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All Things German In California

St. Martin's Day

November 11 – Veterans Day, St. Martin’s Day, and start of the Carnival Season

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While Americans honor all people who have served in the military on Veterans Day , November 11th, German speaking countries celebrate two different occasions on that particular day.

watermark_F386501jpg_img_308x0November 11th is Saint Martin‘s day which is being celebrated with lantern parades, St. Martin’s songs, special bon fires “Martinsfeuer”, and special baked goods like the “Weckmänner” . Children in particular are looking forward to this day since they get to walk their often hand-made lanterns in a parade together with children of the neighborhood while singing St. Martins songs like “Laterne, Laterne, Sonne, Mond und Sterne…” Most importantly this festivity indicates that the beloved, festive Christmas season is just around the corner!

November 11th at 11am, indicates also the official date for the Carnival Season in 1012728_10152015135556013_813508148_nGermany to begin.  While you won’t see any carnival celebrations yet, the preparations for the season to come are now fully underway, like choosing the “Faschings-Prinzenpaar” , the Carnival royalties .

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Photo Courtesy: The Local.de,  lecker.de
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Get To Know German Schools in California

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Open House Events and Lantern Parades

Fall is a great time to check out new schools for the next year without pressure. Some German schools in California offer great opportunities for students and parents alike to tour their campus this fall. Taking advantage of traditional seasonal events that are open to the community, or attending an Open House gives you a good idea what a particular school community is like, and let’s you connect to teachers as well as the school’s community at large. You can form a first hand opinion of whether this school is right for you, and can be ahead of the race once the application process starts in January and February .

Some such upcoming events are listed below:

GISSV – German International School of Silicon Valley 

Starting this October, GISSV has several Open House Events scheduled during the 2013/14 school year. Find the one right for you. The school has three different campuses, Mountain View, Berkeley and San Francisco.

Mountain View Campus:

  • Saturday, November 16, 2013 (11am – 1pm)

Berkeley Campus:

  • Saturday, November 2, 2013 (11am – 1pm)
  • Saturday, January 25, 2014 (11am – 1pm)

San Francisco Campus:

  • Saturday, October 26, 2013 (11am – 1pm)
  • Saturday, December 7, 2013 (11am – 1pm)

Furthermore, mark your calendar for December 14th . GISSV has a special treat in store for you. The school organizes a traditional Christmas Market from 11.00am to 9.00pm right on Townhall Square in Mountain View with 10-30 stands for the typical Christkindl-Market Flair.

Albert Einstein Academies in San Diego

Lantern Festival, Saturday November 2nd from 3pm-7pm at AEA

AEA’s 12th Annual Lantern Festival is almost here! Is has become a wonderful tradition for the whole family to enjoy. Join AEA in celebrating a 100-year-old German tradition with food, games, fun activity booths, a vendor market, and entertainment, ending with a traditional lantern walk around the neighborhood.

An even bigger and better festival is planned for this year with more activities for the Middle School students. Great entertainment from the German Cultural Committee, traditional food, the carnival, Martins market, inflatable jumpers, and of coarse our traditional lantern walk. We will be adding special activities for the older kids that include a photo booth and a fabulous video game truck, so that all ages can participate and enjoy this great AEA tradition.

Kinderstube/ BAKS  in Berkeley

Kinderstube has a Lantern Parade on November 9 at 4.00 pm

Come and celebrate the German tradition of St. Martin’s Day with Kinderstube:
See a performance by our children, join us in singing songs and during our annual lantern parade. You can bring your own lantern or buy one from us!
Our preschool fundraiser includes the sale of Glühwein (mulled wine), hot chocolate, grilled sausages, Weckmänner (a German sweet bread), soft pretzels, and German children’s books.   Lanternenfest – Saturday, November 9 at 4pm

GAIS – German American International School in Menlo Park

The German-American International School in Menlo Park has a few dates to offer to get to know their school as well as student body including a St. Martin’s Laternenfest on November 8th!

