ISSUE 481 / January 6, 2022 |
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Greetings from the 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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General Covid-19 Update for TCGIS |
As Minnesota and the nation sees an increase in Covid-19 rates due to the Omicron variant, TCGIS also saw increases in both the number testing participants and the number of positive results this past Tuesday. However, because of TCGIS' impressive vaccination rates, we only had to quarantine 7 of the 67 total close contacts.
We want to thank you all for supporting our community by getting your students vaccinated against Covid-19. Fully vaccinated students DO NOT need to quarantine unless they are symptomatic and/or test positive for Covid-19.
TCGIS’s Current Vaccination Rates:
- 60% of our K-4th graders are fully vaccinated and 82% have received at least one dose
- 73.8% of our 5-8th graders are fully vaccinated and 86.2% have received at least their first dose
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CV-19 Test Results Communicated Wednesday Eves |
We continue to offer PCR testing with Zepto Life Technology on Tuesday mornings at TCGIS. With the increased number of students and staff testing now the results take longer to arrive than they used to and are now communicated in the late afternoon or evening on Wednesdays. Zepto contacts families first and then sends TCGIS the list of results for those participants who allowed TCGIS to be notified (this is an option on the registration form). As soon as TCGIS receives the list from Zepto, typically on Wednesday evening, we trace close contacts and send emails to impacted families with more information. We do this as expeditiously as we can so that families can plan as early as possible.
TCGIS only learns about individual positive results through Zepto's testing report if parents have given Zepto permission to inform us. If you did not allow this, or your child is testing regularly outside of TCGIS, those results are not automatically reported to TCGIS. Please report any postive test result to Monika Avery (mavery@tcgis.org).
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COVID-19 Updates Available on IRT Webpage |
In order to shorten the Rundbrief, we will prioritize new items for this newsletter and link to our Incident Response Team Updates webpage so you can reference past updates more efficiently:
- Updated Quarantine Procedures
- Updated MDH Decision Tree
- Weekly COVID-Testing at TCGIS
- Keep Sick Kids Home this School Year
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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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Will you have a NEW student in 2022-2023? |
Enrollment for the 2022-2023 school year is now open! If you have a NEW student who will attend TCGIS in the 2022-2023 school year, please submit an application for admission online or by sending a paper application. The enrollment window is open until the deadline on February 16, 2021. Siblings of currently-attending TCGIS students receive sibling preference for enrollment; for more information about TCGIS' enrollment process, please visit our enrollment webpage. Please direct any questions to enrollment@tcgis.org. Currently-enrolled students do not need to reapply.
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School Tours for Prospective Families in Jan./Feb. |
Do you have friends and neighbors who are curious about TCGIS? Encourage them to sign up for a school tour in January or February! We are accepting applications for all grades for 2022/23; the application deadline for our lottery is Feb. 16. Personal recommendations from TCGIS families are our strongest recruitment tool. Thank you for sharing what you love about TCGIS with friends and neighbors!
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Infinite Campus Grades and Comments Closed |
Access to grades and comments in Infinite Campus will be closed January 11-19th while teachers finalize semester 1 grades. Once access to grades and comments reopens, please follow the steps here to access your child(ren)'s report card. |
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Kinderclub Changes Starting this Month |
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Registration will now open on the 10th of every month and close on the 17th of every month. This will be continuous until the end of the school year.
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Drop-in requests booked by Frau Kaplan or Frau Bromenschenkel will be charged at the time of booking and not invoiced. The payment method on file will be charged at that time.
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TCGIS School-wide Bookmark Art Contest has begun! |
Our elementary (ES) & middle school (MS) students are invited to participate in a Lesezeichen Wettbewerb (bookmark contest) with the theme of What I love about my school. The bookmark template is being handed out in art classes and MS advisory periods this week, and is also available here to print out. Entries are due by January 21st. The top three winners from both ES & MS will be announced the morning of January 28th! Prizes
- The two 1st place winners (one from ES, one from MS) will get their bookmark reprinted for the whole school and a $10 gift card
- 2nd place winners from ES & MS will both receive a $10 gift card
- 3rd place winners from ES & MS will both receive a $5 gift card
If you have any questions, please email our library coordinator Frau Zimmerman. |
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Calling all Pausenbrote!!
