This week Herr Anderson's main message is a reflection on diversity, and what our school is doing to listen to our families' experiences. Here is the article that is mentioned in his video, written by soccer player Antonio Rüdiger.
On a related note, on May 18th Germany celebrated its 9th German Diversity Day. Here is an article about diversity in Germany today. |
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Farewell Event for Director Anderson |
The Board of Directors is hosting an outdoor farewell event on Friday, June 11th from 3:30 pm-6:00 pm at Chatsworth park (walking distance from the school). Please bring the family for a treat, playtime, and the opportunity to say Auf Wiedersehen and best wishes to Ted.
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Incident Response Team (IRT) Updates |
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What is the Incident Reponse Team (IRT)? This team meets regularly to review data and makes decisions about changes to the learning model. IRT Members are: Ted Anderson, Executive Director; Julie Alkatout, TCGIS Board Chair; Ashley Weston Miller, Dir. of HR and Operations; Monika Avery, Health Services Associate.
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According to Governor Walz's announcement from May 6th, because the youngest Minnesotans are not yet eligible for the vaccine, the Safe Learning Plan for schools will continue until the end of the school year to protect students, teachers, and staff in schools.
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COVID-19 Vaccine Available for Youth 12 and Older |
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for people age 12-15. This means all Minnesotans who are age 12 years or older are eligible to get vaccinated as recommended by the CDC. There is no cost for the vaccine. Please find more information on the TCGIS website IRT update.
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Quarantine after travel out of state |
We are following the guidance of the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
If you travel out of state CDC recommends testing and quarantining of not fully vaccinated people for 7 days if your test is negative. The CDC recommends testing 3-5 days after travel to limit the chance of a false negative. If a family member’s test comes back positive, you will be expected to follow the isolation guidelines in the decision tree. Please also note, our teachers will not be expected to provide additional work or asynchronous work during your recommended quarantine period. Your students absence will be considered excused.
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Please keep your students home when they are sick. If any member of your family tests positive for Covid-19 please contact Monika Avery and/or Ashley Weston Miller and [email protected] to review the MDH Decision Tree. Please inform us as soon as possible. We monitor emails every day including weekends and holidays to ensure informing concerned parties duly to give them time to make necessary arrangements.
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Note: If you don't see the calendar at the end of your Elternbrief, the message has been clipped and you must click "View entire message" to see the full Elternbrief. Danke!
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2021/22 Kinderclub Registration Survey
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If you are interested in enrolling your student(s) in Kinderclub for the 2021-22 school year, please complete THIS SURVEY. This is NOT the Kinderclub Registration; we will be sending that out at a later date. This survey helps us plan for appropriate staffing for the 2021-22 school year. Thank you!
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Interested in Busing for 2021-22 School Year?
If you are interested in TCGIS Busing for your student(s) for the 2021-22 school year, please complete this Busing Survey to help us determine our bus routes. Survey closes on June 11.
Please note: Bus stops are COMMUNITY STOPS, not neighborhood stops. We have 4 buses that bus city-wide so we are unable to accommodate requests that are based on home addresses.
Interested in Carpooling next year? Remember the ZuVon website!
Due to Covid-19, the carpool-connection tool found on our ZuVon site, was not available to TCGIS families. If you are interested in carpooling for next school year, the carpool tool will be available in August at which time families who fill out the carpool Google Form will be able to connect with one another to plan. Please note: TCGIS offers the carpool resource for families to connect but does not plan or arrange carpools.
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Parent access to Grades and Comments Closed 5/26-6/11
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Parent Portal access to student grades and comments is temporarily closed from May 26th until June 11th. This provides teachers time to finalize marking student work and posting comments for spring semester.
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Join us in painting our first school mural! |
The school design subcommittee is ready to take its first step: We are painting an amazing mural on the wall of the cafeteria and we'd LOVE for our school community to join in on the fun! You want to help? That is fantastic! Find more info in this video!
Sign up here for a time slot June 5 (Sat) or June 6 (Sun), 2021!
Bring your whole family and join in on the fun! Our artists will help, it'll be easy, and your work on the mural will be an amazing part of our school. Sign up by May 28, 2021 for a time slot and we'll see you there!
Thank you! The school design sub committee
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May 31: Last day to order the 20/21 Yearbook |
Online pre-order ends May 31st - Get your yearbook today! |
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2020/21 Library Books: Due back by June 4! |
We are nearing the end of the school year! All library books and materials need to be returned by June 4. Any overdue and lost books will be going on the student's Boonli account to be paid by the end of the year.
Summer Library Check-Out Times
Check out books this summer at the TCGIS library! Summer library hours are every Monday 8-12pm from June 21-August 9, except for the week of July 5-9.
Sign up here for a 30-minute time slot to visit our library! Each time slot is limited to 3 families (max 5 people per family). Masks are required.
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TCGIS XC Team Registration Closes May 31 |
May 15 at 8:00 AM until May 31 at 11:59 PM, and the season begins on Monday, August 2.
Regarding the calendar: Practices are set for Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Meets are scheduled to return after the pandemic. Athletes are required to attend two practices each week and may attend all three.
Payment required at time of registration: $150*
*Finances should not be a factor in deciding to participate in TCGIS athletic teams. If finances are a concern, please contact Coach Tabisz BEFORE registration opens because payment is required at the time of registration.
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TCGIS Alumni Picnic: August 10 |
Save the date! We are happy to announce that the annual TCGIS alumni picnic will be on Tuesday, August 10. There will be a tour of the new building from 5-6pm, followed by the alumni potluck picnic at 6:30pm.
Location: GAI, 301 Summit Ave.
More info to come!
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Our TCGIS Meistermäuse winners!
