Elternbrief, February 2, 2012

We need your help to determine our re-enrollment rate next year. Please click here to fill out our re-enrollment survey and let us know if your children will be returning to TCGIS next year.

Our students and teachers are working hard to get ready for our Carnival of Cultures performances on Thursday, February 16th at St. Thomas More School in St. Paul. Please be aware that we have split into two performances due to occupancy limits set by the fire code. The first performance will start at 6:00 with kindergarten, first grade, Junior Blumenkranz and the TCGIS Consort Group. The second performance will start at 6:45, and includes second, third, and fourth grades as well as Blumenkranz and the TCGIS Consort Group. Students are asked to be at school fifteen minutes prior to their performance time. More information is included below.

Thanks to all of you who bid on items in the Maskenball Silent Auction to help support our school. The money raised is crucial to support the excellent programming at TCGIS. Today is the last day to buy tickets for the big event this Saturday, February 4th. Thank you to all of the parents who have put in many hours planning this wonderful event!

The 6th Annual Charter School Day at the Capitol is Wednesday, February 29th. Come and show the legislators that you support the benefits of charter schools. For more information on what you can do to help, click here.

Watch your mailbox for report cards--they should be arriving in the mail next week!

Thank you for your continuing support,

Annika Fjelstad

Director, TCGIS

651-492-7106, ext. 103

afjelstad@tcgis.org

Upcoming Dates
Save the Date Calendar

FEBRUARY

4 - 7 PM, Maskenball

6-10 - Scholastic Book Fair

6 - 6:30 PM, PTO Meeting

8 - 6:30 PM, Info session for prospective families

9 - 8:15 AM, Tour for prospective families

9 - 5 PM, Inclusivity Task Force meeting

10 - 8 AM, Kaffeeklatsch

10 - 7th Grade Valentine Craft/Bake Sale - before and after school

15 - Sibling enrollment forms due

16 - 8:15 AM, Tour for prospective families

16 - 6:30 PM, Carnival of Cultures

17 - NO SCHOOL - Teacher work day

20 - NO SCHOOL - Presidents' Day

23 - 8:15 AM, Tour for prospective families

24 - 8 AM, Kaffeeklatsch

29 - Charter School Day at the Capitol

29 - 6:30 PM, Board meeting

MARCH

1 - 8:15 AM, Tour for prospective families

6 - 6:30 PM, PTO Meeting

7 - 6:30 PM, State of the School

8 - 8:15 AM, Tour for prospective families

9 - 8 AM, Kaffeeklatsch

15 - Parent Teacher Conferences - PM ONLY (SCHOOL OPEN)

16 - Parent Teacher Conferences - NO SCHOOL

22 - 8:15 AM, Tour for prospective families

22 - 6:30 PM, Board Meeting

23 - 8 AM, Kaffeeklatsch

23 - 6:30 PM, PTO Game Night

29 - 8:15 AM, Tour for prospective families

For the complete school calendar, click here.

You're Invited to Our
Scholastic Book Fair & Family Fun Night
Stop by February 6 - February 10

Our first annual Book Fair is this February! The Scholastic Book Fair will be open February 6th-10th. On Thursday, February 9th bring the whole family for Family Night! We will be having a luau, so dress the part!

Location: TCGIS cafeteria

Hours and themes:
Mon, Feb 6: 3:00-4:00
Clothing Theme - tacky tourist / floral shirts

Tue, Feb 7: 7:50-8:20, 3:00-4:00
Clothing Theme - beach / summer HAT day

Wed, Feb 8: 7:50-8:20, Student Shopping Day 2:10 - 3:10 (open different hours due to early release)
Clothing Theme - summer clothes

Thurs, Feb 9: 7:50-8:20, Family Night 5:00 - 8:00
Clothing Theme - Let's have a Luau

Fri, Feb 10: 7:50-8:20, Last Chance Day 3:00-4:00

We also have an online book fair. All books purchased will ship to TCGIS with no shipping charge. To order books online, visit our Book Fair Homepage anytime February 1 -17.

