| Message from the Director |
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Schöne Grüße von Herrn Anderson
What a week! Daylight savings time, a full moon, and the rapidly evolving pubic health landcape has kept all of us in the TCGIS community on our toes. In lieu of a video greeting this week, we are posting a link to the Director's Message that was emailed to the entire TCGIS community this afternoon. Find the message
here.
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Community Events: Join us!
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Maskenball 2020:
Order your
Tickets by March 17!
LAST CALL for Maskenball Tickets!
Order your tickets by Tuesday, March 17th!!! (And remember to shop for a fancy outfit!).
Join us at the TCGIS PTO Maskenball, an adults-only formal dance hosted this year at the gorgeous Saint Paul Athletic Club.
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Saturday, March 21, 2020 at 7:00pm
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Tickets now available here.
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Dress: Formal/Black Tie. A themed costume is also encouraged, but not required.
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There will be dancing, beats provided by DJ Lubbert, appetizers, a full cash bar, and wonderful ambiance at the Saint Paul Athletic Club.
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Included again this year: Silent and art auction! Come ready to bid on your child(ren)'s art auction class project along with many amazing donated experiences and packages!
The PTO is looking for 5 more volunteers!
Did you know that volunteers:
- Get a FREE ticket to Maskenball
- Work in one time slot & enjoy the rest of their night
- Interested? Email tcgispto@gmail.com
Art Auction: Check out your child's class' artwork and make the winning bid to bring it home! Check out these sneak peak pictures:
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Check Out these Great Events at the GAI
Kaffee & Kuchen
Traditional German afternoon coffee & cake
Sunday, March 15 starting at 2:00pm
Dual Citizenship Q & A with German Honorary Consul Barbara Müller
Saturday, March 28 at 11am
Are you eligible to be a citizen of the U.S. and Germany? German Honorary Consul Barbara Müller will answer your questions about dual citizenship and other related issues
The 8-week workshop is designed for young people, ages 13 - 16, with basic knowledge of German (Level 2 / A2 or higher). Sessions will take place at the GAI, but some weeks will include off-site visits to local museums or labs.
In addition to the scientific concept of climate change, we will look at how a changing climate affects other aspects of communities, such as the economy, wildlife, and society. The primary objective of the course is to enhance students' ability to discuss the issues most relevant to them and their peers. More info here.
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Watch FC Augsburg play MN United on May 27
Get your tickets to watch FC Augsburg play Minnesota United at Allianz Stadium this May!
Click this link to purchase the discounted tickets that MNUFC have created for TCGIS, the GAI and the German-American Chamber of Commerce. It is the most affordable ticketing option they have, and you'll be able to sit with others from TCGIS.
Stay tuned for news about a school visit with the FC Augsburg team!
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School Board Announcements
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Call for Nominations & Applications to the School Board
By serving on the TCGIS School Board, YOU can help our school, strengthen connections within our community, and make important decisions that affect the future.
The work of the Board ensures that TCGIS provides a meaningful education and experience for all students.
This year, the community will elect
FIVE board members
to each serve a
three year term
. We seek any interested persons
(parents, teachers, and community members)
, especially those with experience in financial compliance, education, board governance, legal matters, management and leadership, and marketing and development.
If you are interested in serving or would like to nominate someone to serve, all details and forms are available through the links below. You do not need to be nominated to apply.
Important Dates
April 18
: All nominations and applications due by 4:45 pm. Send via email to Stephanie Forsland (
sforsland@tcgis.org
) or drop off in the school office.
TBD:
Meet the Candidates Forum
May 11-15:
Board elections, drop off all ballots by 4:45 pm on Friday, May 15.
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Upcoming Committee Meetings
Anyone can volunteer on a board committee. Help us build a school together!
Diversity Task Force Meeting:
Tue, March 17, 8:15am - 9:15am, Room TBD
Executive Committee: RESCHEDULED Thu, March 18, 6:30pm-7:30pm, Rm 100
Finance & Facilities Committee: Tue, March 24, 6pm - 7pm, Room 99
Board Meeting
: Thu, March 26, 6:30pm - 8:00pm, Room 100
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2020/21 School Calendar - Corrected Dates
Last week we shared the updated 2019/20 and the 2020/21 school calendars. The 2020/21 calendar had a few errors in it which have been corrected. The correct 2020/21 calendar is now available
on the TCGIS homepage and below:
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Conferences this Week: Please Read!
