Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft / Dear TCGIS Community, 

TCGIS teachers are working in their teams to plan a Curriculum Night. Our Curriculum Nights serve as a communication between teacher and families to inform about the types of learning activities and topics the students will encounter in a year. Families will learn about standards and topics that will be covered and field trips that are scheduled. It’s also a nice opportunity to engage with the families that are in your grade level. Elementary teachers will reach out in their weekly contact to inform families of the dates and times. The Middle School night will be October 4th starting at 6:30 and ending around 7:30. I look forward to joining you on these nights. 

Hope you all had a great second week!

Elizabeth Zehnpfennig, Principal

We’re past the exciting start of the year and transition into the school can be hard. Tips to make this process easier:

• Most students do better joining their class with their peers and friends. Being on time gives them the opportunity to meet them, get their belongings stored in the locker and start the day with their class. 
• Keep good byes short and casual in front of the school. If your student is already walking into the building, they are ready: Don’t call them back for a last hug or good bye (even though you might need it). 
• Out of safety reasons we don’t allow parents to walk their students to the classroom. Hallways are narrow and busy and the student without a parent might get upset. Our teachers are experts in comforting and we have other wonderful staff that will help your student through the transition.

Should you have any particular concerns, please reach out to the front office where you will be connected to our student support team.

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

TCGIS is excited to welcome our 16 new staff members! Click here to learn more about them.

To avoid outbreaks and the spread of contagious illnesses among students and staff please keep your students home if they are sick, even with minor symptoms. If your student doesn’t feel well in the morning, please monitor and send them to school later in the school day if they are well enough. Click here for more info.

Visit from the Minnesota Dept. of Education

L to R: Elizabeth Zehnpfennig, Principal; Karen Klinzing, Interim Executive Director; Sonia R. Smith, MDE; Katona Barnes, MDE; Katharina Schirg, Dir. Int'l Programs

On Tuesday we were visited by the following leaders from the Minnesota Department of Education: Sonia R. Smith, J.D. the Director of the Special Education Division and Katona Barnes, the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Center Assistant Director - Affirmative Action Manager at Minnesota Department of Education. 

The visit was for their own agency purposes to get to know the schools which they serve. The Divisions which Katona and Sonia lead do support some key innovations that we rely on here at TCGIS like the ADSIS grant, special education, tiered licensure and more. They received a school tour, visited classrooms, and heard about the key programs at TCGIS which support our mission and vision. They were impressed that our school "broadens the students' perspectives that the world is so much bigger than America."

When you're at the GAI's Oktoberfest this weekend, come visit the TCGIS table! We'll have fun photo opportunities and (paper) Lebkuchenherzen for kids to decorate. Have friends who don't know about TCGIS? Bring them by, too! Did you know: 45% of our new families find TCGIS through a current family? Vielen Dank for helping new families find TCGIS!

This session of after school classes will run from October 2nd to December 15th. Registration opens September 10th, coinciding with registration for October Kinderclub. We will be offering several activities this session, including:

• LEGO Club with Frau Davis on Tuesdays and Thursdays 
• Spanish for Beginners to Intermediate with Herr Sander on Mondays 
• Pokemon Club on Mondays
• Card Making and Stamping on Thursdays with Frau Davies
• Girl Power on Tuesdays with Michelle Loken Price

For more information click here

It is suicide awareness and prevention month. Talking or even thinking about suicide and our children can stir many feelings in us. We want our children to be fine. How do we know if we should be concerned or what to look for? How do we help? Also children who have access to social media will be exposed to lots of different information. Most likely you do not want them to only have information from the internet. Click here for more info and resources.

Join us for our first meeting next week - Thursday 9/14 at 6pm in the cafeteria. We're treating you to dinner, so please RSVP here so we can make sure we have enough food. See you there!

Our Oktoberfest 5k and Fun Run is coming up! Fun for the whole family! 

Sign up here

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 a thriving school community whose mission is enhanced by many dedicated volunteers, including our Board of Directors. Our Board relies on several standing committees to help manage the Board's work and to provide advice and recommendations on a variety of issues. Please consider contributing your talents and expertise to the Board by serving on a committee. While the time commitment is minimal (1-3 hours monthly), the impact on our school is significant! Learn more about our board committees 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.

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! Click here for more info.

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.

Please see the volunteer section for information on the Board’s committees and how to get involved as a volunteer on a committee! 

Finance Meeting: TBD

Cmte of the Whole: Thurs., Sept. 14 - 6:30PM

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

Celebrate German food, drink, and culture at our two-day festival on the beautiful grounds of the Germanic-American Institute. Enjoy non-stop entertainment for all ages! Try Burbach’s potato pancakes or Schnitzel sandwiches, visit Gerhard’s Würstelstand or try the Currywurst and more from German Brat Haus. For a snack, KCM egg rolls or Aki’s pretzels go perfectly with beer! For dessert, the GAI Damenklub will be serving Kaffee und Kuchen.

St. Paul Oktoberfest is the GAI’s largest fundraiser—by attending, you’ll be supporting our cultural events and language classes throughout the year. Learn more at gaimn.org/oktoberfest

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!

NEW! Kick-off event for registered students on September 16 - Classes start on September 23. Samstagsschule classes incorporate singing, crafts, games, and physical motion along with lessons at an age-appropriate level. For ages 4 to 16, beginners, intermediate, advanced learners and native/heritage speakers. Learn more at https://www.gaimn.org/kids/

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!

Students will start coming into the library to check out books the week of September 18th. Your student's classroom teacher will know on what day of the week your student will come into the library. Please make sure your student returns all books that were checked out during the summer or last school year. It is a good idea to dedicate a space in your home for books from the school library. This makes it easier for you to find books when it is time to return them. 

Frau Walz and Frau Stegmann are looking forward to seeing students in the library again! Questions? Email library@tcgis.org

We are looking for 1-2 basketball coaches for the winter season (December - February) for our 5th & 6th grade and 7th & 8th grade teams. For more information, check out our website and the job description. Email Athletic Director Tabisz (ctabisz@tcgis.org) with any questions you might have.

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: mbromenschenkel@tcgis.org

September 8 & 9: Oktoberfest at the GAI

September 25: PD Day (No School)



TCGIS Google Calendar