Early Childhood & Lower School News |
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The countdown is on and we are T-minus two days until the 2021-22 school year will commence. It was so amazing to see so many families at the Friday Griffin Gathering! I had so much fun being outside, playing games, listening to stories, dancing, and enjoying a delicious treat. Thank you RFA for hosting such a wonderful event! Tomorrow I hope that many of you will take the opportunity to come with your children to meet their teachers and see their homerooms for the 2021-22 school year. We are thrilled to have parents back on campus this year.
As we launch into a new year, I want you to know that each and every person within the Roycemore community is here to support you and your child. There may be some bumps along the way as we are still navigating a path with some unknowns. Thank you for joining us as we continue to follow safety measures inside and outside of school to keep our community safe so that we can learn and grow together in person.
I am always here for you, so reach out at any time.
In partnership,
Darcy Aksamitowski
Early Childhood & Lower School Division Head
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Orientation Day Tomorrow
The Pre-K through 4th grade Student & Parent Orientation is tomorrow on August 23rd! Parents AND students will go to their classrooms for a fun morning to meet their teacher, drop off supplies, and do an activity!
8:30 am - 9:15 am: Families with last names A-M
9:30 am -10:15 am: Families with last names N-Z
ALL families attending Orientation will enter through the appropriate division door in the garage to be scanned so please make sure you have completed your School Wellness Screener (SWS).
Lower School families will enter the white door on the south wall of the garage and Early Childhood families enter the yellow doors on the east wall of the garage. Please have your SWS accounts set up with QR code accessible on your device. (Students will be getting their physical codes for their backpacks at their orientation).
If you walk, ride bikes, or the garage is full, you may enter through the main entrance. Email Darcy with any questions.
Darcy will also be available at the Lower School entrance to add members to an account if needed.
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First Day of School: Tuesday, August 24th
We are so excited to have all the students back on Tuesday for our first full day! Please remember Lower School (LS) students can enter their rooms at 8:00 am and school starts at 8:15 am. Early Childhood (EC) students can enter their rooms at 8:30 am and school starts at 8:45 am.
Drop-off in FIVE easy steps:
- Complete the Wellness Screener before you enter the garage.
- Enter the garage.
- Pull up towards your child's divisional door.
- The staff will open the door for your child, help them out of the car, and scan the QR code that is hanging from their backpack. (These will be passed out at Orientation, or on the first day if you were unable to attend).
- Drive away and enjoy your day! Your children are in great hands. :)
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Pick-up in FIVE easy steps:
- Have your Car Sign in the passenger side window (passed out at orientation).
- Enter the garage.
- Pull up towards your child's divisional door.
- The staff will walkie to have your child come out. They will then open the door for your child and help them into the car (buckles and all for EC students).
- Drive away! :)
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Travel Reminders
At Roycemore we follow the Chicago Travel Advisory which is very applicable since all our EC and LS students can not be vaccinated at this time.
If you have traveled to a state that is coded orange, you must:
- Prior to arrival, Orange list travelers must receive a negative COVID-19 test result no longer than 72 hours prior to arrival and have proof of negative results OR plan to quarantine for 10 days upon arrival.
- If you were unable to obtain a negative COVID test prior to returning to Chicago, you must quarantine upon arrival back into our area until you obtain a negative COVID test.
Current Map for Travel Guidance:
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Upcoming Calendar Highlights
September
2nd (Thursday): Virtual Curriculum Night (5:30 pm - 8:00 pm)
6th (Monday): No School Labor Day
7th (Tuesday): No School Rosh Hashanah
13th-17th (all week): After-School Enrichment & Clubs Begin
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School Wellness Screener (SWS) Information |
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It is the School’s expectation that all families will adhere to the guidelines published in Roycemore’s Health & Safety Plan to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. On a daily basis, families will be asked to answer the questions below in an app developed for Roycemore by alumnus Effie Zimmerman ‘21, and his company Visionapps, School Wellness Screener to attest to being symptom-free each day. Within an hour prior to coming to school, all must complete the questionnaire on the app.
If the student attests to being symptom-free, they will scan their QR code that will allow them entry to school. If an individual cannot attest to being symptom free, their information will be shared with the administration to follow up with the individual. Individuals must be fever-free for 24 hours prior to returning to school.
If a student answers YES to one of the questions in the screener, they will either need to be symptom free for 24 hours before returning, have a physician’s note to indicate that their symptom is not contagious, have a negative PCR COVID-19 test, or complete a chronic condition form to have on file to indicate that their symptom is not contagious.
