ISSUE 468/ September 9, 2021 |
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Greetings from the Executive Director |
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Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft! / Dear TCGIS community,
What favorite stories from this week have your kids shared with you? What is going well for them? What challenges have they had? How have they been supported by peers and teachers? What friends have they been particularly happy to see? We hope your home has been filled with excitement and optimism as your kids have shared their days with you.
We know this has been a week of transitions for all our kids and teachers, particularly our kindergarteners and students who were in distance learning last year. Thank you to everyone for working together to make these first few days happy and fruitful.
I offer special thanks to our bussing families for their patience with the unforeseen loss of drivers and routes this week, for the staff who worked through the weekend to find alternatives, and for teachers who reassured kids through the extra pick-up waiting time. We regret the added stress and are working closely with our providers to keep things running as smoothly as possible in the face of significant challenges across the region.
As you all know, we have had our first confirmed case of COVID at the school this year. Please know that we are monitoring this case with utmost attention, as we will any other future cases. Thank you for carefully following school and CDC recommendations for vaccinations, regular testing, and other measures that will offer the best chance for us to continue in-person learning throughout the year.
in Dankbarkeit und mit Blick nach vorne / Looking ahead with thanks,
Kirsten Christensen
Executive Director
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Incident Response Team (IRT) |
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The IRT tracks COVID cases in this dashboard which will be shared weekly. |
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Please Test Your Student(s) Weekly |
TCGIS strongly encourages all students to test weekly for Covid-19 throughout the school year. TCGIS is still determining the feasibility of providing school supported testing. You can access more information about Covid-19 testing here.
Consider Using FREE Vault At-Home Tests through the State
Minnesota and Vault Medical Services have teamed up to offer at-home COVID-19 saliva testing for everyone who lives in Minnesota, with or without symptoms, at no cost. These tests come to your home, you complete them at your house with a supervisor over zoom, and are mailed through UPS. Learn more here.
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Keep Sick Kids Home this School Year |
Please keep your student(s) home if they are feeling sick or show any symptoms.
Please check for the following symptoms every morning:
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More common symptoms are one or more of these: fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher; new cough or a cough that gets worse; difficulty/hard time breathing; and new loss of taste or smell.
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Less common symptoms are two or more of these: sore throat; nausea; vomiting; diarrhea; chills; muscle pain; extreme fatigue/feeling very tired; new severe/very bad headache; and new nasal congestion/stuffy or runny nose
Together we can help keep our school healthy and safe!
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COVID-12 Vaccines for 12-15 year olds |
How youth and families can get their free shot:
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Use the state’s Vaccine Locator Map to find a local vaccine.
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Check for vaccine appointments using the Vaccine Finder. Parents can search for appointments by vaccine type (e.g., Pfizer).
- Parents can contact their primary health care provider or a local pharmacy.
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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!
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Community Events this Week/end: We hope to see you! |
Thursday (tonight), 6:30 PM in Zoom: PTO Kick-off Meeting!
Meeting ID: 832 9370 3197, Passcode: 028322
Friday & Saturday, Sept. 10 & 11: Oktoberfest at the GAI
Enjoy German food and beverage, entertainment and activities for the whole family this weekend at the Germanic-American Institute on Summit Ave in St. Paul. More info here (and below). Friday, Sept. 10: 4–10 PM | Saturday, Sept. 11: 10 AM–10 PM
Saturday, Sept. 11: Kaffee & Kuchen with Kirsten Christensen
Come get to know our new Executive Director this Saturday afternoon! We'll have cupcakes from A Piece of Cake, Mudslingers coffee, and apple cider at the picnic shelter near the Como playground. ( Map) Look for the balloons! A general time frame is below, but come whenever it works for your family. All are welcome!
3:30 - 5:00 p.m. Elementary School Families
5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Middle School Families
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Fill out permission forms in Infinite Campus! |
As in past years, we need permission from parents to share photos of students, take classroom walks in the neighborhood, and treat students in emergencies. To either give or deny this permission, there are three forms we need all families to fill out in Infinite Campus:
- Emergency Treatment Authorization
- Media & Directory Release
- Neighborhood Walk Permission
Please fill out these forms as soon as possible by logging in to your Parent Portal account and selecting the "documents" option from the left-hand menu. Families with multiple students will need to fill out separate forms for each child.
If you have questions or would like more information about setting up or navigating your Infinite Campus account, please contact info@tcgis.org.
