Elternbrief

Weekly Newsletter for TCGIS Families

 March 22, 2012

 
in this issue
:: Upcoming Dates
:: MCA Score Results
:: March Art News
:: School Board Nominations
:: Timberwolves Raffle!
:: PTO Game Night
:: Kaffeeklatsch this Friday
:: 2012-2013 School Calendar
:: 8th Grade Capstone Benefit Event
:: After-school Playground Equipment
AnnikaProfile- cropped
Annika Fjelstad, TCGIS Director
Dear Families, 

  

State of the School: The State of the School presentation, held on March 7th, touched on some of our recent accomplishments and upcoming aspirations. A summary is available here for those who were not able to attend.

 

Facilities Committee: If you have not yet done so, please click here to read about potential future sites for TCGIS. If your family has not yet responded to the facilities survey, please do so now to let us know how these potential locations might affect your ability to participate in the school. Please be aware that none of the sites are concrete proposals at this point. We are merely investigating whether we should invest time and money to further explore their viability as options. The survey closes at noon tomorrow, Friday, March 23rd.

 

Amity Host Homes Needed: The Amity Committee is already hard at work interviewing candidates for interns for the fall. If we had sufficient host homes we could use as many as 17 interns in our program. At this point the committee has capped the number at 12 until sufficient host homes are confirmed for the fall. Having interns in every classroom has been a crucial component in keeping our staff-to-student ratio low, and it is a distinctive feature in our success. This strength is facilitated by the generosity of our school families who have provided room and board to our interns. If you might consider investing in our low staff-to-student ratio by providing room and board to an Amity intern, please contact Amy Davis at [email protected]. This is the crucial recruiting season for interns and your timely offer will help us instill confidence in inviting more interns. Many families have done this over and over again. We need to have some new families considering this option.

 

MCA Testing: Students in grades 3, 4, 6 and 7 finished their first round of the mathematics Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments (MCAs) this week. As you already know, the test was taken on the computer, which allows for immediate feedback and helps us recognize our weak spots and make plans to address them. This was our first time administering the Math MCAs online. Special thanks to Sarah Bailey for her leadership in getting the technology in place, to Amy Davis and Missy Morrissey for their leadership in problem-solving and to Stefanie Berres for assistance with registration and general problem-solving. For information on accessing your students' scores, click here.   

 

German American Chamber of Commerce Gala: Last year the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Midwest raised over $5,000 to fund our library at their Gala Event. This year's Gala is scheduled for April 27th. Bill George, former CEO of Medtronic, will be the keynote speaker for an evening of fine wine, food and dancing. If you're interested in volunteering, sponsorship opportunities or getting involved, please call the Chamber office at 952-829-0130. Nurturing the school's relationship with the Chamber of Commerce is mutually beneficial. Please consider attending the Gala if you are able.    

 

Benefits of Immersion Education: For an article affirming the merits of an immersion education, read this recent New York Times article on the benefits of bilingualism.  

 

Thank you for all you do for our school,  

Find us on Facebook

Annika Signature

 

Annika Fjelstad   

Director, TCGIS 

651-492-7106, ext. 103

[email protected] 

 

UpcomingDatesUpcoming Dates
Save the Date  Calendar

 

MARCH

22 - 6:30 PM, Board meeting

23 - 8 AM, Kaffeeklatsch

23 - 6:30 PM, PTO Game Night 

26 - 6:30 PM, Board meeting 

29 - 8:15 AM, Tour for prospective families  

 

APRIL

2-6 - Spring Break - NO SCHOOL

9 - Teacher Work Day - NO SCHOOL

10 - 6:30 PM, PTO meeting

13 - 8 AM, Kaffeeklatsch

13 - Instrument "Petting Zoo" for Concert Band

15 - 2 PM, Benefit for 8th Grade Capstone Trip

17-18 - MCA Reading

23-26 - MCA Math Round 2

26 - 6:30 PM, Board meeting

27 - 8 AM, Kaffeeklatsch

27 - 5:30 PM, PTO Pump It Up Fundraiser

 

For the complete school calendar, click here.

