Your participation in the upcoming elections is very important to us. Meet the May 16th, 2014 election board candidates. Read their bios and meet them in person at the May 13th PTO meeting.

At this meeting, a board member will outline the identified board skill needs as Matt Schnieder, Marcus Sheire, Gregor Adriany, and Renee Moelders depart our board. The candidates will present their skills, experiences, and interests in being on the board. The PTO meeting is also an opportunity to ask clarifying questions.

The PTO meeting if from at 6:30 - 8:00 pm in the TCGIS cafeteria on Tuesday, May 13th. We hope to see you there.

Grade Mixing for 2014-2015 School Year

TCGIS would like to inform parents of the following elementary grade configuration:

Current kindergarten, grade 2 and grade 4 students will be mixed in new classes
Current grades 1 and 3 will stay with their current class of students

Any questions should be directed to Ann Jurewicz.

Spring T-Shirt Sale

For our Spring t-shirt sale this year, TCGIS is doing things a little differently. We will be selling shirts on a first come, first serve basis. We have ordered shirts in Adult, Youth, and Women's sizes. This year, all of our shirts are 100% cotton. Prices for shirts are as follows:

Adult sizes: $12 (Colors: Royal Blue, Forest Green, Black)

Youth sizes: $12 (Colors: Sky Blue, Red, Royal Blue, Forest Green, Black)

Women's fitted V-necks: $14.50 (Colors: Sky Blue, Red, Royal Blue, Dark Heather Gray, Black)

We will accept payments either in cash, or by check made out to TCGIS. Please come by the office to buy your shirt today!

Second Chance Sign Up for the Spring Lock In

Friday, May 9 at TCGIS

The second annual TCGIS Lock in will be Friday, May 9. The administration and office staff have lots of great activities planned, so if you missed the first chance during the Maskenball Auction and would like to sign up, please come by the office or contact us the week of April 21-25. The cost of the event is $40 per child. Drop off is at 6:00 pm May 9 and pick up is at 7:00 am May 10. If you signed up during the Maskenball Auction, you DO NOT need to re-register. All proceeds for the event will go to the TCGIS PTO. There are limited spots available, so sign up soon.

Festival of Nations - Blumenkranz Dance Troupe

Saint Paul River Center, May 1-4, 2014

For over 80 years the International Institute of Minnesota celebrates America's multicultural legacy at the Festival of Nations (click here for program).

In the last 5 years TCGIS has also been a part of this celebration. Following the school's mission, the Blumenkranz Dance Troupe committed itself to the values of global citizenship and contributes to the Dance Performance at the Festival of Nations with a German and Austrian program.

In 2014, you can see us at the World Stage on the following dates and times:

Thursday, May 1:

11:05am Schwerttanz (Sword Dance)
11:45am Emperor Waltz
1:10pm Schwerttanz
1:50pm Emperor Waltz

Saturday, May 3:

11:20am Kerzentanz (Candle Dance) BK Jr.
12:05pm Besentanz (Broom Dance) BK Jr.
1:15pm Schwerttanz
1:55pm Emperor Waltz

This year, the 5th & 6th graders will join the BK dancers during their field trip to the Festival of Nations on May 1. It will be a valuable academic experience for them as they will learn more about human rights, a topic they're studying in social studies.

Hope to see many of you at the Festival of Nations!

Thanks,

Valentin Solakhau

Thank You Capstone Volunteers, Performers & Guests

Thanks to the many volunteers and guests, the Capstone Event was a big success! Great music and great food made a fantastic combination and raised over $2,300 for future 8th grade students going to Germany! A BIG THANK YOU to all the performers who donated their time and shared their talents and to the many volunteers, without whom this event would not have been possible.

Thank you,

The Capstone Committee

Middle School Theater & Acrobatics

Wednesday, May 14

It is our pleasure to present the efforts of our middle school students in PE and Performing Arts resulting in a joint showcase:

Alice in Wonderland, after the story by Lewis Carroll, performed by 7th & 8th graders (director Valentin Solakhau)

and

Acrobatic Journey Around the World, presented by middle school students (director Tanja Schmitt)

The performances will take place in the Aula on May 14:

1:20 to 3:00pm - TCGIS students are invited

6:30 to 8:00pm - TCGIS community members are invited, performance is open to the public

Mark the date in your calendars and join our middle school students in this journey to fantasy and imagination!