Thursday, March 12 4:00-7:30pm
Friday, March 13 8:10am-3:30pm
We are adjusting how conferences will be offered
this evening and tomorrow
with the following changes:
Elementary School Conferences:
- If you're already at school when reading this, we will be glad to see you and proceed as usual.
- Otherwise we encourage all parents to connect by phone with teachers. Parents who choose this option should email the teacher(s) the number at which they would like to be called and expect a call at their scheduled conference time.
Middle School Conferences:
- Parents who are already here are welcome to drop in as planned. Parents who were planning to come, but would prefer to hold a phone conference, should email the teacher with the preferred number to call and teachers will call them back, depending on availability.
- Because of the increased expectations for e-learning in secondary education, middle school conference hours on Friday will be reduced to enable teacher-time for collaboration on e-learning plans. The revised hours are between 8:00 - 9:30 am and 2:00-3:30pm.
If you would like to view your student(s) grades prior to conferences, please login to PowerSchool here. If you are having trouble with your PowerSchool login, please email info@tcgis.org.
Entrances
Both the main entrance from the playground and the double-doors on Van Slyke Avenue will be open during conferences.
Lost & Found
and
Potluck Serving Dish Pick-up
Please check the very full Lost & Found,
now located in the lower level hallway, near Van Slyke stairway/elevator. All remaining items will be donated next week.
If you've donated food to a recent staff appreciation luncheon and would like your tupperware, serving dish and/or serving utensils back, please check the collection
in the front office; all remaining items will be donated next week as well.
Bring Cash for Snacks and Support Capstone & Girl Scouts
Location: second floor hallway, across from the library
Thursday afternoon: Capstone Bake Sale
Delicious homemade treats and refreshing beverages will help power you through afternoon and evening conferences! All donations benefit this year's 7th graders who are raising funds towards their Capstone program next school year!
Friday: Support TCGIS Girl Scouts
9:00-11:00 am: Fifth-grade Juniors working on their Bronze Award project of food allergy awareness will have a food-sensitive bake sale at school. Get a treat for yourself or your favorite teacher during conferences.
12:00-3:00 pm: Troop #57317 will sell Girl Scout cookies!
They will also be selling outside Half-Price Books in Highland Park, St. Paul, on Saturday, March 21, noon-2:30. That will be one of your last chances to stock up, so see you there!
Playground Access during Conferences
Kinderclub will be using the playground during parent teacher conferences. To ensure proper supervision for all Kinderclub children, who will be rotating locations between the playground, the school building, and OPC all day,
only those children signed in to Kinderclub will be allowed on the playground from 3:15 - 6:00 pm on Thursday and 8:00 am - 6:00 pm on Friday.
Should your children accompany you to conferences, they must stay with you at all times. They may also wait in front of the classroom during conference time. Please do not leave them unsupervised in the school building or on the playground at any time. Thank you in advance!
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TCGIS Illness Guidelines
If you have a sick child and they must stay home due to illness, please notify the office with the following information
including symptoms so we can monitor illness-related symptoms:
- Name of student
- Date of Illness
- Symptoms being experienced
Even though COVID-19 has not been identified in our community, there are a number of things we are doing for preparation and prevention:
- Promoting regular handwashing with soap and water. Encouraging students and staff to avoid touching the face and mouth with unwashed hands as well as covering their mouth when coughing.
- The Health Office is monitoring students for signs of illness and infection and is following illness guidelines as outlined below.
- The Health Office is monitoring absences and reporting to MN Dept of Health per their guidelines.
- We are monitoring the situation closely and will continue to keep families, staff and students informed.
