"Heads Up -
 Headmaster Update: 
What is success"
Experience Rundle

February 1, 2015

Dear parents,

Coming Up:

Uniform Store Goes Online!

Below you will find a letter detailing our upcoming change to the uniform store. In the spring, with the support of Top Marks Canada, we will have everything moved to an online store which will allow you to purchase your items online and have them delivered to your door within 3 working days. We will be closing our physical store in early spring. Watch your e-mail for a more detailed timeline of upcoming events. If you have any questions about this upcoming move, please contact Lisa Hansen at hansen@rundle.ab.ca.

We are Hosting the Senior Varsity Girls Basketball Provincials!

We are excited to be hosting teams from across the province this coming March. More information via e-mail will follow about this epic event.  

Many parents and community members have stepped up with generous donations to support this event, and for their efforts, I'd like to extend a big thank you to all who have provided their time and financial resources to make this a first-class Rundle experience for our student athletes.  

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Laurel Adolphe at
adolphe@rundle.ab.ca.

Early Out!

Please be advised that as of February 1st, all Rundle College Society schools will be having an early dismissal on Fridays. This dismissal will vary slightly depending on the campus and the grade. For more information, please contact your school's local administration. 

Gone By:

Parents, Parents, Parents - Thank You!

There are so many heart warming instances of parent collaborations and I wish I could share them all. Our parent body is constantly supporting with their ideas, time and resources - without this, the 'Rundle Experience' would not be what it is today! In particular, I would like to draw attention to two collaborations of note:

Primary Library Crew - this group of dedicated parents has literally logged 100's of hours to transform our modest, and somewhat disheveled space, into a space of grandeur, beauty and function. Thank you!

Medieval Moms - and I mean this in the nicest, most thankful way possible.  This group of dedicated parents supported our Grade 5 Medieval Feast. This event was an absolute highlight for our students, staff, and parents. Thank you!

Tea Time

Earlier this month we hosted a Grade 3 parent tea and talk. The aim of the event was to orient our current Grade 3 parents to our Rundle Elementary program. Never having been a part of a parent tea before, I came into the event with a healthy curiosity about what would transpire. In short, the event was a spectacular display of all things Rundle!  

I could spend this entire update sharing the wonderful inspiration that came from the conversations and presentations. However, in the interest of not belaboring a point via e-mail, I'll summarize by borrowing the words of one of the parents in attendance: 

"We love Rundle and Rundle clearly loves our kids. It's the care your teachers take to individualize the experience for my child that makes this place so special."

Over the past month I have had the opportunity to attend similar events at all our campuses, and without exception, this sentiment is alive and well everywhere.  

Exams

In many of our grades students are writing midterm exams or even the dreaded diploma exams. It has been inspiring to see students dedicating themselves to their studies. It has also been great to see teachers and parents working together to create a support network, setting our students up for success. I have observed parents attending speaker series and our schools providing events and offering strategies, including weekend study sessions, yoga, meditation and dodge ball, in an attempt to reduce the onset of exam stress. As a community, I believe we can feel as though we have done everything we can to set our students up for success on these exams.

Heads Up - Experience Rundle

​Earlier this month I was invited in to speak to our current Grade 9 Rundle College students on any topic I chose. What an opportunity! (to be fair, the administration asked me to talk about high school, but I have to admit I took some liberties). After some soul searching, I decided on the topic:

"What is your definition of success?"

The presentation was a bit presentation, a bit conversation and a bit entertainment. In essence, we took a little time to explore our futures and what a successful 'you' will look like in 1, 3, 10 and 30 years. To assist in the presentation, I leveraged a couple of resources that I think many parents might enjoy.

First we accepted Kid President 2015 challenge, and agreed to "Let's Make 2015 Awesome!"

From there, we delved into some of Thomas Friedman's thinking around the future of jobs and necessary skills for success.

Finally, we challenged ourselves to define what 'success' looks like to us.

As an unattended side effect of the presentation, in the days since I have received two videos from people:  

• The first one was shared by a Grade 9 student who went home and asked his parents what it means to be successful. Here was a video they found in response.  
   
• Lastly, a colleague shared this TED Video that I think sums the topic up nicely. (stay tuned - there may even be a TED event coming to Rundle this year...)

I wish you and your family all the success in 2015.

Sincerely,

Jason Rogers
Headmaster, Rundle College Society

"Attention to Excellence"