Spread the word that our fall Open House is Sunday October 28 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm.

Visitors will learn what you already know....what makes Roycemore School a special place to call home! The Open House will include talks by the faculty and head of school, tours of the building and classrooms, and an opportunity to meet Roycemore parents and students. At Roycemore students Engage MORE, Achieve MORE and Become MORE!

Wed. Oct 24- Blaze Pizza Fundraiser, at 1737 Sherman Ave., Evanston 3:00-8:00 pm

Thur. Oct. 25- Middle School social outing to Altitute Trampoline Park, 3:45 pm (optional)

Thur. Oct. 25- FREE Community Yoga, 5:00 pm (details below)

Fri. Oct. 26- Halloween Carnival - hosted by Upper School for younger students

Sun. Oct. 28- Fall Admissions Open House, 1:00-3:00 pm

Mon. Oct. 29- Author Visit! Jordan Matter, author of Born to Dance: Celebrating the Wonder of Childhood, 10-11:30 am (books available for signing and purchase) (details below)

Thur. Nov. 1- Parent/Teacher Conferences, 2:00-7:30 pm

Fri. Nov. 2- No School - Parent/Teacher Conferences, 8:30 am-3:30 pm

Tue. Nov. 6- Lower School Admission Tour, 9:00-10:30 am (RSVP)

Thur. Nov. 8- Middle School Potluck (sign up details below)

Mon. Nov. 26- Deadline for the Robert Eisner Scholarship

Sat. Dec. 1- Robert Eisner Scholarship examination

Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday High School Girl's Open Gym 4:15

Monday-Wednesday High School Boy's Open Gym 6:00

Share the Love- Change the World

Help the School You Love through Referrals and Reviews

By Adrianne Finley Odell

I pinch myself sometimes.  The beauty of what I witness happening on a daily basis at Roycemore is so striking.  Sometimes it washes over me in such a powerful way, I get emotional because each day, in our little school, I witness such beautiful interactions between teachers and students and student to student, it overwhelms me. I wish such experiences for all young people.  While our school is small, there is nothing small about the impact that it has on our students.  The opportunities our students have, and the remarkable love and dedication of their teachers is pure and authentic.  It struck me even more this weekend as I was looking through the various blogs and facebook pages of our teachers, reading about and seeing photos and videos of the powerful learning that is taking place.  Roycemore is fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with talented faculty, parents, grandparents, alumni, parents of alumni, Northwestern University and companies like Adobe Corporation who understand the importance of our mission.

The single greatest way we can change the world is through education.  Day by day, hour by hour at Roycemore, we are changing lives, who in turn will change our world for the better.

Just a few of examples of the MORE in Roycemore include:

• Our new collaboration with Adobe Corporation that has brought Design Thinking into our curriculum, provided access to the Creative Cloud suite for our students, initiated virtual internships with Adobe designers, and will create a unique January Short Term (JST) experience for one of our high school students.
• Students school-wide are employing the Design Thinking problem-solving process to projects in English, the Humanities and P3 to name a few.
• A variety of field experiences for our students. Just this year alone trips have included the overnight to Indiana Dunes National Park for our middle school students, trips to the Chicago Botanic Garden, architectural boat tours in the city, Chicago History Museum, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Evanston Water & Sewage Treatment plant, and The Grove Pumpkin Patch!  
• Early Childhood students are enjoying a rich experience that includes time in the library, fostering a life-long love of learning, art, music, PE, and daily STEAM activities such as creating colorful bubbles in a pumpkin shell!
• 3rd and 4th Graders are using math, science and home economics to harvest, pumpkins, create a pumpkin puree, then bake a sheet cake to be divided amongst them. Many math activities were included, and the reward was sweet!
• The new Arc-en-Ciel class in the middle school provides immersive French and Art for our 5th and 6th graders.
• Upper School students are designing their January Short Term projects and are hard at work creating Carnival, a fun and not so spooky day for the lower and middle school students.  It is a wonderful experience for the upper schoolers to create, and the younger students are very excited. If you would like to come by everything starts around 11:30 on Friday.
• Our Faculty are connecting in new and more profound ways during their dedicated Professional Development time each week. More partnerships across subjects are creating deeper experiences for our students!  
• And we are delighted that Niche.com has recognized our efforts with a new ranking as the number 5 K-12 school in Illinois and the #4 most diverse private school in Illinois.

