A Letter from Dr. Greener

Dear TCGIS Family,

Welcome to the new school year at TCGIS.  The faculty and staff have been working extremely hard getting the building and classrooms ready for the students who will be arriving next Monday. Parents should remember that teachers are still working to prepare their rooms and areas for the school year. Therefore, you might find a few things in the halls that will eventually be moved. With the remodeling and cleaning during the summer, virtually all classroom furniture was relocated and needs to be relocated to the classrooms and offices.

As parents, you are well aware that the school is definitely in a transition time with new faculty and staff and the Board Search Committee busy interviewing candidates for the Director's Office. The availability of the final candidate to begin will directly affect my time here which means that my chief purpose is to get the school underway. Major program or procedural changes will be left to the new Director.

The school is fully staffed with a number of new and returning teachers on board who are excited about working with your son or daughter.  We believe that we have assembled a hard-working well-qualified group of educators determined to get the year off to a good start. I am depending on the veteran teachers and staff to provide guidance and advice to those who are just beginning their time with TCGIS.

At the Open House, there will be a handout which describes the drop off and pick up procedures both in the entry way and with Kindergarten and First Grade teachers.  They will be essentially the same as last year but for new families they can be somewhat confusing. Every effort will be made to make those first few days less troublesome, but it will definitely take patience and understanding from drivers as new families become familiar with the procedure.  Our major concern during this time is the safety of the students as they get in and out of cars.  Parents are asked not to drop off or pick up students on the Wheeler Street side of the school since that is an unsupervised area.

The Open House is designed to introduce parents to their teachers and to the school. Several faculty members have had unavoidable conflicts and will not be in attendance, but plan to leave information with other faculty with any instructions or information for parents and students. This is not a time for detailed discussions with teachers about curriculum etc.

As described in the PTO communication, Schultutte will be available in the cafeteria and parents of Kindergartners and new First Graders are encouraged to participate in this German tradition, which is organized and supported by the German American Institute (GAI).  Check with your child's teacher if you have questions.

Cell/Smart phones are not to be used during the school day.  They should be turned off and placed in a student's backpack until the school day is over. Students who are found using cell phones or texting during the school day will have the instrument taken away and returned to the student at the end of the day. Parents are asked not to call or text their student(s) during the school day. If there is a message for a student it should be called in to the front office and will be delivered.

Finally, as with any new school year, there will be things which don't work perfectly and will need to be addressed as we continue in the school year. We are asking you to be patient as the year begins. The Amity Interns as a group have been delayed and will be arriving for the most part during the first week of school. Host families should keep in touch with Amy Davis for the latest information.

As the Interim Director I continue to be very impressed with the tremendous work-ethic which I have witnessed in your faculty and staff. With all the changes which are present at the beginning of the school year, there is a certain "can do" attitude which makes my job much easier. Please acknowledge that spirit when you meet or see your child's teacher and do everything you can to make the new teachers feel welcome.

Let's have a positive, supportive and enthusiastic beginning!

Dr. Kenneth D. Greener