2019 March Newsletter

 

Rundle Academy March 2019

Winter Athletics come to an end Volunteering

Alumni Spotlight Tech Integration Field Trip, Field Trips, Field Trips!

We Move Mountains




In the News!

A Message from our Assistant Principal

Community Involved With spring break past us, the hallways are humming with excitement by both staff and students. Whether your holiday included travel plans or a change from the routine, we hope you had time to spend time with family and friends. As we look at spring, it is important to highlight all of the ways our community has connected with each other and the greater community since returning from winter break.

Mrs. Jordan

Some of the moments that have brought our community together in the past three months have included: our graduating class making a pancake breakfast for the other students; the elementary heading to the mountains for winter activities; division rallies that included student recognition and TA challenges; an Academic Fair that allowed student passions and curiosity a chance to blossom; the musical production of Disney’s Newsies, which had students from grade seven to twelve singing and dancing; moments of success, growth and grit in our basketball programs; a cheerleading squad who continues to impress with their success; grade six and twelve buddies bonding over a sunny winter day at Winsport; a talent show that had students from all divisions wanting to show off their talents; and lastly, a group of teachers and students who left for Cambodia on our international service trip.

This year more than ever, our connection with the greater community has broadened through a school-wide focus on supporting the Wentworth Manor care facility. The Westhills neighbourhoods of Signal Hill, Strathcona, Christie Park and Aspen are a part of the trial neighbourhood to support those with dementia. The goal of this program is to mobilize the community to recognize the needs of those affected by dementia, and to build and improve supports for a ‘Dementia Friendly Community’ to ultimately improve the lives of individuals living with dementia and their caregivers. Our Junior High students have even completed dementia training to better support their time spent at the care facility. Students in grades four to twelve will all have had an opportunity to volunteer at Wentworth by the end of the year. Additionally, we have a number of students in the Senior High who are participating in the ‘Opening Minds through Art’ (OMA) program at Wentworth, as well. OMA is an intergenerational art-making program designed to provide opportunities for creative selfexpression and social engagement for people with dementia. As our Head, Jason Rogers, often says “your grades will be the least impressive thing about you,” and these opportunities further support this sentiment.

My overwhelming pride in the Academy is a result of many of these opportunities for our community to come together. I strongly believe our students’ passion for our school comes from all the enriching experiences available to them, and the hard work and dedication of our teachers. I am so thankful for our students, our staff, and our parents for the passion in our building. I hope that at this time in the year, you are all as thankful as I am that we get to experience the magic of Rundle Academy together, and to watch the dreams of our students come true.

#WEARERUNDLE

Message from our Counsellor

How to Listen Actively to Your Children

Ms. Staniloff

Of course, kids need to feel heard by their parents. This process works in two ways: hearing what your children are saying and talking about your own thoughts and feelings with them.

If you are wondering about this, here are some ideas that may help you. To get the whole picture, it is important to listen to both the spoken word and the unspoken feelings. For example, if your children say, “I hate my friends and never want to see them again,” the unspoken feelings might be hurt, loneliness or rejection. In this case, the underlying feelings tell you more than the words that were spoken. It is important not to assume that you know what those underlying feelings are. Try encouraging your children to tell you their feelings by saying, “You must be feeling sad to say that.” They may correct you and say that they are angry, but this will provide an opening to discuss their feelings.

For you to have open communication, it is important to relate your feelings and concerns without judging what your child has said. In the previous example, it might be easy to respond by saying, “Don’t be silly. This will blow over soon enough.” But take a moment to consider what you are really feeling. Worried? Confused? Sad? Try responding in a way that reflects those feelings. “I’m sorry that things are not going well with your friends and I am feeling confused about what went wrong. Please tell me more about that.” When you respond this way, your children are more likely to open up and tell you what is going on. Spending time with them doing something you both enjoy can be a terrific opportunity to exchange thoughts and ideas.

Four ways to improve communication with your kids: · Ask open-ended questions. “Tell me about your day.” or “What did you do today?” These allow your child to tell you about events. These questions also require more than a oneword answer. · Listen reflectively. You can do this by simply repeating what your children have said or by saying it back to them in your own words. This will make sure that you truly understand what your children are trying to tell you. · Affirm your child’s feelings. This makes children feel supported and will make it easier for them to talk to you in the future. An example of this would be: “I understand that it must have been hard for you to come to me about this. I really appreciate your openness.” · Summarize what you have heard. This reinforces what your children have said and shows that you have been listening to them.

Please feel free to contact me at 250-2965 (Ext. 103) or email me at staniloff@rundle.ab.ca

Winter Athletics This winter brought some amazing accomplishments in Rockies’ Athletics. From a hardworking grade 7/8 boys basketball team that came together to win their first tournament in two years, to an amazing cheerleading team that traveled to Edmonton and took home silver in a 17-team competition. Our Rundle Academy athletes went above and beyond in their pursuit of athletic excellence this season.

