September 7, 2014



Greetings!

Welcome to the new school year - this week we opened our doors for the 85th time, and we are very excited to welcome our students, faculty/staff and families for another great year. (Read about the history of The Swain School here.)

On Tuesday we welcomed everyone to our Orientation and Registration Day - along with meeting our new teachers and classmates, we enjoyed an All-School Picnic.

A special event for this year was the dedication of the Krista Kelly Memorial Playground; over the summer the old playground was demolished and new equipment was erected to honor our late teacher, colleague and friend. The playground was made possible by the generosity of Chad and Jill Helmer and family, with additional support from Patriot Chevy Buick GMC and the Swain Association.

After the dedication, our students enjoyed the new structures - and they have been getting a good workout all week. See more photos here, from the dedication and teacher pictures of their classes on the playground.

Wednesday was the first official day of school for our Kindergarten-8th grade students, while the Preschool and Prekindergarten students arrived on Thursday. The first day of school is always exciting!

The week also included Middle School and Lower School town meetings, and the first "Fun Friday" for our PS and PK students - at these weekly gatherings, Swain students get to know each other, learn more about our school, do fun activities, and have a chance to present to each other.

And in case you have not met our new faculty yet, we are happy to introduce them (from left to right):

• We welcome Mr. Adrian Sauers to our art department as a part-time employee. He has a studio art degree from Kutztown University, and is currently a Resident Artist at the Banana Factory. Mr. Sauers, through his work at the Banana Factory and ArtsQuest, has taught art to children from ages 5-13.

• Miss Erin Laney, a May graduate of Muhlenberg College, is teaching K-5 Spanish. She has dual degrees in Spanish and American Studies, and also played basketball for the Mules, earning all Centennial Conference Academic Honors for three years in a row.

• Mr. Andrew Katz has assumed his new position as Associate Head for Academics. He is a graduate of the Klingenstein Center at Columbia University's Teachers College and holds a bachelor's degree from Georgetown University. Before coming to Swain he was on the faculty of The Roxbury Latin School in Boston, Massachusetts.

• Miss Cassie Brown is teaching a third section of first grade. Since November, Miss Brown, who has a dual major from Penn State in Elementary Education and Early Childhood Education, most recently served as our lower school science specialist as a long-term substitute.

• In the science department, Mr. Carter LeBlanc will teach science to grades K-3 and fifth grade. He has a major in journalism and minor in biology from Northern Arizona University, and is also an accomplished artist, photographer, and journalist. In addition to his classroom responsibilities, he will work in the garden and contribute to our science and outdoor education programs.

• Mrs. Grace Diggs has been hired for a middle school math position; she joins us from St. Bernard's School in New York City, where she worked in various capacities - including middle school math and Director of Academic Technology - for over 30 years.

Thanks for your interest in The Swain School, and here's to a wonderful new school year!

 

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1100 South 24th Street    Allentown, PA 18103
610-433-4542