Middle School Experience Week is generally the week before spring break. During that week, regular middle school classes do not meet*, and students spend the entire time concentrating on P3. Students are welcome to be at school each day for this work (whether we are virtual or in-person); however, with your help, this could be an opportunity for your student to pursue their passion project in a place outside of school. Ideas include museums, work site visits, and workshops.
* Please note: Students in upper school classes will still attend those classes, unless they are participating in off-campus activities and receive approval from their teachers.

We hope you will join us in planning P3 project-related activities for your students, as we require that all outside-of-school activities are organized by parents. The faculty and myself have also been busy creating a plan for students who are at school for all or part of Experience Week. It is not a requirement for parents to find outside-of-school activities for their children, it is simply encouraged. We know many of you will have questions. We have created a Frequently Asked Questions guide for you- see below. Please review these with your student.

Recently, your student viewed this presentation about Experience Week, and was asked to start filling out an Experience Week Planning Document via Google Classroom. On this document, students have been asked to write down their ideas for Experience Week, and then speak with you about arranging any outside-of-school activities. Please review this document carefully, as it may include off-campus outings. We want to make sure you and your student have been in communication about which days any such outings will take place, as you may be responsible for transportation. All students and parents must take COVID precautions and continue to follow all travel and other guidelines in Roycemore’s Health and Safety Plan during any site visits. This will ensure we can plan a great week for all students!

As always, please email Mrs. Shutters if you have additional questions about Experience Week, or if you would like help understanding your child's options. We look forward to a great week of learning and creating!

Frequently Asked Questions

About P3 Experience Week

What is Experience Week?

Roycemore’s Middle School Experience Week will take place March 14-18, 2022. This is the week prior to spring break. There are no classes (see note about upper school classes above), and students are REQUIRED to participate in activities related to their P3 project all five days of the week, March 14-18.

We would love to allow as many students as possible to visit businesses or sites relevant to their projects during Experience Week to enable the students to have real-life, hands-on opportunities. Parents may also receive an email from their child’s P3 Coach encouraging them to help brainstorm relevant opportunities for their child. Ideas include shadowing someone at work, visiting a museum exhibit, participating in a hands-on workshop, taking an online class, conducting a video interview of an expert in the area of concentration of the student’s P3 project, and more. Because this is a PERSONAL Passion Project, the experiences of students will vary depending on the nature of their project choice.

On Friday, March 18, there will be a P3 Expo (time and exact details coming soon!). Parents, Mentors, family members and members of the community are invited to the Expo to hear about the P3 Projects directly from the students as we celebrate their growth and accomplishments during the first semester.

Who is responsible for my child during Experience Week?

If your child will be on campus working on their P3 project, there will be supervision at school, even though regular classes will be suspended that week. Similarly, if school is remote at that time, virtual activities will take place the entire week during school hours. If your child chooses to engage in an activity off-campus as part of their project, we will ask you and your child to complete and sign a form indicating what they will be doing off campus and when. The form is also your indication to explicitly authorize your child to be off campus and to indicate to us who will be authorized by you to supervise them. This could be you, a family member, friend, P3 Mentor, or other individual you authorize (such as if your child is participating in a workshop offered by an outside organization). This gives us time to review off-campus requests to ensure they are in alignment with P3 expectations and also to plan for what will take place on campus that week. If a form is not completed, your child will be expected to be in attendance at school, working on his/ her project there each day.

For those who are at school, what will they do?

Students who are at school during Experience Week will spend the majority of the time working on their P3 project. This could include contacting their mentors, researching, building or creating, and working on a presentation for the P3 Expo. Small group field trips led by teachers may also take place (if determined COVID-safe). We will break up the project work times with some fun and enriching activities, such as workshops on entrepreneurship, public speaking/presenting, and design thinking. A more exact schedule for the week will be sent prior to Experience Week; you can view the 2020 schedule here as an example.

What will happen at the P3 Expo?

A virtual P3 Expo will begin on Friday, March 19, will be a “trade-show” style sharing session for our projects. Students will show prototypes of their project solutions, but each Expo presentation will be a little different, depending on where each student is in the design thinking process. One group might prepare a traditional presentation, with slides and a speech. Another might create and show a movie or share an album they’ve created. We will work hard during the week to make sure each student/group has something to share at the Expo. And we hope it will be highly interactive and informative!

Can my student visit a site one day, and come to school the other days?

YES! In fact, if students are not working on something directly related to their project, they should be at school. You can plan an outing for your student on one or more days, and have him or her at school the other days.

What is the mentor’s role during Experience Week?

Once mentors are assigned, they will be invited/ encouraged to host their mentee for an hour, a day, or even the whole week, so students can see their work in action as this would be an invaluable part of our P3 program. In most cases, this would be virtual for 2021. For some mentors, hosting their mentee is not possible. In these cases, we have asked that the mentor simply be in more contact with them with them during this week, as they will most likely be working on their project at school throughout the week. Mentors will also be invited to attend the P3 Expo on March 19.

How might I get in touch with my child’s P3 Coach or Mentor?

Your child will have the contact information for their mentor within the next few weeks. If you are unaware of who has been assigned to your child as their mentor, you may feel free to contact your child’s coach or to Mrs. Shutters to find out their name and contact information. We have encouraged your child to communicate with their mentor by email or video conference. You may feel free to join in that conversation as well. Many of the mentors are Roycemore alumni, Roycemore parents, and a few faculty. We have also identified people to serve as mentors who are personal friends or contacts of Roycemore faculty and parents.

My child will be meeting with his/her P3 Mentor in person. Has any background check been done on this individual?

We are asking all mentors who meet with students in person to submit to background screening to ensure the safety of our students. (For 2021: Since visitors to campus are not allowed, this question does not apply.)

Who do I contact with more questions?

Beth Shutters, Director of Curriculum and Innovation, is coordinating the P3 program. Feel free to email her at eshutters@roycemoreschool.org, or call Roycemore and ask for Beth at 847-866-6055. You can also find out more about the P3 program by visiting our P3 page.