We have only one thing missing though: more families need to know about Roycemore. We will never be a big school.  We are intentionally small to provide the very special learning environment that we have.  But being a little bit bigger will allow us to enhance our program and strengthen our school. In spite of being over one hundred years old, there are many families whose children would benefit from being at our school that simply don’t know about us.  Likewise, because we are over one hundred years old, some people in our community have outdated impressions of what Roycemore is all about.  

How can you help?

1. Invite your friends and neighbors to our Open House this coming Sunday or one of our upcoming Admissions mornings!  Tell them that there is no obligation-- just come to learn more about the MORE in Roycemore.  Here is a link to information about our Open House and where they can register.  If you want to help MORE, volunteer to talk to prospective families by contacting Amanda Avery at [email protected]
2. If you have a great experience to share, write a review online.  Below are a couple of reviews shared in the last couple of months-- one from an alum, and one from a parent.

I know how incredible the experiences are that our children receive here every day-- many of you have told me how much your children have changed for the better since coming to Roycemore.  As a small school, with a budget to match, we cannot afford to compete head-to-head against larger schools with big marketing budgets, or for-profit schools that are willing to out-spend us to promote their programs with the focus of earning more income in the long run for their owners.  Roycemore is a not-for-profit school that focuses its dollars where it counts the most-- on the student experience. Our long-standing commitment to economic diversity in our student population results in a sense of community and inclusivity that is palpable, and a unique culture that combines Griffin pride with Midwestern humility.

Thank you for helping to spread the word about Roycemore to more potential students.  

Thank you for doing your part to change the world!

With Appreciation,

Despite the freezing cold and windy weather, the Roycemore Cross Country Regional Team qualified for Sectionals, which is the next step in the state tournament! The team included Zak Showers, Thomas Ellis, Bubble Li, Robin Xu, Riley Chenard, Hanu Snyder, and Alem Snyder.  Team managers are Kennedy Showers and Alex Ciancuillo.  

Ms. Fisher launched Battle of the Books with the fourth, fifth, and sixth graders last week!  Students are forming teams and reading books on a master list.  Battle of the Books is a popular literary game that is often associated with improved reading skills.  It provides an opportunity for children to read amazing books, perform as a team, and have fun!  In March, they will play a jeopardy-style game to see who wins the battle!  The top three teams will compete in an interscholastic game that includes Chiaravalle Montessori School, St. Francis Xavier, and St. Joseph School.

Students were given information packets last week, including a list of books and a permission form.  Parents who would like more information can contact [email protected], and she'll be happy to send you everything you need!  Please encourage your fourth, fifth, or sixth grader to participate!  It's a blast!

The pumpkins arrived in a big truck and the third and fourth graders helped take them off!  Then the fun began with dinner and carving pumpkins!!  It was truly a fabulous night. 

Roycemore School is pleased to welcome back Louis Jones to Roycemore!  Louis worked at Roycemore many years ago and is pleased to be returning to our Griffin family as Head Boys Basketball coach.  

Louis graduated from Evanston Township High School in 1984 and from there went on to play at Hamline University.  He coached at St. Paul Academy High School in St. Paul MN, Edison High School in Minneapolis MN, Dexter Middle School in Michigan, Roycemore School, and then went on to work as a coach, PE & health teacher at Haven Middle School where he has worked for 20 years.  Coach Jones brings to the court his knowledge and philosophy of basketball and the game of life that comes from his encounters over the years of working with and under tutelage of such Basketball Hall of Fame coaches and dignitaries as John Chaney, Sonny Hill and Don Meyer.  As a coach and teacher, Jones is committed to helping his players both on and off the court.  Jones has an exceptional way of challenging his basketball players to develop and improve on their overall fitness level and basketball skills.  We are pleased that he is coming HOME to Roycemore!