Carnival of Cultures
Coming up on February 16!

Our Carnival of Cultures is on February 16th at St. Thomas More for kindergarten through fourth grade. We will be splitting these grades into two performances due to occupancy limits set by the fire code. Please plan for your child to arrive promptly according to their grade level and other group participation. Blumenkranz and other musical groups may be performing at a time different from their grade level.

Schedule:

5:45 - Kids arrive for first performance: Kindergarten, First grade, Junior Blumenkranz and TCGIS Consort

6:00 - First performance begins: Kindergarten, First grade, Junior Blumenkranz and TCGIS Consort

6:30 - Kids arrive for second performance: Second grade, Third grade, Fourth grade, Blumenkranz; Senior Strings should also stay for the 2nd performance

6:45 - Second performance begins: Second grade, Third grade, Fourth grade, Blumenkranz, Senior Strings

Further information, as well as the complete schedule, can be found here.

Families with children in multiple grades are welcome to stay for both performances. If your child is not performing, you are responsible for supervising them. We would like all of the students to be dressed nicely in concert attire. Please be sure your child is not wearing boots or shirts with writing.

St. Thomas More is located at 1065 Summit Ave, St. Paul. Parking is available behind the school. Please enter through the middle door.

GAI Job Posting
Hiring teachers for Summer Language Camps

The Germanic-American Institute is accepting applications for lead teacher positions for its 2012 Summer Language Camps. Camps run throughout the summer, each lasting one week (Monday-Friday), meeting daily from 9am- 12pm. Children who attend are 6-12 years old, with a variety of German ability levels, although most are beginners.

Lead teachers are responsible for developing the curriculum for the week, including all related craft and outdoor activities, as well as additional prep- work related to the camp. Please see full job posting here.

Morning Kinderclub
Help us determine the need for a morning program

We would like to ask for your help in determining the need for a new Kinderclub Morning Program! After several requests, the GAI and Kinderclub have decided to offer morning care before school starts at the TCGIS. Kinderclub would operate in the Music Room and Cafeteria downstairs, and would offer care during the hours of 6:30am - 8:00am. A breakfast would be offered for a small charge (the cost will be charged by the TCGIS lunch program and added to your child's lunch account). Kinderclub will offer contracted care for regular schedules as well as drop-in care for occasional use. The cost is $7.00/morning for contracted families and $8.00/morning for drop-in care.

We are currently exploring the options of offering the program during the remainder of this school year or as a new program that begins at the start of the 2012/2013 school year.

We need your help! Please take a few minutes to complete our poll to help us determine the need for this program and to assist us in determining staffing. Click here to access the poll, and please add your child's name if you are interested in MORNING Kinderclub care. This is NOT a payment commitment or registration! It merely provides us with valuable information in regards to the need for care, the hours of operation and necessary staffing. The deadline for this poll is Monday, February 6th. A minimum enrollment will be required in order to operate Morning Kinderclub.

Advertise in the TCGIS Yearbook
Proceeds go to 8th grade trip

Looking for a great way to make your business known? Parents, want to send a greeting to your favorite students? Well, here's your chance! You can buy space for advertising in the first ever TCGIS yearbook! Here's the deal: $50 for a whole page (8'' by 13''), $25 for half a page, $13 for one fourth of a page, and $8 for one eighth of a page. What a bargain! If you're interested, please fill out a this form and turn it in to the front desk. If you have any questions please contact Molly Kalda at mkalda@tcgis.org.

All proceeds from advertisement sales directly benefit the 8th grade trip to Germany next year.

7th Grade Valentine Fundraiser
Craft/Bake Sale on February 10 to support 8th grade Germany trip

The 7th grade will be selling Valentine-themed cards, crafts, and goodies on February 10 to support the 8th grade capstone trip to Germany. Pick out Valentines for friends and classmates and goodies to take home! Sale takes place in the elevator lobby before and after school on Friday, February 10.

