ISSUE 452 / APRIL 22, 2021 |
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Executive Director Search Update |
The TCGIS Board of Directors is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Kirsten Christensen for the role of TCGIS Executive Director. The board’s executive committee will negotiate the contract for approval at the April 29th board meeting. We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Christensen to our community and look forward to her leadership. The recording of her interviews with parents and the board is viewable here. The board resolution approved on Tuesday is viewable here.
The Board thanks Dean Elizabeth Zehnpfennig for her excellent candidacy for the position of Executive Director. Our successful school truly attracts top talent, and we strongly support career development within the organization. We anticipate an extraordinary administrative team with these highly skilled and experienced educators, Dean Zehnpfennig and Director Christensen, working in collaboration in support of our mission and vision.
We thank our whole school community for such active participation in the process of the Executive Director search. The feedback received from teachers, support staff, administrators, education assistants, students, and parents was a key and valued component of the process. Gemeinsam sind wir stark.
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Welcome our New Dean of Special Education |
Next year's Dean of Special Education will be Josh Ashton! We are thankful for Josh's teaching experience with us during this unique school year. Previously Josh worked as a Special Education Coordinator at two different charter schools in addition to numerous years of teaching. Josh is also expected to complete his Special Education Administrative license this summer. Please join us in congratulating Josh for his new leadership position in our Special Education Department.
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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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Thank you TCGIS for your continued vigilance! |
We would like to thank our families for your continued vigilance and support in keeping our community safe! This past week we quarantined an entire class and moved them to distance learning for the first time this school year. It amazes us that this is the first time we’ve had to do this. And it is thanks to our parents who are supportive of mitigations, willing to test their students, and ready to quarantine when necessary. The B1.1.7. variant has a much higher attack rate leading to faster transmission. Thank you again for your continued steps to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Let's keep it up, TCGIS! |
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Student COVID-19 Testing Program |
Every student in Minnesota is strongly encouraged to take a COVID-19 test every two weeks.
In order to increase access to testing for students, all middle and high schools are strongly encouraged to implement at least one COVID-19 testing option. Tests will be no-cost to students or schools. The State of Minnesota will provide test kits and TCGIS will support the following testing option:
- Make Zoom-enabled COVID-19 tests available every two weeks for any middle school student to pick up, take home and return to school to be sent to the lab. For this option, schools should allow students who do not have a home mailing address or who have limited access to technology to take the test in a school building.
Please watch for additional information through email coming soon.
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State Fair Vaccination Site |
Appointments available April 14, 2021 – June 9, 2021 at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds: 1680 Como Ave, Falcon Heights
Appointments are available to Minnesotans 16+ who live in the following zip codes:
▪ Hennepin
▪ Ramsey
▪ Dakota
▪ Anoka
To sign up for a Vaccine Appointment you can either: Call 833-431-2053. (Operators available in multiple languages and can assist in making language/ADA accommodations)
9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday.
Or sign up on the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector to be contacted to schedule an appointment.
Refugees and Immigrants can call for scheduling help in other languages:
651-318-0989, Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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COVID-19 Testing for Kids and Families |
Teachers, school staff, and coaches are already getting tested regularly. We owe it to them to do the same. The new MDH recommendation is for all school-age youth returning to school, youth sports, or extracurricular activities, and their families, to get tested every two weeks through the end of the school year. While it is not a requirement, regular testing complements other safety measures already in place, such as masking and social distancing.
It has never been easier to get tested. Testing is provided at no cost to you.
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As always, please keep your student 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 to review the MDH Decision Tree and support in contact tracing if necessary.
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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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Congratulations Frau Jacobs! |
A big congratulations to our 7-8 grade English teacher Frau Jacobs! She is this year's MN Junior Division Teacher of the Year, and has now been nominated for the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year award.
“The nominees for the Behring Award have shown a dedication to teaching that goes beyond the classroom,” said Dr. Cathy Gorn, National History Day Executive Director. “These educators are leading examples for their peers and invaluable resources for their students. I congratulate Ms. Jacobs on her well-deserved nomination.”
Read more about Catie's nomination here.
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May Order Window for Lunches/Milk and Take-Home Meal Kits Closes on Sunday, April 25 |
Remember to place your order for May 2021 (including Take Home Meal kits for Distance Learning days, asynchronous Wednesdays)! If your student rides the bus, please consider donating in the April Bussing menu. Please log on to our online store website Boonli to place your child's School Lunch, Milk and bussing order. Please make sure to check out your cart to successfully place an order. All orders must be submitted by midnight on Sunday, 04/25/2021. Orders received after 4/25 will have a delayed start date.
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Welcome to Middle School Night for 4th Grade Families! |
It's that time of year to begin thinking about the next school. For our 4th graders, that means moving up to the Middle School. To prepare for this big event, TCGIS would like to cordially invite you and your children to the Welcome to Middle School Night on Tuesday, April 27th at 7pm on Zoom. We will introduce you to our structure including an exciting new component, our schedule and subjects, our special programs and field trips, and some of our teachers. We will have a question and answer session and will collect questions ahead of time with this form.
We are looking forward to taking these steps toward the next path for 4th graders!
See you there!
Dean White and Dean Zehnpfennig
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Dogs Are Not Allowed at Pick Up and Drop Off
Please do not bring any pets to pick up or drop off on our playground. We would like to keep our playground clean and safe.
Please Follow all Traffic Laws
We've seen an increase in rolling stops and/or complete misses of the stop sign at the corner of Van Slyke and Como Avenue. Please drive slowly and respectfully in our school neighborhood.