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The selected students and teachers have shown exemplary behavior at TCGIS during the school day and are representing their class and grade level. Meistermäuse have demonstrated to staff one or more of the following praised traits: Sicherheit (safety), Verantwortung (responsibility),Respekt (respect), and Freundlichkeit (kindness). |
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L to R: Mia (6), Matteo (2), Sophia (4), Mikko (K), Olivia (7), Frau Maslofski |
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L to R: Lucy (8), Lenora (K), Ella (1), and Caroline (3) |
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School Board Announcements |
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The Board of Directors will give special recognition to volunteers and staff for their hard work and dedication to our school. Families and staff are welcome to attend the meeting to help us celebrate them! On tonight’s agenda, the board will hear a presentation about the ZfA’s recent evaluation of TCGIS (ZfA is the German government’s agency for German schools abroad). The board will also hear a presentation on the development of the TCGIS Summer camp program. Each board committee will provide an update and the board will consider approving the Vision 2025 strategic plan. The full meeting agenda can be viewed here. Please join us via Zoom here at 6:30pm.
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The Second Annual TCGIS Community Garden! |
The TCGIS Community Garden is a 14.5’ by 17.5’ plot at the D10 Como Community Garden near the State Fairgrounds. TCGIS community members sign up for slots throughout the summer to do light gardening like pulling weeds, watering plants, and donating our harvest to the Keystone Midway food shelf. Everyone in the TCGIS community is welcome and encouraged to sign up for gardening!
New in 2021: We have reserved slots each week for incoming Kindergarten and 1st Grade families so you can spend time in the garden and get to know other TCGIS community members.
It's easy, it's fun, and the food we grow helps families in need. Sign up to join us this summer! The time commitment is very minimal and flexible to your schedule, it's great for gardeners of all levels, and kids are welcome and encouraged to participate (they are great at watering and harvesting!). Sign up here. Specifics, like how to turn on the fire hydrant for watering (and, seriously, who doesn't want to know how to do that?), will be sent to all who sign up.
If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Linnell.
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Family Affinity Groups-Mark your calendars! |
The BIPOC family affinity group will meet in person at the Como Fire pits on June 6th at 4 pm for S’mores. Family affinity groups are intended for TCGIS parents/guardians who identify with the affinity group, or whose children identify with the affinity group, and for those who are supporters and allies. The intention is to provide a supportive forum for affinity group members to foster relationships, discuss experiences unique to their families, to uplift and empower their voices.
The LGBTQ2S+ affinity group is putting on a get-together at Como park on Wednesday, June 23 from 5-7 pm. We will be between the playground area and the mini-golf. Families should bring their own dinner, but we will provide ice cream and cake! All TCGIS students and families are welcome.
BIPOC family affinity group: June 6th, 4:00 pm- S’mores at Como Fire Pits!
LGBTQ2S+ affinity group: June 23, 5:00-7pm. Como Park!
Modern families affinity group (Co-parents, Step-Parents, Single Parents): August 11, 6:30pm
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Vision 2025 Strategic Plan Update |
The Vision 2025 strategic plan is nearing its final draft, with the board and administration having considered feedback from staff and parents since the plan was first shared in January. The student council will have a chance to review and provide feedback next week. The board anticipates approving the plan at the May 27th board meeting. If you have comments or questions regarding the plan; please email the school board at [email protected]. The strategic focus areas and main goals are shown in the diagram below. The full plan is available here with most recent edits highlighted.
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Please email the committee email addresses listed below for each meeting’s login details. You can find links to the new committee charters here. All are welcome to join committee meetings!
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Deutsche Tage 2021 at the GAI |
Lift your beer steins—Deutsche Tage is back! Make your Prost with a selection of four Paulaner beers on tap or with a grapefruit or NA Radler. Black Forest Inn will serve up delicious Bratwurst and German sides, with desserts by Ruhland's Strudel Haus. A variety of live musicians and dancers will entertain you all weekend.
Saturday, June 12 | noon – 9 PM and Sunday, June 13 | 11 AM–5 PM
Online registration is no longer required. Admission is free. Adults 21 and over may buy wristbands for $5 to purchase beer and wine at the bar. Please bring your ID. More info at gaimn.org.
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Summer Teen Intensiv for ages 14-18 at the GAI
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This advanced full-day camp experience is for teens with level B1 German skills or graduates of TCGIS. We will dive into two important current topics in these week-long camps: Multiculturalism—what does racism looks like in Germany and how do young people deal with this topic, and Living the Sustainable Life—how does "Nachhaltigkeit" relate to nutrition, housing, education, and the digital world.
June 21–25: Multikulti? Multiculturalism and Racism in Germany
August 23–27: Living the Sustainable Life (#FridaysForFuture)
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German Language Camps at the GAI
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The GAI is offering a variety of half-day summer camps including German for Beginners. After-care is available! More info here.
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German Beginner Series for Adults at the GAI
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Impress your children! Our START 1-2-3 Beginners Series for adults will get you on the road to learning German! Offered via Zoom. Class emphasis is on speaking in a casual, fun, and supportive environment. Classes begin June 7 and meet once a week on Monday evenings through August 30. More information here.
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Summer Music Lessons with Vienna Arts
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Vienna Community Arts will continue to provide music lessons throughout the summer for new and continuing students. Please contact us at [email protected] for more information.
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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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May 27: May School Board Meeting
May 31: Last day to order the yearbook
June 4: Spring Band Concert (June 11: rain date)
June 4: All library books due back
June 5 & 6: School mural painting
June 6: BIPOC family affinity group at Como Park
June 11: Farewell event for Director Anderson
June 12: Deutsche Tage at the GAI
June 13: 8th Grade Graduation, 1pm
June 16: Last day of school (in person, early release)
August 10: TCGIS Alumni Picnic
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