Volume 33| April 21, 2020
Roycemore School Weekly Newsletter
From the Head of School
Adrianne Finely Odell
The far-reaching impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a heartbreaking experience on many levels. Last Friday's pronouncement by Governor Pritzker extending the suspension of in-person school instruction for the remainder of the year is especially heartbreaking. For a community as strong as Roycemore that values the deep, personal connections we have with students and families, we thrive when we are together. In the days and weeks ahead, we will be doing all we can to continue those connections. We are planning zoom meetings with division heads, family social meet-ups, virtual game nights, and helpful parent education sessions along with a number of similar opportunities for students. You will see some of these identified in today's newsletter.

Such virtual activities, however, can never take the place of in-person gatherings. I know you share my sadness about the loss of our cherished year-end celebrations ranging from awards ceremonies and Palio, to the Lower School musical and graduations. I want to assure you that the faculty and I are working hard to determine ways we can continue to honor our special traditions in alternative ways. We invite you to share your ideas with us. Separately, we are also reaching out to our seniors and 8th grade students and their families to discuss graduation. I can only imagine how disappointed they are and I am fighting back my own tears just thinking about all that they are missing. I am still hopeful that we will be able to come together in person in some fashion- even if it is at a later date. Students-- please know that we love you and are committed to find ways to celebrate you and your accomplishments!

Take care of each other! 

Stay healthy! 

Stay Griffin-strong!!
Coming up on the Calendar
Wednesday, April 22nd - Earth Day
Wednesday, April 22nd, 7:00pm - RFA Sponsored Upper School Town Hall
Friday, April 24th, 6:00pm - RFA Sponsored Middle School Parent Happy Hour
Saturday, April 25th, 5:00pm - Griffin Greats
Tuesday, April 28th, 3:30pm - Middle School Parent Ed: Parenting In a Pandemic
Saturday, May 16th, 5:00pm -Scholarship Fundraiser "With a Little Help From My Friends"

Remote Learning 2.0 Update
We are committed to providing the very best educational experience possible for your children during remote learning. To help with this priority, we posted a  Remote Learning Handbook  on our Remote Learning Site  last week. As you have seen over the past few weeks since Remote Learning launched, our platform continues to evolve based on the needs of our students and our school community.
Students: We Need Your Videos
Our annual fundraiser is next month and we need your help. Please make a flipgrid video about your favorite teacher that can be used for the auction! It's fast. It's easy. It's fun. Click here to create your flipgrid: 

Parent Survey Information
We have two opportunities for parents to provide feedback and we definitely want to hear your thoughts. Two survey links were shared recently with all parents via email:

( This survey is only open until April 23rd.)

The National Survey by ISM is a confidential survey administered by a national organization that collects and tabulates important information that is relevant to Roycemore. It also allows us to measure educational and operational trends among private schools across the country.

This survey gives parents a chance to elaborate more on their feedback and give text answers that can provide a richer response. Your feedback is a very important tool for Roycemore and helps us make decisions with the parent and family perspective in mind.
 
Griffin Greats
We are excited to introduce a new speaker series that brings the knowledge our amazing alumni to you!

Griffin Greats is a new way for our alumni to share their unique insights and expertise of our alumni with the rest of the Roycemore family. Please join us to hear from Dr. Stull, our first Griffin Great!

Dr. Bill Stull
Class of 1982
Practicing Pathologist
Saturday, April 25th
5:00 pm
Facebook Live


Feel free to submit questions in advance to Sara McGuire.
Middle School Parent Education Opportunity
We aren’t all first responders but as parents, we are all front line workers of a sort. Our worlds have collided and are now parked right in our homes. We are searching for answers to questions about how to do all this in the best way possible. How will this affect my child in the long run? How do I ensure they are working and not gaming while on their screens? How do I respond to the meltdowns? The most poignant of these questions is: Am I doing this right? Join us for a question and answer session for Middle School parents with Dr. Glader , Roycemore School Social Worker.
Parenting In a Pandemic with Less Pandemonium
Roycemore Middle School Parent Zoom Meeting
Q & A With Dr. Glader
Tuesday, April 28th
3:30pm

Meeting ID: 782 7030 4191
Password: 9pBhKF
Questions can be submitted beforehand directly to Dr. Glader .
Check Out Our New Virtual Tour Page
We are proud to introduce you to the new Roycemore Virtual Tour Page. Check out our campus in a whole new way and see clips from members of the Administrative Team. Feel free to share with friends and anyone interested in seeing our campus from the comfort of their own home.
Calling All Students:
Get Published!
Calling all students! Don't miss your chance to get published. Submit your creative work to the Roycemore Literary Magazine. The deadline is in a couple of weeks and we want to see your creativity.
All grade levels are invited to participate!
crusty-paint-tubes.jpg

Send us your:

Short Stories
Photography
Comics
Drawings
Poetry
Art Work
And More...
Please send submissions by May 1st to: 
elac@roycemoreschool.org  or  litmag@roycemoreschool.org
Roycemore School Summer Programs,
Updates to Come
There will be Summer Programs, albeit, perhaps in a different format than we have seen in past years. Our Camp Griffin and Inspiration Factory teams are busily planning both virtual and in-person options for this summer and we will keep the Roycemore community updated as the details come to light.
Evanston Strong
Did you know that many Evanston businesses are still open for business? Click here to visit the Evanston Chamber of Commerce and see which businesses are open and ready to offer their services. Help support our local community!
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