May 15: TCGIS 8th Grade Graduation

May 18: Early Release Wednesday

May 26: School Board Meeting

May 27: Teacher Grading Day - No School

May 30: Memorial Day

June 3: After School Activities End

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

Early Release Next Wednesday

This is a reminder that next Wednesday is our last early release Wednesday of the year! This means that school ends at 12:45pm. Please note that there are no after school activities this day.

You're Invited!

Please join us in wishing Ann the best of luck in her new role in the Cayman Islands on Friday, May 20 from 3:30-5:30pm. TCGIS will be hosting a themed open house "Island Style" to offer her our best wishes on her new adventure. All are welcome to join us in congratulating Ann and thanking her for all she has done to support the success of TCGIS. No childcare will be provided. Pull out your lei's, grass skirts, or your tropical shirts to ease Ann's transition from Minnesota to the Cayman Islands! Interested in volunteering? Click here to sign up!

Get Ready to Celebrate

It's time to celebrate an awesome year! Our annual End of the Year Picnic is from 11:30am-1:30pm on Thursday, June 9. To accommodate the growing size of our school we have chosen to simplify the menu for this year's picnic. We invite families to join for a lunch of hotdogs, fruits/veggies, chips, and cold treat! A suggested donation of $2/non-student is encouraged.

We're looking for volunteers to help make this event a big success. Click here to sign-up for a volunteer spot. Please contact Lauren Kalish with any questions.

Meet the Board Candidates TONIGHT!

Please come to meet the four candidates for our upcoming board elections tonight at 6:30 to 8:00 pm.The candidates will introduce themselves and answer some questions about board oversight, community building and TCGIS.

If you are unavailable to make it, we will be posting the video on our Youtube channel on Friday.

The four candidates are:

Dianne Bell (parent)
Kristin Helling (parent)
Kelly Laudon (parent)
Andrew Thompson (community member)

Please read their full biographies here.

Board Elections

Board elections will take place May 15-20. Ballots will be distributed at pick-up and drop-off starting Friday morning. If you do not participate in pick-up and drop-off, you can pick up your ballot in the main office. Unfortunately, we cannot provide ballots to students to bring home.

Ballots will be collected in the pick-up and drop-off lanes between May 16-20, and can be dropped off in the main office during business hours by Friday at 4:45, or mailed (postmarked by Friday).

The board is a nine-person oversight body, and we are electing three positions. Our four candidates are:

Dianne Bell (parent)
Kristin Helling (parent)
Kelly Laudon (parent)
Andrew Thompson (community member)

Please read their full biographies here. For more information about board elections, click here for the FAQ!

Early Morning Recess on Mondays and Wednesdays

Our early morning recess has been a huge hit! This recess is from 7:30 - 8:10am and is a time for kids to get some energy out before the start of the day. At 8:10 the kids head up to their classroom for Morgenkreis. So far we offer this on Wednesdays and Fridays, but would love to have it on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays! Please sign up here if you're interested! If you're not already signed up to be a volunteer with TCGIS, please do so here.

Family Potluck at Como Fire Pits

Hosted by TCGIS SEAC

All are welcome! Please join the Special Education Advisory Committee Monday, May 23 from 5:30-7:00 pm by the Como Park Fire Pits for our final SEAC event of the year. We will have a potluck dinner, and roast some s'mores for dessert. The Como Park Playground, swings and sand are all nearby for the kids to enjoy. PLEASE RSVP here.

4th & 5th Grade Transition Meeting

Parents & children in the 4th grade are invited to an afternoon question & information session about the transition to Middle School. Please click here for more details.

Busing Update

What a success our first year with busing has been! Next year, the bus services will continue and possibly expand. A confirmation about a 3rd bus and route cannot occur until after the school budget is approved at the June board meeting.

Service Learning Group

Click here for an update from our Service Learning Group.

Parents, What Does the Intern Program Mean to You?

Recently all parents received a note from school about upcoming changes and opportunities within the Intern Program. This valuable program requires support from all stakeholders to be robust and sustainable. Please participate in this 8-question survey about what the program means to you, its impact on your students and ideas on how the whole parent community can play a vital and supportive role.

Please respond by May 25. All responses anonymous. Thank you!

Don't Let Your Box Tops Expire

Many Box Tops are set to expire on June 1. Please don't let them go to waste! More Box Tops means more cash for our school! Don't forget to ask friends and family for their Box Tops too!

Sommercamp Update

Already registered?

Confirmation emails have been sent to all families who have registered using the online form.

Payment information will be sent out in May.

Not registered, but interested?

Come join dedicated and talented TCGIS staff for learning through creative play in the German language. Week-long camps run July 11 - 29, 2016. Morning only OR full-day available. Click here for all details. Contact Frau Ruggles with questions!

Registrations accepted until the last day of school, June 9, 2016.

Service Learning Bake Sale

The Service Learning Group will be having a bake sale on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 17&18. On Tuesday the sale will take place from 3:30-5:30, and on Wednesday it will be from 12:30-2:30, as Wednesday is an Early Release. Come find members of the Service Learning Group in the foyer on these days to buy some treats! All proceeds will help our partner school, the Borghorst Realschule, in their efforts to raise money for the Syran refugees. Our Service Learning Group has raised $400 so far, and are looking to reach their goal of $750! If you are interested in providing any baked gooes please contact 8th graders Molly Wilson and Annabelle Hendrickson.

PTO

PTO Announcement

PTO Meeting

If you were unable to attend our meeting last night, here are the approved May Agenda and approved April Minutes. Our June meeting will be on the 7th from 6:30pm-9pm at the GAI. Please note this is not the 2nd Tuesday of the month. This event is bring your own beverage (alcohol is allowed) and child care will not be provided. Please register here for the June 7th Meeting.

Upcoming PTO Events/Volunteers Needed

May 17: Community Development Committee Meeting, 6:00pm, TCGIS Cafeteria (RSVP)

May 19: Strudel & Plant Card Pick-up, 3:30pm-6:00pm, TCGIS Lobby

May 19: Incoming Kindergarten Potluck, 6:00pm, TCGIS Cafeteria (Volunteers needed, please contact Kristi Johnson)

May 20: Going Away Party for Ann, 3:30pm-5:30pm, TCGIS (Volunteers needed, sign up here)

May 30: Open Eye Theatre Driveway Puppet Show, 7:00pm, TCGIS Playground (Aula if rain) More info here.

June 7: PTO Meeting - 6:30pm-9:00pm, GAI (BYOB, no child care)

June 9: End of Year Picnic - 11:30am-2:00pm, Como Park

GAI

GAI Announcement

Save the Date! Deutsche Tage 2016 - June 11&12

Are you ready for the best of the Germanic-American Institute? With two full days of authentic German food, beer, live music, and vendors, the excitement over Deutsche Tage 2016 is already buzzing around the GAI. New activities this year include a community mural, an interactive art map, social media scavenger hunt, performance by new German community choir Liederkranz, and new cultural demonstrations on both days. Plus, enjoy our returning favorites, such as our Bicyclists' Biergarten, Viennese Kaffeehaus, authentic Maypole dancers, and classic Fiaker carriage rides. Visit the GAI website for more info: www.gai-mn.org