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TCGIS is in need of indoor recess supplies for rainy days when we can't play outside. If you have any unused board games or playing cards that are complete and in good condition, please consider donating them to the school. Some popular hits throughout the years are: UNO, Sorry!, and Connect 4. We could also use some high-appeal Young Adult books for Middle School recesses. Please bring donations to the front office. Vielen Dank!
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Students will start going to our Schulbücherei (school library) to check out books next week! All elementary students will be visiting on a weekly basis. Middle school students will be visiting under the discretion of their German teacher.
A few things for parents/guardians to know:
- Please make sure that your student's library materials are brought back to school for their library day. Their teacher will let them know what day this is.
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Students can renew a book (if it’s not a “most wanted” book), but must bring it back into the library during their weekly story time in order to do so.
- Click here to see how many library materials each grade can check out and for how long.
- If you still have library materials from the summer or last school year, please return them next week.
Throughout the school year the library will be doing special activities and events such as author visits, Dress up like your Favorite Character Day, the Lesemarathon (read-a-thon), and more! Stay up to date by following our TCGIS Library & Enrichment Facebook page. You can email our library coordinator Frau Zimmerman with any questions.
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Voluntary Family Contact Lists: Sign-up now open
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Parents have the opportunity to participate in a voluntary grade-level Family Contact List that is shared and managed by Eltern Kontakte (parent contacts, a.k.a. EKs). This list can be used to set up playdates, send birthday party invitations or connect with other parents in your child(ren)'s class/grade. Parents decide which details to share. Click here to sign up. |
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Registration Opens Next Week for Enrichment Classes |
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Registration for after-school Enrichment Classes will open next Wednesday, September 15th! The fall session will run from October 4th to December 17th.
We are so excited to bring Enrichment Activities back to TCGIS this year! We will be offering a wide range of activities. To see our course catalog for the fall session, check us out on the TCGIS Enrichment Classes webpage.
Registration will happen via the online platform Popsicle. If you do not already have a Popsicle account, you will need to make one here.
Through Popsicle, you will be able to register your children for classes and pay for them all online. You will be able to view dates, locations, and instructors for all classes as well as a calendar view of your children's schedule. When the class is full, it will close automatically. The registration deadline is September 29th at 12:00 pm.
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Robotics Team Registration open for 7th & 8th graders |
As part of the FIRST LEGO League Challenge, students will not only learn about building and programming robots; they'll also be working on a research project, coming up with a solution to a real world problem, and presenting their findings in an engaging way to the judges. Students who are into building and programming will have the chance to learn and practice all of these skills, and students who are more into research, writing, and creative expression would be valued members of the team as well.
On the TCGIS FLL Team, students will meet twice a week after school and attend local championship events where they will compete against other teams from around the state. Questions? Email our coach, Riley McArdle, at riley@mcardle.org. Registration is open now via Popsicle.
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TCGIS Athletic Program: Input Wanted!
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We are looking for your input as we grow our TCGIS Athletic Program. Which sports would you like to have at TCGIS in the coming months and years? Although the athletic program is only open to middle school students, we would like to hear from elementary school families as they move into our middle school. Please fill out this survey by Friday, September 17.
Starting this school year, we have two parts to our athletic program:
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Interscholastic Sports, organized by Athletic Coordinator Chris Tabisz - TCGIS teams will compete against teams from other schools. These sports currently include:
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fall sports: soccer and cross-country
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winter sports: basketball and indoor track-and-field
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spring sports: volleyball and outdoor track-and-field
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Intramural Sports, organized by Intramural Coordinator Kevin Tocko - TCGIS teams will compete against each other. Our intramural sports are being developed this fall, and we expect to have intramural offerings later this school year based in part on the input from the survey.
For more information, please check out our website.
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Order your 2021/22 yearbook today! |
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Order your 2021/2022 Yearbook now for only $18! Prices will go up after September 17th. Order here or by scanning this QR code:
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Parent Council: Nominations open until Fri., Sept. 10
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The wind is blowing through your hair, the sun is setting and you feel a sense of loneliness engulf you. It’s Monday night. A night for camaraderie, a night for problem solving, a night to give voice to the concerns of others, a night to find out what is going on at your kid’s school...but where can you find all this in one place?
Consider joining the Parent Council to connect with other parents and the school. Learn about how the school works and help represent the family perspective to the administration, School Board, Staff Council and Student Council. Meetings are monthly, during the school year. For more details click here. Curious about what it's like to serve on the Parent Council? Watch our Welcome Video.
To nominate yourself, please fill in your information in the appropriate class document here. Nominations will be collected until Friday, September 10th.