We encourage families to speak with their children about coronavirus. Here are a few resources that help guide age-appropriate conversations with children:
If a student becomes ill during normal school hours, a Health Service Associate or other trained staff will provide routine assessment and first aid; if too ill to remain at school, the Health Office will contact adult(s) in the order designated on the student's Emergency Contact list (parents/guardians will be notified first) as soon as possible. A parent, guardian, or other designated responsible adult must be available to pick up the student within one hour of phone call in the event of a serious illness or injury; this is for the health and safety of the student, as well as for the rest of the student body.
As a reminder, students who show signs of a communicable condition as outlined below should not come to school, and will be sent home if symptoms develop during the school day:
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Fever of 100 F/37.7 C or higher as measured by a thermometer under the arm or orally. Children must be fever free (98 F/37 C) for 24 hours before returning to School.
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Vomiting or diarrhea. Children must remain at home for 24 hours after the final episode of vomiting or diarrhea.
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Severe or uncontrollable cough.
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A rash that may be disease-related, or for which the cause is unknown.
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Yellow or green mucus coming from the nose or mouth.
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Pink eye (conjunctivitis).
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Untreated head lice. Children may return to School after treatment.
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Too ill to participate in recess or gym class.
We ask that families report all illnesses to the Front Office by telephone (651-492-7106) or email at onset or diagnosis to assist in protecting the school community from communicable illnesses such as strep throat, pink eye, or head lice. In reports of illness, students' names shall be kept confidential and the Health Office will use discretion when informing classrooms and/or the larger student body of communicable illness.
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MCA Assessment Season Begins
The MCAs (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments) are state-wide mandated assessments we administer each year in March, April and May as per Minnesota Legislative Statute. We assess in grades 3-8.
Here
is an overview of these assessments. This link from the Minnesota Department of Education provides a very detailed treatment about the what, why, and where most frequently asked questions.
Additionally, families may 'opt out' their children. Please return
this opt-out form in hard-copy to Mike Mullins no later than 72 hours BEFORE your child(ren) is/are set to assess.
Testing begins on the following dates:
- Grades 5th-8th: Wednesday, March 18th in Reading MCAs
- Grades 3rd-4th: Monday-Friday, March 23rd-26th in Reading MCAs
For more information about MCAs at TCGIS, please click
here
.
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Construction Updates
This week the enclosure wall by the front entrance has been erected. The front doors and front office will be accessible as usual. Most of the steel trusses and decking have been placed and the construction company is beginning to connect the two buildings.
Color selection for both exterior caulk and interior wall paint have been decided and locker needs have been determined. Speaking of the interior, later this summer we will need some volunteers to help move items into the new building and possibly assemble new furniture. Watch for a volunteer sign-up later this spring.
Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.
Andy Nesset
TCGIS Facilities and Grounds
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Re-Enrollment Survey for All Current TCGIS Families
Help us prepare for the 2020-2021 school year by completing our re-enrollment survey! Please
click here
to fill out the survey by March 23rd. If you have more than one student at TCGIS, please submit one form for every child in your family grades 1-8.
Filling out this form is not required in order to attend TCGIS next year but it is extremely helpful for the school. We gather information about returning and withdrawing students to plan our class compositions for the next year. We appreciate your participation; thank you in advance!
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Reminder: April Order Window for Lunches/Milk and Kinderclub Closes Midnight Sunday March 15
Don't forget to place your order for April! Please log on to our online store website
Boonli
to place your child's Kinderclub and School Lunch & Milk
order. Please make sure to check out your cart to successfully place an order.
All orders must be submitted by midnight on Sunday, 3/15/2020.
For any questions regarding our online store website (e.g. forgotten username/password, payment questions, etc.), please contact us at
ordering@tcgis.org
.
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Parent Council Update: March 2020
Parent council met on March 9, 2020. We heard updates from administration as well as a presentation from a School Board member about the potential for new fundraising opportunities at TCGIS. We discussed the content of our upcoming Parent Satisfaction Survey, and, thanks to our Survey Subcommittee, we will be finalizing the survey at our next meeting in April. The final survey will be distributed to families in mid-April. Finally, our subcommittee on New Families has some great ideas and information that will be forthcoming soon to help smooth entry for new families into TCGIS.
