February 2, 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

PBIS Elternbrief Extra

Second Semester has begun and so has our new system from PBIS called Mausmünzen! Mausmünzen are a physical token of our acknowledgement of their great choices here at school honoring our agreement to be safe, respectful, and responsible. One side of the token should come home to you, while the other will be entered into a school-wide drawing which occurs every two weeks.

Students in all grades were introduced to our "Mouse Money" this week by their classroom/homeroom teacher using this presentation. Ask your student(s) about them!

Close to Our Goal of Finding 30 Intern Host Families!

We want to thank our very dedicated parent community for their support of this core program of TCGIS - next year we will be able to bring 30 (15 per semester) native German speakers with teacher training to TCGIS to support our program as language and cultural experts. Next year, we will have another awesome intern team trained for elementary & secondary education, multilingual school settings as well as special education & inclusion. It is exciting to know that all of our students from K-8 will benefit from this program.

Vielen, herzlichen Dank to the many supporters for their time, enthusiasm and thoughtfulness in rebuilding the intern program at TCGIS. Kudos to Kristin Helling and Jenneke Oosterhoff (School Board), Herr Mullins, Frau Zinnow, Frau Kulhanek and Herr Liesner as well as the numerous EK's and parent volunteers.

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 anytime!

Our goal for next year: 30 host families - so far we have 28 host families!

Carnival of Cultures

It's that time of the year again! The carnival season is coming and we will celebrate our annual Carnival of Cultures on Wednesday , February 22. Mark your calendars! The theme this year is "Building Bridges".

A short schedule:

4:30pm The Capstone Café will be open in the cafeteria

5:00pm Part I of the Carnival will start in the Aula (grades K-2)

5:40pm Intermission

6:00pm Part II will begin (grades 3-8)

Please remember that students are not permitted to be in the building unsupervised before the event, so anyone not signed up for Kinderclub in advance should be picked up at the end of the school day. There will be no drop-in option on that day due to space limitations.

Volleyball Registration Ends Next Week!

Volleyball Registration closes TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 7th at 5pm.

Please click here for more information, here to register a nd email Coach Kim Kulhanek at kkulhanek@tcgis.org if you have questions.

Parent Powerschool Report Card Instructions

We are now officially in the second semester of the year! To see the written progress of your children, please click on the Powerschool Instructions for Parents to read over these topics:

Powerschool Parent Login
Special Note for Kindergarten families for FIRST TIME LOG IN
I don't know my User Name or password (& How to Reset)
Navigating Powerschool
How to View Historical Grades (a.k.a Report Card - semester 1)

Once you have had a chance to review the information, if you are still experiencing difficulties, please contact the office at info@tcgis.org.

Bake Sale THIS Week

Be sure to stop by TCGIS today and tomorrow from 3-5pm to enjoy a bake sale! All proceeds will go to Party Planning for our Mardi Gras Pride Party. Be sure to bring your appetite!

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 at Trollhaugen, 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 ONLY (age 6+) -- $15

Contact Manuela Thames or Kelly Huxmann with any questions or to register. Registration deadline is MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13. We will distribute rental forms and collect payment in the school lobby on Friday, February 10 and Monday, February 13. Cash or check only. Please click HERE for complete details.

Mardi-Gras Mask Party

On February 28 from 3:30 to 5:30 PM in the cafeteria the Student Party Planning Committee is hosting a Mardi Gras Mask party with the theme "Free to Be You." We invite all K-8 students and parents to join us for this event. The TCGIS Gender Sexuality Alliance will be having a craft and bake sale and there will be dancing, music, games, and mask-making. The proceeds from the craft and bake sale will benefit The Trevor Project.

TCGIS Strings Session Two

String students are once again invited to participate in the TCGIS String Orchestra. Session two dates are: February 10 &24, March 10 & 24, April 7 & 21, and May 5 & 19, and June 2, with a performance date of June 3rd. Orchestra meets from 4:30 to 5:30 in the drama room.

The group is led by Elena and Sarah of Vienna Community Arts. You do not need to be a student of Vienna's to participate. The string orchestra is funded by Herbert and Nancy Engelmayer, and is open to all TCGIS students. Call 651-773-9525 or email nsogabe@artsvienna.comcastbiz.net to register.

Call for Old Android Phones

Do you have an old Android phone you no longer need? Please consider donating it to TCGIS for middle school students to use with App Inventor. Jesse Whitney and I will wipe your old phone (factory reset) and students will use it for trying out the apps they create. Just have your child bring the phone to the office. Please attach your name to the phone somehow with a post-it or masking tape in case we have trouble reseting it. Chargers are appreciated but we'll take phones without them, too.

Danke, Spielmannszug Minnesota!

We want to thank Spielmannszug Minnesota for hosting a fun, creative and free German event for our student at the Klub Haus in St. Paul. Please visit the Spielmannszug Minnesota Facebook Page for some fun pictures and videos.

PTO

PTO Announcements

Can't make it to Maskenball but still want to support the PTO? It's easy. Just use the "donate now" button at the bottom of the Maskenball page. Thank you!

Click here to find out more about these upcoming events:

PTO meeting featuring a presentation on talking about sex with your kids, Feb. 7.
PTO is collecting items for a rummage sale on April 8. Items must be small enough for one person to carry and can be left in the school foyer.

GAI

GAI Announcements

Sprechen - Studieren - Arbeiten: Resource & Information Fair

Friday, February 24, 3pm-7pm

Free and Open to the Public

If you are a student, parent, or individual who is interested in secondary German language education, studying at a German speaking university, or working for a global business, our German language Resource and Information fair perfect way to start. At the GAI's Resource Fair, you can explore the possibilities to speak, study, and work with the German language from top German organizations, universities, and businesses in the Midwest, all in the comfort of the GAI Haus. There will also be presentations from several key organizations about the resources they offer, including the Goethe Institut, 8 Hours & Change, the GACC-MN, and more! Visit www.gai-mn.org/RESOURCE-FAIR to learn more.

Registration is Open for German Language Summer Camps

Beginning June 19 and running through August 18, the GAI will offer weekly day camps for children grades 1-3 who want to learn German in an active and fun environment. Two camps will also be offered for incoming Kindergarteners in the middle of August. A full list of camp themes are posted online, which include topics such as cooking, astronomy, art, geography, biology, and more! Visit www.gai-mn.org/camp2017 to register and learn more!