Sincerely,

Tanja Schmitt & Valentin Solakhau

It's time again for the Spring Library Book Sale!

Every year, TCGIS invites families to donate German books to the library. The library then holds a sale of the books we don't add to the collection. Bring in your used German books from now until May 9, and come to the sale on May 16 from 2:30-5:30 pm. This is a great opportunity to expose your child to extra German language materials that can be hard to get, and all the proceeds support the school library. If you'd like to volunteer to help with the sale, go <HERE>.

Kindergarten Potluck

Friday, May 2, 5-7pm at TCGIS Cafeteria

Current Kindergarten families are invited to a potluck to welcome next year's Kindergarteners. The event will be Friday, May 2, 5:00-7:00, in the cafeteria. Utensils and water will be provided. Look under the first letter of your last name for a suggestion of what to bring: A-C, appetizers; D-I, salads; J-O, main dishes; P-S, bread/chips; T-Z, desserts. Help our new families become part of our community! Please RSVP to Cindy Miller at [email protected] or 612-386-1436.

May Lunch Menu

Please find here the lunch menu for May. Please be sure to check your lunch account monthly for a balance through your child's Power School account.

MSPIFF Features German Kid's Film "Ostwind"

Saturday, April 19 at 2:30 at the St. Anthony Main Theater

The MSP International Film Fest shows the German children's film Ostwind (Windstorm) on Saturday, April 19 at 2:30pm. Click here for the trailer.

Many of our own TCGIS kids are featured in the promotional film for the Childish Film Program at MSPIFF. Click here to see the promotional video.

Facial Tissues

It's allergy season again at school and many classes are running low on facial tissues. Please consider donating a box of unscented facial tissue to your child's classroom. Boxes can be brought into the Front Office or to your child's classroom.

Musicians Wanted

4A is working on the musical "K�nig Drosselbart" after a famous fairy tale by Brothers Grimm. We are looking for musicians who would like to play the instrumental part: trumpet and/or clarinet, violin, cello, and flute.

The performance will take place at the end of May. Exact day and time TBA.There will also be an option to perform the musical on June 22 or 23 at the German Fest.

If you are interested in sharing your musical talents please contact Valentin Solakhau. Students and community members are very welcome! You'll get the scores, and we will schedule practices in May.

Sing and Dance Along - New Date is May 15

Thursday, May 16 at 6:30 in TCGIS Aula

Herbert & Nancy from the Vienna Community Arts and Valentin Solakhau with Blumenkranz invite family and friends to greet the spring with song and dance. Proceeds will support Herr Solakhau's programs and projects at Vienna Community Arts.

For more details, please call Herbert & Nancy at 651-773-9525.

Singers Wanted!

We are assembling a Family Choir to celebrate German Days at the GAI on June 15. Commitment is 4-5 rehearsals and the performance. We welcome all - it's intergenerational! No auditions necessary. Call Herbert or Nancy at 651-773-9525, or email.

PTO Announcement

PTO GAME NIGHT - April 25, 2014, 6:30 to 8:30 pm at TCGIS

Our annual Game Night at TCGIS is coming up on Friday, April 25, 6:30 to 8:30 pm! All TCGIS families are invited! We will have games for all ages and across all genres, snacks and beverages for refreshment, and prizes for the winners of our game raffle! Bring a game and snack for sharing, and then play away the evening with some old and new games! If you would like to volunteer for this event (set-up, clean-up), please contact Alexandra Weeding.

The TCGIS PTO Strudel & Plant Sales Are Now Open!

Click here to purchase all your Mother's Day gift-giving needs! For Mother's Day brunch, buy and bake a few handcrafted strudels from Ruhland's Strudel Haus. Then surprise her with a plant card from Gerten's, so she can pick out the flowers and plants she likes best. The Strudel Sale will feature several new varieties, both savory and sweet. This year's Plant Sale will feature plant cards only, since the school construction project makes order fulfillment tricky.