11/8 - Middle School Potluck - sign up here

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0b4baba72ea3ff2-griffin

Contact the Roycemore family association at [email protected] if you have any questions about upcoming events!

Enjoy yourself and support our cause at a special fundraising event! 

Wednesday, October 24th, 2018

3:00-8:00 pm

Blaze Pizza

1737 Sherman Ave., Evanston

Bring in this flyer or show it on your phone before paying and Blaze Pizza will donate 20% of the proceeds from your meal to Roycemore School!

Free Community Yoga at Roycemore School - We are thrilled to partner with Phoenix Yoga Project to offer free yoga classes every Thursday at 5:00 pm. Founded by Roycemore alumnus and trustee, Scott Kinsloe, Phoenix Yoga Project offers free yoga to help bring people across a community together. Spread the word that everyone is welcome to join our community for this free and healthy weekly class! 

Roycemore School is proud to host talented and inspiring author/photographer, Jordan Matter, for a presentation to the 5th - 12th grades.  He will talk about his experience and work as a photographer, and will no doubt entertain everyone with his infectious energy!  His new book, Born to Dance: The Wonder of Childhood, is a magnificent collection of child dancers, ages 2-18, doing extraordinary and ordinary things.  This book is a beautiful look into the lives of children hanging out with friends, dancing, and just being themselves. Photos include a look at the lives of boys and girls in various neighborhoods, and TV and internet stars such as Kendall Vertes, Chloe Lukasiak, Nia Sioux, and Kalani Hilliker.  Kids share their hopes and dreams for their future in brief but inspiring commentary throughout the book. 

Jordan Matter will be at Roycemore on Monday, October 29.  Please help support his visit by purchasing a personalized autographed book!  Students who purchase a book will have an opportunity to meet Jordan during the meet and greet session that will follow his presentation. Ms. Fisher is selling his book; if  you are interested, please contact her at [email protected] as soon as possible to reserve your copy!  Click here for a book order form.

Wondering what to do and when? Well, we have a doc for that! The Recommended Timeline for the College Application Process is designed for all Upper School Griffins. Feel free to download and consult it. We have seven colleges coming to meet our juniors and seniors in person, be sure to bookmark Roycemore’s Coordinator of College Counseling Stacia Campbell’s blog for up-to-date information.

Admissions needs you! As we speed ahead into the fall, Amanda Avery, Director of Admissions seeks volunteers to represent Roycemore at upcoming fall school fairs and admissions events. It takes a village to help spread the word about our amazing school! If you are interested in becoming an Admissions Ambassador, contact Amanda directly: [email protected]. Thank you!!

Please visit our online store at  www.roycemoreschool.org/schoolstore  to get wonderful items to wear and use all year long! We know you will all love what the RFA has chosen.  

A quick link to all the Northwestern community diversity and inclusion events. Northwestern encourages community members to take part in events like these to increase their cultural competency and understanding. View All Upcoming Events.

See what is going on at Northwestern this month and next. Concerts, lectures, athletic events - there is always something going on. View October Events.

"This Imperfect Moment: A Conversation with "Ask Polly" Advise Columnist Heather Havrilesky". Heather Havrilesky is the "Ask Polly" columnist, New York magazine's The Cut; writer for The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The New York Times Magazine; author, How to Be a Person in the World, Disaster Preparedness, and the brand-new What If This Were Enough?

Interlocutors: Vivien Hanson, MSW and Maureen Kebo, MA

Ms. Hanson works with children and families addressing issues of grief, loss, trauma, and adjustment; Ms. Kebo is the founder of B-Well, LLC, a private counseling practice with a focus on cultivating a client's best self.

Monday, Oct. 29, 2018 at 7:00 pm at the  North Shore Country Day School Auditorium

310 Green Bay Rd. in Winnetka. View flyer here.

“Heritage Baking: An Evening with Hewn's Head Baker Ellen King" Ellen King is the Co-owner and Head Baker at Hewn in Evanston; author, Heritage Baking.

Monday, Nov. 5, 2018 at 7:00 pm

New Trier High School, Northfield Campus, Cornog Auditorium

7 Happ Rd. in Northfield. View flyer here.

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