First Day of School is 3 Weeks Away- 5 Tips to be Ready
By Adrianne Finley Odell, Head of School
When the calendar turns the page to August, we know that summer is beginning to wrap up and we’ll soon be welcoming students back to school. We can’t wait to see everyone and work together to support the continued growth of our students. With the relaxed pace of summer though, it can sometimes be difficult to get back in the swing of the school schedule. On top of that, there are always “to do’s” that sneak up on us. So here are 5 Tips to be Ready for the first day of school on August 24th.
-
Make the pediatrician appointment (if you haven’t already) & ensure your child gets the COVID-19 vaccine if they are eligible. General medical forms and athletic participation forms need to be completed by your child’s physician. Forms are located on our parent resource page for new students and returning students. Appointments book up closer to the start of school, so don’t delay! We also urge all students who are eligible to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine. This is one of the most important ways we can reduce COVID infections. Also vaccinated students won’t be required to quarantine if they are a close contact to a COVID case.
-
Order your books and purchase school supplies. One of the traditions that students get excited about each year is getting their new School supplies and books. You can find out what you need by division/ grade on this page of our website.
-
Encourage your child to READ. Reading for pleasure is one of the activities most correlated to future success for young people. Don’t worry too much about what your child is reading, just help them set aside time to read each day. Cultivating this practice over the next three weeks will help them prime their brain for the return to school.
-
Start getting your child into a more normal sleep routine. Has your child been going to bed later than normal and waking up later than normal this summer? Now is the time to start edging back to times that are more similar to the school year. Everyone will be better served if steps are taken now to get back into the “early to bed, early to rise” habit.
-
Practice wearing masks again. If your child has been at home with you most of the summer or outside, they haven’t had to wear masks as much as they did when in school. With COVID infections on the rise again, and the majority of our school population ineligible for the COVID vaccine, we will continue the practice of wearing masks at school. To ease your child back in, start having them wear masks for a period of time each day in preparation for being back in the classroom.
If you follow these FIVE tips, your child’s re-entry to school on August 24th will be much more smooth, resulting in a positive experience for all as we begin the 2021-2022 school year.
|
Adrianne Finley Odell
Head of School
|
|
Adeline Courtial
EC, LS, and MS French Teacher
|
|
Charlotte Freccia
Upper School English Teacher
|
|
Courtney Barlow
Physical Education and Spanish Teacher
|
|
Gina Lorenz
Lower School Art Teacher
|
|
Janine Bragdon
Advancement Coordinator
|
|
Lauren DiSalle
Early Childhood Assistant Teacher
|
|
Marie Cinquemani Thomas
Middle & Upper School Music
|
|
Marielle St. Amand
Middle School Humanities and Upper School English
|
|
Tyler Fawbush
Physical Education Teacher
|
|
TOMORROW! Health & Safety Town Hall |
|
As we head into a new school year, in a new phase of the pandemic, we want to share how we are continuing to prioritize the health and safety of the entire Roycemore community - students, families, faculty, staff and visitors.
We are proud of our success as a community last year (and this summer!) that resulted in NO COVID OUTBREAKS. This was made possible because families, students and faculty all did their part to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and its variants in the Roycemore community. Your commitment to this common goal reinforces our shared responsibility to each other that extends from our campus to our homes.
During this Town Hall, we will discuss updates to our Health & Safety plan, put together by our Health & Safety Task Force, and what to expect when returning to school on August 24th.
As we continue our work together to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, we thank you for your partnership in support of your children. Please use the button below to register for this Virtual Town Hall.
|
|
RFA Back to School Griffin Gathering |
|
Mark your calendar for Upper School Orientation on August 23rd from 12:30-2:00pm! This is for ALL 9th graders, and ALL NEW students in grades 10-12.
Our 9th grade retreat will take place on August 10th, from 11:00am-2:00pm.
|
|
Early Childhood and Lower School News |
|
Mark your calendar for Pre-K through 4th grade Student & Parent Orientation on August 23rd!
8:30-9:15: Families with last names A-M
9:30-10:15: Families with last names N-Z
Please work with your student's classroom teacher if a switch in time needs to be made. Students can bring classroom supplies at this time.
|
|
August 4: Health & Safety Town Hall Meeting (5:30-6:30pm): Register
August 10: 9th Grade Retreat (11am): RSVP
August.17: Middle School Summer Learning Celebration & Ice Cream Social (3pm): RSVP
August 17: New Parent Orientation (5:30-7pm)
August 20: RFA Back to School Griffin Gathering (4-6pm): RSVP
August 23: New Student Orientation (see division news for times)
August 24: First Day of School
September 2: Virtual Curriculum Night (5:30-8:30pm)
October 24: Fall Admissions Open House (1-3pm)
|
|
Take Off!
by Adrianne Finley Odell
|
|
On July 11th I watched, rapt, as Richard Branson and a crew with Virgin Galactic launched a new chapter of space tourism with their suborbital flight. It was a dream of his since childhood and seventeen years since the company was founded in 2004--the year many of the members of Roycemore’s senior class were born. With this development, and many other technological advances that are rapidly accelerating, entire new careers are being created. Who would have thought just a few years ago that a career as a space pilot could be an option? Yet, by 2034, the year our kindergarten class will graduate from high school, not only might they have the opportunity to pursue a career as a space pilot, but perhaps avatar managers, memory augmentation specialists or climate change reversal specialists will be exciting options to consider.
