Liebe TCGIS Gemeinschaft / Dear TCGIS Community, 

What is an intervention? An intervention is a targeted approach to support students academically or socially. In our school, interventions are categorized into three tiers: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3.

I was asked this question by a parent this week and it’s perfectly timed with our faculty being in the process of sorting through the data retrieved from the Winter screening, you should have recently received an email with your student’s screener results. 

These results are normed and then put into data meetings where our classroom teachers give our team of interventionists additional information from classroom observation and grades to then decide which students should receive academic interventions in literacy or math or social-emotional interventions. 

Tier 1 interventions involve general classroom support or grade-level team strategies to address behaviors. These interventionists are part of our ADSIS (Alternative Delivery of Specialized Instructional Services), or Tier 2 services. Tier 3 interventions are individual interventions specifically designed for one student and can fall into the Special Education world. 

TCGIS is really proud of our Mutli-Tiered Support System or MTSS. Part of being a small-er school is being able to be nimble and lean into systems such as this.  

Elizabeth Zehnpfennig, Principal

Jessie Kember, Assessment & Intervention Screening Coordinator

Middle School Pajama Day

Tomorrow, February 23rd Middle School will finish up the Spirit Week by having a pajama day!

Bookmark Contest - Submissions due

It's time for our annual Bookmark Contest! This year's theme is "Leseabenteuer: Reading Takes you Places." All students in grades K-8 are encouraged to participate! Turn in your bookmark design to your art teacher or in the library tomorrow, February 23rd. Student voting will happen the following week. Top winners in K-4 and 5-8 will be announced on Friday, March 1st. Click here for the template.

MS Dance Theme: Valentine's Day

The students have chosen the theme Valentine's Day for their dance tomorrow, February 23rd. Tickets are $5.00 and on sale now in our online school store.  

The 5/6th grade Dance is from 6:00-7:15 pm and our 7/8th grade dance is from 7:30-9:00 pm.

Send your student with a coat as they may wait outside for a few minutes. Coat check will be available. Our Capstone students will have a bake/snack sale to support their trip. Students can bring a few dollars along to buy a snack. Snacks must be eaten in the cafeteria. 

The 2024-2025 Enrollment Application Closes!

Have friends or neighbors looking for an awesome school? Forward on the application!

Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year will close tomorrow, February 23, 2024! If you have a NEW student who will attend TCGIS in the 2024-2025 school year, please submit an application for admission online or by mailing a paper application. Currently-enrolled students do not need to reapply. You can check whether or not you’ve already submitted an application by emailing enrollment@tcgis.org. Please also share the application with any families who may be looking for schools for next year!

Spring Conferences 2024

This semester our conference structure will look different than in the past. Click here to read more about those changes. The Sign-up opens February 28.

Conference Dates:

• Thursday, March 28, 4-7:30pm
• Friday, March 29: 8:00am-3:30pm

Hard Lockdown Drill - Feb. 27th

TCGIS will be conducting a hard lockdown drill the morning of February 27th. This drill simulates our reaction to any event in the building that would require limiting movement and access throughout the building. There is an announcement over the PA system that we are doing a lockdown drill, and students remain in their classrooms while all doors are locked and staff conduct a brief sweep of the building. The drill is typically completed in under ten minutes. Teachers will also be going over the drill with students in advance. Any questions can go to IT & Operations Manager, Jesse Whitney.

Kinderclub for No School Days: March 8th and 28th

Registration for the NO SCHOOL DAYS (March 8th and March 28th) is now OPEN. Please log in to your account by clicking here and book if you need care for those days. Registration will be open for 1 week and close on the 27th of February.

For booking help, please take a look at our KINDERCLUB HANDBOOK. Danke!

Employer Giving, Matching Programs help TCGIS

Did you know that approx. 20%-25% of our Annual Fund goal of $110,000 is reached with gifts via employer-giving and matching programs. In the last school year (23/24), that amounted to $28,230! 

Does your employer have a giving program or match gifts made - or volunteer hours served - by its employees? It’s an easy way to amplify the gifts you make to the Annual Fund. TCGIS family members and supporters currently take advantage of employer-matching and payroll deduction programs at these corporations and organizations:

Contact Katharina Schirg with any questions or for assistance identifying TCGIS as a recipient with your employer’s giving platform. Herzlichen Dank!

TCGIS Students Qualify for History Day Regional Contest!

