April 20: Early Release

April 28: School Board Meeting

April 29: Social Hour/Kaffeekleatsch

May 2-6: Scholastic Book Fair

May 2-6: Staff Appreciation Week

May 5-8: Festival of Nations

May 18: Early Release Wednesday

May 26: School Board Meeting

May 27: Teacher Grading Day - No School

May 30: Memorial Day

June 1: TCGIS Band Concert

June 3: After School Activities End

June 5: TCGIS 8th Grade Graduation

June 9: Last Day of School & End of Year Picnic

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!

Administrative Information

Important Spring Construction News

Starting this week there will be construction around the school. Please click here to read about the updates and how this will impact pick up and drop off.

May/June Order Window Opens Friday, April 15

Starting Friday, 4/15, please log on to our online store https://tcgis.orderlunches.com and place your child's Bus, Kinderclub and Lunch/Milk order for May and June. With only 6 school lunch days left in June, please ensure that you also order meals for the remaining days in June. Bus and Kinderclub orders can also be placed until the end of the school year. All orders are due on Friday, April 22.

If you have not yet registered for a parent account yet, please use the school password TCGIS1 when you register.

**NEW to Order Lunches! You can now preorder yearbooks through Order Lunches! Yearbooks will be $15 and will be available in June.

Information on MCA Testing

This month we have MCA testing. Michelle Wallace has written up some information regarding the testing. Please click here to read it.

Buy a Yearbook Ad, Support Capstone 2016!

Want to promote your business? Want to honor your 2016 TCGIS graduate? Want to recognize your favorite teacher? The possibilities are endless! If you are interested, please send your yearbook ad in .jpeg form - or any questions - to Pam Gabriel at pgabriel@tcgis.org.

Submissions must be received by Tuesday, April 19!

Ad rates: 1 Page: $125, 1/2 Page: $70, 1/4 Page: $40

Checks can be made payable to TCGIS and dropped off at the main office. All profits go to the 8th Grade Capstone Fund!

The School Growth & Access Task Force - Still Looking for Members

The SGA Task Force was proposed at the board level to start looking into how the school has been growing, and how it might continue to grow. The group will be tasked with considering data and eventually even potential strategies for ensuring current and future TCGIS students have access to a quality education.

This work starts with collecting and compiling data, which may include past and present enrollment, past and present waitlists, demographics of past and present students, as well as other topics. From there, the group will work with the board to find out what information might be important for the future of TCGIS. Find out more in the SGA Task Force Charter.

Individuals with experience and interest in quantitative and/or qualitative data collection or analysis are preferred. The board would like to appoint members soon, so this important strategic work can begin. Please fill out this application , and return it to Hunter Goetzman or in the main office.

Call for Applications for TCGIS School Board

The TCGIS School Board is seeking individuals to serve the school community. This is a very exciting time to be on the board and our work can be a very rewarding experience. The work we do helps ensure that our school is able to provide a meaningful experience for our students.

We will be electing three board members this year to serve three year terms. We are seeking any interested person, especially those with experience in board governance, financial compliance, legal matters or education. Any TCGIS teacher, parent/guardian or community member unaffiliated with TCGIS is eligible to serve.

If you are interested in serving, please fill out the attached application. If you would like to nominate someone to serve, please use the attached nomination form. More specific details are and applications are attached in the links below.

Important Dates

April 29: All nominations and applications due by 4:45 pm

May 12: Meet the Candidates Forum, 6:30-8:00 pm

May 15-20: Board elections, drop off all ballots by 4:45 pm on Friday, May 20.

Call for Nominations (detailed version)

Nomination Form

Application Form

Board Elections FAQ 2016 (including detailed timeline)

Kinderclub Messages

Kinderclub wants your newspapers!
Drop off old newspapers at Kinderclub pick-up in the newspaper collection bag this week and early next week! We have a fun, environmentally-friendly mask-making activity planned. All newspapers collected will be used for our upcoming project. Thank you, parents and staff!

Sommercamp -- don't miss out!

Sommercamp registration continues to be open. All information can be found here. Space remains for all age groups (3rd - 8th grade), so sign up now!

Participate in the 2016 Medtronic Kids Marathon!

