Elternbrief

Weekly Newsletter for TCGIS Families

 February 16, 2012

 
in this issue
:: Upcoming Dates
:: Carnival of Cultures Tonight!
:: PTO News
:: Thank You for Supporting the Book Fair
:: Financial Assistance for Waldsee Summer German Program
:: Kinderstube German Immersion Preschools
:: Dropping off Your Child at TCGIS
:: March Lunch Menus Available Now
:: Advertise in the TCGIS Yearbook
:: Teach an After School Class
:: Dress Up for Carnival!
:: Kinderclub Morning Program
:: TCGIS Trip to Grand Marais
:: School Board Nominations
:: Thank You for Supporting the 7th Grade Bake Sale!
AnnikaProfile- cropped
Annika Fjelstad, TCGIS Director
Dear Families,   

 

Carnival of Cultures: We're looking forward to seeing you tonight at the Carnival of Cultures. The performance is in the St. Thomas More school, NOT in the church next door. Please enter from the back parking lot. This event is a celebration of the children's achievements, but it is also a celebration of the parents. Our Performing Arts program is funded by the generous donations of parents and grandparents, and tonight's event is a celebration of what a community can do when it works together. This program of language, dance, music and a celebration of our cultures is one of the many ways we fulfill our mission of "educating children to be active, informed world citizens; andere h�ren, andere sehen, weltoffen denken und handeln." We look forward to seeing you there, and thank you for the many, many ways you support your children and the school!

 

No School Friday or Monday: During our teacher work day on Friday, K-4 teachers are focusing on our math curriculum, making sure we have consistency and fluency between grades. We look forward to working together on our math curriculum.

 

State of the School: Please mark Wednesday, March 7th at 6:30 PM on your calendars for the State of the School address. As a vibrant and growing school, we want to update you on new developments at TCGIS. We will let you know where we are in the facility search process and give updates on our middle school program, among other subjects. Our middle school students will be presenting projects at the World Savvy program on March 3rd, and some of these projects will be on display at the State of the School address.

 

New TCGIS families: We ran the lottery for admissions for new Kindergarteners yesterday and have invited these potential new families to our Carnival of Cultures tonight. We're excited for these families to get a sense of the special and welcoming community at TCGIS. We'll give out stickers at a table to identify these new families. Please make sure to welcome them. We're optimistic about our capacity to start a third Kindergarten and want to make sure families feel good about making a commitment to being part of our school community.

 

Thank you for your support,

 

Find us on Facebook

Annika Signature

 

Annika Fjelstad   

Director, TCGIS 

651-492-7106, ext. 103

[email protected] 

 

UpcomingDatesUpcoming Dates
Save the Date  Calendar

 

FEBRUARY

16 - 6 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

27 - 6:30 PM, PTO Maskenball meeting 

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 - 8:15 AM, Tour for prospective families 

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.

CarnivalCarnival of Cultures
Come tonight to see TCGIS students perform!

Our Carnival of Cultures is tonight, February 16 at St. Thomas More (1065 Summit Ave.) for kindergarten through fourth grade. There will be two performances this year:  

  

6:00-6:20 PM: Part 1 (K-1 grades)

6:45-7:30 PM: Part 2 (2-4 grades) 

 

Junior Blumenkranz and the TCGIS Consort will also be performing. Further information, as well as the complete schedule, can be found here.  

   

Costumes: this year, it was decided that the students will not have any specific costume theme to avoid cultural cliches. It's an opportunity for children to put on their favorite dresses, pants, skirts, etc. After all, the idea of the Carnival is a colorful and joyful celebration. 

PTO News
Upcoming events and opportunities to get involved

The TCGIS PTO has two upcoming opportunities that we would like to invite you to participate in:

 

Become a part of the audit team: Per the TCGIS PTO's bylaws, we are required to do an annual audit of our finances. We would like to invite anyone who is interested, whether you are an active PTO member or not, to be a part of the audit team. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact PTO president Kari Swedberg at [email protected] by March 1, 2012.

Maskenball follow-up meeting: On Monday, February 27th at 6:30 PM, we will meet at the school to discuss the Maskenball fundraiser. This is the PTO's biggest fundraiser, so we want to take the time to reflect on the successes and what we could do differently. Again, you are welcome to attend whether you have gone to all of the past Maskenballs or if you have never attended, but are interested. If you have an questions or if you plan on attending, please contact Michelle Sheire at [email protected].
Thank You for Supporting the Book Fair
Students and families make our first Scholastic Book Fair a success


Our first annual Scholastic Book Fair was a huge success! Our sales totaled $4,542.40, with a profit to TCGIS of $2,271.20. Plans to use part of the profit on a SMART Board are underway! The book fair got approximately 908 books into our students' hands, which equals 163,512 reading minutes. That's fantastic! Thank you to our community for your support and attendance at our Family Fun Night!
Financial Assistance for Minnesota Kids to Learn German at Waldsee 2012
Concordia Language Villages summer programs

As you may know, Waldsee German Language Village, based in Minnesota, offers youth and family immersion programs in German language and culture. Hundreds of Minnesotans participate each year in these programs.