NO U-Turns
In order to keep our students and neighbors safe, please do not make U-turns on Van Slyke or Como Avenue. We have seen a number of close call accidents because of this.
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TCGIS Lesemarathon & Used German Book Fair |
Our TCGIS Lesemarathon (read-a-thon) begins May 3 and lasts until May 16. You can find more information here. Information packets and minute trackers will also be given out to all in-person students on Friday, April 23. Distance-learning students have the option of picking up an information packet and minutes tracker at the materials pick-up table from April 23-April 30.
Right before our school Lesemarathon we will be having a socially-distanced, used German book fair on Friday April 30 from 3-5pm. The fair will be outside in our West entrance parking lot (rain site: cafeteria). The books and CDs are for all ages and will be sorted by suggested donation.
Do you have German books that you would like to donate to our fair? Please contact our library coordinator before April 28 to arrange a drop-off at our library. |
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Lost and Found Items Retrieval Day |
Are there items that your student(s) lost at school? During our used book fair on Friday April 30 from 3-5pm, items from our school's lost and found will be set out for parents to look through. Items will be set out at the west entrance parking lot (rain site: lobby). If you would like to look through items before April 30, the lost and found is at the bottom of the stairs at the West parking lot entrance. After this date the remaining items will be donated. |
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Survey: Help us plan for school post-COVID! |
We need your input as families to help us set priorities and guide our decision making for the school year 2021/22. Please fill out our survey by Wednesday, April 28!
Similar surveys were sent to staff and students this week. Danke!
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Teacher Appreciation Week and Plant Pick-Up |
Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up May 3-7 and we would love you to send in a snapshot of your kid(s) showing gratitude for their teachers. We want to put together a slideshow and need your help. Make a sign, show the staff some love, and send us your pictures!
Plant pick up will be on Thursday April 29th in the afternoon. Keep an eye out for an email early next week with details!
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Your TCGIS PTO and Track & Field present: The TCGIS Scavenger Hunt 2021 |
Step 2: Open up your email Saturday, May 15th for your first clue and hop into the car with your family team for some fun! Use your sleuthing skills to solve the riddles.
Step 3: Have a great time, take pictures, and send us photos of your family at the stops to celebrate your success.
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Our TCGIS Meistermäuse winners!
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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).
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Pictured from L to R: Esme (7AB), Simon (2B), Maeve (KB), Maeve (KD), Freida (4B), Kensley (6B), Herr Anderson
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Re-Enrollment Survey for All Current TCGIS Families |
Help us prepare for the 2021-2022 school year by completing our re-enrollment
survey! Please click here to fill out the survey by April 23. If you have more than one student at TCGIS, please submit one form for every child in your family who is currently in grades K-7.
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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Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) are in progress |
The Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) season is in full-swing for 3rd-8th graders. You can find more information about MCAs in previous Elternbriefs or on MDE's website. The TCGIS MCA calendar is available here.
On the day students take their MCAs, they should bring:
- Their fully charged school Chromebook (if they have one)
- A snack and water bottle
- Comfortable headphones
- 1-2 sharpened pencils
- A book or drawing/coloring materials in case they finish early (note that it must be a paper book, not a Kindle or other device)
Parents and guardians have the right to refuse participation in MCA testing by filling out this form, which can be submitted in hard copy or email. Please submit this form at least 24 hours before your child’s first assessment so we have time to process it.
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Discover German authors!
Check out our Library Facebook page next week to discover German children's books authors. Each day we'll post two new authors with their popular titles. Maybe you'll find a book recommendation for the Lesemarathon!
Would you like to check out library materials? Fill out this form to get new materials for next week! There is now the option for in-school students to have their books delivered to their classrooms on Fridays.
Live Story Time
Join us for our next Story Time on Wednesday, April 28 at 2:45pm. Follow this link to tune in! (Zoom passcode: 040736). See our full story time schedule here.
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Family Affinity Groups: Meet in May |
Family affinity groups will meet for the first time via Zoom. The 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, and equip families with the tools of courage, perseverance, and resilience as we work toward dismantling systems of injustice and inequity in education. Mark your calendar and join us.
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Order the 20/21 Yearbook! |
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TCGIS Sommercamp 2021: Register Now! |
The following camps still have spaces open for registration. Click here for camp dates and descriptions.
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Registration age is based on this school year. (i.e., If your child is currently in second grade, please register in the K-2 camps). Registration is also open to 2021-22 Kindergartners!
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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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Summer Music Lessons with Vienna Arts |
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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School Board Announcements |
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Meet the Candidates for Board of Directors |
This year, the TCGIS community will elect FOUR board members to each serve a three-year term.
The following nominees have been certified to appear on this year's Board elections ballot: Julie Alkatout (incumbent, parent), Kevin Eberhard (teacher), Jasmin Joswig (teacher), Lübbert Kruizenga (community member) and Nic Ludwig (incumbent, parent). Biographies of the nominees are available HERE.
As in 2020, the election for the Board of Directors will be done online. Voting will be held May 10-14, 2021. Details will follow in later communications.
The PTO and Parent Council will host an online Meet the Candidates Forum on May 5th at 6:15 pm, with questions to begin no later than 6:30 pm. Join the virtual forum via Zoom HERE.
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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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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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April 23: Student Re-enrollment Survey is Due
April 30: Used German Book Fair
May 3-16: Lesemarathon
May 3: BIPOC family affinity group
May 4: LGBTQ+ family affinity group
May 5: Meet the Candidates Forum
May 6: Step family affinity group
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