by Sandra Friesen, Grade 1 Teacher, TK campus -

The first day of school is one filled with excitement, curiosity and sometimes apprehension. No matter if you are a student, a teacher or a parent, “first days” are perfect for creating new memories and traditions.

In 2000, I began my overseas journey teaching Grade 1 at the Franconian International School in the town of Herzogenaurach, Germany. This picturesque town 30 minutes outside Nuremberg would be my first experience with what I think is the most marvelous of “First Day” traditions.

The tradition of the Schultute in Germany, dates back to the early 1800’s and comes from the tale of a magical tree that grew in front of every teacher’s house, blooming with candy-filled cones for each child in the class. When the cones were fully grown, it was time for the kids to pluck a Schultute from the tree and head to school. Today, schultutes are traditionally made by a first grader’s parents prior to their first day of school. It is filled with the many items that a “new” student will need for school, as well as toys and candy. Schultutes are meant to “sweeten” the entry into school for first graders, the first day of formal school in Germany. This first day is one of is songs and celebration at school and at home.

In August 2014, my husband and I began preparing for our daughter Rachel’s first day of Grade 1. We created her Schultute with owls and stars, and filled it with her favourites. As the beginning of the school year approached, I thought to myself, “Why should Rachel be the only one getting a Schultute?” So, I began creating smaller cones for each of my new First Graders. Each cone would contain a sweet, pencil, eraser and a bookmark. At the end of the first day we introduced the class to Tobi, my German school bear who also has a Schultute. We read about what the first day of school is like in Japan and America, as well as in Germany. We shared with the children that each would get their very own Schultute to take home to celebrate the start of school.

Now in our third year of presenting Schultutes to our First Graders, Ms. Sanam and I continued our tradition by reading stories of first days in Japan, India and Germany. We read from Ellen Jackson’s It’s Back to School We Go! First Day Stories From Around the World. As it was my son Jakob’s first day in Grade 1, I shared his soccer Schultute, which I made with my husband, with the class. As in previous years, I had made enough smaller cones for the students in my class. The cones were filled with items they would need for school, as well as a few sweets. Students were introduced to Tobi, and they immediately connected Tobi’s Schultute with that of the boy from Germany in Ellen Jackson’s book. They were then shown a photo of a First Grade class in Germany and asked what they noticed. Initially students noticed that each child had a Schultute, but then some saw Tobi and I. Finally, we announced that everyone in the class would receive a Schultute to celebrate their entry into Grade 1. One by one the children were called up, given a cone and asked to stand by Tobi for a photo. Students are told to wait to open their Schultutes until they are at home, so that their parents may also be part of the celebration. As part of our tradition, a class photo was taken and will be placed in the yearbook at the end of the school year.

The Schultute tradition does not end when a student receives a cone on the first day of the school year. As we include this memory in the initial pages of everyone’s portfolio, everyone is reminded of their first day at school - one which may have begun with curiosity or apprehension, but ended with excitement at what is to come in the year ahead.