  • St. Martin Lantern Parade – November 8, 2013                                     On Friday, November 8, 2013 at 6:00 p.m., the traditional lantern parade celebrating the legend of St. Martin will take place at GAIS. Martinstag is all about giving to others and shedding light in the darkness. The event begins with a “Shadow Play” and the lighting of the lanterns, followed by a walk around the neighborhood.
  • Monday, November 11, 8:30am – 3:00pm: Open Classroom Day        On this day, our classrooms are open for the public and anyone interested in our school. Join us for this day and get a glimpse of the daily life, the academic programs, the curriculum and much more at the German-American International School.
  • Monday, November 11, 7:00pm – 9:00pm: Information Evening & Parenting Workshop                                        There will be an Information Evening including a Parenting Workshop conducted by external presenters for prospective parents and families taking place in our library. 
  • Saturday, December 7, 2:00pm – 5:30pm: Holiday Winter Fest 2013                                                                                    Our annual and traditional Holiday Winterfest takes place on Saturday, December 7, 2013, from 2:00pm – 5:30pm on our campus. The Winterfest will feature shops, café, baked goodies, food, hand-made arts and crafts, a visit from Santa, a raffle and much more…  In addition there will be again wonderful musical performances led by our Music Teacher. Join us for this wonderful event!
  • Wednesday, January 8, 7:00pm – 9:00pm: Information Evening & Parenting Workshop                                         There will be an Information Evening including a Parenting Workshop conducted by external presenters for prospective parents and families taking place in our library.
  • Thursday, March 8, 7:00pm – 9:00pm: Information Evening & Parenting WorkshopThere will be an Information Evening including a Parenting Workshop conducted by external presenters for prospective parents and families taking place in our library.

Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool in Los Angeles

The Open House event with two different tours is schedule for October 30.

There will be two tours offered that day: 3:30-4:40pm and 4:30-5:30pm. Should you be interested in attending, please send an email to TivoliRainbowGarden@gmail.com so the school can plan accordingly. The German preschool has room for 13 children yearly within the age group of 2.5-5 and offers half day and full day programs. For more info please visit the website.

Die Rasselbande Preschool in San Diego

Holiday Bazaar – Lantern Walk on November 8th                                                            The school offers general Tours of the campus anytime even Saturdays, which can be scheduled at any time through the school office.

Kinderhaus Preschool in San Francisco

KinderHaus International Preschool in the Mission District of San Francisco hosts a Lantern Fest in San Francisco on November 15th. Please join families of the school at 5pm to go for a traditional lantern walk starting in Dolores Park and ending at the KinderHaus. There will be hot cider, wine & beer as well as a potluck with ‘Brezeln’ and sausages right after the walk. Suggested donation per family is $10. Handmade lanterns will be for sale in case you don’t have your own. For more information visit the website.

Magnet School Benjamin Franklin in Glendale

The school offers language immersion in German, as well as 3 other european languages. You can tour the school anytime with an appointment. Please go to the schools web page Franklinmagnetschool.com and find the link to sign up for a tour, or contact Ana Jones: Ajones@gusd.net  (818) 243-1809. To stay informed about their various community events please sign up for the weekly news-blast.

Ute’s Kinderschule in Irvine

Join children and their parents for a lantern parade on November 11th at 6pm in Irvine. For more information and RSVP please email: UtesKinderschule@gmail.com

Laternenfest

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Traditional St. Martin’s Day Celebrations in SoCal – Sankt Martins Fest in SoCal

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OC INTERNATIONAL Academy invites to a traditional  German St. Martin’s Fest in Ladera Ranch

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Orange County International Academy (OCI academy) in Ladera Ranch will celebrate St. Martin’s Day on Monday, November 12th from 5:30pm-7:30pm. 

Frau Kati will be reading a story about St. Martin and the children ages 2-9 will decorate a lantern craft with flameless candles with the teachers. In addition to the story of St. Martin, there will be German children’s songs, Games, Pizza and a Parade to the end of the street and back.

Donations of $8 each are helpful to cover the cost of the lanterns. Please email Shelby@OCIacademy.com if you plan to attend, so we can plan for enough pizza.

WHEN:  Monday, November 12, 2012
WHERE:  OCI Academy ,  10 Abyssinian Way,  Ladera Ranch
CONTACT:  949-545-7487;  Shelby@OCIacademy.com 

Children at OCI Academy in Ladera Ranch are celebrating the Sankt Martinsfest with a lantern parade and traditional “Weckmänner” !

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St. Martin’s Day At The German United Methodist Church in Glendale 

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The German United Methodist Church in Glendale invites you to celebrate St. Martin’s Day Day with fun activities for the whole family. The program begins at 4:30 p.m. with games, a clown show, songs and the story of St. Martin. At 6:00 p.m. pizza will be served, followed at 6:30 p.m. with a lantern walk around the park. Please bring a lantern to join in the fun, or for a small fee, the church will provide one for you.

When: Saturday, November 10, 2012, 4:30pm – 7:00pm
Where: German United Methodist Church, 556 West Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale, CA 91202
Admission: $ 10 donation per family
RSVP: Please RSVP so that enough food and activities can be provided for everyone to the Church office at 818-500-0786 or by e-mail office@christuskirche.us  or to Martina Tassius: mtassius@yahoo.com

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Remember the words to the “Laterne, Laterne…” Song? Here is the sheet music:

To hear the song beautifully sung, click here:

“Laterne, Laterne, Sonne, Mond und Sterne” – Sankt Martins Lied

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