In response to feedback from parents, PC discussed and will be following up on Family Tree Clinic's health curriculum for middle schoolers, the potential for having an after-school study space, school calendar, and how to best support our teachers as a council.
As always, please email your Parent Council representative or the full parent council at parent-council@tcgis.org with questions, comments, concerns or compliments.
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Looking for Props and Set Pieces for Drama Plays!
Dear Parents, Frau Mosimann and I have a running spreadsheet with some requests for props and set pieces. We'll keep sharing the list, but in the meantime, we have a few things already on there. We will do our best to keep them safe and unhurt, but as you know something could happen to it. If you see something you could provide and feel comfortable lending or even donating
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we would be grateful! Find the
spreadsheet link here.
Herr Dahl
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Announcing: Collaboration with University of Vechta
We are happy to announce our formal partnership with the University of Vechta! We just signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the
university and will collaborate with them on the intern program: TCGIS will provide internship opportunities for students in teaching programs, and the University of Vechta will support us with intern recruitment and increase awareness of our school in Germany.
For more information on international outreach, please contact
Tina Haarbusch.
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Enrichment Activity Spring Session Registration Open!
Registration for the spring session of enrichment classes (formerly after-school activities) is now open! Spring session runs from April 6th until June 5th. TCGIS uses an online registration platform called Popsicle where you can register your children for classes and pay for them all online. The registration deadline is March 25th at 11:59pm and we're offering EIGHTEEN classes this spring!
Please pair your enrichment class sign-up with delegating your child/ren in PikMyKid to the "Enrichment Activities Spring Session" pickup mode on the appropriate days. You can set the change to recur weekly if you scroll forward on the calendar to select the deadline, but be sure to remove any no class days like early-release days.
This link will take you to course descriptions and
this link will take you to the schedule for the spring session.
If you need a scholarship for the classes, please visit
this link for more information.
Please visit
this link to create your Popsicle account and sign up for classes.
Here are instructions for creating a parent account and adding classes.
This link will take you to a troubleshooting guide and contact information for Popsicle support.
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Special Ed Advisory Committee Meeting & Presentation
March 16, 6:30-8:00 at TCGIS
This next meeting includes a presentation that is free and open to the entire school community. Our guest speaker, Jennifer Begtold, will define and briefly explain sensory integration and sensory diets and then give some home programming ideas. The presentation should last 30 minutes and then we will have time for questions and discussion. This promises to be an engaging and fruitful discussion. Invite your friends!
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The Yearbook Committee says ...
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Mausmünzen Gewinner: March 10
The selected students 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).
May they continue to make our school a better place!
KC - Tillie;
1B - Mina;
2B - Sylvia;
3A - Ashton;
4A - Amali
6C - Sofia;
7B - Bea;
Staff - Frau Scherer
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TCGIS XC and Track - Immer Sportlich!
Two years ago in spring 2018, TCGIS started with just 13 athletes in the Running
Club. This coming Outdoor Track-and-Field season, we will have 59 athletes.
This means 1 in every 4 middle schoolers is in our XC and T&F program this spring, and 37% of all current middle schoolers have been in our program at some point during their middle school careers.
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Support TCGIS: Volunteer Opportunities
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March Potluck Sign-up: 1st Grade
Here is the last opportunity to show our appreciation for TCGIS staff with delicious food this month:
1st Grade:
Wed. March 18
Early-release Day Staff Luncheon
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NEW Intern Host Family Info-Night: Tuesday, March 24
Intern Host Family Info-Meeting
Tuesday, March 24 at 7:00 PM, room 100
Join us for a brief meeting to learn about what hosting an intern really entails and what the experience is like for families.
We are seeking 10 more host families for next fall.
Not sure what it would be like hosting an intern? Board member Dianne Bell and her family hosted a few years ago and shared their story with us last fall.
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Summer Camps & Activities
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Girls Excel in Math (GEMs) Summer Camp
Missy Morrissey (Middle School) is offering GEMs, a summer math camp for girls, with support from the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) Student Chapter at the University of Minnesota during the week August 17th-21st.
Register online here!
