Elternbrief
Issue: 183
January 8, 2015
In This Issue
Welcome Back in 2015
Important Survey Regarding Busing
December School Board Recap
Elementary Community Social Hour
Snow and Cold Policies Refresher
After School Activities Registration Extended to Friday
Still Accepting Supply Donations
SPED Parent Meet Up
Pick Up and Drop Off Reminder
Grades 3-8 Supports from OLPA Results
Going Green With Our Grades!
Enrollment is Open for the 2015-2016 School Year!
PTO Announcement
GAI Announcement

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Jan 9: Registration CLOSES for After School Activities Session II

Jan 9: PTO Kaffeeklatsch

Jan 11-16: Parent Portal Turned Off

Jan 12: After School Activities Session II BEGINS

Jan 16: Teacher Grading Day - No School

Jan 19: Martin Luther Kind Day - No School

Jan 21: Early Release

Jan 23: Afternoon PTO Kaffeeklatsch

 

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
Frohes Neues Jahr TCGIS!
Welcome to 2015! As I reflect on the passing of the old year and look forward to the new, I can't help but count the TCGIS community in the top of my blessings. Every day I am humbled by the commitment and energy of so many in our community to fulfill on our vision--
Educating children for active and informed world citizenship.

Sincerest Thanks
I deeply thank our parents and the PTO, who volunteer endlessly and provide innovative ideas for quality education; I deeply thank our teachers, who show such love and dedicated to children in their actions and smiles; and this year, I especially want to thank our School Board for their tremendous efforts and ongoing accomplishments:
  • A New Strategic Plan for 2015-2018 (in process)
  • Quality Governance with Comprehensive School Policies
  • New Initiatives in Expanding Growth: Personnel Committee, Busing Discussions, Grand Opening for the New Building, and more.
I look forward with delight to our new adventures together in 2015 as we continue to build a school full of rigor, care and community! Happy New Year!

Warmly, Ann

Important Survey: Busing and Start Date/Time

As the School Board prepares to set next year's calendar and fiscal budget, 
we need you! Community input is critical to inform Board discussions and decisions at Board meetings on important topics affecting everyone at TCGIS.

 

Busing--historically at TCGIS, parents/guardians sign waivers to allow state transportation money (based per pupil) to go to academic programming at TCGIS. This year we were able to use the money (approx. $107,000) to support academic programming.

 

If the school decides to provide busing next year the transportation money (of about $117,000 due to increasing enrollment) plus potential additional money from our general education fund would be used for busing and may allow for two to three buses routes in the St. Paul area only. (Students outside St. Paul are currently not eligible for busing, or would pay an additional cost). About 150 of 430 students currently reside in St. Paul.

 

As a public school, we also understand and support the idea of finding a viable solution for school busing. As a Charter school we want to collect as much community input as possible to find the best solution.

With this in mind, we ask our community to provide input by taking the following Busing and Start Time/Date survey. The purpose of the survey is to collect community input for Board discussion and decision-making. Furthermore, if these issues are of importance to you, we highly recommend you attend the next School Board meeting on January 22 at 6:30pm in Room 100. Child care is provided.

December 2014 School Board Recap
Please find a link to the December 2014 School Board Recap here.

 

Elementary Community Social Hour
Friday, January 30, 2015
Our December K-4 Elementary Community Social Hour was a grand success! Thank you to
erveyone who attended. It was so nice to visit with coffee and cookies in our new Commons! Please mark your calendars for our next social hour:
Friday, January 30, 2015
7:50-8:15am - parents/guardians gather in classrooms to visit 
with 
teachers and interns
8:15-8:30am - adults quietly observe Morning Circle
8:30-9:30am - gather in the Commons for coffee and parent/guardian connection
We look forward to seeing everyone who can make it!
Brr It's Cold Outside!                                 

Dear Families,
As the temperatures drop we want to remind you of our cold and snow policy on ourwebsite. Click here to read about how we make our cancellation decisions. Our recess policies can be found in the Family Handbook and are highlighted below.

