Recently the eighth graders brought the Schultüte tradition back to Crossroads. Schultüte is a tradition that began in Germany in 1817. On a child’s first day of school, parents and/or grandparents would decorate a cone and fill it with toys, sweets, school supplies and surprises. For the past several years at Crossroads, the eighth graders have upheld this tradition by making the cones and filling them with special items for our Kindergarten students. On Tuesday, October 6 the eighth graders presented their hand-made cones to the kindergarteners and explained why they included the items they did. The kindergarteners were very excited to explore the contents of their Schultute. Special thank you to Deb Schaner for working with the eighth graders on creating the cones, Dr. Day for running the ceremony and to Dr. Freeberg for supporting the eighth graders throughout this process. Finally, the eighth graders are to be congratulated for their thoughtful approach to this activity!
“The gifts were so well thought out and cute! The kids were thrilled, and it felt like a great way to build community in a time where we really need it!”
-Rae Hickox, Kindergarten teacher.
Schultüte Gifts
Oliver gave bookmarks fashioned from changing leaves.
“I gave the kindergarteners a bookmark with changing leaves because life changes, but there’s beauty in every step.“
Roxane gave magnifying glasses.
“I gave the kindergarteners a magnifying glass because they can always get a better understanding of something by looking at it a little bit closer.“
Emilia gave prism keychains.
“I gave the kindergarteners a prism keychain so they remember that there are always many solutions to every problem they will encounter.”
Simone gave crayons.
“I gave the kindergarteners crayons so they can color a bright future.”
David gave fir trees with a quote from John Muir.
“This tree will remind you to respect and revere nature, and you can follow the advice of ‘The Father of the National Parks,’ the great environmentalist, botanist, and writer, John Muir.”
Heidi gave small envelopes.
“I gave the kindergarteners small envelopes to remind them that it is always nice to receive a note or drawing, especially at this time.“
Isaac gave colored Sharpies.
“I gave the kindergarteners colored sharpies to remind them to have the courage to make bold decisions.“
Natalie gave thumbs-up pens.
“I gave the kindergarteners thumbs-up pens To remind them to stay positive even when they are doing hard work!“
Claire gave Rubik’s Cubes.
“I gave the kindergarteners Rubik’s Cubes to remind them that even when something seems impossible, if you persevere, you will get it eventually.“
Laura gave picture frames.
“I gave the kindergarteners picture frames because it is important to cherish memories and reflect on their experiences.“
Zosia gave glow sticks.
“I gave the kindergarteners glow sticks to remind them to let their personalities shine.“
Jackie gave glue sticks.
“I gave the kindergarteners a glue stick because sometimes when things seem broken, they can still be put back together.“
Hannah gave sunglasses.
“I gave the kindergarteners sunglasses because learning from your mistakes makes you cool.“
Aidan gave Sticky Hands.
“I gave the kindergarteners sticky hands so that they remember to always “stick” with it.“
Luca gave friendship bracelets.
“I made friendship bracelets to remind the kindergarteners the importance of friendship.“
Aryaman gave highlighters.
“I gave the kindergarteners highlighters to remind them to pay attention to all information.“
