Dear Families,

Tuesday - Wednesday, April 19 and 20 MCA Math Tests (3^rd - 6^th grade)

Wednesday, April 20^th 6:30 Middle School Parent Meeting

Thursday, April 21^st 3:30 1^st Grade Meet and Greet

Friday, April 22^nd NO SCHOOL for kids/Curriculum Day for Teachers

Thursday, May 5th  11:00am to 12:45pm and 1:00 to 2:45pm

Teens Dance Performance  (Some 4^th and 5^th graders miss school)

Thursday, May 5^th  6:00 PM Gala 2011 German American Chamber of Commerce Fundraiser for the School

Saturday, May 7^th 12:30 to 2:15pm - Children Dance Performance Festival of Nations (Some 4^th and 5^th graders)  3:00 PM Maifest Performance at Glockenspiel

Tuesday, Wednesday May 10^th and 11^th MCA Science Tests -5^th grade only

Saturday, May 21^st 2:00 PM Performing Arts Performance

Saturday, May 21^st 4:30?  Partnering with Germany for a Sustainable Future/ Germanic American Institute/ German American Chamber of Commerce Joint Event

Friday, May 27^th NO SCHOOL Report Writing Day

Friday, June 10^th Last Day of School

Diversity  as part of our school vision  Educating children for informed and active world citizenship. Andere hören, andere sehen, weltoffen denken und handeln.That is our school vision.  What does this mean to us?  How does it shape what we teach, who we are and how we make decisions and do business?  A crucial piece of being an engaged world citizen is preparing our children to interact with and solve problems with those whose experience of the world differs from our own.   How do we ground them in that experience? 

Our vision and how we incorporate it into the present  The school has two initiatives coming up to help us reflect on and potentially improve the way we give students the gift of working across cultures in authentic ways within our school community, while remaining true to our focus of providing a German cultural and language immersion. 

1.       Later in the newsletter you will read an invitation to become involved in a Diversity Task Force that sets in place methods to reflect on and improve ways we can be equitable and inclusive for all current and future students.

2.       I'm proud to announce that our English teacher and Middle School Curriculum Coordinator, Katie Stephens, has been invited to participate in the Neuer Blick Seminar.  She has received a scholarship to travel to Berlin this summer to participate in a two week seminar to seek to further understand and appreciate the breadth of diversity found in the German population.Participants will focus on articulating new classroom goals and strategies and on developing new classroom units and teaching models that integrate new perspectives gained during the seminar.  Receiving this opportunity is a great honor and we are grateful on the part of the school for the insights and resources Ms. Stephens will gain to enrich the Humanities Curriculum at the Middle School Level and help us as a school represent and teach of the heterogeneity present in Germany in 2011. 

GACC May 5^th Gala We are very fortunate for the support of the German American Chamber of Commerce (GACC) and their generosity.This year their Gala dinner features high profile speaker Professor Dr. Norbert Lammert, President of the German Parliament.This same event includes a silent auction, raising funds for a select few organizations including our school!  There are a number of ways you can participate in-and support-this event:

1.      The school will be sending a delegation and sponsoring at least one table.  The cost for participating in the meal is $100 a plate.If you've already purchased a ticket, or are interested in attending, please contact Linda Michel at school so that we can be seated together.

2.      Lower cost options of involvement are volunteering.The GACC is looking for individuals who can staff tables during the event.Please contact Ingeborg Sorensen at gala2011@gacc-mn.org.

3.      Please also contact gala2011@gacc-mn.org if you have items that you could donate to a silent auction.  Proceeds will directly benefit our programming.

May 7^th Maifest fundraiser at the Glockenspiel:   Bakers Beware!

The Glockenspiel Restaurant on W. 7^th in St. Paul is also interested in running a fundraiser for our school during their Maifest on May 7^th. They would like to put on a baked goods contest.There will be 2 categories (Kuchen und Torten). The participants will bring their baked items to the Glockenspiel for judging. The first place of each group will (if willing to share their recipe) be featured at the Glockenspiel as the cake / torte for the month of June. The first 3 places will receive a gift Certificate to the Glockenspiel from us. The entry fee for the baked goods contest is $ 5.00 per entry, of which 100% will go to the school.  For further information please contact Marty Ziegel at 507-648-3388 or deutsche@rccnet.org.

There will be different performances of dancers and groups all afternoon (Entertainment by bands and music to dance to. The first band will start at 1:00 PM.  The 4^th and 5^th grade dance group under Herr Solakhau's direction will perform at 3:00.  There will be other contests, best yodeler and best legs in Lederhosen. We will also have the hammer schlagen and other fun activities. There is no cover charge to get in.

Thanks for all you do for the school and for children.

Frau Annika Fjelstad
Director
Twin Cities German Immersion School

afjelstad@tcgis.org