Volume 24| February 23, 2020
Middle School News
REMINDER : Sign up for Student-Led Conferences- Thurs. & Fri.

Thank you to the many of you who have already signed up for student led conferences to take place next Thursday evening and all day Friday. Here is the  LINK again  to sign up if you haven't already. Conference slots will begin after school and run until 7:30pm on Thursday Feb. 27th, and will run all day (8:30am-3:45pm) on Friday the 28th. [There will be no school on Friday the 28th for Lower and Middle School students to accommodate conferences].

IMPORTANT NOTE: We ask that all families come with their student for conferences. They are leading the conference. It is NOT a traditional parent-teacher conference. Your child is preparing to share with you their areas of pride and areas to continue to work on. They will share their digital portfolios with you. If you wish to talk to your child's teacher separately, please reach out to them to arrange another time to do it. These conferences are reserved for students to take the lead. 



What is the value of student-led conferences?


  • students take ownership of their learning
  • students recognize that parents and teachers are partners for their success
  • students strengthen communication and presentation skills
  • students think about their thinking (metacognition), which is proven to have impact on depth of learning
***NOTE- Sixth Grade French-Drama Workshop students should choose BOTH Mrs. Wilson and Mrs. Michaelson for their conference in the SAME TIME SLOT, so you can meet with them together.
LAST WEEK to DOUBLE your donation!!!
A special group of donors have come forward and will match, dollar for dollar, every gift that comes in before March 1st. Please consider donating and helping us take advantage of this incredible and generous match opportunity.

EVERY GIFT no matter its size counts.
And right now, it counts DOUBLE!

Last Day is March 1st

Current Parent Participation Rates
Early Childhood: 42%
Lower School: 62%
Middle School: 55%
Upper School: 55%

Goal: 100%

*** LET'S GET MIDDLE SCHOOL TO 100%! EVERYONE WINS WHEN WE ALL PARTICIPATE ESPECIALLY OUR KIDS!
Congratulations to Aidan and Emma- Poetry Moves to State Competition!

Middle School students submitted poetry for the Manningham Trust Competition . Congratulations to Aidan S. and Emma Q. whose poems have advanced to the state competition!!

By Aidan:

hello!
what an interesting exclamation.
we use it to greet people
it is a nice exclamation 
unlike others.
we greet our friends with it,
even when we are upset
hello!
saying hello to others is like giving them a literal hug
without making physical contact.
hello world
hello friends!
hello everybody!

_____________

By Emma:

Dyslexia poem 

I’m drowning in words that I can’t read or spell
I felt as if my life was a living hell 
The words on the page were dancing to a song
Whenever she would read I couldn’t follow along
I would panic and have anxiety during a test
The letters and math made my heart jump out of my chest
Worst came to worst we thought about getting tested
It felt like my brain was all congested
At this point, I can’t pout
I have to go and figure it out
They put me in a room with letters and toys
The testing was something I didn’t enjoy
And that was the day that the tests came
I think it was dyslexia, yeah that’s the name

World Languages






French I students have been presenting on various Francophone countries. Keira K. presented on Belgium!
Humanities Happenings
As teachers, we are trained to prepare the lessons before class. Once in the classroom, the students should be doing the bulk of the work. This is why our Humanities team believes so strongly in giving students the opportunity to be the teacher.
Fifth grade students are currently learning about Narrative Writing. In humanities this week students worked on defining story elements and then identifying them in in different texts. They watched  Hair Love  and paused periodically to have class discussions on the story elements and how they shape the message they receive from the short film. 
As we all know, times are changing. Our students will engage in careers that haven't even been invented yet. At the same time, they will likely still have to take the ACT and SAT to get into college, and they will have to take far too many traditional classroom tests on their way. At Roycemore, we try to blend progressive practices with traditional skills, so that our students will be prepared to excel in all academic environments. To that end, this week our Seventh and Eighth Graders took both an old fashion pen and paper quiz as well as an interactive computer-based game-like assessment. 
P3 PROTOTYPING

In P3, students are continuing to refine their prototypes. Mr. Tain gave a great presentation on prototyping during Experience Week. He discussed the importance of iterating on an idea to make it better and better. Students are now doing that with their passion projects. Each student/group is creating some sort of prototype to help with the problem they are solving. This could be a physical model, an app, a website, or something less tangible like a method of set of instructions. We encourage you to ask your middle schooler what their prototype is!
Re-Enrollment Reminder- March 2nd deadline

March 2nd is quickly approaching and all re-enrollment documentation is required by the deadline in order to secure your student's spot for next year. If you have any questions or problems with your re-enrollment packet, please be sure to reach out before the deadline to Tanise Robnett .
In Roycemore's Middle School we make time for PLAY!

Yeah for sunshine! Despite the cold, we enjoyed some sunny days this week. Middle School students still get outside in the winter at Roycemore!!
We Are Roycemore  Photos - THIS WEDNESDAY!
Remember all the amazing black and white photos of our students that were taken last year? Well, we are VERY excited that photographer extraordinaire, Lisa Gottschalk, will be taking another round of beautiful pictures of our amazing students this coming week! 8th graders will be on Wednesday-- and 5th-7th graders will be on Wednesday March 4th! You can view the schedule here:  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1vcmqHotG3qZjeJ_amy_f9N1UXvqns944X-M-mL0Hhr4/edit?usp=sharing  
Sports and Activities this coming week!!
Seeking volunteers to help lead Middle School after-school clubs: Given low enrollment in the baking club and digital adventures, a couple of the clubs that were planned for winter/ spring did not run. Students have identified several clubs that they would love to see happen, and we have listed them below. You may also have other ideas! Are you interested and available to help lead an after school club? If so, contact Adrianne Finley Odell at afinleyodell@roycemoreschool.org

  • Debate- learn how to debate and hold intramural debates
  • YouTube- create a Roycemore Middle School YouTube Channel
  • Cooking- learn practical and tasty baking skills
Mon:

  • Homework Club 3:30pm-4:20pm
  • Board and Video Game Club 3:30-4:30pm

Tues:   
  • Homework Club 3:30pm-4:20pm

Wed:
  • Homework Club 3:30pm-4:20pm
  • Robotics Club- 3:30-4:30pm

Thurs:
  • Math Club 2pm
  • Community Yoga 5:00-6:00pm
  • Student-Led Conferences in the evening

Fri:
  • No School- Student-Led Conferences
Upcoming Dates

  • Feb. 26- We Are Roycemore!- Photoshoot for 8th grade!! during school
  • Feb. 27th- Student-Led Conferences 2pm-7:30pm
  • Feb. 28th- NO SCHOOL- Student-Led Conferences
  • Mar. 2nd.- Re-enrollment & Priority Sliding Scale Application Deadline
  • March 16-20- Spirit Week- a cross-divisional student committee is planning theme dress up days for the week
  • March 23- MS Social Outing to Dave & Busters
  • March 30- April 3rd- SPRING BREAK
Middle School Community Guidelines
We will create a community in Roycemore’s middle school based on RESPECT. We will respect ourselves, our space, and our peers. In doing so, we will assume the best intentions of others and create a space where we are welcomed, feel we belong, and are known!
(created by representatives from each grade 2019-20)
SHOW YOUR GRIFFINITY!!
The Roycemore mascot, the Griffin, is legendary, powerful, and magical. Show your Griffin LOVE by wearing Roycemore Spirit items!! You can find them 24-7 through our online store at    www.roycemoreschool.org/schoolstore