Volume 21 | January 28, 2020
Roycemore School Weekly Newsletter
From The Head of School
The Power of Youth Ideas,
Leadership and Passion

By: Adrianne Finley Odell
January was a time when our young people at Roycemore were immersed in learning. Our Upper School students participated in a variety of January Short Term (JST) projects during this three-week period when all classes were suspended and students worked on their individual or group projects. Our Middle School students engaged in Experience Week last week when all Middle School classes were suspended and the students worked on their P3 projects (Personal Passion Projects), engaged in deep investigations on topics of their choosing that they selected using a Design Thinking exercise. Last Friday our Middle School students shared their “work in progress” at the P3 Expo– “in progress” because part of the learning is that in order to come up with the best solutions, continual iteration is needed. This Thursday evening our Upper School students will share their JST projects and experiences at a JST Expo that will take place immediately after our State of the School address. I hope many members of our community can join us!

This week, a timely episode from  “On Being” with Krista Tippet  explores the unique power of young people who bring their passion forward to advance our society. Kristin Lin, editor of the On Being Project, provided a great introduction to this episode, entitled “The Evolutionary Power of Children and Teenagers.” Lin highlighted the  activism of Greta Thunberg and others this past week at Davos . Thunberg and others ask older generations to listen to them. Listen– my topic from last week’s newsletter...
Coming Up on the Calendar
  • Tuesday, January 28th - Admissions Morning, 8:30-10:00am, RSVP Here
  • Thursday, January 30th - FREE Yoga at Roycemore, 5:00pm
  • Thursday, January 30th - State of the School, Preview Night, JST Expo, 6:00-8:00pm
  • Friday, January 31st - Middle School Social Trip, Ski Outing, 3:00pm
  • Tuesday, February 4th - Lunar New Year Celebration, All School, 10:00am
  • Thursday, February 6th - FREE Yoga at Roycemore, 5:00pm
Athletics at Roycemore
cartoon-basketball.jpg
  • Jan. 28th - US Boys Basketball vs Wolcott Away, 5:00pm
  • Jan. 28th - US Girls Basketball vs Wolcott Away, 6:30pm
  • Jan. 29th - MS Girls Basketball vs Sol Schechter at Home, 4:15pm
  • Jan. 31st - US Girls Basketball vs Acero Cruz at Home, 4:30pm
  • Feb. 3rd - US Girls Basketball Tournament, Home, Time is TBD
  • Feb. 4th - US Girls Basketball Tournament, Home, Time is TBD
  • Feb. 4th - US Boys Basketball vs Acero Cruz at Home, Time is TBD
  • Feb. 5th - MS Girls Basketball Tournament, Home, 4:00pm
  • Feb. 6th - MS Girls Basketball Tournament, Home, 4:00pm
  • Feb. 7th - US Boys Basketball vs Acero Cruz at Home, Time is TBD
P3 Expo
Thank you to everyone who came to the Middle School P3 Expo last week! What a great turn out and a wonderful variety of projects. A special thank you to all the mentors who gave their time and insight to help guide our students through the problem solving process for the past many months.


Curious about what P3 is exactly? Director of Innovation and Curriculum, Ms. Shutters, created a P3 slideshow below to help explain the purpose behind the program and why this type of experience is important for Middle School kids.
THIS WEEK
State of the School
Preview Night
JST Expo
The annual State of the School presentation is coming up on January 30th. Head of School, Adrianne Finley Odell, and Board Chair, Tom Ellis, will share an update on where we are as a school and where we are heading.

Following the State of the School, Lower School families will get to enjoy Preview Night . This is a chance for parents to visit the classroom where their child will be next year, meet the teacher, and hear about all the exciting curriculum, projects, and activities that their student can look forward to next year. Fourth grade families will get a chance to meet with Middle School faculty to learn what they can expect next year for their children.

We will also be hosting the annual JST Expo (formerly known as the JST Share) on the same evening. This will give all families - not just Upper School - a chance to see what the students worked on during their January Short Term projects. Topics for this year range from architecture, costume design, microbiology, African-American studies, and food blogging - just to name a few!


State of the School, Preview Night, and JST Expo
Thursday, January 30th
6:00-8:00pm
Three Cheers
Roycemore Middle School students got to show off their problem solving skills at the annual 2020 IDEA Northern Suburbs MiniCon ! Teachers from around the area attended the conference and had the chance to see the type of learning that comes out of P3, one of our important signature programs. Thank you the students for volunteering to show up on a Saturday to present their ideas to this group of educators and for representing Roycemore with poise and confidence.
Summer Camp Offerings Now Online
Inspiration Factory and Camp Griffin are back at Roycemore for Summer 2020! All camp offerings are now online. Options range from 1 week to 3 weeks. Themes include astronauts, waterworks, cooking, robotics, art, storytelling, animation, mythology, journalism, and more. We have you covered from age 3 all the way to 12th Grade.


Summer Camp Registration
Opens February 3rd
Art Corner
Upper School students are learning how to throw shaped cylinders on the potter's wheel. Here they are in the pottery studio working with Ms. Hecht, the Roycemore 4th Grade, Middle School, and Upper School Art Teacher. Art, like many things in life, is a process. Once the cylinders were thrown, students created spouts from the rim of the cylinders, then pulled and attached handles. After that, glaze was applied, which gives each piece its brilliant color. Then finally, the pieces were fired in the school's electric kiln and made into their final functional creations. Lots of careful steps are involved but the finished products are worth the effort.
Re-enrollment Launched
Re-enrollment launched earlier this month and everyone should have received an email outlining the re-enrollment process. Let us know if you have any questions about your packet or if we can help in any way.

Please also be aware that families who are applying for Financial Aid need to complete the FACTS Grant and Aid Assessment by March 2nd.

Questions about Re-Enrollment?
Community Corner
The Illinois Association for Gifted Children (IAGC) is holding their annual conference next month and Roycemore is proud to be one of the sponsors! The conference is open to educators and parents, with Saturday being designated as Parents Day. Breakout Sessions will be taking place throughout the conference and Saturday will offer the following Keynote Addresses:

"Parenting for Talent Development: The Importance of Cultivating Psychosocial Skills"

and

"Politics of Gifted Education 101: Lessons Learned for Advocates"


Illinois Association for Gifted Children (IAGC)
25th Annual Conference
Marriott Chicago Naperville
February 6-8th
Parent Saturday, February 8th
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