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HandCut Foods Information
Last year, Roycemore families had the option of having their children receive lunch from HandCut foods or receive a commensurate refund in student fees. This year, Roycemore removed lunch service from student fees and entered into a partnership with HandCut Foods that is a more streamlined process allowing families to order lunches and pay for specific days. We are very excited about this new arrangement because it gives families more flexibility and will reduce food waste.
As of Tuesday, August 17th each family has been set up with an account in the HandCut application and you can login at: app.handcutfoods.com. If you would like to participate in the HandCut program, login and follow the instructions to set up the details of your account. Accounts leverage a prepaid/drawdown process in which you will be asked to load a specific amount as a credit on the account. Each time you order, the meal will be charged against your balance. The process will allow you to order/pay for lunches on specific days and to choose to receive no meal on others.
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Please note-the deadline for ordering meals for the first week of school has already passed; the usual deadline is Wednesday at noon for the following week.
Families who haven’t had time to look into it yet WILL NEED to pack lunches this first week of school. We WILL NOT have any extra lunches available.
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Lower School
After-School Enrichment & Clubs
Besides being fun, the Lower School After-School Enrichment Activities & Club opportunities enhance our curriculum. They involve socialization, higher-order thinking skills, problem solving opportunities, and emphasize academic skills.
Please click on the link for specific information. Families will need to register by Wednesday, September 8th. All activities and clubs will begin the week of September 13th.
Please note that some activities and clubs are for specific grade levels and some require an additional fee.
Also, you may notice the Monday Piano class for LS has been moved to Friday.
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Early Childhood
After-School Enrichment
This year we are partnering with the Chicago School of Musical Arts to bring violin lessons to our EC students on Thursdays from 2:15-3:15. Please click the link below for more information and to register. Classes will start on Thursday, September 16th.
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The policy in the Early Childhood and Lower School when students are absent from school, is that they will make up work when they return from their leave. Learning in the Early Childhood and Lower School is very hands-on and tailored to student needs and interests. This means that on a daily basis assignments may be changed or modified to differentiate and meet the needs of the class and individual students.
Teachers are unable to provide work ahead of time, but will work with students and families to catch them up when they return. Depending on the grade and age of the students, teachers may have students continue to work on on-going assignments from class, read and respond to literature, or engage in supplemental activities through our digital platforms. The goal when a student is absent is to make sure they progress and not fall behind, not necessarily to do the same work as their peers. Please read below for specific protocol depending on the type of absence.
● Sick Day
If a student is absent from school due to an illness, that student should rest so they can return to school. All work will be made up upon the return to school with the support of the teachers. Engaging in reading is always a great activity during sick days.
● Leave for a Personal Reason
If a student leaves for an extended period of time for a personal reason, that student will make up any classwork when they return to school. Reach out to the classroom teacher to see if they would like your child to participate in nightly reading with a response, journal writing about their trip, or another open ended review activity. All content material will be completed upon their return to class.
● Absence Due to Quarantine
If a student needs to quarantine for an extended period of time, (separate from a whole cohort closure) that student will make up some classwork when they return to school. Teachers will provide asynchronous work to complete while they are home, so that their learning continues. Families will work with the homeroom teacher to discuss a specific plan. This will vary by grade and class, but could include the continuation of work from the classroom, morning work assignments, reading and responding to text, extension of learning from the integrated unit in the classroom, completing a selection of choice board activities, and/or completing activities through our digital platforms.
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You can make an impact while you shop. School supply lists will have links to some items to purchase at Amazon. Consider shopping through Amazon Smile to support Roycemore.
AmazonSmile will donate to Roycemore School, at no cost to you.
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ROYCEMORE SWAG/GEAR:
Please visit our online store at:
You can find clothing and all sorts of accessories to start the new year. Every Friday is spirit day where all students and faculty can show their Roycemore pride!
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Roycemore's Early Childhood & Lower School are nut and peanut-free environments.
Please remember this when you send in any lunches, snacks, or birthday treats this year. There are many other allergies, specific to individual children, so please check with your child's classroom teacher before sending in treats. Thank you in advance for caring about all of our children.
More Information
When you need more information, such as lunch menus, the weekly bulletin, and reminders of upcoming special events, go to the Parents' Page of our website at http://www.roycemoreschool.org/parents
Technology Concerns
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I am here for you, so please reach out, if you have any questions or comments.
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