Our team of faculty and administrators have been thinking deeply about the skills that young people will need for the kinds of careers that will be prevalent in the future. Our Portrait of a Graduate emphasizes scholarship, citizenship and emotional intelligence as key tenets. Each encompasses a number of competencies we intentionally foster through our curricula and student experiences that will further equip them for careers that have not yet been created. We are preparing our students for their own “take off” and excited about the opportunities that we will have together in the coming year. As we move into a new chapter of the pandemic, we expect to have greater potential to embrace a number of the key student experiences we believe in-- field experiences, student trips, visiting experts, collaborative problem solving, interscholastic competitions and more. All of our programs emphasize the importance of strong relationships between teachers and students, as well as between students themselves, to engage in activities that spark curiosity, strengthen collaboration, enhance communication and develop other skills in our Portrait of a Graduate.
The start of the 2021-2022 school year is just a few weeks away and we are more excited than ever to welcome students back to campus as we work together to help them reach their full potential. This newsletter has a number of important updates that we encourage you to familiarize yourself with. If you have questions after reading this, please feel free to reach out to your respective division head if it is division specific, and you are, of course, welcome to reach out to me if it is a school-wide question. We are always available to you.
In partnership for the education of your children,
|
|
Adrianne Finley Odell
Head of School
|
|
Welcome to Two New Members of our Admin Team! |
|
Angela Peters Murphy, Director of Admissions
& Financial Aid
|
|
Morgan Graff, Director of Marketing & Communications |
|
Welcome to Six New Trustees! |
|
A great school is made possible through excellent governance. The Board of Trustees of Roycemore play a vital role in ensuring the School fulfills its mission, maintains strong financial position, advances its strategic priorities and supports the Head of School to work with the faculty and administration. Roycemore is truly fortunate to have a very talented group of trustees, 65% of whom are not current parents-- a rather unique (and strong) situation for the school. In July, six new trustees joined our Board and three trustees concluded their service on the Board. Below are links to the bios of our new trustees.
We would also like to express our deep appreciation to our outgoing trustees for their dedicated service to our school-- especially in the past year as we navigated the challenges of a pandemic:
- Elizabeth Ellrodt
- Seema Gorla
- Stephen Jackson
|
|
Early Childhood and Lower School News |
|
The Early Childhood and Lower School faculty is looking forward to the start of school and can't wait to see all the smiling faces in the classroom or online. As we look to the transition back to school there may be some changes, allowing students, faculty and staff to ease into the start of the school year with a focus on learning and practicing new health and safety protocol.
We will be sending specific information soon about the beginning of the school year and the welcoming events that will take place. We can't wait to see you all soon!
Darcy Aksamitowski
Early Childhood and Lower School Division Head
|
|
Dearest Middle School Students,
We can't wait to celebrate your summer learning with you at our upcoming Roycemore Middle School Summer Learning Ice Cream Social on August 17 from 3pm - 4pm on the Middle School Patio.
Your "admission" ticket to the ice cream social is your Vision-Boarded, Summer Learning Journal .
For ideas for great summer learning, please visit the Roycemore MS Summer Learning website and check out the suggestions for summer learning fun, here.
Adrienne Floro
Middle School Division Head and Assistant Head of School for Academics
|
|
Dear Upper School Families,
It is with great joy that I write to inform you of what you will need to obtain before the first day of school on August 24th!
Linked here is a spreadsheet that lists the books you will need to order. If you do not see a class listed, that means there are no books that need to be ordered for that class. You can order the books from anywhere you like, but most find success on Amazon, as they provide options for used books as well. Please use the 13 digit ISBN numbers when ordering, this ensures you will receive the correct book.
Other than your books, you will also need a personal laptop computer (required), and of a face mask or covering (required). There may be a few class specific supplies you will need, but your teachers will let you know what those are on the first day of classes.
**NEW students-some of you have not yet completed your course planning, and do not yet know what books you need to order. No need to worry, there is plenty of time. Go ahead and order your books once you know your courses.
**If there is a question for you as to course placement, please hold off on ordering those books until that has been determined. The teachers are aware that you may be a day or two behind in getting the books, if this is the case.
Please note: there is no official supply list for Upper School. Aside from bringing a personal laptop that can connect to the internet per the BYOD policy, students should bring general supplies to start the first few days.
I am here to help and answer any questions, so please feel free to reach out!
Yours Truly,
Mrs. Stefanie Rivera
Upper School Division Head
|
|
Important Medical and Safety Reminders |
|
Medical forms have always been required for all Roycemore students before the first day of school and that policy will continue for the 2020-2021 school year as well. This is a state law and we can not allow any students on campus without these forms on file. We suggest families make any necessary medical appointments now so that they can fulfill this requirement before the start of school.
The 2021-2022 school year is approaching and we have released an updated Health and Safety Plan that is continuously evaluated by our Health and Safety Task Force and updated regularly. Please see the plan linked below and feel free to review the updates.
|
|
All supply lists for each division have been updated and are on the Parent Resource Page. Please check out the applicable lists for your child(ren) and order materials soon. |
|
Roycemore Summer Camp Highlights |
|
 |
The RoyceX Creative Writing class at the Museum of Contemporary Art, where they worked on various written assignments inspired by the artwork. |
|
|
|
RoyceX Engineering students taking in the architecture of downtown Chicago, while en route to the Museum of Science & Industry. |
|
|
|
Help us tell other families what the Roycemore experience is like from your unique perspective.
Please take 5 minutes to fill out a review at Niche.com to share your thoughts on what it's like to be a Griffin!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