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Volunteer as an Eltern Kontakt (EK) this Year
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These homerooms and grades are still missing an Eltern Kontakt (EK):
1A, 2C, 3B, 4B,
7th and 8th grade.
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Eltern Kontakte (parent contacts), or EKs, are parent volunteers who provide an additional communication channel between the teacher(s) and the parents in their child(ren)'s homeroom/grade.
Each homeroom and grade-level have 1-3 EKs who work together to support the class or grade-level teachers, connect parents with each other and help strengthen our community. Managing the voluntary grade-level Family Contact List is also an important part of the EKs role.
This fun volunteer position can be done remotely since it primarily consists of communicating via email. If you've signed up already, we'll be in touch next week!Vielen Dank!
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2022 Capstone Family Meeting for 8th Graders |
Save the Date! We are hosting a Capstone meeting for all 8th graders and their parents on Wednesday, September 29th at 7:00 on Zoom. We will discuss details, answer questions, and debrief families about where we are in the process of getting ready for the 8th graders' Capstone trip and year. |
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5th graders should report to the FLEX room (Rm. 97) Sept. 9 after school 3:30-4:30. ALL band kids should report to the FLEX room (Rm. 97) Sept. 16 after school 3:30-4:30. The FLEX room is located by the Sporthalle and near the Como Ave. entrance. We will not be playing inside either of these days, outside only, so no PPE needed. (If there are sport/other conflicts, please let Frau Johnson know).
In-school lessons begin Sept. 23. Here is a link to the tentative schedule- PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR CHILD IS ON IT. Even if they are doing private lessons, they should still be on this list. If they are not, email Frau Johnson. |
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Arrival & Dismissal Reminders |
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Kindness in the Car Line and in the Neighborhood |
One of our 5 values at TCGIS is Kindness. Thank you for your ongoing kindness toward the neighbors that live around our school as you drop off and pick up your children.
A Friendly Reminder: Como Ave, the street that runs south of our school alongside the new campus addition, is NOT intended for parent parking. Once the weather worsens and snow arrives, this will be of even more critical importance as the city does not consistently plow Como, and it thus becomes essentially a one-lane road. Even now in beautiful weather, cars parked on both sides narrow the street down to one lane. Thank you for parking on the side streets (highlighted below in orange) instead.
Pro Tip for Dismissal: A fast way to collect your child(ren) is to park in the neighborhood (see orange parts on the map) and meet them on the playground. Students delegated as "Walking Pick-up" in Pikmykid come directly to the playground at 3:15. (At 3:30 the playground is used by Kinderclub and we ask "Walking Pick-up" students/parents to depart at that time so Kinderclub staff have oversight of their students.)
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Please show kindness to our neighbors by always leaving space for them to access the streets, driveways, alleyways and sidewalks around our great school. Vielen Dank!
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Arrival & Dismissal Procedures for All Grades |
Morning Arrival
Morning arrival on Van Slyke Ave and Como Ave is supervised daily between 7:50am - 8:10am. Students arriving after 8:10 a.m. must enter through the building’s Main Entrance (located by the staff parking lot) and sign in at the Front Office.
Dismissal
Students are dismissed from school at 3:15pm. Students remaining at school after 3:30pm without adult supervision, and/or with no dismissal plan indicated in PikMyKid will be directed to the Front Office. All student dismissal plans for Grades K-4 must be managed through the PikMyKid app; Middle Schoolers should discuss their daily dismissal plans with their parents each morning.
Late Pick-Ups
Students are expected to be picked up no later than 3:30pm (or 1:00pm on Early Release days). If, due to unforeseen circumstances, you are unable to pick your student(s) up on time, contact the Front Office (651-492-7106) as far in advance as possible.
Any student who is not picked up by 3:45pm will be sent to Kinderclub to ensure appropriate supervision. Students using Kinderclub due to late pick ups are subject to regular Kinderclub fees, and families will be billed retroactively through the Kinderclub payment software, Popsicle, as needed. COVID-19 Impact: KinderClub may not be able to accommodate students who are not picked up on time due to staffing and limited spacing with COVID guidelines. The front office closes at 4pm and all students MUST be picked up by 4pm.
If students are habitually picked up later than 3:30pm, TCGIS may require families to set up a standing plan for after-school care with Kinderclub.
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Carpool and Transit Tools for TCGIS Families |
There are now 40 families who have opted into using this Google form to participate in the 2021 Carpooling Map.
From now until our bus service returns to 4 bus routes, we will share the link to the unlisted Google map with those who have opted in (through the form) and are interested in setting up a carpool with nearby families. Once families have this info, it's up to them to contact possible matches and arrange the carpool.
