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| Elternbrief |
Weekly Newsletter for TCGIS Families November 15, 2012 | |
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GIVE TO THE MAX!
 Dear TCGIS community-
Today, TCGIS is participating in Minnesota's day of philanthropy, Give to the Max Day, in hopes of raising over $20,000 for our students. With your help, I know we can reach our ambitious goal! Here are a few easy ways you can participate in Give to the Max Day:
1. Make a gift to support the TCGIS amity and technology programs. Funds raised during Give to the Max day will support our beloved German interns, who make our school an amazing learning environment - with at least two German speaking adults in each classroom every day! Technology is increasingly important in today's schools and funds raised will make sure that TCGIS can utilize this effective teaching tool.
2. Reach out to your networks: Encourage your family to join you in supporting TCGIS on November 15th. Thank you for considering partnering with TCGIS on Give to the Max Day! Together, we can do great things for our students!
With Thanks,
Lisa Friedman
Parent and Board Chair
Go to: http://givemn.razoo.com/story/Tcgis-Give-To-The-Max-2012?referral_code=share |
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Upcoming Events
November
16-PTO Craft & Bake Sale 2:30-5:30 pm17-PTO Craft & Bake Sale 9:00am-12:00pm
20-School Board Meeting 6:30-9:00 pm 21-23 Fall Break, No School 26- Teacher Workday, No School for Students
December
2- GAI Holiday Open Haus & Nikolaustag Celebration
4-PTO Meeting 6:30-8:00pm
12- Registration opens for Session 2 After-school Activities
14- Session 1 After-school Activities end
14- Kaffeeklatsch 8:00am
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2012 TCGIS Board Special Election
Tomorrow, November 16th!
We are happy to announce that we have 6 candidates running for the two openings we currently have on the TCGIS Board.
The candidates are:
Kevin O'malley, Community Member
Hunter Goetzman, TCGIS 4th Grade Teacher
Michelle Wallace, TCGIS English Teacher
Liane Gale, Parent Community Member
John Holmlund, Parent Community Member
Jennifer Buck, Parent Community Member
Please read through the candidates'
statements on the TCGIS website. All parents or legal guardians and staff members are eligible to vote in the election.
On November 16th, the ballot box will be open at the school during the following times:
· At drop off - 7:45am to 9:00am
· At pick up - 2:30pm - 5:30pm (coinciding with the PTO Craft and Bake Sale)
Won't be here on election day or can't make it to the school while the ballot box is open?
No problem. You can go to the TCGIS website and print and fill out a proxy form.The proxy form allows you to authorize somebody else to cast your ballot for you.Your proxy must bring the completed form to the ballot box to be able to cast a ballot for you.Ballots will be available soon on the TCGIS website or at the school.Ballots will also be available on voting day.
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Host families for Interns
The Amity Intern Committee is (always) looking for new host families for our still growing population of interns. We are hosting 16 interns per Semester this year!
There might be a need for more host families for the interns that will arrive mid-January. Also we need to know how many interns we will be able to accommodate in the next school year. Therefore it would be very helpful to hear from any family that is thinking of hosting in the Fall of 2013 and in the future!
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String Classes
Introductory Concert Friday, Dec. 14
 The Saint Paul Conservatory of Music will be initiating a string instruction program at TCGIS in January 2013! To introduce themselves to our community, conservatory students and faculty will present concerts at the school on Friday, December 14th at 8:30am and 9:30am. Please feel free to visit the SPCM website for more information about conservatory programs. More details to follow! |
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Thanks for St. Martin!
St. Martin's Day
St. Martin's Day is one of the highlights of the Fall Semester at our school. We were able to put together a performance at the Landmark Center and also at TCGIS. Thanks to the initiative of TCGIS it was possible to involve the GAI and the Spielmannszug, MN in our celebrations, fostering the partnerships amongst the larger German speaking community in Twin Cities.
The performance on Sunday, November 4, was possible because of the collaboration of many people. Thanks a lot to all participating children: 2nd graders, 4th graders, the TCGIS Band and both Blumenkranz groups! Thanks also to the parents for your continuous support and commitment!
Special thanks to Frau Jurewicz for her speech, to Scot Stephenson and Susanne Grimm for their help with the 2nd grade, to Krista Johnson for leading the Band and also to Theresa Borgren for her help with the Blumenkranz! Last but not least thanks to the 7th graders Anna Weimholt and Claudia Feilmeyer for staging the scene about St. Martin and the beggar!
Partnership with the St. Paul Conservatory of Music
I am very glad to announce that starting in January, the St. Paul Conservatory of Music will offer string instruction for individual students and a complimentary ensemble class for participating students. Many of you remember that the String Group used to be the pride of TCGIS, and I think it's time to revive the idea of this artistic asset.
In order to introduce themselves, the SPCM will give a concert at TCGIS on December 14th, Friday, at 8:30am and 9:30am. In the light of the approaching Holiday I believe this will be a very special treat to our students for their hard work.