Orders will be taken through 10:00 pm on April 21. (Note: You will need to create a new account for this sale, even if you have purchased strudel or plants in previous sales.) All items will be available for pickup on May 8 from 3:00 to 6:00 pm in the school parking lot, next to the Aula. The PTO keeps a portion of proceeds from these sales. What a great way to celebrate Mother's Day AND support the PTO! Thanks, in advance, for your support.

GAI Announcement

Germany: Promise and Challenges

On Thursday, April 24 from 7-8:30pm the Germanic-American Institute presents the final installment of our Spring Culture Series. Dr. Heino Beckmann will discuss the profound changes Germany has experienced since the fall of the Berlin Wall 25 years ago, focussing on Germany's economic, policies, integration, and influence - both economic and political - throughout Europe. This event is free and open to the public. More details are at the GAI website.

Easter Egg Hunt

Join us Saturday, April 19 at 10am for an Easter Egg Hunt for kids ages 10 and under. No pre-registration is necessary and more details are available on our website.

English Library Inventory Volunteer

Frau Wallace has a classroom library has a large number of books that need to be indexed into the Delicious Library system. This job requires the volunteer to use a computer to scan in a bar code for 1000's of English books, teacher resources books, and classroom book sets. Sometimes the bar coder doesn't work, so titles must be manually typed into the system. This volunteer project will provide a way to inventory, check out books, and allow teachers to search by title. This job can happen anytime during the school day. Sign up here.

Inventory Volunteers for Frau Wallace

Frau Wallace needs assistance with clean up and organization of her classroom materials that were displaced from moving, the great steam out of 2013, and not having a classroom. This job requires the volunteer to go though all sort of materials: markers, labels, books, games, etc and determine 1) if it is in usable condition or if it is wrecked from the steam, 2) place and label like items in boxes for a summer moving purposes and to be able to find them in the future 3) help move items from the current hallway English office to the main office into the cupboards for storage - this will be greatly needed more so again the last two weeks of school when the entire English student library will need to be packed. This job can happen anytime during the school day. Sign up here.

Gardening Project Volunteers

Kindergarteners in Leah Steiner Suter's class are growing flowers and vegetables from seeds. They're excited to create their own indoor garden, but what they'd REALLY love would be to have a small, raised garden bed outside in the sunshine. If there are a few adult volunteers who'd like to organize this for them (cleared area, soil added) they'd be happy to fill the new beds with baby plants and care for them until June. Sign up here.

Intern Hosting Volunteers

We are looking for families to host Amity interns for the coming school year. The Amity intern program is a cornerstone of our school. It not only enriches our classrooms and community culturally, but keeps our adult to student ratio low and quality of learning high. Hosting a German intern is an unforgettable intercultural experience for the whole family. Enjoy typical German dishes, music, and personal conversations with your intern. Let your children benefit socially and academically from a native German speaker in your home.

If you're interested in hosting an Amity Intern, please sign up here. This is only an expression of interest at this time, and not an absolute commitment or promise. For more information about our Amity program and hosting an intern, please go to the TCGIS website or contact Isabel Vollenweider.

Can't Host? Support an Intern as an Uncle or Aunt!

For those of you who would love to host an intern, but your living situation or family life does not make that possible, we are also asking you to help with host family support. You would be able to provide meals or extra food for interns, or take interns out for evenings and weekends, much like an "Onkel" (Uncle) or "Tante" (Aunt).

If you're interested in supporting an Amity Intern, please sign up here. This is only an expression of interest at this time, and not an absolute commitment or promise. For more information about our Amity program and hosting an intern, please go to the TCGIS website or contact Isabel Vollenweider.

Library Book Sales Volunteers

The library has an annual book sale on Friday, May 16. This is also the day of the PTO Plant Sale and the School Board Elections. Blaine Strobe appreciates help setting up, during, and after the Book Sale. Sign up for helping out with the Library Book Sales.