist to join us... and maybe you'll discover that you kind of ARE an artist. Please contact Erin Meyers with any questions.

Topic: Design Our School

Time: Oct 4, 2022 07:30 PM

Join Zoom Meeting

We are seeking families to host 9-11 interns who will join TCGIS in January 2023! If you are interested in hosting an intern - or learning more about hosting - we invite you to read the Host Family FAQs and then join us for a virtual Info Meeting:

Tuesday, Oct. 11, 7:00-7:45 p.m.

Zoom link (also available in the TCGIS Google calendar event)

All interested families are encouraged to fill out this brief interest form which also provides space to share specific questions in advance so we can answer them in person at the meeting on Oct. 11.

We have reached that time of the year where allergies and colds are upon us and symptoms can be very similar to COVID. To stop outbreaks and protect students and staff we need your support to avoid the spread. Please keep your students home if they are not feeling well, even with minor symptoms. If your student doesn’t feel well in the morning, please monitor and rather send to school later in the school day.

We strongly recommend testing. If symptomatic please test several times with at home antigen test or use molecular tests like PCR and NAAT (find free testing sites). Please complete the form “Take home antigen test” if you would like us to send an antigen test home with your student.

Symptoms are:

• Fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
• New cough or a cough that gets worse
• Difficulty/hard time breathing
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Nasal congestion/stuffy or runny nose
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea
• Muscle pain
• Extreme fatigue/feeling very tired
• Severe/very bad headache
• Chills

This is a brief reminder that, for safety and hygiene, no animals are allowed in the TCGIS building or on the grounds, including the playground. Please see the school’s Wellness Policy for more information on allergens. Thank you for helping keep our school clean and safe for all!

After you have picked up your child, please leave the playground area by 3:30 p.m. so that the playground area can be used by Kinderclub. 

Learning at TCGIS is based on the principles of PBIS, or Positive Behavior Intervention Support. One part of PBIS is that in the first several weeks of school teachers focus strongly with students on school wide expectations and establishing classroom expectations and routines. Click here to read a message from our school social worker, Diana Erwin, on how you can implement elements of PBIS at home.

Save the Date: Saturday, October 1, 5-8pm will be the first meet up for the year! It will be an outdoor potluck picnic dinner at the epic Shoreview Commons Playground. Bring a blanket or camp chairs and a dish to share! RSVP here please! *The park is big! We’ll meet on the north side of the skate park.*

BIPOC Check-in with TCGIS Leadership

Thursday, Oct. 6, 6:30-7:30 pm via Zoom, With the intention to amplify BIPOC voices in the TCGIS community, this is a forum for 2-way communication between BIPOC community members and school leadership. We endeavor to help identify and interpret any sources of exclusion, oppression, racism or discrimination for school leadership to address.

Fri-Sun, Oct. 21-23, 2022: The BIPOC affinity group is planning a BIPOC camping weekend at St. Croix State Park, an 84 minute drive north from TCGIS.  We have reserved campsites and will meet at the park after 5 pm on Friday. If needed, camping gear is available to rent from the U of M. The park offers activities including a hike about navigating by the stars on Friday night, and a hike about identifying trees and other plants on Saturday afternoon.  Day-trippers are welcome to join the group for Saturday activities and lunch. Save the date, and sign up to attend here. With questions, contact board member Wondi Tesfayesus.

We are extending Enrichment Class registration through October 1st! We still have space in several of our after-school classes, so if you were thinking of registering for an Enrichment Class then now is the time! Each class runs one day a week from October 3rd through December 2nd. Registration is through the School Store in Infinite Campus. Families who qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch can receive a 75/50% discount on Enrichment Class registration.

Read more about the classes here. Thank you!

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.

Raising children in a complex world can be challenging and sometimes we feel alone. Meet with other parents and the school social worker or guest speakers and feel empowered raising children in this complex world. This survey is anonymous with the purpose to determine interest. 

The October Bus donations can now be made in our new Infinite Campus “School Store”. Please log into your IC parent portal and click on the drop down menu in the upper left corner and scroll down to “School Store”, then select “Bus Donations”. You will have a choice between monthly bus donations “October 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.

Frau Lenburg is collecting empty cereal and oatmeal boxes now so that students in Kindergarten through third grade can make lanterns in art class. This will be part of the celebration of Martinstag in November. Boxes can be brought to the office or the art room. Interested in a take-home volunteer opportunity, or preparing boxes for the students? Contact Frau Lenburg at alenburg@tcgis.org.

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

Fundraising: Wed., Oct. 12, 8:30AM: Room 97

Finance & Facilities:  Tues., Oct. 4,, 6:30PM; Zoom

Governance: Thur., Oct. 6, 4:30PM: Zoom 

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

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.

• Teatro's Encanto. When and where? Sat, Oct. 1, 2022 3pm to 6pm, Midtown Global Market, 920 E. Lake Street Minneapolis. Celebrating 30 years of groundbreaking work supporting Latinx artists and promoting Latinx culture through performing arts, Teatro del Pueblo invites you to celebrate together at Teatro’s ENCANTO. Fill up with delicious food by local Latinx vendors and enjoy fun activities for the whole family. 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!
• Vietgone at the Guthrie Theater (only for mature audiences!) When and where? September 10 - October 16, 2022 at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Vietgone is a music-filled, raucous romantic comedy set against the trauma of the Vietnam War. Playwright Qui Nguyen says this is not a play about war but a story about falling in love. Read more here!

Come and cheer on our TCGIS teachers, parents and even students in the Twin Cities 10-Miler and Marathon this Sunday, October 2. Check out the bib numbers here to track our runners!

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.

Come see us at our table at Saturday's Fun Run, pick up some swag, and learn about the GAI's Kinderstube German Immersion Preschool!

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 29: Board Meeting

October 1: TCGIS Oktoberfest Fun Run & 5K

October 1: BIPOC Affinity Group Meet-Up

October 6: BIPOC Check-in with TCGIS Leadership

October 7: Kaffeeklatsch, hosted by PTO

October 10: Parent Council Meeting 



TCGIS Google Calendar