Volume 1 | August 27, 2019
Roycemore School Weekly Newsletter
From The Head of School
Today’s one-year olds will graduate
from high school in 2036. 

What can we expect by then?


By: Adrianne Finley Odell- Head of School
One of the Back-to-School rituals is for students and teachers to share with each other highlights from how they spent their summer. This past week I shared with faculty and new families about the great opportunity to play Grandma over the summer! This is Luca! He lives in Europe with his mom and dad. Papa (Grandpa) and Tutu (that’s me) don’t get the chance to see him too often. It was delightful-- and a lot of work! It gave me an appreciation for the energy (and patience) of my step-daughter and son-in-law! It also got me thinking about what the world is going to be like when Luca graduates high school in 2036. What can we expect by then? So I did what all modern Grannies do… I “googled” it. Here are a few things I learned ( from: FutureTimeline.net ):

  • If Luca becomes a superstar athlete and gets to go to the Olympics, he might also be competing against transhumans. It is predicted that by the late 2030s, gene therapy and implants will have become inexpensive. This, along with gene editing, robotic and cybernetic integration will enable “humans” to accomplish the previously un-accomplishable.

  • Tutu Adrianne is more likely to be able to keep up with Luca, at least in the memory category, as Alzheimers is predicted to be fully curable, through reverse engineering of the human brain.

  • He’s unlikely to ever be drafted for the Army because armed forces will rely on robots for the battlefield. They will perform better than humans because they need no rest, have inhuman precision, no fear, no ethical concerns, and no training needs.... 
Coming Up on the Calendar
  • Tuesday, August 27th - First Day of School
  • Monday, September 2nd - Labor Day, School Closed
  • Thursday, September 5th - Miniature School, 6:00-8:30pm
  • Thursday, September 12th - FREE Yoga at Roycemore, 5:00pm (All Ages and Abilities)
  • Friday, September 13th - Picture Day
Start The Day Off Right!
We are excited to welcome all members of the Roycemore family back on campus this week! Please have your child arrive for school promptly each day, as students miss out academically and socially when they are late.

8:20am Start Time for Middle School

8:30am Start Time for all Other Divisions
Announcing The 2019 Roycemore
Lawn Sign Contest
This September we will be holding a school-wide lawn sign contest. Every family is invited to participate and we encourage creativity:
front lawn, porch, balcony, planter boxes, etc! Awards will be announced at the end of the month for various categories.

Early Childhood & Lower School
Signs will be sent home with kids the first week of school

Middle & Upper School
Signs will be handed out at Miniature Night
Athletics at Roycemore
Fall Sports Are Starting Now!

*All Middle and Upper School Students Welcome*


Some sports have already started practices but students are still welcome to sign up. Please contact the team's coach or the Roycemore Athletic Director with questions.


Please Note: Middle and Upper School Soccer will have an orientation and practice today, Tuesday August 27th. Please meet in the gym lobby following school. All interested players (boys and girls) should meet (even if you don't have equipment to practice) so Coach Greg knows you'll be joining the team.

cartoon-soccer-ball.jpg
Thank You To Everyone Who Came To The Griffin Gathering
Griffins Soar Back, this year's back to school Griffin Gathering, was a big hit with many of our students and families joining in on the fun. Thank you to the RFA (Roycemore Family Association) for hosting this annual event that helps us kick off the new school year right.