TCGIS 6th-8th graders competed in the school level contest for National History Day on Thursday, February 8, and will send the following students to the Regional Contest held at the University of Minnesota on Tuesday, March 5. All students listed have the opportunity to compete for the State Contest held at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Way to go students! 

6th Grade: 

Charlie Ashton

Mina Call

Oliver Davis

Julian Gillson

Gwyneth Hansen

Quinn Knoph

Julian Panzer

Rowan Pierce

Lorelei Steiner

Kaia Velo

Az Zupka

7th Grade: 

Caroline Bechtold

Mira Brossart

Nik Ehrentreich

Keisha Fowowe

Lorelei Fox

Nayyirah Hayes

Mina Iwen

Owen Mason

Finn Mueller

Claire Olson Crayne

Max Pasterski

Annelise Pratt

Wura Oriola

Wren Saveraid

Juan Schlieper

Gabe Szudy

Markkon Tesfayesus

Leor Yemaneab

8th Grade: 

Jack Bechtold

Brodan Belling

Oliver Chesla

Isla Duncanson

Greta Erkkinen

Eloise Gerlach

Mabel Hennessey

Andris Iwaskewycz

Victor Kozar

Sven Lahti

Vivi Lauer

Carys Lloyd

Tommy Mercer

Sunny Mammatkulov

Elias Okstad-Gardella

Lilianna Rindal

Greta Tjossem

Theo Tyrell

Percy Walling

Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs)

The MCAs (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments) are administered state-wide each spring in grades 3-12. Assessments begin in March and go through the beginning of May. Click here to learn more about the MCAs.

On the day students take their MCAs, they should bring: 

• Their fully charged school Chromebook (7th- & 8th-graders)
• A quiet snack (optional) and water bottle
• Comfortable headphones (bluetooth headphones are not permitted for this exam)
• 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 electronic device)

A Warm Welcome to our 8th Spring Intern

Hallo miteinander! My name is Laureen Böhm and I am the last one of the interns who has finally arrived. I'm from Bielefeld (Germany) and completed my Bachelor's degree in elementary school teaching last year and am now in my second semester of Master's degree. In my free time I like to do sports, travel and meet my friends!

I have been in Minnesota since last Sunday and live here with the Ritter family. I have received a very warm welcome and feel very much at home. I've already spent the first few days at school and I'm very happy about this nice community. I am an intern in the 4B and 2C. My mentor teachers are Frau Maslofski and Herr Komorowski.

I'm looking forward to a wonderful time here in Minnesota and I'm excited to get to know lots of nice new people and places. If you have any suggestions feel free to tell me when we meet in the hallway. :)

Save the Date: Used Book Sale!

Our TCGIS used book fair will be on April 25th from 3:30-5:30 P.M. It is open to the public and will take place in the school atrium. Expect to find German books of all levels. All items are sold on a donation basis, and credit card or cash is accepted. The funds raised benefit the TCGIS library.

Do you have books (in English or German) that you would like to donate to the fair? The school will be accepting donation drop-offs starting April 11. Donated materials must be free of mold, tears, or other damage. We also ask that only books published after 2010 are donated.

Aki's BreadHaus + TCGIS Partnership!

Weekly on Friday Aki's BreadHaus will be delivering orders placed by TCGIS families and staff right to TCGIS! (plus TCGIS will get 10% of all proceeds!) Click here for the order form!

Simply call in or email an order anytime between Tuesdays 12 - 4 pm & Wednesdays 8 am - 12, and on that given Friday the order will be bagged and delivered to the TCGIS main entrance with the customers name on it. Click here for more info.

Help Us Recognize Our Teachers!

Families, it's no secret that our staff is full of amazing humans that are positively impacting students daily at TCGIS. To celebrate our staff, we would like to acknowledge these small or large feats that are happening in our school. 

Please use this form to send a Shout Out to a TCGIS staff member. Principal Zehnpfennig and Director of Operations, Kim Hackett will visit the staff member with our goodies cart to give a small token of gratitude. 

Call for Nominations & Applications for the TCGIS School Board

In early May, the school community will elect three new directors to the TCGIS School Board. The work of the Board ensures that TCGIS provides a meaningful education and experience for all students. 

All interested persons are encouraged to consider serving on the board! The Board represents the whole TCGIS community, and individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups such as BIPOC, LGBTQ, and families with neurodiversity are especially encouraged to apply, as are individuals with experience relevant to board work, such as finance, education, board governance, legal matters, management, and marketing.

