Elternbrief
Issue: 237                       
March 17, 2016 
In This Issue

Quick Links
TCGIS Online Calendar
 Volunteer at TCGIS!
Take a look at current volunteer opportunities! If you are not yet a volunteer, but are interested in becoming one - please fill out an application here. Vielen Dank!
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Administrative Information
Reminder: No School Tomorrow

This is a reminder that there is no school tomorrow due to parent teacher conferences.
After School Activities Registration Due Next Thursday

Can you believe it? The final session of after school activities for the 2015-2016 school year is here! Please see the attached schedule and the course descriptions. Interested in signing up? Click here for the registration! If you are in need of a scholarship, please click here. Payment and registration materials are due next Thursday, March 24. Please note that this is the day before Spring Break, and that after school activities begin the Monday we return to school (April 4).
TCGIS Library Dedication

On Sunday,  March 20 from 4-6pm, TCGIS will dedicate the library in the name of Marcy Zachmeier-Ruh. She and Mary-Fred Bausman-Watkins founded the school in 2005. Marcy was passionate about immersion, German language and culture, and education. She worked tirelessly to establish the TCGIS library collection and it is fitting that TCGIS name the library in her honor. Please RSVP here. 
Information on MCA Testing

Coming up in April is MCA testing. Michelle Wallace has written up some information regarding the testing. Please click here to read it. 
Hexentanz Cancelled
 
The Hexentanz planning committee, in conjunction with the school and PTO, has decided to cancel Hexentanz for this year. We look forward to future opportunities to collaborate on community building events such as the end of the year picnic on June 9.

Fundraiser for 6th Grade Concordia Language Villages Field Trip!

During parent teacher conferences the sixth graders will be having a bake sale to raise money for their upcoming field trip to the Biohaus at Concordia Language Villages. They will be selling baked goods, popcorn and refreshments Thursday afternoon until 6pm and Friday during the day. Sixth graders will also propose childcare for siblings in the library for donations. In addition to the vending stand in the Lobby, the students will be cruising the hallways with carts to bring refreshments to waiting parents and students. 
April Order Window Open Now!

Log on to our online store https://tcgis.orderlunches.com now and place your child's Bus, Kinderclub and Lunch/Milk order for April. Due to Spring Break taking place during the last week of March, all orders are due on Tuesday, March 22nd. 

If you have not yet registered for a parent account yet, please use the school password TCGIS1 when you register.
Host an Intern!
 
Now is the time to apply to become a host family for the next school year. Options are available for short-term hosting, Fall semester, Spring semester or for full-year arrangements. Hosting a TCGIS intern from Germany, Austria or Switzerland can be a valuable experience for your family and expand the horizons of your children forever!  

Click 
here to find out more about our intern program! Have any questions? Contact Tina Haarbusch. Already sold and excited to host? Click here to sign up by April 30, 2015
Congrats to History Day Teams!

Congratulations to four groups from TCGIS on going to the state competition for history day!

8th grade: Annabelle Hendrickson, Ben Schneider, and Chloe Wick with their website on Star Wars; 7th grade: Cora-Rose Michel, Luca Sektnan, and Ava Hansen with their performance on the Berlin Airlift; 7th grade: Lydia White, Anika Weeding and Frannie Crego with their performance on the National Youth Administration; 6th grade: Aneesah Sands, Ella Runyan, and Eleni Phillips with their documentary on the Dred Scott Case

Honorable Mentions at regionals:
6th grade: Molly Hennelly, Elsie Swedberg, Lily Hamacher with their performance on the Dakota War of 1862; 6th grade: Sylvia Metcalfe and Camryn Nagel with their documentary on Virginia Mae Hope and the WWII WASPs program.
E-Registration for 2016-2017

Log on to the Powerschool Parent Portal to check out our new online student enrollment system, E-Registration. You can find this on the left-hand menu of the parent portal, and with it you can easily update any and all student information for your kids. Need some help? Look for someone from the office next week at parent teacher conferences if you have any questions.  
Join TCGIS at the Immersion Festival on April  9

This year TCGIS will be participating at the Immersion Festival at Minnetonka High School Art Center on April 9 from 9am to 12pm. This is a MAIN (Minnesota Advocates for Immersion Network) sponsored event, featuring different immersion schools in the Twin Cities.TCGIS will be represented by a booth and our wonderful Blumenkranz dancers. We hope to see you there!
Happy Birthday, Andrea!

Wishing Andrea Diedrich a happy 24th birthday! Andrea has been student teaching with Stephanie Lauenstein and Evelyn Stillwell in middle school science this year, including leading the 5A Homeroom. We are so fortunate to have her talented and capable assistance! Andrea was not included in the intern introductions in September as she came a little later, but she is such a valuable part of our community and we wanted to celebrate her! 
Curriculum & Instruction Corner 


For this week's update from the curriculum and instruction corner, please click here to read an update from Mike Mullins, as well as an update from the Looping Team. 
PTO
PTO Announcements
 
Meeting Agenda and Minutes
Were you unable to make the most recent PTO meeting? You can view the approved agenda and February's minutes. Our next meeting will be April 12, from 6:30pm-8:00pm. Registration will open on March 31st. Hope to see you there!

GAI  
GAI Announcement

Lunch auf Deutsch: Dr. Anatoly Liberman
$20 Lunch and Lecture, $10 for Lecture Only
11:30am Lunch available, 12pm Speaker begins - Registration Required
Offered once a quarter, Lunch auf Deutsch invites you to take a longer lunch on Friday while meeting other professionals and members of the German-speaking community, and hearing a presentation in German by a renowned speaker. For this luncheon's speaker, we have the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Anatoly Liberman, professor at the U of M and expert on Germanic linguistics and folklore. Click here to register and learn more.

Easter Egg Hunt: Fundraiser for Kinderstube
Saturday, March 26, 11:30am - $10 per child; Ages 7 and under
11:30am start for ages 0-3yrs, 11:45am start for ages 4-7yrs
Join us the day before Easter for an Egg Hunt on Summit Avenue. Dress for outdoor fun on the GAI grounds (rain or shine!) to support Kinderstube - the GAI's German Immersion Preschool. Some plastic eggs will contain candy and some will contain tokens, with which children may purchase fun items from our special Osterladen (Easter store).
For more information, contact Kinderstube at 651-353-5147 or by emailing preschool@gai-mn.org.