Who: All students entering grades 1-8
What: GEMs Summer Math camp
Where: University of Minnesota,Vincent Hall
When: August 17th-21st, 2020, from 9am-12pm.
Cost: $150 (daily snack provided)
Deadline for Registration: June 14th, 2020
Deadline for Payment: August 1st, 2020
Contact Missy Morrissey
gemsummercamp@gmail.com with questions.
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St. Paul Parks & Rec Summer Sign-ups
Click on this
link to access a Google Drive folder with information about Summer Park and Rec Activity Camps at North Dale, Northwest Como and Langford Park Recreation Centers. Click on
this link to see a complete list of camps offered at these three locations.
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Vienna Community Arts Summer Studio
Vienna is at TCGIS and in Maplewood this Summer!
We offer music lessons for new and continuing students in piano, classical guitar, ukulele (new) and violin/viola.
Extended Lessons, Buddy Lessons, Creative Projects, Parent-Child Duets.
Have some musical fun this summer with Vienna!
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Summer Camp at the GAI: Registration Now Open!
Each camp will last one week (M-F) and is centered around a fun, highly-interactive theme
. TCGIS families can register at 'member'
rates.
German beginners to bilingual campers are welcome, as different activities will be offered according to the children's language skills. Teachers and children will speak, hear, sing, and create in German while exploring subjects including arts & crafts, geography, cooking, science, photography and more. Half-day, Full-Day, and Extended Care Options available.
Click
here
for details and to register.
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Carpooling Initiative Underway
Exciting news!
Forty-five families opted in to share their info and be part of the interactive carpooling map.
Parents who opted in by March 1 were notified about next steps and encouraged to connect with each other to coordinate new carpools.
Missed the deadline? Opt in to the map and contact list with
this form. We will send out an updated map and contact list to parents who have opted-in on the first of each month.
ZuVon is a parent-school collaboration that offers eco-friendly ways to get to (
zu
) and from (
von
) TCGIS. The goal of this project is to reduce environmental impact, address traffic flow and safety, and improve communications in our community.
This new website
(
www.tcgis-zuvon.org
), includes information on a new carpooling initiative, drop off and pick-up procedures, busing routes and schedules, and local transit options.
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Health Office Update: 11 yr-old Student Vaccination Records Needed
If your child is 11 years old and/or entering 7th grade next school year, Minnesota State Statute 121A.15 requires your student to have a dose of the Tdap and Meningococcal vaccine to return to school. If you choose to opt out you may file a medical exemption signed by a health care provider or a non-medical exemption signed by a parent/guardian, and notarized (vaccine needs to be specified). Please return completed immunization documentation to TCGIS once available, but not later than August 15th, 2020 via:
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Do you have a late bus?
If you have transportation concerns about a late bus before or after the front office is open (7:30am-4pm on school days), please
contact
Collaborative Transportation directly at 612-808-8868.
If you call the office before or after hours you will reach KinderClub who will not have any updates on busing.
Vielen Dank!
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Field Trip Chaperones and Background Check Forms
If you (or a grandparent/relative) may chaperone a field trip with your child(ren)'s class this spring, and have not turned in a Background Check form within the last two years, please do the following:
- Fill out this Background Check Disclosure Form and read the
- Turn in the Disclosure Form to the Front Office with payment ($20/adult)
The cost for background checks if $20 / adult and can be paid with cash, check or in Boonli.
Parents for whom the $20 fee would present an obstacle to chaperoning: please email the Front Office (info@tcgis.org). We also welcome donations towards the $20 fee for parents who may otherwise not be able to afford it.
Background checks will be considered valid for 3 years. If you're not sure if a background check you submitted in the past is still valid, please email the Front Office (info@tcgis.org).
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PTO Updates  |
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Maskenball 2020 - Seeking Sponsors & Volunteers
We need your help in organizing and identifying sponsors for the biggest party of the year!
- Have experience or enjoy organizing events?
- Do you know community supporters in the Twin Cities area?
- Interested in being part of community of parents who are passionate about our school?
- Desire to volunteer with a large or small impact? All time commitments are welcomed!
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