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We have made a change to the order of Middle School lunches with 5th and 6th graders playing outside first and then eating. This change was made, by observation of an obvious student need, in order to give our youngest middle schoolers the chance to move their body a bit sooner. However, we have had reports that waiting the additional 30 minutes to eat has been a transition. We would like families to take a look at the snack that kids are eating and ask their kids if they need a larger or more substantial snack. Traditionally students in German speaking countries in Europe would eat a Pausenbrot around 10:00 to quell those mid morning hungers. A Pausenbrot, or snack sandwich, has usually meat or cheese to help keep kids feeling full until lunch. This is also an age where students can begin to be responsible for packing their own Pausebox. Explore more about Pausenbrot with this hashtag (#pausenbrot) on Instagram. |
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TCGIS Ski Day at Trollhaugen |
Save the Date!
TCGIS Family Ski Day at Trollhaugen will be Tuesday, February 22nd, during the Mid-winter break! More details to follow with discounted lift and rental rates as well as how to register.
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Arrival & Dismissal Reminders for the New Year |
Winter commutes are notoriously challenging and we all want to keep our students, families and staff safe during arrival and dismissal. To that end, please keep the following in mind:
- There is no parking on Como Ave from 7:45-8:15 a.m. and 3:00-3:30 p.m.. Como Ave is prioritized for bus and foot traffic only.
- We have crossing guards on Van Slyke (on the corner closest to the playground) and on Como Ave (across from Oxford Ave and the church). We encourage all families who have students in 3rd grade or higher to avoid the lengthy car line, and instead park on any side street (other than Como) and let your children walk to school, using the crosswalks.
- Our doors are open at 7:50 a.m.. Students who arrive at 8:10 or later need to enter through the playground doors and check in at the office.
Thank you for prioritizing the safety of our students, staff and families!
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St. Paul Central German Teachers Visit TCGIS |
Next Thursday this year's 8th graders will be visited by the two St. Paul Central Immersion teachers, Herr Bublitz and Herr Richmond. Both teachers will give mini-lessons to our TCGIS students to give them insight into what High School German, and more specifically High School Immersion German is, like. We are looking forward to this experience as our middle schoolers prepare to transition to high school. |
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Now Hiring: Sommercamp Counselors
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We are looking for summer camp staff to assist the Camp Leads and to provide before and after care to our TCGIS Sommercamp campers. We welcome and encourage TCGIS alumni to apply! (Minimum age is 16.)
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School Board Announcements |
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BIPOC family affinity group charter and survey |
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Members of the BIPOC family affinity group met in November for donuts and coffee for adults to discuss the group’s charter and kids to socialize and play in the Sporthalle.
The group charter explains that the term “Black, Indigenous, People of Color” includes people from Black/African American, Asian American, Middle-Eastern American, American Indian/Native American, Latino/Hispanic, and multiracial backgrounds. The BIPOC family affinity group is open to those who identify as, or have children who identify as, people of color and their allies. For more information about the group’s norms, routines, objectives and measures of success, please review the full group charter here.
If you are interested in joining the meetings or social gatherings, please fill out this survey to help us gather information to make plans. We would love to have you join! |
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School Board Information on the TCGIS website |
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Please see the Board’s website for information about how to volunteer on committees, attend monthly board meetings or watch recordings, and be engaged and informed regarding the governance of our public charter school and independent school district. All board meetings and committee meetings are on the online school calendar. |
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Add some warmth and spice to your week with a GAI language class! From beginner classes with no language experience necessary to Oberstufe culture classes for advanced speakers, we offer something for everyone. Take advantage of our no-travel Zoom classes. Winter session begins January 10 and runs through March 31. Register here.
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Samstagsschule for kids and teens
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Samstagsschule (Saturday School) winter session begins in February. Kids are immersed in the German language while participating in activities such as singing, crafts, games, and physical motion, along with age-appropriate language lessons. We offer beginning to advanced levels for all ages and classes are offered online and in person. Sign up today! |
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Kinderstube German@home for preschoolers
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A new Kinderstube German@home cohort begins January 17, 2022! Parents or caregivers of preschool-age children (ages 3 to 6) will receive weekly content updates with four German language activities that they can do throughout the week or on the weekend with their children. Register here.
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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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January 12: Early Release Day
January 14: No School (Teacher Grading Day)
January 17: No School (MLK Jr. Day)
January 21: Bookmark contest entry due
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