Thanks,
Valentin Solakhau
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Second Grade Mother/Daughter
Book Club
A new mother/daughter book club for families of 2nd grade girls is starting up. We will meet once a month or once every other month, depending on the length of the book and time of the year. The book club will rotate homes each month and the the hosts (mother/daughter pair) pick the book and provide refreshments, or plan a field trip, around the theme of the book. At the end of each meeting the next host will present the next book. Books can be read aloud books, or as the kids get older, books that are read independently. Books could be chapter books, or even a favorite picture book that the kids would like to talk about.
Join us for the first book club meeting on Sunday Nov 18, 1-3pm at Katrina Holbrook's house. We will be discussing the book Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink. This is a longer book, in a short time, so read as much as you can before the 1st meeting.
Any Questions, Please contact Gretchen Barsch gbarsch934@yahoo.com
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TCGIS-PTO Craft & Bake Sale
Friday and Saturday in the school cafeteria!
Friday, 11/16, 2:30-5:30 p.m.
Saturday, 11/17, 9:00 a.m.-12 noon
*buy one-of-a-kind gifts
*buy your Thanksgiving treats
*something for everyone
We will also we selling cups of coffee, cider and non-alcoholic glühwein (mulled wine) along with smaller individual wrapped baked treats to enjoy at the sale or at home. All proceeds from the beverages and smaller treats table will go to the 8th Grade Capstone Trip Fund.
Please remember to have your craft or canned donations brought in by Friday morning, 11/16 and baked items by 1:00 pm on Friday, 11/16. There will be a drop-off table in the school's front office for donations.
If you would like to volunteer, donate or have any questions, please see this link or contact Heidi Zimmermann at
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Maskenball
The Maskenball Auction Committee is looking for a few more procurement volunteers, that is, people to help solicit donations from businesses or organizations for our online auction. Our hope is to have enough volunteers, so that each one only has to contact 10-15 organizations. In addition, volunteers are welcome to solicit donations from places we haven't contacted in the past.
Initial contacts will be made in the next month, with follow up contacts made in January, if necessary.
If you are interested in helping making the PTO's biggest fundraiser of the year a success by volunteering in this manageable, defined way, please contact Kami Blackwell Kinney at blackwell.kinney@juno.com.
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Introducing the Elternkontakts
A big thank you to the following parents who are serving as Elternkontakts for their children's classrooms this school year. Their time and efforts are appreciated by our entire school community.
KA: Manuela Thames & Gita Zeitler
KB: Beki Cook & Barbara Tarrant
KC: Katheryn Mueller & Leah Palombo
1A: Kara Klein & Deanna Perchyshyn
1B: Julie Alkatout & Natalie Yaeger
2A: Dale Bloom & Nicole Grenz
2B: Ilona Lange & Maja Reyes
3A: Antje Heckle & Kelly Huxmann
3B: Mickey Jurewicz
4A: Eric and Laura Hauer & Alex Weeding
4B: Karin Stiles & Melanie Van Slyke
5A: Michael Hamacher
5B: Rebecca Johnson
6: Nicole Grenz
7/8: Silke Moeller
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Get Your Chinook Book and Save While Supporting TCGIS
Don't forget to pick up your 2013 Chinook Book or the new Chinook Mobile Pack for your smart phone. You'll save on all kinds of  essentials, activities and entertainment around town -- perfect for making the upcoming holiday shopping season a little more cost-effective. Best of all, we keep 50% of the proceeds to support our school. Available at the TCGIS front office, books are $20 and the easy-to-use mobile packs are just $14. Questions? Contact Kate Olson at kathryn.a.olson@gmail.com. |
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Kinderclub Extended Care
November Scheduling
TCGIS Familes-
As November is approaching I am looking ahead at extended care dates. Kinderclub will be offering full-day care on the following November dates from 8am-6pm:
Wednesday, November 21st - Thanksgiving break (Wednesday only, NO Kinderclub on Thu/Fri in observance of Thanksgiving holiday)
Monday, November 26th - Teacher Workshop - no school in session
Please follow the link in order to sign up your children. http://www.doodle.com/uqsyy5ud37phnpqq. The deadline for each date listed is a week prior to attendance. The cost per student is $37.00/day. Please finalize your family's plans prior to signing up as you are entering a valid payment agreement by reserving a spot for your child (as outlined in our KC family handbook). Payment is due prior to attendance and will be billed separately. Other families could potentially be turned away due to lack of space in order for Kinderclub to comply with our student teacher ratio. Last minute drop-in requests will be handled on a space-only basis. Thank you, and enjoy the gorgeous fall colors!!
-Babette Larimer
blarimer@gai-mn.org
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Tour Guides Needed
Get to know new TCGIS families
TCGIS needs your help in providing tours to prospective new families interested in enrolling their children in TCGIS. Tour guides are needed on Friday mornings starting at 8:15am. Tours start at 8:30. For more info, please contact the school at info@tcgis.org. |
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Educating Children for Informed and Active World Citizenship
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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.
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