The PTO is sponsoring events for Teacher Appreciation Week. Treats and gifts will be available to teachers all week in recognition and gratitude for all they do for our school and our kids.

Parents can help by encouraging your kids to write notes to their teachers, writing chalk greetings on the sidewalks around school, or writing a thank-you message on your car windows with glass markers for teachers to see during drop-off and pick-up.

I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. It might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. - John Steinbeck

Board Elections - Meet the Candidates / Voting Process

Dear TCGIS Community,

School Board elections are fast approaching! To encourage full community participation, elections will be held from Tuesday evening, May 13 after the PTO meeting through Friday, May 16, 4:45pm. Election materials to be disseminated by hand as well as email blast by Monday, May 12. One ballot can be turned in for each eligible voter in person/drop off or by mail in by the deadline. Six candidate biographies are included with the ballot materials to assist you in the voting process, you may vote for up to three candidates.

Living Science

Hatching chicks, caterpillars, and butterflies

Frau Heindl and Frau Scholtz and are delighted to announce the arrival of the newest addition at TCGIS. Born at 1:04 pm and weighing in at 45 grams, baby chick Jane Doe is ready to meet the world! She is a healthy, happy, tired little girl (or boy) that has made this first time mama happy!

First graders are welcoming Painted Lady butterflies (Distelfalter) this week as they emerge one by one from their cocoons. Ask a first grader the differences between "Distelfalter" and Monarch caterpillars and butterflies.

Thanks to Frau Scholz and Frau Heindl!

Call to all Parent Scientists and Engineers

As we are eagerly anticipating the building of the brand new science lab, we foresee the need for more used scientific metric ware, such as beakers, erlenmeyer flasks and plastic metric cyclinders. If your department has some of the items to donate to a non-profit, please think of TCGIS! If you have other items and do not know if they can be used at school, please inquire with Frau Lauenstein at [email protected]. We have received some real treasures in the past from parents like you!

Thank you!

Spring Spirit Wear & Mug 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)

Don't have a mother's day present yet? Purchase a TCGIS mug for $10!

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

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).

Meet Blumenkranz Dance Troupe 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.

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

Thanks,

Valentin Solakhau

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.

Poetry Olympics " Be A-Muse-d"

Friday, May 9, 12:30-3:00pm at TCGIS Aula

Our middle school students will compete in our third annual poetry olympics. They will recite poems in four different categories:

traditional poetry - poems by ancient or modern author
original poetry - poems written by students
mash-up poetry - altered, reimagined, or reinvented poems that have already be published
visual poetry - visual arrangement of text, images and symbols

Reputable judges will evaluate students' performances. Cool prizes await the winners!

This event is open to the public community.

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!

May 16 at TCGIS Cafeteria

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>.

Eco Arts Fest

Saturday, May 17, 10am-3pm

Our "Green Team" (director Hunter Goetzman) and "Blumenkranz" (director Valentin Solakhau) will take part in EcoArts Festival. This way we would like to express our commitment to the sustainable future and "green" initiatives.

This is a free event that will take place at Harriet Island Grounds and Pavilion on May 17, from 10am to 3pm. Click here for more information.

Medtronic TC Kids Marathon Cross Country Fun Run

May 17 at 9am at Como Park Picnic Pavilion

Dear TCGIS Families and staff!

We would like to invite all of our students (K-8), their siblings and parents to participate in the 2014 Medtronic TC Kids Marathon Cross Country Fun Run right in our neighborhood. The more the better!

Meet with the coaches Mandi Rosenthal and Tanja Schmitt. There will be a designated area with the TCGIS banner visible. Wear your TCGIS spirit gear! (if you don't have a shirt yet, they are available in the office!). For more information, please check your email from April 28, and click here for the flyer.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Mandi Rosenthal and Tanja Schmitt

Volunteer Appreciation Day

May 22 at TCGIS

It's time to say thank you to our dedicated volunteer community!

If you have volunteered at TCGIS in any way over the year, please join us for our volunteer appreciation day on May 22!

Program:
8-9am & 2-3pm: Social gathering in staff lounge with sweets & coffee.

6-7pm: Mingling with Board members and official volunteer recognition at the School Board meeting in TCGIS Cafeteria.

We're looking forward to celebrate with you!

8th Grade Graduation Celebration

June 8, 2-5pm at TCGIS

Dear 8th grade families and friends,

Please save the date of June 8, 2-5pm, for the 8th Grade Graduation Celebration! More information about the program will follow. In order to help us plan the event, please RSVP your attendance.

Save the Date: School Picnic on June 12 at Como Park!

This year's picnic will be held on June 12th from 11:30am to 1:30pm at Como Park. Early release for ALL students is at 2pm at TCGIS. A schedule and information on what to bring, forms to download, and the volunteer sign-up will be announced mid-May.

Thank you!

PTO Announcement

Meet-Up at the Playground POSTPONED to May 7: Due to the uncooperative weather, we are moving the Como Playground Meet-Up to Wednesday, May 7 after school. Weather-permitting, we will meet at the playground across Midway Parkway from Como Town. Directions:

West on Van Slyke toward Horton Ave
Left on Horton Ave
Right on Midway Pkwy
Playground will be on the left

Meet-Up at Como Zoo on May 1: Instead of meeting at the Como Playground, we will meet up after school on Thursday, May 1 in the Tropical Encounters Exhibit inside the Como Zoo Visitor's Center.

Contact Beki Cook at [email protected] with any questions about these Meet-Ups.

GAI Announcement

Polka & Pils Classes & Dance Party

Kick up your heels and get in touch with your inner Polkameister with 3 polka classes at the GAI on May 21, 28, and June 4, leading up to our Polka & Pils Dance Party at the Klub Haus on Thursday, June 12. Register for classes here and get more details on the dance party with The Brass Barn Polka Band on the GAI website.

The GAI's Deutsche Tage

Join us June 14-15 for the Great GERMAN Get-Together at the GAI. Saturday kicks things off with our 5K Lederhosenlauf and Bicyclists' Biergarten. Sunday is Family Day with kid-friendly activities. Click here for more details about this free annual celebration of German culture and cuisine.

1st Grade Field Trip Chaperones

The three 1st grades are going on a field trip to the Bakken Museum on June 4. We will need a total of 11 chaperones to accompany us. Sign up here.

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.