Welcome to the Twin Cities German Immersion School, a public charter school serving families with children in grades kindergarten through 8th grade. TCGIS is a public school – non-profit, no tuition – dedicated to the education of the whole child through German immersion, and is located in the Como neighborhood of St. Paul, serving families across the Twin Cities.TCGIS was founded in 2005 by two parents and educators, who wanted to educate bi-lingual students for an international future.
TCGIS is a language-immersion school, which means German is the primary language of instruction in grades K-8. With exceptions for English class beginning in 3rd grade, and Math beginning in 5th grade, students meet their learning targets using German, learning language through the content. Most of our students begin to learn German in kindergarten, with their German reading, writing, and speaking skills growing as they learn everything they would in a non-immersion school. We provide additional support for students enrolling in higher grades who don’t speak German yet, as well as English-language support for students who speak a language other than English at home.
Educating the whole child means exactly that; the whole child is nurtured through challenging and joyful teaching & learning focused on academics, social-emotional health, and global citizenship, all through German immersion. TCGIS kids enjoy recess twice a day through grade 4 and once daily in grades 5-8, and can take walking field trips to Como Zoo and Conservatory or around Como Lake. TCGIS provides visual art, musical drama, and gym instruction through all grades. In middle school, students have the opportunity to begin a third language with Spanish as an elective. Additionally, TCGIS offers fee-based before- and after-school care and a variety of after-school enrichment activities and sports such as track, soccer, basketball, and volleyball.
The student experience is memorable and fun at TCGIS, with a number of traditions and unique opportunities. Sixth graders take a three-night trip to Concordia Language Villages with a focus on STEM and environmental science. Eighth-grade students participate in a three-week exchange program with partner schools in Germany. Students from Germany visit and attend TCGIS for two weeks during the fall, hosted by 8th-grade families when possible, and TCGIS students travel for a two-week homestay in Germany, staying with host families and attending our partner schools and concludes their exchange with a chaperoned visit to Berlin for the third week. All students are encouraged to participate in these experiences, with financial aid available.
Why learn German? American children attend Kindergarten and we’re über excited about that! Bilingualism opens up a world of possibilities for your child, and speaking German enables them to communicate on another level with ~90 million native speakers throughout the world. Germanic culture gave rise to great musicians, artists, and poets such as Mozart, Bach, Nolde, and Goethe, as well as groundbreaking scientists such as Plank, Fahrenheit, and of course Einstein. Learning about great historical figures and events in the native language deepens the connections and inspires continued exploration. Advanced German tracks are available in high school through our partnership with St. Paul’s Central or the program at St. Louis Park high school. Students could consider the opportunity to study at high-quality tuition-free German universities, or continue their German studies at one of several local universities with outstanding language programs or dual-degree programs in German and engineering, such as offered at the University of St. Thomas. Germany is a powerhouse of innovation making it the world’s fourth-largest economy. German engineering, technology, and retail companies in the USA or abroad would be exciting future employers, such as Bosch, Aldi, Siemens, Adidas, BMW, or Audi. At TCGIS, we believe every kid is a Wunderkind!
See what fun and exciting things we’re learning about on our Instagram and Facebook pages. Please visit TCGIS.org to learn more or to sign up for a school tour. Lottery application deadline for the 2022-23 school year is February 16, 2022.
