 Dear Families, Performing Arts Publicity If you didn't get a chance yet to admire our Performing Arts program in action in a video clip published by the Star Tribune on Tuesday, February 8th, please click Tango clip. And, click here to see a scan of the article that appeared in print. We're grateful for the well deserved attention for an exciting program. February 11th Carnival of Cultures Logistics You can come and see it live yourselves this Friday at 6:00 PM (NOT 6:30 as falsely published in some places) for our K-4 Carnival of Cultures performance and at 7:20 for the 5th and 6th grade program. In order to get everybody lined up in costumes and oriented to a new performance space we ask parents to drop of K-4th graders between 5:15 and 5:30 at St. Thomas More School at Summit and Lexington. 5th and 6th grade families are of course more than welcome to attend the K-4 performance. If you choose to only come for the 5-6 performance, your teachers will greet you outside the door of the performance hall to ensure no disruptions to the earlier performance. K-4 families are of course also more than welcome to join the latter performance. It's fun to see what your kids will grow into. We also respect that bedtimes and family obligations may make it a better choice for you to leave. This turn around will be tight and we will need the cooperation of everyone to ensure a smooth transition and allow the second half of the program to start promptly. Note when you arrive that there is a school and a church at this intersection. The program is in the school, which is located at 1065 Lexington, whereas the church has the address 1079 Lexington. K-4 students will do a dress rehearsal from 9:00 to 10:00 at school on Friday morning. 5-6 students will do their dress rehearsal at 1:15. We know it's a challenge to coordinate rest, costumes, dinner and rush hour to make it all work. We appreciate your working on this and making decisions to accommodate the needs of your family. We will offer afterschool activities that day to provide the planned-on childcare for those that are counting on it. We respect the decisions of families that are able to help kids get home for a proper rest and refuel by skipping afterschool activities. We've done our best to keep costume ideas simple, but know that still not everyone has the right color shoes and pants. Please know that your child's presence and enthusiasm are the most important elements. Charter School Day at the Capitol on March 1st. Further information is available below about attending this event. Charter schools in general and ours in particular will benefit from some legislative support around issues of both funding and authorizer requirements. It's very important that our legislators learn how these issues matter to your family. If you register, both we and lobbyists from Minnesota Association of Charter Schools will provide you further information on specific initiatives. If you have flexibility in your schedule to attend, we'd love your presence as part of a delegation from TCGIS. Please let me know if you're able to attend. Can your support of Minnesota Public Radio benefit your school? I suspect there are a few in our community who will choose to support Minnesota Public Radio during their upcoming fund drive. If you're doing this anyway, but really don't need another coffee cup or other joining gift, you could consider accepting as a premium a day sponsorship which you could in turn donate to the school. As a regular MPR listener, I've noticed that a lot of schools publicize their Open Houses on public radio. We could do this as well, if we had a day sponsorship or two. You may also get a message as a thank-you gift when you contribute $500 (or pool donations to total $500). A written message by the contributor is broadcast two separate times in a given time period on the date of their choice. It is aired on the News & Information Service, Classical Music Service or 89.3 The Current, whichever is preferred by the member. If you are interested in becoming a day sponsor, or if you want to request your message please contact the Member Benefits Team, 800-228-7123. Enrollment forms due February 15 Enrollment forms for for the 2011-2012 school year for new students only, including new Kindergarteners, are due by February 15. Remind your friends and neighbors that Tuesday is the deadline to be entered in the lottery. Siblings, of course, have priority. Warm Winter Clothes See below for our updated winter weather policy. As we strive to get kids outdoors for at least a little while every day, it is an absolute requirement that kids come to school with hats, boots, mittens, snow pants and jackets. We cannot send them out without the appropriate gear, and we do not have enough to lend to every student who forgets it. If kids don't go outside for recess, both the kids and teachers don't get their hard-earned breaks! Parent Teacher Conferences Please remember to sign up for parent-teacher conferences on February 17th and 18th. More information here. Frau Annika Fjelstad
Director
Twin Cities German Immersion School afjelstad@tcgis.org | 
