Elternbrief
Issue: 199
April 30, 2015
In This Issue

Quick Links
Like us on Facebook


April 30-May 3: Festival of Nations

May 1: K-8 Social Hour & Kaffeeklatsch

May 4: Maskenball Debriefing

May 4-8: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 4-8: Scholastic Book Fair

May 11: 7th Grade Capstone Meeting

May 15: School Board Elections

May 16: Grand Opening

May 20: Early Release

May 22: Professional Learning - No School

May 25: Memorial Day - No School

May 28: School Board Meeting

 

 

Volunteer!
Learn more about the volunteer opportunities at TCGIS.


Administrative Information
Move to Excellence 2015 Starts Next Week
May 4-8, 2015

Starting Monday, May 4, our spring fundraiser, "Move to Excellence 2015", will begin. You will receive daily emails to learn more about this fun project. Help us finalize our dream of building an outdoor sports court and furnishing the Aula with performance lighting! With your support, we're hoping to raise $30,000 for performances & sports.

Meet the School Board Candidates
 
Hear ye, hear ye! School board elections are about two weeks away and the Meet the Candidates event is tonight. There are now 7 candidates invited to share their experiences, skills, and insights into their motivation to serve on Twin Cities German Immersion School Board.

"Meet the Candidates" tonight (April 30) will be in the school cafeteria from 6:30-8pm. If you are unable to attend, keep an eye out for the video of the event in a future Elternbrief, on our website, and also on our YouTube channel.

Elections begin May 11 and end May 15. 
TCGIS Toy Policy Reminder

This is a friendly reminder to parents regarding the toy policy at TCGIS. The policy can be found on page 28 of our family handbook and in summary states that TCGIS does not allow for non-TCGIS toys and games to be present during the school day. Please me mindful of this as the weather gets warmer! Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!
Get Excited for the TCGIS 10 Year Anniversary!
Saturday, May 16, 2015 - 10am-3pm

Mark your calendars and head on over to our snazzy event site to read about the May 16 Anniversary & Open House festivities! Did you know that there will be all sorts of fun activities, including a visit from a talking parrot?! Register today!

We're looking forward to celebrating with you!
Stay Up to Date with the 8th Grade Capstone Trip

Curious about what the TCGIS 8th graders are up to in Germany? Our new Tumblr, TCGIS Foto Tagebuch, is a great way to stay caught up with all that our 8th graders are experiencing. We will also be using this Tumblr as a way to post pictures of fun future events!

Click to enlarge picture.
Still in Need of Three Host Families for Fall!

Support the school
as a host-family and let your children benefit socially and academically from a native German speaker in your home! Please consider hosting an intern for the upcoming fall semester. If interested, please fill out the online form. This is only an expression of interest at this time, not an absolute commitment. For more information please go to the TCGIS website or contact Isabel Vollenweider.
Support TCGIS at Festival of Nations This Weekend!
Saturday, May 2, 2015

Looking for something to do this Saturday? Head over to the River Centre in St. Paul for Festival of Nations to watch our school dance troupe, Blumenkranz, perform for the fifth year in a row!

Watch Blumenkranz Dancers on Saturday, May 2nd, at Roy Wilkins Auditorium at:
11am - Austrian program: Kreuzpolka & Krebspolka 
12pm - German program: Hammerschmiedg'sellen
1pm - Austrian program: Waltz
1:45pm - German program: Holsteiner Dreitour & Kruzk�nig
7th Grade Capstone Informational Meeting!
Monday, May 11, 7-8pm

It's hard to believe, but it is time to start thinking about the culminating event for our 7th grade TCGIS students! There will be an informational meeting about Capstone 2015-16 on Monday, May 11 at 7-8pm in Room 100. Information will cover the Fall and Spring experiences, costs, as well as a general Q&A session. Please contact Jeff Horton if you have any questions at jhorton@tcgis.org.
Telling Tall Tales- A 6th Grade Humanities Project

It can be fun a nd totally acceptable to tell "lies", especially when you know how to use your imagination and stylistic devices to build up suspension like "Der Baron von M�nchhausen". Together with Frau Schmitt and Herr Wegener, 6a and 6b learned all about this genre and came up with their own stories. At the "L�genbasar" (Market for Tall Tales), the 5th grade students could listen to these stories and at the end guess which ones were "a lie" and which ones really happened. Correct guesses were rewarded with coins, that later could be traded in for something sweet.
Click image to enlarge.

 

Bring in Your Box Tops!

Do you have any box tops at home? TCGIS will gladly take them off of your hands! Drop them off at the Front Office and YOU can help TCGIS raise money! A special thank you to Christine Ustun, who went through our collection. We've already made $600 from the box tops that Christine counted!
Help Influence the TCGIS Volunteer Program
  • Sign-up here to attend a focus group on Tuesday, May 5, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. with other parents/guardians to share your input on what the TCGIS volunteer program should look like in the future. (Sorry, no childcare available). Pizza will be served and all participants will be entered in a drawing for a $5 Groundswell gift card. Can't make it? Share your thoughts and concerns regarding volunteerism at TCGIS here .
  • This spring we are piloting volunteer opportunities so we can evaluate what works and what needs to be tweaked to be successful in the fall. Learn more about the new or retooled volunteer opportunities here.
  • Want to volunteer, but don't have much time? Help out at the TCGIS 10 Year Anniversary event on Saturday, May 16. Volunteers are needed for set-up and decoration, info tent, first aid tent, snow cones, and clean-up. Volunteers are also needed the afternoon of Friday, May 15 to help with set-up. Get the full details and sign-up here. A lot of people helping a little makes a big difference!
Maskenball Debriefing
Monday, May 4, 7-9pm
 
Thanks to our generous TCGIS community, Maskenball 2015 netted over $22,800! Come share your thoughts as we meet to discuss this year's successes and challenges, ideas for next year, how the money is spent, etc. Meeting to be held on May 4, 7:00 to 9:00 pm, at Como Park Grill. An email invitation with additional details was sent last night. Click HERE to register. Contact Kelly Huxmann with questions.
GAI
GAI Announcement
 

Musik im Mai - Sunday, May 3 at 2pm  

The talented, young pianist James Barnett and mezzo-soprano Alyssa Anderson, return to the GAI, performing a set of classical Romance Era pieces inspired by the rich musical quality of Spanish, Hungarian and Romanian folk music circulating Berlin and Vienna at the time. Enjoy some Kaffee und Kuchen while listening to the melodic themes and dance-like quality of these works by Brahms, Reutter, and Liszt. $15 GAI Members, $18 Non-Member (Ticket includes Kaffee und Kuchen)  


On the Way to Uskudar - Friday, May 15 at 7pm
Join GAI favorites Dr. Orhan Ucer, Dr. Nickolai Kolarov, and Yigitcan Eryaman on a journey into the rhythms and melodies of Turkish and Balkan music. In this evening of music and merriment, we will travel through a whole spectrum of traditional and modern sounds, beginning with original Turkish folk songs played with the Baglama, then add samples of more modern versions of Turkish pieces as well as songs from the Balkans.Raise a glass of wine as you tap your toe in time to this energetic trio! $15 GAI Members, $18 Non-Members
PTO

PTO Announcement

 

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

  • Teacher Appreciation Week
  • Maskenball Debrief, Monday, May 4, Como Park Grill
  • 2015-16 PTO Officer Candidates and Job Descriptions
  • LAST CHANCE! SPRING STRUDEL AND PLANT ONLINE SALE--NOW THROUGH 9PM TONIGHT!
  • Upcoming Events

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