Der Rundbrief
ISSUE 482 / January 13, 2022
Greetings from the Executive Director
Dr. Christensen
Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft! Dear TCGIS community,

All Minnesota charter schools must have an authorizer. Ours is the University of St. Thomas, and our renewal site visit, which takes place every five years), took place on Tuesday of this week. Authorizers were on site in the morning to meet with administrators and to visit classrooms throughout the school. They also met virtually with parents, teachers, students, and board members. They reported being impressed with and delighted by our vibrant learning environment and by the commitment and resilience of our community. Thank you to all who participated. 

As we weather continued pandemic challenges, we are so grateful for your support in safety and learning. In order to assist us in making decisions about potential changes to our learning schedule or model, we would be grateful for your responses to this brief family survey. For your input to be considered, please respond by 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 18.

Wishing all of you a restful long weekend, including celebration of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King.

herzlich
Kirsten Christensen
Incident Response Team (IRT)
The IRT tracks COVID cases in this dashboard which will be shared weekly.
Brief Covid-19 Update
Over winter break, 23 TCGIS students tested positive for Covid-19, and since returning to school, another 30 students tested positive. While our vaccination rates are reducing the number of required quarantines, the number of positive cases continues to challenge school operations. 

We ask families to follow all recommended mitigation measures recommended by the Minnesota Department of Health, both, at school and at home. Together, we can reduce the spread of Covid-19 and support in-person learning for our students and staff. The following are recommendations from MDH:

  • Get vaccinated. 
  • Get a booster. 
  • Minimize activities that present a high risk of exposure.
  • Get tested. 
  • Stay home if you are sick.
  • Wear well-fitting masks 
  • Gather outdoors or in an area with good ventilation. 
  • Avoid crowded settings. 
Strongly Recommend Weekly Testing at TCGIS
If your student is not signed up for our weekly testing program at TCGIS, please consider signing them up. Testing is a strong mitigation we have available as the Omicron variant continues to spread in our community. Weekly testing can pick up asymptomatic individuals, limiting the potential spread at TCGIS.

In order for your student to participate in onsite testing we will need a signed parent consent form and a completed Zepto registration form (without these completed forms, your student will not be tested). Please also see this FAQ. If you have any questions about the testing process, please email Dani Nicholson, our Covid-19 Testing Coordinator at dnicholson@tcgis.org.

Consider Using FREE Vault At-Home Tests through the State
Minnesota and Vault Medical Services have teamed up to offer at-home COVID-19 saliva testing for everyone who lives in Minnesota, with or without symptoms, at no cost. These tests come to your home, you complete them at your house with a supervisor over zoom, and are mailed through UPS. Learn more here.
Reminder: Please keep your students home if they are not feeling well
As we return to school after winter break, please remember to keep your students home if they are not feeling well. Not only are we seeing an increase in Covid-19 cases but we are also seeing an increase in other illnesses. We can help to keep our community healthy by staying home when we are not well.
Talk to your students about properly wearing their masks
Please remind your students of the importance of wearing their masks above their nose all day long. Please be sure to send your students to school with well fitting face masks.
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
School News & Updates
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!
7th/8th Grade Basketball Team Wins First Ever Game in New Gymnasium
On December 17th, TCGIS hosted its first middle school athletic event in our new gymnasium. The 7th/8th grade basketball team won an exciting first game ever against FIT Academy of Apple Valley. TCGIS participates in the LIST (League of Independent School Teams), which is a consortium of private and charter schools that organize co-ed sports, including soccer, basketball and volleyball, specifically for middle schools in the Twin Cities.

Despite not much time to practice as team before the first game, Coach Jenna Powell led the team to a 39-32 victory. Congratulation to the team for successfully inaugurating our new gym!
Help your K-1 Students mask up prior to arrival
Dear Parents/Guardians of K-1 students,
Help your child start their day on a positive note by putting on masks before they arrive at TCGIS. Our youngest students take the masking rule seriously and sometimes meltdown as they struggle to put their masks on before walking into the building. Thanks for helping your child meet masking requirements while helping them feel empowered to dress themselves!
Parent Council Update
The Parent Council (PC) Met on Monday, January 10th via Zoom. We received updates from Dr. Christensen, Julia Alktatout of the School Board. We asked how the Parent Council can best support teachers and staff. Click here to read the full update.
Family Support Night: "What Boundaries?"
Our TCGIS Parent Council is putting on a Family Support Night! Dr. Susan Walker, Associate Professor of Family Social Sciences from the University of Minnesota will be presenting the topic "What Boundaries?" on February 1st at 7:30 p.m.

Join us to explore how we can reclaim some boundaries in our lives, find a little peace and fun, and recharge (not the phone). Along the way, we'll talk about the devices and tech in our lives and in the lives of our children: the good, the bad, and the necessary. Maybe we can find ways to make tech a little more intentional and a lot more positive.
Tuesday, February 1st at 7:30PM
Zoom with us! (QR code on left)
Meeting ID: 895 1701 6841
Passcode: 997367
Carpooling Map Opt-in Form is Open Again
There are now 54 families who have opted in to using this Google form to participate in the 2022 Carpooling Map.

