September 6, 2015

Greetings!

And here we are kicking off a new school year - this week we opened our doors for the 86th 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 Day - along with meeting our new teachers 
and classmates, we enjoyed an 
All-School Picnic. 

Wednesday was the first official day of school for everyone. Enjoy these 'back to school' photos- it is always an exciting time!

As the students were getting settled into their new classrooms, the adults in our Swain families gathered for a Welcome Coffee, sponsored by the Swain Association, our parent-teacher organization. This annual event is always a good way to re-connect with Swain friends and meet new ones!
(David Hursty, Interim Head of School [right] meets with Swain family members)

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. Mrs. Henning also offered "Cooperative Games" to her Preschool - 4th grade Physical Education students - always a fun and favorite activity!

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

  • (seated) We welcome Miss Veronica "Roni" Bocian as our new Theatre Arts teacher. She has five years' experience teaching and directing at Pennsylvania Youth Theatre, and worked for two years at Ocean City Theatre Camp. In addition to acting in local productions, she graduated from West Chester University, magna cum laude, with a degree in Communications and Media Studies. She is a resident of Allentown.
  • Mrs. Rebekah Lang will be teaching sixth- and seventh grade English classes. She holds a BA in English from Grove City College and an MS in Curriculum and Instruction from Western Governors University. Mrs. Lang brings several years' teaching experience in English and Math, including tenures at Seven Generations Charter School and the School District of Philadelphia. She and her husband live in Alpha.
  • Ms. Kelly Schlonecker has assumed her new position as Kindergarten Collaborative teacher. She holds a bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education from Cairn University, and has taken grad-level courses at the State University of New York. She has taught Preschool-Kindergarten in Italy, Egypt, and several other international locations. Ms. Schlonecker and her family make their home in Emmaus.
  • (back row) Mrs. Lori Trumbauer is Swain's new Preschool - Kindergarten music teacher. She previously worked in Swain's Preschool Division as an assistant, from 2004-2007. A resident of Breinigsville, she attended West Chester University where she studied music education.
  • In the science department, Mrs. Jennifer Mitchell will teach science to grades 5 and 6. A graduate of Kutztown University, she has a BA in elementary education with a concentration in science. She is an experienced educator, having provided programming at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Mrs. Mitchell and her husband live in Macungie.
  • Mrs. Heather Weiss has been hired for the K-4 science teacher position; she joins us from Florida, where she taught first grade and K-2 at two different charter schools. She is a graduate of the University of Central Florida, with a bachelors degree in Humanities and a masters in elementary education. She and her family, which includes new Swain students Eliana and Theresa, have relocated to Quakertown.
  • Mrs. Michele Archer has joined the faculty in the newly-created position of Director of the Makerspace Program; she will also be teaching Engineering and Design classes. She holds a bachelors degree in history from Muhlenberg College, and a masters in Learning Technologies from Drexel. She and her family, including Swain student Danielle, reside in Lehighton.
Miss Kristina (Krissy) Da Costa has joined our faculty as another Mandarin teacher, along with Mrs. Bei Wang. She is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a B.A. in Chinese Studies, with a minor in film and media studies. She has traveled and studied extensively in China, as well as taught there. She is also the older sister of Nicole '15 and Beverley '17.

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

Check out more photos on "SmugMug", Swain's photo gallery. We also hope you will follow us on Facebook and Twitter, to read about even more Swain happenings ~ 
  
 
Like us on Facebook      Follow us on Twitter
 


Swain_logo

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


Like us on Facebook