Experience Rundle
"Headmaster's Monthly Update"

Dear Rundle College Society Families,

Coming Up:

Remembrance Day Ceremonies

Each campus will be hosting a Remembrance Day Ceremony on November 7th. For more information on the timing and event specifics, please contact your school’s administrative assistant.  As a reminder, there will be no classes on November 10th (school wide PD) and November 11th (Remembrance Day).

AGM

Our Rundle College Society Annual General Meeting is taking place at the Elementary campus on November 26th at 7:00PM.  All Society Members are welcome to attend.

Gone By:

419

​Our sincere thanks goes out to our very own Will Ferguson. Mr. Ferguson visited Mrs. Kim's Grade 12 English class earlier this month, and gave a great lecture on his Giller Prize winning novel, 419.  After speaking to the group, he dropped by and gave us all the best compliment, saying (and now I am paraphrasing), "Your students asked better questions than most literary critics do!"  Wow!

Rundle Social

Speaking of WOW - a big thank you to all parents, staff, and community members that came out and contributed at the Rundle Social. Of the $1.5 million we still need to raise, we were able to raise over $270,000 that night!  Beyond the financial contributions, what I noticed was the great energy and community feel. It’s  that energy and community spirit  that  makes Rundle so special, and really no amount of money can buy that.

Celebration of Learning

I was sitting in my office at our Jr. Sr. High campus when I heard ​a shout ​from the Great Hall - "I just got a 94 in ​Bio!" After this rally cry came a resounding applause from all who could hear it!

On a second occasion early this month, I was invited to join the students, staff, and parents at the Primary campus for their Celebration of Learning meetings. My heart was filled ​when I saw the students proudly showing their parents all their accomplishments. One young man even offered me a picture he had drawn. 

Both of these elements are great examples of our community fulfilling our mission and "Celebrating with them when they do."

Field Tripping - Grade 5's to the Academy

In early October I was able to accompany an entire class of Grade 5 Rundle College students to Rundle Academy.  We spent an afternoon eating cookies, sipping juice and learning about learning (or metacognition as the Grade 5's came to know it). An absolute highlight of the trip was our Academy Ambassadors. They did a fantastic job of personifying self advocacy and helping others understand what it means to 'take the "dis"​ out of learning disability.'

Heads Up - Experience Rundle

Happy... more than a ​Pharrel Song. This video was sent to me by a board member last month and I thought it was worth sharing with our whole community. As stated in last month's Heads Up - we only learn from people we connect with. In my experience, we also learn best when we are free from too much negative stress and feel empowered to be happy. This TED talk provides some great strategies to bring that happiness to our lives. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Kind(er) than i​s necessary. On a related note, earlier this month we were all inspired by an Airdrie girl who truly demonstrated what it means to be 'Kinder than is necessary.'  For those of you who missed it, have a look at this article. I know this motivated me to 'pay it forward' and I hope it does the same thing for you as well. More than anything, I really appreciate the idea that there are many ways to deal with adversity, and to conquer it with kindness is never a bad idea!  Who knew the power those little sticky Post-it notes had!

Even closer to home is this article about two amazing Rundle Alumni who have started a project ​called 'A Sandwich for a Story.' If you read nothing else in this update - take a moment to read about Evan Beck ‘12 and Sam Sawchuk ’12 and the inspirational work they have undertaken!

Lastly on the Kindness theme - World Kindness Day is November 13th. On this day, I challenge our community to find a way to make someone else's day brighter!

Making it Stick

Speaking of sticking...years ago I read a book by Chip and Dan Heath titled, 'Made to Stick.'  I was inspired by the author's divergent insights on how to help create memories that last a lifetime. On a similar note, last month I stumbled upon this article on effective study strategies for students. This is a helpful read for all those parents and educators that are working on making any idea 'stick.' 

Have a wonderful November.

My best,

Jason Rogers

Headmaster, Rundle College Society
"Attention to Excellence"