All students (K-8), their siblings and parents are invited to participate in the 2016 Medtronic TC Kids Marathon Cross Country Fun Run right in our neighborhood. The more the better! Meet with the TCGIS coaches at a designated area with the TCGIS banner visible. Click here for more information!

Where: Como Park Picnic Pavilion

When: May 21 at 9am for the first heat (Saturday)

Wear your TCGIS spirit wear! We have lots available in the office.

SEAC Meeting - Parent Feedback About Student Intervention

Join the TCGIS Special Education Advisory Committee for our last business meeting of the school year Monday, April 18 from 6:30-8:30pm in Room 100. We will discuss the school's reading and math interventions for students, and provide parent feedback on how those interventions are working for your children. Please RSVP for the meeting here.

7th Grade Presenting Civil War Exhibit

On April 15 the 7th graders will be presenting Civil War Exhibits. This event will take place at TCGIS in room 100 from 1:35 to 2:50. The exhibits will be showcasing many topics on the Civil War from ranks and uniforms to life on the home front. There will be games and hands-on activities. It will be enjoyable for audiences of all ages! We hope to see you there!

Upcoming Blumenkranz Performances

After performing at the Immersion Festival at Minnetonka Highschool last weekend, the Blumenkranz dancers are gearing up to perform at Festival of Nations.

BK Sr. performs on Friday, May 6, at 11:00am & 1:00pm Belarusian dance (Kupalinka), at 11:20am & 1:20pm German dance (B�ndertanz), at 11:40am & 1:40pm Austrian dance (L�ndler & Tramplan-Polka) and Saturday, May 7 at 1:05pm German, at 1:25pm Austrian, at 1:45pm Belarusian

BK Jr. performs on Saturday, May 7 at 11:30am Belarusian dance (Kozachka), at 12:03pm German dance (Spinnradl), at 12:18pm Austrian dance (Sternpolka)

Join Blumenkranz at the EcoArts Fest at the Harriet Island, St. Paul on May 14, Saturday. The Parade is at 11:30am and Blumenkranz performance is scheduled at 12:35pm.

Band Petting Zoo

Calling all 4th grade parents, and parents of any 5-7th graders interested in band next year! Please click here for a message from the TCGIS band teacher, Krista Johnson!

Mark Your Calendars for the End of the Year Picnic

The last day of school this year is Thursday, June 9 and we want you to celebrate with us! Join us for our annual End of the Year Picnic at the Como Pavilion for lunch and activities! Details will be coming soon, but our picnic will be from 11:30-2. Look in upcoming Elternbriefs for information and ways you can help!

Become a Host Family!

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, 2016!

PTO

PTO Announcement

Strudel and Plant Sale
Coming soon is the Spring Strudel and Plant Sale starting April 21 at 5pm! More information can be found here. There will be a link to the auction website in next week's Elternbrief.

PTO Meeting

Were you unable to make this month's PTO Meeting? The approved Agenda and March Minutes will be in next week's Elternbrief. Our next meeting will be May 10th, from 6:30pm-8:00pm in Room 100. We will vote on our new Executive Board at that time.

GAI

GAI Announcement

New Seasonal Community Choir: Liederkranz

Rehearsals held Tuesdays, May 17, 24, 31, and June 7

7-9pm at the GAI

The first performance will be at Deutsche Tage on Sunday, June 12.

This spring, we welcome conductor Dr. John Hoffacker, renown local vocal conductor for Chorus Polaris, as leader of the GAI's new German community mixed choir, Liederkranz. This choir welcomes all singers, from beginners to native speakers, and will help everyone learn to sing beautifully in German. Our goal is to have shorter rehearsal time frames so that busy professionals and families can participate, perform, and rehearse on a seasonal basis. This is also a great opportunity for German students to increase fluency and build their language skills.

Interested in joining? Dr. Hoffacker will be meeting with each new choir member prior to rehearsals to determine experience and which part/vocal range would be most comfortable for the singer. These meetings will be 10 minutes each and can be scheduled as an individual or as a family.

New singer meetings will be held Tuesday, May 10 between 7pm and 9pm as well as from 6pm-7pm before rehearsal on May 17. To schedule a meeting time, contact the GAI office at office@gai-mn.org or by calling 651-222-7027.