The time is finally here! We will be installing Phase I of the new playground surface this weekend. The installation process will begin Friday at 1:00pm (after recess) and continue all day Saturday. As a precaution, we have worked with independent groups certified by the Environmental Protection Agency, national agencies, regional and local experts as well as worked with community stakeholder groups. The surface product has been around for 20 years and has been studied very well. There is no risk to students being at school during this process. A very small amount will be put down while students are present. Most of the time will be used for set up. As an extra precaution, we will close down the entire playground from Van Slyke to Como after recess. All students that get picked up on Como Ave will exit the building through the Aula (exit facing Como Ave). The windows will be closed and the area monitored. Again, there is no risk to students, parent, staff or anyone else, but we want to take extra steps to ensure families and all students are safe. Although the surface can be walked on within an hour, we would like all families to not use the playground this weekend. If there are no unforeseen delays, the new surface will be ready for Monday. Bring your best four square and hopscotch game!!

Family Handbook Update

Dear Community Members,

We hope you have had a wonderful first 3 days back! In an effort to get you information before school started, we sent the Family Handbook knowing a few edits/conversations were still in the works. Most information was complete and we wanted you to have that information. The most recent update can be found on the website within a day or two. We have listed the highlights below for those that have already read it.

PTO: the description of the PTO has been updated and the language has been clarified.
Drop-Off/Pick-UP: clarifying language around carpooling on K-1.
We are removing the Ten Guidelines in order to develop a stakeholder input group for reviewing language and finding a collaborative and positive way to reach the spirit of intent.
In the future, bullying and the School Board/PTO diagram will be discussed and updated. The current language is the most up to date.

Drop-Off / Pick-Up Update

Wow! What a great start it has been for drop-off and pick-up!! We have received many compliments from the neighborhood about our families. Thank you for working with our system to keep the roads safe, and drop-off and pick-up efficient.

We have included areas, below, where we need to keep getting better at next week.

K-1: After dropping off or picking up, please do not turn down Argyle (the immediate right that takes you to the 2-8 drop-off/pick-up). Go around the corner to Chatsworth. From there you can take Como around the lake and head toward Highway 36, continue down Chatsworth to Front/Energy Park Drive to 94.
Grade 2-8 parents: Please do not use Horton/Van Slyke. You can get to Chatsworth from Lexington via Orchard (by the railroad bridge on Lexington). Front Ave/Energy Park Drive is another option as well.
Continue to be careful of your speed around the school and on Chatsworth.
No U-turns.
If you see cones blocking an area, please do not drive through them. These are to help students cross the road safely and limit traffic build up.

Thank you again for being great team players. Everyone is doing a great job!!

Calling for After School Activities Instructors!

Session one of after school activities will be starting soon! If you would like to offer a class please fill out the form here and hand it in to the office by Tuesday, September 8. Session one of After School Activities will be starting the week of September 29. If you have any questions about teaching a class, please email Molly at [email protected]. Thanks!

Our New Volunteer Tool - Volgistics!

Our school is blessed with a very active and dedicated volunteer community. Thank you! To make volunteering even more easy and fun, we're in the process of implementing a new volunteer management tool - Volgistics. If you are a current volunteer or would like to become one, please visit our volunteer page on the website, read the instructions and fill out the online application. The goal is to have our entire volunteer body (board and committee members, library volunteers, classroom volunteers etc) set up with a Volgistics account. This might be a bit of extra work at the beginning but the rewards will definitely out-weight the costs. Logged-in into your Volgistics account, you will have access to volunteer openings, can check your schedule, and track your hours.

If you need assistance with the application or have any questions, please contact Isabel at [email protected]. Volgistics is also a new tool for us. Please be patient, we'll try our best to solve any growing pains during the implementation phase. Thank you!

Thank You Moving Volunteers!

On our fist school day on Tuesday, we held an all school assembly in the Aula to welcome our students to the new school year. It was wonderful to see the Aula filled with excited children instead of boxes and cardboards. A big thank you goes out to all the volunteers who tirelessly moved boxes, desks, chairs, books etc. Thank you for offering your muscle power and saving us around $4,000 off the prize for professional movers!

Summer Art Challenge Prize

For anyone who participated in Frau Lenburg's Summer Art Challenge this summer: please bring to the art room the documentation of your completed challenges (artwork, photos, etc.) by the end of next week (9/12) for a small prize. If you completed ten or more challenges, your name will be entered into a drawing for a gift certificate to Blick Art Supplies! All work will be returned.

For questions, please contact Frau Lenburg.

Library Volunteers

Get-Together on Thursday, September 11

Thank you for the great response to the call for library volunteers! We are making good progress. Classes will begin visiting the library soon, so if you are interested in assisting with check-out or shelving, please let Sarah know at [email protected]. In addition, Sarah would like to invite past, current and potential future library volunteers for refreshments and a library update on Thursday, September 11 at 2:15 in the library. Please join us and see our beautiful new library!

Looking for Spare Fans for our Classrooms

If you have a spare fan at home you don't need anymore, feel free to drop it at the main office. Our faculty is already running hot and would welcome a cool breeze. Thank you.

PTO Announcement

Kaffeeklatsch - September 5

The first PTO Kaffeeklatch of the new school year is this Friday (9/5) from 8am to 9am in the foyer of our beautiful new building! Join other TCGIS parents after drop-off for coffee and conversation. Suggested donation: $1 with your own mug or $1.50 without (and we all know coffee tastes better in a real mug, so bring your own to reduce waste!).

Ice Cream Social - September 7

Please join the TCGIS PTO for an ice cream social celebrating the start of a new school year. All members of the TCGIS community are welcome! Sunday, September 7, 3-5pm at TCGIS, rain or shine! We look forward to seeing you!

Join Us for the PTO Kickoff Meeting! - Tuesday, September 9, 6:30-8:00 pm

at TCGIS in Room 100 (please enter by the doors on the east side of the new addition)

The TCGIS PTO has been hard at work over the summer, planning and getting ready to kick off a great year! Come hear about exciting new events and opportunities to get involved! In order to help us plan for setup, please RSVP your attendance. If you would like free, PTO-sponsored childcare, then you must RSVP. Please plan to arrive a few minutes early to help settle your child(ren) in before the meeting begins. If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact PTO President Shelley Parker at [email protected].

Be sure to like the TCGIS PTO page on Facebook!

GAI Announcement

Fall Culture Series: Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl's Journey to Freedom - Wednesday, September 10 at 7pm

Join us for a riveting discussion of a childhood shaped by global events as author J. Elke Ertle discusses growing up in post-World War II West Berlin.

Herbstfest Heuriger: a celebration of Austrian food and wine - Friday, September 19 from 6pm - 9pm, RSVP required by September 12

Live music by Vienna Community Arts and Austrian Spezialit�ten ranging from Schnitzel and Mohnstrudel to Gr�ner Veltliner and Zweigelt will bring true Viennese flair to St. Paul.

Fall Kids' German Classes: Samstagsschule - September 20 - December 6

For your kids who haven't started at TCGIS yet, consider Samstagsschule - a fun, interactive environment for kids to learn German on Saturday mornings. Registration runs through September 13. Sibling discounts are available.