January 12, 2017

Take a look at current volunteer opportunities! If you are not yet a volunteer, but are interested in becoming one - please email Tina Haarbusch. Vielen Dank!

Administrative Information

Long Weekend & Early Release Next Week

This is a reminder that there is no school tomorrow (Friday, January 13) or Monday, January 16. Next Wednesday, January 18, is also an Early Release Wednesday. School is over at 12:45pm on early release Wednesdays, so please plan accordingly.

January 17-20: No Name Calling Week at TCGIS

We're happy to announce the participation of TCGIS in the GLSEN No Name Calling Week of 2017. TCGIS has participated in this state wide effort in the past years in order to promote positive interactions and emotional safety at school and in order to reduce and prevent name calling and bullying. The theme for this year is "Celebrate Kindness - Kindness in Action" and it will take place from January 16-20 . January 16 is a No School Day due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

All students and staff are encouraged to participate in the following dress-up days:

Tuesday: Red, White and Blue - for United We Stand
Wednesday: Mismatched Clothes - for We Appreciate Our Differences
Thursday: Favorite Clothes and Hat - for Self Esteem/How are You Identifying Yourself
Friday: School Spirit - for School Pride

Head Lice Notice

Head lice have recently been reported in multiple TCGIS classrooms. Anyone can get lice through head-to-head contact, but also from sharing hats, brushes, or other personal items. Head lice are a problem in many communities and do not reflect poor hygiene or social status. Please do your part to prevent the spread of this communicable condition by checking your child(ren) daily for the next few weeks, and on a regular basis thereafter. Lice infestation is much easier to treat if caught early. If you should discover a case of head lice, please let us know and consider notifying the parents of your child's playmates.

TCGIS does not require students stay home from school with nits present, but does suggest that students with live lice are treated before returning to school.

You can find Center for Disease Control information on head lice here, and information specifically regarding head lice in the school setting from the National School Nurse Association here. If you would like further information, you can contact the National Pediculosis Association at npa@headlice.org or visit www.headlice.org .

Send in Those Sibling Applications!

If you have a child entering Kindergarten next fall, please remember to send in your application! To guarantee you a spot in Kindergarten at TCGIS for the 2017-2018 school year, we must receive your application by February 16 at 4pm.

Arrival/Dismissal Safety Reminder

With winter weather making our sidewalks and streets slippery, safe practices during arrival and dismissal are more important than ever. Please review the Arrival/Dismissal Information for safety tips and expectations.

Please also remember to use the green cards in your car for quick identification at pick up. These help supervising staff see which child/ren you are picking up and help make the pickup process quicker and safer! Please include last name, first name, and grade.

Vielen Dank to Our Maskenball Sponsors

Special thanks to our gold sponsors this year for helping to make Maskenball happen. Thank you to JW Real Estate Group, Clifton Larson Allen, and St Paul Audi!

Adopt a Crayfish!

Hallo! I'm a cute little Flusskrebs (crayfish), very interesting, easy to care for, and much beloved by 3rd graders. Please help me find a home! I have 7 buddies who are also looking for adoptive families. Danke! Deadline to file for adoption papers: Tuesday, January 17. Contact hscholtz@tcgis.org.

Kinder Karneval!

Mark your calendars for January 29, 2017 from 2pm - 5pm! There will be a Kinder Karneval at The Klub Haus on Rice Street. More details available here.

Our Goal for Next Year: 30 Host Families!

Now is the time to apply to become a host family for the next school year. Options are available for short-term hosting, Fall semester, Spring semester or for full-year arrangements. Hosting a TCGIS intern from Germany, Austria or Switzerland can be a valuable experience for your family and expand the horizons of your children forever! So far we have 19 host families!

Click here to find out more about our intern program. Have any additional questions? Contact Tina Haarbusch. Already sold and excited to host? Click here to sign up by February 1, 2017!

PBIS Elternbrief Extra

Have you noticed the posters around the school? Or heard about our Friday morning announcements? Have you seen teachers greeting your students in the morning or saying goodbye in the afternoon? Or heard about teachers getting recognized on the announcements? If so-Great! If not, we invite you to take a look or listen.

We would like to thank the PTO for donating funds for our staff acknowledgement drawings. Staff have been receiving green tickets to enter a drawing when caught being active supervisors in the hall by administration and our PBIS Leadership Team. Our staff has appreciated the gift cards to target and caribou, as well as vouchers for recess or lunch duty coverage by administration, or even a pass for a week of reserved parking close to the door!

We hope you notice how great our staff has worked at being active supervisors, too! It is part of our Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) initiative to welcome every student every day to help build a safe and strong community. Thank you for being such a supportive role!

We invite you to email any questions or feedback to pbis@tcgis.org .

For your reference archived communication .

The PBIS Leadership Team

Robotics Visit!

Roseville Area High School's FireBears robotics team visited TCGIS on January 4th. Brandon, Michael, and former TCGIS student, Erik Rauer, presented to a group of TCGIS middle-schoolers. They explained the robot's design, demonstrated how the robot worked, and even let students drive the robot around room 100! Students got to cheer along as they watched robots compete in last season's challenge involving castles and fortresses. The FireBears went to the world championships last season and recently earned recognition for their robot from Igus (a German corporation).

We wish the FireBears luck on this season's STEAMWORKS challenge!

Thanks to Our Music Stand Donors

Krista Johnson would like to thank all of our families for their music stand donations. With our generous families and their donations, Krista was able to buy eighteen new stands for the TCGIS Band!

TCGIS Family Ski Day at Trollhaugen

Friday, February 17, 2017

Click here for full details.

Hit the slopes with the kids on their day off from school! Trollhaugen is a great place to ski with family and friends, and it's located just one hour away in Dresser, WI.

This year's rates:

Grade 7 thru Adult -- $15 lift ticket + $15 rental

Free lessons available with advance notice

Grades 5 & 6 -- $18 lift ticket/rental/lesson

Grades K-4 -- $28 lift ticket/rental/lesson

Children 5 & under -- FREE lift ticket + $15 rental

Lift ticket prices are good from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm. Extend through the evening for just $5 more. Lessons are available in the morning only. Please click here for complete details.

Contact Manuela Thames or Kelly Huxmann with any questions or to register. Registration deadline is Monday, February 13.

PTO

PTO Announcements

Click here to find out more about these upcoming events:

Parent panel on transitioning to high school, Jan. 17
Kaffeeklatsch, Jan. 27
Maskenball, Feb. 4, University Club

GAI

GAI Announcements

Kultur in der Küche: Authentic Gulasch

Saturday, February 4, 1pm-4pm

$40 for GAI Members, $50 for Non-members

For ages 12 and up

Make and taste authentic Austro-Hungarian style Gulasch in our next Kultur in der Küche cooking class, in partnership with the Center for Austrian Studies. Unlike American versions of this dish-which resemble baked hot dish or Ratatouille-authentic Gulasch is a slow-cooked meat dish with a savory garlic-onion spice sauce. Visit www.gai-mn.org to register and learn more.

Schnupperkurs: Introduction to German

Saturday, January 21, 10am-12pm

$25 per person (includes breakfast & class)

Want to speak German with you child but are unsure of what to expect? Join us for a two hour Introduction to German and get a taste of the GAI's language programs. Spend part of your Saturday morning with one of our native language instructors who will teach you a few basic German words and phrases in a fun and relaxed atmosphere. Cost includes breakfast and instruction. Visit www.gai-mn.org/adults to register.