MCAResultsMCA Score Results
Available next week

Math MCA score results from the first round of testing will be available for parents next Thursday, March 29th, and Friday, March 30th in the office. Any reports not picked up by the end of the day on Friday will be mailed out the following week. The results cannot go home with the students. If you are having another adult pick up the results, please email Amy Davis at [email protected] to notify her. Testing is a delicate topic. Many of our students did very well, exceeding the standards, and they deserve to be proud of their accomplishments. Others in our community will need some additional time and support before passing the standards. Please talk with your children at home about how to distinguish between celebrating success and bragging. We will address these topics at school, but your back-up from home will be crucial. 
Art News - March
Update from Frau Lenburg

art
Please click here for the March "Art News" update! Please contact Frau Lenburg if you have any questions: [email protected].
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.
See the Timberwolves and Support TCGIS!
Raffle to benefit the 5th grade class

Attention, sports fans! 5th-grader Lola Rubens is donating the Timberwolves package that she won while basketballtaking part in the World Savvy Challenge to be raffled off by TCGIS. Proceeds from the raffle will go to the 5th grade class. The prize includes:

* 2 tickets to see the Timberwolves vs. the Golden State Warriors on April 22, 2012 at 6pm
* Timberwolves t-shirt, adult size L
* Souvenir basketball & bobblehead doll

Tickets are $5 each or 3 for $10. They are available at the front desk. The package is valued at $175. The winner will be drawn on Monday, April 16th.

Lola's goal is to raise $100-$150 for her class. That's just 20-30 single tickets. Help her reach her goal!
Game Night
Bring your family to play games at TCGIS!

CardsOur annual Game Night is coming up on Friday, March 23rd, 2012 at 6:30 PM! All TCGIS families are invited! We will have games for all ages and across all genres (including last year's popular CheckersWerewolf game), snacks and beverages for refreshment and prizes for the winners of our game raffle! So mark your calendars and bring your family to school to play some old and new games!
Kaffeeklatsch
Friday, March 23

CoffeeIt is time for our next Kaffeeklatsch! It will be held this Friday, March 23rd in the front lobby entrance. We start serving coffee by 8:05 AM. A cup of coffee or tea is $1.00 if you bring your own cup, or $1.25 if we provide you with a cup. All proceeds go to the PTO.
2012-2013 School Calendar
Calendar available now

We are happy to have approved the school calendar for the 2012-2013 school year. It is available here.
Capstone Benefit Event
Family friendly fun!!

When: Sunday, April 15th, 2:00 pm
Where: Germanic-American Institute, 301 Summit Ave
What: Live performances by TCGIS students, teachers and parents; Kaffee and Kuchen; games and story time; craft sale
Suggested donation: $5 for adults, free for kids

Come and join the TCGIS 7th grade students and their friends for an afternoon of dance, music, Kaffee und Kuchen and more to help support the first Capstone Trip to Germany.

In March of 2013 the first graduating class hasplane an opportunity to travel to Germany for a two-week "Capstone Experience."  The Capstone will provide students with the opportunity to integrate and apply what they've learned during their time at TCGIS and to experience Germany first-hand. The Capstone Experience is the culmination of a TCGIS education and is planned for all future 8th-grade classes at TCGIS. Families are expected to cover costs unless they qualify for need-based scholarships. Our 7th graders are working hard to make this dream a reality for all of their classmates and have organized several fundraising events, including this one.

All proceeds from this event will go directly to the "Capstone Fund" to pay for need-based scholarships and for teacher expenses.

Your support is most welcome! For more information on the Capstone Experience, please click here.
After-school Playground Equipment
Help us keep track of our equipment

We're glad families choose to stay and play after school. However, we need to make sure that school balls and play equipment are not left out on the playground. We've recently gotten some new equipment. Before taking this equipment out to the playground, it should first be checked out to staff or to the Kinderclub.

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.