Join us in welcoming Roycemore's new faculty and staff members!
Karen Dinelli - Early Childhood Extended Day
Roycemore School is delighted to have Karen Dinelli join our staff as our Early Childhood Extended Day Teacher. Karen comes to Roycemore after a long tenure as the Director and teacher of PDO Parent Day Out, an Evanston Early Childhood Cooperative Preschool. She also taught at Covenant Preschool and in the Gymboree Play Program.
Dan Dudek - Upper School Science Teacher
We are excited to welcome Dr. Dan Dudek to the Roycemore family. Dan will be teaching Science classes and creating new STEM classes for the 2019-2020 school year. Dan has conducted research in biomechanics around the world including as a professor at Virginia Tech. He recently taught at North Cross School, a private K-12 school in Virginia, and is excited to move home to Chicago with his family. He earned his B.A. in Biology at the University of Chicago and his PhD at the University of California - Berkeley.
Grace Erb - Middle School 5th Grade Teacher
Joining Roycemore is Grace Erb, who will be working in the Middle School as a Fifth Grade Teacher. Before coming to Roycemore, Grace spent three years at Fairview South Elementary teaching a variety of subjects, including math, science, social studies and language arts, across multiple grade levels. She comes here with the goal with building a genuine connection with each of her students and becoming familiar with their learning style, hobbies, and personal challenges. Grace is also very passionate about allowing every student to have a voice in the classroom and establishing measurable goals for their academic careers.
Hilda Gonzalez - Librarian
Hilda grew up in the Uptown neighborhood on the Northside of Chicago. From a young age, Hilda was an avid reader and frequently visited her local city library branch. Through her love of reading and recognition of the value knowledge carries, Hilda received a B.A. in English Literature from Northeastern-Illinois University. Currently, Hilda is pursuing a Masters Degree in Library Science at UW-Milwaukee. For the past three years, Hilda has worked as a library assistant in the children’s department of Oak Park and Evanston Public Library, respectively. This first year at Roycemore is Hilda’s first year as a school librarian. Hilda is mother to alumni Alanis who graduated with the Class of 2018. 
Shannon Henry - Upper School Science Teacher
We have hired Shannon Henry to serve as our new Bio/ Chem teacher for the Upper School. Shannon has been teaching at Ida Crown this past year as an AP Bio teacher and substitute Chem teacher. She has a Masters Degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Denver and Bachelors degree in Biochemistry with a minor in Chinese from Knox College.
Diane Stein - Lower School Art Teacher
We are pleased to welcome Diane Stein to Roycemore School as our new Lower School Art Teacher. She comes to us following ten years as a Lower School art teacher at Trevor Day School in New York City. She moved to Evanston in the summer of 2017 with her husband and two young children. Her goal is to help her students develop and see their process of creative problem solving. Diane is a firm believer that taking artistic risks in the pursuit of artistic expression impacts every aspect of students’ growth across all disciplines.
Lizanne Wilson - Drama
Lizanne worked at Baker Demonstration for over two decades and is considered a master teacher and great collaborator. Besides being a pioneer in devising and implementing a drama program for a progressive independent school, she is also a sought-after speaker on topics such as drama and literacy and transforming student learning through integrated drama programs.
Nicole Wise - Early Childhood Assistant
We welcome Nicole Wise to Roycemore as the assistant teacher in the kindergarten. Nicole comes to us from Virginia where she was an assistant in the Fairfax County Schools working with Special Education students. Nicole also taught an entrepreneurship class to young children ages, five to nine years of age. 
Marge Woodfill - Afternoon Receptionist
Marge comes to Roycemore after a career as a business professional in the experimental aircraft field with years of customer service, management, and marketing experience. She has also taught ESL to children and adults while living in Mexico. Marge is new to Evanston and is delighted to be working at such an inspiring place so close to home.
 
Auditions: Upper School Musical
This fall, the Upper School will be performing  Chicago , a musical about fame and murder.  There are many opportunities for both leads and smaller parts (including parts with no singing).  Dancers are also needed!  Rehearsals occur after school, and students may be as involved as they choose. Auditions will take place on:

  • September 5th, 3:30-5:00 P.M. 
  • September 6th, 3:30-5:00 P.M.

Those interested only need to come to one audition day.  Please prepare 30 seconds of any song you choose to sing a capella. All students who audition will be included in the production!
Save The Date
Roycemore is excited to announce that we will be co-hosting a book discussion along with Northwestern University's School of Education and Social Policy
and Northwestern University's Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.

Book Discussion

iGen
Written by Jean M. Twenge, PhD.
October 15th
5:00-7:00pm


Why Today's Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--
and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood--and What That Means for the Rest of us.

Become A Short-Term Host Family
Has your family ever wondered what it would be like to host an exchange student? Faces And Our Cultures, an exchange partner of Roycemore School, will be running an 8 week program this fall helping students from Guatemala live and attend school here in the US. They are seeking host families for a 2 month program that starts in mid-October and runs until mid-December. If you are interested, please contact Ana Gabriela Padilla.

Ana Gabriela Padilla
gaby.padilla@facesandcultures.com
(615) 756-8562

Community Notes
The Evanston Children's Choir welcomes all interested singers to join one of their programs this fall. They have options for students as young as First Graders and continuing all the way through to High School. The fall semester starts September 3rd (with families welcome to join until mid-October).

Please note: The Evanston Children's Choir offers little or no-cost options for those who have limited monetary resources. They never turn anyone away!

www.evanstonchildrenschoir.org


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