If you are a current volunteer or would like to become one, please visit our volunteer page, read the instructions and fill out the online application.

Click HERE!

Administrative Information

Welcome Realschule Borghorst!

We're exited to welcome our exchange visitor students from Germany! Our visitors will arrive tonight at the airport and spend their first day at TCGIS tomorrow where our 8th grade students will welcome them with a Middle school dance followed by a potluck.

We're looking forward to two weeks of German-American cultural exchange! If you meet one of our German exchange students, don't be shy and say "Hallo", "Guten Tag", or "Herzlich Willkommen"!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Thursday, November 6 from 4:00pm to 7:30pm

Friday, November 7 from 8:10am to 3:30pm

Please sign up for parent teacher conferences! The parent portal will be open from 5:00pm today, Thursday, October 23, and remain open until Thursday, October 30 at 7:00am. Go to the following website to sign up for conferences: http://www.virtualparagon.com/tcgis/conference

For privacy and legal reasons, we are not allowed to publish the master password. An email was sent out earlier this week containing this information.

Before you log in, we suggest that you have the following information:

A list of all the teachers you would like to see. The online conference system will not tell you the names of your children's teachers. Use the PowerSchool Parent Portal to see a list of all teachers your child sees throughout the week. It is located here: https://twincitiesgerman.powerschool.com/public
The times you would like to have conferences. The system will tell you the available slots for all teachers. If the teachers you wish to see are not available, contact them to schedule an alternative time for a conference.

If you used this system in previous years, you may have opted to keep your account and password. If you opted out of this, or if you are new to the school, you will be prompted to create an account.

If you have any questions, please call the office at 651-492-7106 or send an email to Lauren Kalish at lkalish@tcgis.org.

Halloween Parade (Weather Permitting)

Friday, October 31, 2:15-3:00pm at TCGIS

We are looking for to a fabulous, safe and creative Halloween enjoyed by all students! Each teacher is sending out ideas for costumes and classroom party ideas, so watch for that in your weekly teacher updates. With good weather, we are hoping for a parade at the end of the day, making for another great opportunity for parents to connect with the school! Please get your cameras ready and come to enjoy the fun and creativity from 2:15-3:00 on Friday, October 31!

All Parents are welcome for the end of the Day Parade!

Wanted - Two Spring Host-Families for our Interns!

We're still looking for two host-families and two back-up families! Please support the school and our Amity intern program and consider hosting a Spring intern. Our German interns are one of the biggest assets of our school:

The presence of Amity interns at TCGIS nearly halves our student/staff ratio, bringing us to a student-instructor ratio of 12:1.
Students have twice the opportunities for work in small groups or 1-on-1 assistance.
The Amity Interns increase the German language exposure at the school but also bring freshness, fun, and an intercultural atmosphere to our community.

Please consider hosting an Amity intern and fill out the online form 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 ivollenweider@tcgis.org.

The deadline for spring applications is October 31, 2014 - Halloween day! Thank you!

Board Agenda & Board Packet

Board Agenda and Board Packet are available in the sidebar of our homepage under board announcements.

Picture Retake Day

November 11th!

Picture retake day will take place on November 11th for students who missed Picture Day. Proofs and orders will be available at the beginning of November. If for any reason you are unsatisfied with your child's picture, you can schedule retakes by emailing Lauren at lkalish@tcgis.org.

Reminder - Supply Donations

Each year TCGIS asks for a supply donation from our families to help cover the extra costs of our German curriculum, including disposable "Heft" or workbooks purchased each year. The suggested donation is $75 per child. For all families that have already made a donation, thank you! This donation makes it possible for TCGIS to provide our students with the best German materials available. If you would like to make a donation, please do so in the front office. We appreciate your support!

Carpooling!

Are you interested in finding other families to carpool with? We've got answers! The first way to find carpool opportunities is to search the directory. By now you should all have access to the draft and should have received the password information. When you open the directory, search by zipcode to see who is near you. Email info@tcgis.org if you experience problems accessing the directory.