Concordia Language Villages and the State of Minnesota have partnered together to provide financial assistance for those Waldsee families who qualify for the state's free or reduced lunch program. This is a great opportunity to keep the German language and language-learning as a part of your child's life. Families who apply in time will receive $1,000 towards the cost of any Concordia Language Villages programs in the summer of 2012. That is more than 50% of the cost for the 2-week program and enough to cover all the costs for a 1-week program at Waldsee!

To be a part of this program, please click here to read a detailed description of who is eligible and how to apply. Complete the application forms and send them to:


Cheryl Marvig
Concordia Language Villages
901 8th Street S.
Moorhead MN, 56562


If you have and questions, contact Cheryl Marvig at 1-800-222-4750 ext. 3472

Kinderstube German Immersion Preschools
Open houses held in April

Kinderstube Minneapolis Open Haus: Thursday, April 5, 4-6pm

Kinderstube Saint Paul Open Haus: Thursday, April 12, 4-6pm

These open houses are an opportunity for German-speaking and non-German-speaking children and families to meet Kinderstube's dynamic teachers, visit our engaging classrooms, tour the buildings, speak with the Kinderstube Director, and experience "a day at Kinderstube" with video presentations, samples of weekly curriculum, children's work, and family newsletters. Open house participants will have the opportunity to learn simple German phrases and enjoy tasty treats.

As the open houses approach, more information will be available here.
Dropping off Your Child at TCGIS
Help us keep traffic moving in the parking lot

We would like to ask parents to please pull all the way through the bottom of the loop (with your car parallel to University) to drop off your child at school. Please leave enough space on the left for other cars to drive around you. Thank you!   

March Lunch Menus Available Now!
Orders due February 27th

It's time to order lunches for March! Click here for the menu and order form. Please turn your orders in by Monday, February 27 for March lunches. As always, feel free to email your orders to [email protected].
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 of 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 [email protected].

All proceeds from advertisement sales will directly benefit the 8th grade trip to Germany next year.
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 21st.
Dress up for Carnival!
Celebrate a German Holiday

This Monday and Tuesday are big holidays in Germany (and other parts of Europe), especially in middle and south Germany: Fasching, also called Carnival by some. Most elementary schools in Germany celebrate Fasching by making it a special day for the children. Everybody dresses up in their favorite costume and the day is filled with games and celebrations.

At TCGIS everybody is invited to come to school dressed in their favorite costume on Tuesday, February 21st
Kinderclub Morning Program
Morning Kinderclub begins next year

Thank you to those 31 families that replied to our online survey regarding possible Before-school Kinderclub Care at TCGIS. The poll helps us make a more informed decision as to the need for this program. According to the feedback there is only a limited number of families (5) that would be interested in Before-school Kinderclub Care on a regular basis, but there are quite a few families (19) that would welcome the program for occasional drop-in services. 

Unfortunately the program will not be offered for the current school year, as we did not meet the minimum enrollment numbers. Under the current circumstances it would not be economical to operate. We are, however, planning on opening Before-school Care at Kinderclub for fall 2012. Feel free to plan your work schedule or family needs accordingly! Projected hours will be 6:30am until 8:00am. The cost will be $7.00/morning on a contracted regular basis or $8.00/morning for occasional drop in care.

This will be a trial program and will run for 2-3 months. We will evaluate the need and use of the program at that time. If minimum enrollment numbers are met, then Kinderclub Before-school Care will continue to operate. Participating families will be informed on an ongoing basis about the enrollment numbers and the future of the program, in order to make alternate arrangements in the event that minimum enrollment can not be assured after the trial period. We understand the inconvenience this may cause, but feel that the actual operation of the program will give a much clearer picture of the need for a morning program.

Registration information will be emailed in the summer. For more information please contact Babett Larimer at [email protected].
TCGIS 5th Annual Trip to Grand Marais
March 16th-18th
Grand Marias

Looking for a fun family getaway this spring? 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!  

It's Time for School Board Nominations
School board elections coming up in May

This year's school board elections will take place on Friday, May 18th. We will be electing three new members to our nine-member board of directors. The board plays a crucial role in providing direction, vision and continuity for our growing school community. We hope that you will give serious consideration to volunteering for a board position, or will take the time to recommend someone who you think would be willing and able to support the school in this way. Please click here for more information about the TCGIS school board and the election process. 

Thank You!
7th grade raises money for Germany trip

The 7th grade would like to thank all parents, teachers, and staff who supported the Valentine's day craft and bake sale last week! The 7th graders made $204 to put towards the 8th-grade Germany trip. Thank you!!

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.