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Open House TONIGHT! 6:30-8:00 pm
START OF SCHOOL- Sept 3rd !
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Now in September the 13th Annual Saint Paul Oktoberfest will begin its family-friendly festivities on Friday, September 20, 2013, from 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm, and continue on Saturday, September 21, 2013, from noon - 11:00 pm. This two-day event celebrates the Germanic heritage and everyone is welcome!
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Registration Forms now available electronically
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It's your favorite time of year again- time for back to school paperwork! We are trying something new this year and sending the forms out electronically. All returning students need to fill out the following forms:
To fill out the forms electronically, you must click the above link, download the document, fill out the form, save the document under your child's name and the title of the form (Example: Jurewicz, Ann Field Trip Form 2013-2014.doc) then send an email to [email protected] with the files attached. If you would prefer to print them out and send us a hard copy, please mail them to our new address: 1031 Como Ave Saint Paul, MN 55103 You can always drop them off during the Open House as well.
Just as a reminder, these forms are required for returning students only. New enrollments do not need to resubmit the forms.
We appreciate the time you take in filling these out. Please let the front desk know if you have any questions.
Thanks!
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| School Supply Lists
Please click the following links for your grade to view your supply lists
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 | | Career Opportunities with the GAI | |
Take a look at these new job opportunities at the Germanic American Institute
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Your Vote Makes a Difference to our School
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This year, Target will give money to schools all over the country for one simple act: a vote. Our school needs just 25 votes to earn a $25 donation from Target. But that's only the beginning. For each additional vote, our school will get $1 more. So please remember that, although the gesture is small, the rewards are potentially huge. Go to this site to vote for Twin Cities German Immersion Charter School once a week through September 21 or until Target has given away all $5 million.
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TCGIS School Board Message
Hallo TCGIS Families!
The TCGIS School Board would like to welcome everyone to the new year and a new home for our school. This is the beginning to one of the most exciting years since our founding and we hope you feel the positive energy flowing through the halls and in the classrooms as staff works hard to get prepared and start the year right. Of course, with all the excitement come a fair share of bumps in the road. Hopefully, we can all work together and stay flexible when the first few days and weeks present us with new challenges as we learn what life in our new home will be like. One major concern on everyone's mind is traffic flow for pick-up and drop-off. We all want to start and end the school day right and we can make a great impression on our new neighbors by working together to help keep everyone safe and cheerful. Things will remain tight as work on our new parking lot continues, but our school will benefit from making sure that this complex construction project is done right and is as Green and sustainable as it can be. Many staff members and volunteers have worked hard to kick off the year right, and we will be hearing soon about new ways of organizing carpools centered around a custom App for TCGIS parents. Orientation for new and returning staff went well and teachers have expressed excitement as they began working through the heat of summer to get their rooms ready for our students. We are so proud of all the hard work and can't wait for the whole community to see the amazing accomplishments that were made of the last few months. We have beautiful new rooms, common areas and new technology (including nine Smartboards for interactive teaching and learning). We are also looking forward to the completion of our addition and all the great new classrooms and communal spaces. Certainly this construction period as well as the new campus will represent some temporary challenges for all of us but it also offers us as a community many opportunities to let our imagination and creativity roam free to make this campus our own and tailor it to our needs.
Another bit of happy news is the great group of 18 interns who are working with TCGIS this year. Eight of them will be staying all year and we thank them and their host families for providing our school with an intercultural experience that contributes to the truly unique TCGIS experience. If you have any questions about the TCGIS School Board and our work, contact Matt Schneider or Marcus Scheire, our parent contact. As always, operational questions can be directed to our amazing office and administrative staff. We hope our students had a great summer and can't wait to start the year and let them get back to the important work of learning, having fun and building a great school community!
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Show your colors!
Wear a t-shirt to match your grade level
For the first day of school the teachers will wear tee-shirts representing the grade level colors. K-2 will be in orange, 3-4 in green and 5-8 in blue. At Open House, find your teacher and sign their shirt as a sign of school spirit. We encourage your students to wear clothes that represent the colors of their grade levels.
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Open House TONIGHT!