Another tool to find carpooling is with a Facebook group called TCGIS Carpool 2014-2015. Click on the link here and request to join. Once you've been approved, feel free to start conversations with other families about carpooling! It is a closed group, meaning everyone needs approval to join. This will keep your information private and only be visible to TCGIS families that are in the group. See who is in your area and get your carpool on!

School Board Announcement

October is National Bullying Prevention Month

National Bullying Prevention Month was developed in 2006 by the PACER Center, which is headquartered in Minneapolis as a way to raise awareness about the issue of bullying, the impact of bullying on kids and what communities can do to prevent bullying and support kids who are bullied.

The PACER Center offers a wealth of tools and resources for educators, parents and young people to address bullying. http://www.pacer.org/bullying

The school board would appreciate any input from community members to examine the status of the school Bullying policy #514. We want to keep the school a safe and supportive place for students to learn and make progress in fulfilling their dreams and aspirations.

Any feedback can be made on the bottom of the DRAFT page or sent directly to mwallace@tcgis.org, Governance Chair.

We are looking for input & revision ideas by end of October - for approval in November.

Performances and Events

St. Martin's Day at the Landmark Center

November 9th, 4pm - 6pm

As it's getting colder and darker day by day we yearn for more coziness & warm candle lights. It is also time to make little cute lanterns and to gather for singing, dancing and parading after a horseman with a red cape. Yes, it's time to commemorate St. Martin's Day at the Landmark Center!

TCGIS students, families and any extended relatives are cordially invited to this celebration of light, charity & kindness.

It is a wonderful opportunity to showcase many of the school's talents and to get closer to our vision of global world citizenship. In addition to the already traditional performance by 2nd grade you may see some surprises this year.

Mark your calendars - Sunday, November 9, from 4pm to 6pm at the Landmark Center in St. Paul. This event is open to the public.

More information and song texts can be found at https://sites.google.com/a/germanschool-mn.org/music/stage/st-martin.

St. Martinstag Band

Our Band instructor, Krista Johnson, is looking for parents who would be interested in playing with our students on two songs for the St. Martinstag performance at Landmark Center on November 9, 2014. We would have a short run-through of the music before the performance. If interested, please contact Krista Johnson at monk2miles@comcast.net for more information and copies of the music.

Wanted! Singers of all Ages!

Join the "Merry Festival Singers" and perform in school and community events :

Martinstag at Landmark Center
Christkindlmarkt in Excelsior
Nikolaustag at GAI

For Details call Herbert at 651-226-2666 or e-mail hengelmayer@msn.com.

PTO

PTO Announcement

Find out what's going on in the PTO. Click here to read more about:

CANCELED - Kaffeeklatsch - October 24; volunteers needed for future Kaffeeklatsch
Craft and Bake Sale - November 12 & 13

Be sure to like the TCGIS PTO page on Facebook!

GAI

GAI Announcement

Deutschlandspiel film screening: Saturday, November 1, 10am-1:30pm: This docu-drama combines historical footage, interviews, and reenactments into a political thriller on the fall of the Berlin Wall. The film will be screened in two 90 minute periods with a 30 minute intermission, when we invite you to join us for brunch at a specially extended Kaffeestube.

Junior und der Schwan: American Agents for East Germany: Friday, November 14, 6:30pm: Join us with German journalist Konrad Ege for a documentary screening and discussion of the last Cold War spy trial. The film features interviews with the spies themselves, as well as their handlers, documenting their idealism and naivete.

Volunteering

Volunteer Opportunities!

Every week, TCGIS offers divers opportunities to volunteer. Right now we have the following openings:

Performing Arts Volunteers
Library Volunteers
Green Team Volunteers

Please check out our Volunteer Opportunity Directory here.

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.

If you need assistance with the application or have any questions, please contact Isabel at ivollenweider@tcgis.org. Thank you!