After School Activities Instructors Needed
Form available now

It's that time again! We are looking for instructors to offer after school activities for Session 3. Classes will be from March 19th through June 1st. Pay rates vary from $15-40/hour depending on the number of kids that sign up for your class. If you are interested in teaching, please fill out the Class Offering Form. Please turn in your forms by February 21.

Help with the TCGIS Yearbook!
Photos and artwork needed

ATTENTION PARENTS AND STAFF: Do you have some photos that you'd like to share? Well here's your chance! Yearbook class is looking for interesting photos of TCGIS students for publication in the first ever TCGIS yearbook. Please send all photos to info@tcgis.org. Please send photos from the 2011-2012 school year only.

ATTENTION ALL STUDENT KÜNSTLER: Be the artist to design the cover of the very first TCGIS yearbook!! Here's how:

-Submit any original color artwork

-Your entry must measure 8.5" x 11"

-It must relate to the school & theme (global citizenship)

Drop off your artwork--with your name and grade on the back--at the front desk. This contest is open to all TCGIS students. If you have any questions or concerns, email Molly at mkalda@tcgis.org. Remember: Deadline for submissions is February 15th!

Board Meeting Date Changed
Now scheduled for February 29th

The February TCGIS Board Meeting has been rescheduled for February 29th at 6:30 PM.

Once Upon a Time
Maskenball 2012 this weekend!

This year's Maskenball Gala takes us long ago and far far away to the land of fairy tales, where we promise an enchanted evening of charm and delight. Please join us for the gala on February 4th--doors open at 7! Watch your email for updates or like the PTO Facebook page for the most up-to-date information.

TCGIS 5th Annual Trip to Grand Marais
March 16th-18th
Grand Marias

Looking for a fun family getaway for Spring Break? Explore the great outdoors with your kids, tour Grand Marais, and spend time with other TCGIS families in a beautiful setting. Join us at East Bay Suites in downtown Grand Marais on Lake Superior's North Shore over the long weekend on March 16-18. East Bay Suites has Studio, 1, 2, & 3 bedroom beachfront condominiums with spectacular lake and village views. Each unit is fully furnished and most have full kitchens. Click here for more information on how to reserve rooms at a reduced TCGIS rate!

Free activities/supplies offered by EastBay include: snow shoes, sleds, hand-held GPS units, cookies and hot cocoa each weekend, firewood and s'more fixings for enjoying on the shore, expanded videos & games, a new Wii and all of the activities at Caribou Highlands, including indoor swimming.

Summer Kinderclub 2012
Looking ahead to summer day care

As many of you are starting to think ahead to the beautiful summer months to come, the question of uninterrupted care for your children pops up! Kinderclub offers a 10-week full-day program during the hours of 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, that starts on June 11th, 2012 and ends on August 17th. Each week will incorporate different child-friendly activities in a German immersion setting full of summer fun! Families can chose from many different payment options, full- or part-time, occasional drop-in days or weeks, and additional German Language Camps.

Please click below for necessary forms and documents:
-Frequently Asked Questions for families that are new to the Kinderclub program
-Kinderclub enrollment form for new families
-Summer registration form

If your child has been registered with Kinderclub in the past, no additional registration fee is required. If your child is new to the Kinderclub program, a $25/child registration fee is required ($15/sibling).

Please e-mail Babett Larimer at blarimer@gai-mn.org with any questions you might have.

TCGIS Inclusivity Task Force
Meeting Thursday, February 9

TCGIS' Inclusivity Task Force, which includes parents, staff, and Board members, will meet on Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 5:00 in the school's conference room. Childcare will be provided.

Educating Children for Informed and Active World Citizenship

The Elternbrief is published electronically Thursdays throughout the school-year and on an as needed basis at other times. Submissions are due by 3 PM on Tuesdays. Content printed at the discretion of the TCGIS administration.