A.    Recess will be indoors if the wind-chill drops below the 30-minute threshold for frostbite as determined by the National Weather Service Wind-chill chart.  Forecasts from the National Weather Service will be used to make the determination.  This policy is to protect students and staff from extreme conditions and ensure their safety. 

 

B.    In the event of heat indexes above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, recess will be inside.  Additional water will be provided at recess when the heat index exceeds 90 degrees.  Forecasts from the National Weather Service will be used to make the determination.  This policy is to protect students and staff from extreme conditions and ensure their safety.

 

C.    Heavy Rain, lightning, local flooding, and other severe weather will result in moving recess indoors.  Lightning will result in recess moving indoors for 30 minutes past the last lightning strike. Forecasts from the National Weather Service and staff observations will be used to make the determination.  This practice is to protect students and staff from extreme conditions and ensure their safety.

 

D.    Administration reserves the right to cancel recess for any and all students.

 

After School Activities Registration - One Day Left!

Registration is still open for Session II After-School Activities. Take a look at the course descriptions and schedule, and feel free to fill out a registration form if interested. Please note that both the baking and woodworking classes are full. A few new classes have been added to the schedule as well!

 

Copies will be also available in the office. All registrations must be turned in by 
Friday, January 9!

We Are Still Accepting Supply Donations!

Have you meant to drop off your supply donation but haven't gotten around to it? There is still time! 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, we can't thank you enough! 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 are so appreciative of your support!

 

Special Education Parent Meet Up!
Monday, January 19 7:30-9:00pm
Please join members of the Special Ed Advisory Committee and other parents of SpEd students for an evening of conversation and community building.  Monday, January 19th from 7:30-9PM at the Como Park Grill, 1341 Pascal St N, St Paul, MN 55108.  The Como Park Grill has a full menu to order from if you so choose.  

Please RSVP to Jessica Chastek if you can join us: rubyrya@gmail.com or 651.726.4455
 (call or text).  

 

Reminder About Pick Up and Drop Off

As the weather gets colder, we strive to make pick up and drop off as efficient as possible. In the mornings please make sure that children are ready to go in their hats, mittens, scarves, coats, and any other warm gear. The drop off process is slowed down by children needing extra time to bundle up. We ask parents to be extra cognizant of this and try to encourage being ready before it is your turn--it will help everyone! Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Grades 3-8 Math and Reading Supports from OLPA Results; Plus Science!

Students in grades 3-8 brought home results from the OLPA before Winter Break. On the
score reports was a learner locator. Click here and enter the learner locator to access resources for math and reading at the students individual ability level; in addition, the website has standards-based resources for grades 3-12 in math, reading, and science. The resources can be used for remediation or enrichment. The Minnesota Department of Education provides this resource at no cost to educators, families, and students. Please email Jeff Horton at 
jhorton@tcgis.org if you have any questions.
View Grades Electronically!

New this year to TCGIS is the electronic release of grades. Semester 1 grades will be released online on January 23. The Parent Portal will go offline on January 10 to allow teachers to start entering and updating grades. This switch to electronic grades helps us care for the environment and live out our sustainable values. Parents are able to print grades from home.
Enrollment is Open for the 2015-2016 School Year!

Enrollment for the 2015-2016 school year is open. Please send us the application for your younger sibling as soon as possible if you have no done so already. Click here for the application form.

All families with new students joining the 2015-2016 school year must have turned in their application the latest by Thursday, February 12 - the day before the lottery. Preference is given to siblings, but the applications must still be turned in. Thank you!
PTO

PTO Announcement

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

  • Kaffeeklatsch - Friday, January 9 at 8am
  • Maskenball update

REMINDER - There is no January PTO meeting. The next PTO meeting is February 10.


 

For the latest information, be sure to like our Facebook page

 


GAI
GAI Announcement

Join us for Kaffeestube and stay for the kick off of our Spring Culture Series with storytelling auf Deutsch. German author Hedi E. Büttner's short stories feature criminal satire set in Germany's northern regions.

Shown in German with English subtitles, this 2005 Oscar nominee tells the heart-wrenching true story of the last days of Sophie Scholl, a German student and revolutionary who was active in die Weiße Rose (The White Rose), a Nazi resistance movement.