Interested in exploring carpooling to / from school? Fill out this Google form. From now until our bus service returns to 4 bus routes, we will share the link to the unlisted Google map with those who have opted in (through the form).
8th Grade Capstone Family Meeting: tonight 7:30 p.m.
Families of 8th graders planning to travel in June: please join us this evening at 7:30 p.m. in Zoom for an important meeting regarding the Capstone Trip in June 2022.
Meeting ID: 882 3184 9900 / Passcode: 474792
(Zoom link is also in the TCGIS Google Calendar.)
Summer Camp 2022 Info is Coming!
TCGIS will be offering Summer Camps again this year. We are planning one camp for Grades K-2 and one camp for Grades 3-6 per week. Sign up will start in February. More information to come in next week's Rundbrief.
Volunteer needed: TCGIS Community Garden
Looking for a volunteer opportunity that beautifies St Paul, grows food for people in need, and makes connections among TCGIS families? The TCGIS Community Garden project is in need of a co-coordinator for the 2022 growing season. The co-coordinator will work in partnership with last year's coordinator (Lisa Linnell, 8th grade parent and board Vice Chair) to organize the TCGIS community garden (i.e., set up Sign Up Genius for volunteers, send weekly reminders to gardeners, help plan what will be grown). It is fun, doesn't take a lot of time, and is a great way to connect TCGIS families. Want to know more? Please contact Lisa Linnell.
Register for TCGIS Spring Sports!
Registration for TCGIS Spring Sports will be open on Popsicle from February 1 until February 15. All middle schoolers are welcome to sign up. TCGIS athletic calendars are designed so that students may participate in more than one sport per season.

Interscholastic Sports:
Intramural Sports:

Payment required at time of registration per sport per athlete: $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 registering because payment is required at the time of registration.
 
With questions, please contact Athletic Coordinator Chris Tabisz and Intramural Coordinator Kevin Tocko.
Summer Track and Field Registration opens February 1st
Registration for TCGIS Summer Track-and-Field will be open on Popsicle from February 1 until February 15, and the season begins on Monday, June 20. All middle schoolers (rising 5th graders to rising 9th graders) are welcome to sign up.

Payment required at time of registration per sport per athlete: $100* 
*Finances should not be a factor in deciding to participate in TCGIS athletic teams. If finances are a concern, please contact Coach Tabisz BEFORE registering because payment is required at the time of registration.
 
With questions, please contact Athletic Coordinator Chris Tabisz.
Order a Yearbook! + 8th Grade Yearbook Ads
You still have time to purchase a TCGIS yearbook!
 Buy your yearbook here for $22. Prices will increase at the end of January.

Parents of 8th Grade Students: Celebrate your 2021 grad with a yearbook ad! Submissions are due by January 29, 2022. Click here for more information and create an ad now!
Reminders
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.
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.
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!
TCGIS bookmark contest submissions due Jan. 21
Our students are invited to participate in a Lesezeichen Wettbewerb (bookmark contest) with the theme of What I love about my school. The bookmark template and prize information is available here. The top three winners from both ES & MS will be announced the morning of January 28th! All entries can be handed in to the student's art teacher or in the library. If you have any questions, please email our library coordinator Frau Zimmerman.
Kinderclub Changes Starting this Month
  • 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.
  • 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.
Now Hiring: Sommercamp Counselors
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.)
Read the Camp Counselor Job Description here. Email Michaela Bromenschenkel (mbromenschenkel@tcgis.org) for more information and to apply.
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.
School Board Announcements
Potential for No School on March 14, 2022
TCGIS administration has requested the approval of adding a no-school day as a compensation day for all staff in recognition of the challenges this school year presents. Kinderclub would be available for this additional no-school day until it is filled. The board will consider approving this request at the January 27th board meeting. Chair Alkatout sent this correspondence to staff and the board in support of approval. If you would like to weigh in, please send a note to all directors at board@tcgis.org.
BIPOC family affinity group upcoming events
We have several upcoming BIPOC family affinity group events scheduled, including an MLK Jr. Day Virtual Event Watch Party, an outdoor meet-up at the Lake Harriet Kite Festival, and a circle group discussion with Amazeworks facilitators. Read more about the details and RSVP here. We will monitor the public health situation and reschedule indoor events as necessary.
 
What is this group? The group charter explains that the term BIPOC (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
LGBTQ2S+ Families Zoom Meeting Recap
The LGBTQ2s+ Families group met Saturday, January 8 over Zoom for an hour. Four families participated and we heard from TCGIS staff member Natalie Kaplan about the Gender and Sexuality Alliance (GSA) in middle school. We also talked about what TCGIS has done to create a more inclusive environment for our LGBTQ2S+ students. Details about our February/March meetings are forthcoming and depend on the status of the public health situation.
School Board Information on the TCGIS website
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.
Community News
Adult Classes at the GAI
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.
Samstagsschule for kids and teens
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!
Kinderstube German@home for preschoolers
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.
Resources & Calendar
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.
CALENDAR
January 13: 8th Gr. Capstone Meeting
January 14: No School (Teacher Grading Day)
January 17: No School (MLK, Jr. Day)
January 21: Bookmark contest entry due
February 1: Parent Council Family Support Night, "What Boundaries?"
February 1-15: Spring Sports & Summer Track & Field Registration