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School Board Announcements |
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Volunteers needed for Diversity & Belonging Committee |
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The Diversity & Belonging Committee is looking for parent and staff volunteers who are interested in joining the committee. The committee is meeting on Tuesdays once every other month starting on Tuesday, September 21, 2021 at 3:45. If you have any questions, please contact keberhard@tcgis.org or jjoswig@tcgis.org.
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Upcoming Board & Committee Meetings |
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Please see our new board committee flyer which summarizes the TCGIS board committees and their charters. All are welcome to attend board and committee meetings! Board meetings and Committee of the Whole meetings will be held in-person at TCGIS in the Flex Room, with the opportunity for the community to attend via Zoom. Committee meetings will continue via Zoom to make them easier to attend. Zoom information for each committee can be found on the public school calendar and are linked below.
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The seventh year of Girl Scouts at TCGIS will be beginning later this month! We are a multi-level troop grades K-8 where each age group meets with their own level. Girls are welcome to join at any time; brand-new Scouts can join the national organization for free through October 31. We are also looking for volunteers who can help for one event or for an hour a month. You don't have to have been a Girl Scout, have a Girl Scout, or be a girl to volunteer! Please contact Cindy Miller with any questions. |
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PTO Updates: Kick-off Meeting TONIGHT |
We can't wait to see you tonight for our kick-off meeting! Tonight at 6:30, virtual only.
Meeting ID: 832 9370 3197
Passcode: 028322
Coffee & Create - Sat., October 2nd, 10:30am
Come hang out with us while we paint a beautiful picture and enjoy some coffee and snacks. Open to everyone! https://one.bidpal.net/ptocoffeecreate/welcome
The auction is just right around the corner! Start brainstorming those great ideas for items, tasty treats, and virtual event donations! More information coming to your inboxes next week.
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The Fun Run is coming! Saturday October 9th! We'll have a kids run and then a 5k to follow. Bring the family and your neighbors for the fun. For the serious runner, you'll be happy to know that we will offer Chrono-timing.
We'll have music, food trucks and a great community to cheer you on. Register here! |
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TCGIS is Seeking a Part-Time Food Service Associate |
Are you or someone you know looking for a flexible, part-time job (that includes a free lunch!)? TCGIS is seeking a part-time (20 hours per week) Food Service Associate for the 2021-22 school year. A full job description for this position is available here.
Anyone interested in applying for this position should send a letter of interest and a current resume to Ashley Weston-Miller.
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This weekend: St. Paul Oktoberfest |
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Join us at the GAI for St. Paul Oktoberfest!
Friday, September 10 | 4–10 PM
Saturday, September 11 | 10 AM–10 PM
Entertainment
Oktoberfest favorites playing in the Kaiser's Festzelt tent include the Alpensterne, Bavarian Musikmeisters, the Chmielewski Funtime Band and the Dr. Kielbasa Band. Traditional dances will be performed by the Edelweiss Dancers and Rivers Ballet. For those who would like to brush up on their polka skills, Jimi the Polka Pirate will provide dance lessons.
Activities
Other activities include a Tracht (Germanic folk wear including Dirndl and Lederhosen) contest for adults and kids (cuteness overload!), a best mustache contest, beer stein holding, and more. Visitors can also browse artisan and German goods and visit cultural and educational booths.
Food and Beverages
A variety of Paulaner beer will be available on tap and in cans, local beer from Utepils Brewing, along with other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.
Food will include RJ's Meats bratwurst, Aki's pretzels, and other fare.
More details can be found here.
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GAI's Kinderstube is excited to launch an online educational enrichment program for preschool-age children (ages 3–6) called Kinderstube German@home starting this fall.
Parents or caregivers will receive weekly content updates with four activities that they can do throughout the week or on the weekend with their children. Each activity has been designed to take 15 minutes to complete. Students and caregivers have the opportunity to meet virtually with their instructor once a month for a check-in.
Tuition is $320 a semester or $600 for the full school year. For more information, visit our website, email kinderstubeathome@gaimn.org, or call our office at (651) 222-7027. |
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German Tutors for TCGIS Students |
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. |
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September 9: PTO Kick-off Meeting (Zoom)
September 10: Parent Council Nominations Due
September 11: Kaffee & Kuchen with Kirsten
September 22: Early Release Day (Kinderclub Open)
September 29: Capstone Family Meeting
October 9: Twin Cities Oktoberfest 5K and the TCGIS Fun Run
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