Thursday, August 29th from 6:30-8:00 pm
 We are kicking off our new school and new school year with a scheduled Open House program. Parents and students will go straight to their homerooms to drop off school supplies and have a welcome from teachers. All classes will then get to tour the new facility. We will gather at various times by grade level (K-2), (3-4) and (5-8) for a welcome by the director! We have new grade level colors to help orient children and parents and create special belonging and identification: - ORANGE = kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade
- GREEN = 3rd grade and 4th grade
- BLUE = 5th through 8th grades
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MCA Scores
TCGIS outperforms other local charter schools!
 You may have seen in the news that students across Minnesota had a significant drop (18%) in both reading and math test scores. This is because a new reading test was introduced, much harder than last year's test. In math, students could only take the test once instead of three times per last year keeping the highest score. These factors have been attributed to the lower test scores this year. However, compared to the overall lower scores across the state, TCGIS only dropped 12% (not the 18% state average) in reading from 91% to 79%. We were ranked 5th among metro charter schools. In math, we had a dip from 84% to 80%. We were ranked 7th in metro charter schools. For more information about TCGIS in comparison with other Metro Area Charter Schools, click here. |
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TCGIS Parent Teacher Organization
The PTO Community Committee invites you to the following:
"Kindergarten Cry" Kaffeeklatsch
Tuesday, September 3 after morning drop off
First time drop off? We've ALL been there! Come on over to Black Bear Crossings (Como Lakeside Pavilion,1360 North Lexington Parkway) after morning drop off and commiserate (or celebrate)! Old timers welcome, as well!!
After school Meet-Up
Head over to Como Park for some playtime following afternoon pick up on Thursday, September 5. The park is across Midway Parkway from Como Town.
- West on Van Slyke toward Horton Ave
- Left on Horton Ave
- Right on Midway Pkwy
- Playground will be on the left
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Supply Contribution for 2013-2014
Each year, TCGIS asks for a supply contribution from its families. This contribution helps defray the additional costs we have as a school for the German consumables we use such as workbooks and notebooks. This year we are asking for $75 per student. We raised the suggested contribution by five dollars so that families would not be asked to provide copy paper, as in years past. Contributions can be dropped off at the Open House on August 29th. We appreciate any contribution your family can make. |
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Still need Host Families for Amity Interns!
Host an intern, enjoy multiple benefits
 TCGIS is still seeking one family to host an Amity Intern for this fall 2013. We are also still asking for families who could host Amity interns in the spring. Benefits of hosting an intern: - Learn German from a native so your children don't talk about you behind your back!
- Life long international friendships!
- Free tutors for your children!
- Enjoy a new cultural perspective!
Please contact Nicole Grenz or Darcy DeBoer for more information. |
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Transportation
New procedures in transportation, safety and security
***Kindergarten and first grade parents may enter the school with their children during our first week of school if desired.*** Please park between Como Park Pool and McMurray Fields to accomplish this safely.
Morning drop off: Staff will be present on both Como and Van Slyke to assist and direct students to the building entrance and then into their classrooms. Parent volunteers will also be helping.
Afternoon pick-up: Students will be waiting (supervised by staff) for your arrival at 3:15. Please pull up and wait on the street as directed by staff. Staff will communicate your arrival to your students so that they can quickly get in your car and buckled in. As soon as students are secured, please pull out so that we can assist loading the next car in line. We will load the first three cars in line to ensure the safety of every child. Safety will be our guiding principle.
- Cars with students in grades K-3: please use Van Slyke Avenue
- Cars with students in grades 4-8: please use Como Avenue
- Cars with a mixture of students in each set: please drop of all students on Van Slyke Avenue
TCGIS has requested NO PARKING signs from the city of St. Paul during drop off and pick up both on Van Slyke Avenue (school side entrance) and Como Avenue (Aula side entrance).
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Application for Educational Benefits
A single form for need based scholarships could help
reduce numerous school expenses
The Minnesota Department of Education provides schools and parents with a form to help determine whether a student is eligible for educational benefits. This form is most often used to determine whether a family is eligible for free or reduced pricing on school lunches. TCGIS also uses this form to determine if a student is eligible for scholarships for Extended Kindergarten, field trips, after school activities, as well as school supply fee waivers or assistance, and more. If you would like to be considered for these scholarships, please fill out and return the 2013-2014 Application for Educational Benefits. This form must be filled out every year if you wish to be considered for these programs. Benefits do not roll over to the next school year, so if you received benefits last year, please apply again this year in order to receive benefits from these programs. |
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