If you would like to run for the board or nominate someone else to run for the board, additional details and links to the nomination form, application form, and FAQ are available here. 

• Maskenball tickets are here! Set the date, get the babysitter booked! March 23rd! Click here for tickets!

It's going to be out of this world!

• Our newest fundraiser is here - Driven Coffee is a local company that offers coffee, teas, snacks, and more. Your order comes straight to your door! Click here! Closes March 14th.

• Time to start planning those Spring and Summer gardens. The Gertens Plant sale is open! Click here! Our store ID is 550. Closes March 27th.

• Our next meeting is THIS SATURDAY and we're playing Book Bingo! We always have so much fun with our Bingo games - you should join us and bring the whole family! RSVP is here so we know how many snacks to bring but if you just decide to show up that morning, we'll be happy to see you! Saturday the 24th at 10am in the cafeteria.

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 read the entire Rundbrief. Danke!

Seeking Lunchroom and Breakfast Volunteers

Do you know someone looking for something to do in the mornings? Maybe a TCGIS grandparent or family member!

We are seeking 1-2 breakfast volunteers. This volunteer would help check in students when they arrive at school and pick up their breakfast. Time commitment: 20-25 min (7:50-8:15am). Flexible schedule. 

Want to spend a few hours a week hanging out with students during their lunch time? We are seeking 2 lunchroom volunteers who enjoy working in a fast-paced environment to help with general Lunchroom Duties (assist younger students during lunch, end of session clean up), and minor kitchen support. Time commitment: 2 hours/daily (11am~1pm). Flexible schedule. 

If you are interested in any of these volunteer opportunities, please contact Alex Weeding, TCGIS Food Service Coordinator.

Governance Meeting: Tues., Feb. 27 [Added] - 4:30PM; Google Meet 

February Board Meeting: Thurs., Feb. 29 - 6:30PM; Room 100/Zoom

Board Retreat: Sat., March 2; 10-3pm; Ramsey County Library - Roseville

Governance Meeting: Wed., March 6 [Rescheduled] - 4:30PM; Google Meet 

A Thrilling Teen Murder Mystery Night in German!

Weekly camps for ages 5–16, July 8–August 9

Add a GAI German camp to your child’s summer fun. Our half-day week long camps (with optional extended care) immerse campers in themes such as In der Märchenwelt (into the world of fairy tales), Musiktheater (musical theater), All Things Bauen (engineering), Kinder in der Küche (cooking) and more! German beginners to bilingual children are welcome.

Learn more at gaimn.org/camps

Call for host families - Exchange with the Konzertchor der Sing-Akademie zu Berlin

To all volunteers interested in hosting young singers from Berlin: 

We are the Konzertchor der Sing-Akademie zu Berlin, a women‘s chorus traveling to MSP at the end of March. We are looking for families to host our singers for the week we are visiting and giving concerts. Click here for more information about us.

Free Home-Buying Class by TCGIS Mom!

My name is Lupe Dominguez, and I’m a TCGIS mom and Realtor with Edina Realty. My close friend and lender, Laura Carroll, and I are excited to offer a free home-buying class to the community on March 2, 2024. Join us to discover the essential steps for selling your current home and buying your new home in today’s market while keeping your sanity intact. If you're not currently a homeowner, don't worry – we'll be hosting another seminar in the next few months tailored to first-time homebuyers. Whether you prefer to attend in person or virtually, we've got you covered. Look out for the virtual link in our next upcoming Rundbrief. Can't wait to see you there!

The board’s Diversity & Belonging committee would like to highlight upcoming events in the Twin Cities as opportunities for intercultural engagement- one of our school’s core values. Click here to learn about highlighted events!

Reminder: Please keep your students home if they are not feeling well

In the community as well as our school we see a lot of bugs going around, especially concerning Gastrointestinal Illness and Pink Eye. In school we keep disinfecting desks, door handles, encouraging washing hands, etc. 

To avoid outbreaks and the spread of contagious illnesses among students and staff please keep your students home if they are sick, even with minor symptoms. If your student doesn’t feel well in the morning, please monitor and rather send to school later in the school day.

Please see our handbook (page 25) for when to keep a student home.

Friday, February 23

• MS Winter Dance

Saturday, February 24

• PTO Meeting and Bingo

Thursday, February 29

• Board Meeting

Friday, March 8

• NO SCHOOL

Monday, March 11

• Parent Council Meeting



TCGIS Google Calendar