Mr. Waterbury

Here is a synopsis of how our teams did during the winter athletic season: Senior High Boys Basketball: The Rockies saw its boys basketball season come to a heartbreaking end against their season long rivals Ecole de la Rose Sauvage in the league championship game. The boys experienced early scoring struggles, which put them in a hole they could not climb out of. Although the boys made a tremendous effort in the third quarter to close the gap to 5, the Sauvage team had several veteran players with experience in close game situations and were able to hold on to their lead. Though the season ended earlier than they had hoped, the Rockies know there are plenty of good things to take away and look forward to coming back stronger next year with some very talented grade 12’s. Thank you to the seniors for their time and commitment to our program over the last three years. The end of the season marks the end of the careers of two seniors: Carter G. and Reuben D. Good luck in your endeavours next year!

Senior High Girls Basketball: The senior girls’ team saw a lot of positive growth this year.

We attended two tournaments and saw a big win in both of them. The girls came out on the court every game with positive attitudes and played with grit and determination. We are so proud of the sportsmanship that the girls all showed and are looking forward to next year already! Good luck to Sophia J. and Taya C. next year!

8/9 Boys Basketball: The 8/9 boys wrapped up their season last month with a hard-fought quarter-final game against Clearwater Academy. The boys had a successful season, ending up 4-5 in regular season play. This was one of the most enjoyable seasons in recent memory, complete with an out of town tournament, high school call up games, watching Ambrose College play, and the addition of Ben as a student team manager! We look forward to a promising future for these athletes in years to come. Thank you for a great season fellas!

7/8 Boys Basketball: The 7/8 boys had an amazing season. They competed in three tournaments and fought hard to win first place in the HCA tournament. The boys overcame a lot of adversity but in the end, they came together as a team. Their perseverance, teamwork and grit drove them to two playoff wins to end the season. The boys should all be very proud of their achievements! Congratulations on a great season, boys!

#WEARERUNDLE

 

Winter Athletics continued 6/7/8 Girls Basketball: The 6/7/8 girls had an outstanding basketball season and the players learned to work together well and communicate on the court. The girls finished this season winning bronze! Thank you, girls, for the hard work you put into the season and a special thank you to the grade 8 girls who were great leaders. Mr. Maitland and Mrs. Falkenberg already miss spending time with every one of you. This is a season that we will never forget!

Mr. Waterbury

Grade 6 Basketball Challenge: Rundle Academy hosted the 6th annual "Grade 6 Challenge" basketball tournament on March 8th. This year’s tournament was the largest yet, hosting teams from Rundle Academy, Rundle College, Calgary Academy, and River Valley School. Our young Rockies enjoyed a great atmosphere. The gym was packed for their opening game against Rundle College. With 17 students playing and the team going 2-1 in round robin play, the future looks bright for Junior High basketball interest! Congratulations to the tournament champions, Rundle College 1 who beat Rundle College 2 in the finals.

Upcoming Athletic Opportunities: Badminton has started up: look for announcements about rugby, track and field, soccer, and ultimate frisbee, which will be starting up after spring break.

#WEARERUNDLE

Cheerleading heading to Provincials!   Cheerleading: The Rundle cheerleading team has had an incredible season so far, placing 3rd at their first competition and then placing 2nd at a huge competition in Edmonton! The team has been practicing hard all season, and scored very well at the competition at MRU. They will be competing for a Provincial banner at the ASAA Cheerleading Provincials at George MacDougall High School in Airdrie this weekend. Congratulations on a great season so far - we are looking forward to what is still to come!

Mr. Waterbury

#WEARERUNDLE

Disney’s Newsies the Musical

Our latest musical production was a lively show with very catchy music set in 1899 New York City. While telling a fictionalized story, Newsies was inspired by the real-life event of the Children’s Strike. Our protagonist, Jack Kelly, a spirited young man with dreams of a life out west, inspires a young group of newsboys to stand up to publishing magnate, Joseph Pulitzer. In the process, we all learn about the power of a collective voice and standing up for what’s fair.

Ms. Prest

Our cast and crew had an excellent week of shows. Thanks to all of our many volunteers, staff, students, and parents who helped to bring our show to life. Congratulations to all involved on a successful run!

A special congratulations goes to Chance D. and Cam G. who won the Rising Star and Shining Star Awards as voted on by their own cast and crew!

We would also like to thank our senior high leadership team on the production: Elisabeth N., our Stage Manager; Jared F.E., our Tech Manager; and Thrissa B., our dance captain.

Many thanks to everyone who came to watch our performances. Come check us out again in May for our double feature of one-act plays: 15 Reasons Not To Be In A Play and A Company of Players.

#WEARERUNDLE #WEARERUNDLE

Holiday Elementary Concert

On December 18th the elementary students put on their holiday concert. Months of hard work and preparation went into their performance. Students spread holiday cheer by carolling, and performing holiday themed reader’s theatre. They created their own puppets to perform the reader’s theatre using recycled materials. The Fine Arts Centre was packed with supportive family members and teachers. After the concert the community had the opportunity to mingle while eating delicious treats generously provided by the PAC.

Ms. Schaffner

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Grade 12 Graduation

"This year’s grade 12 graduation ceremony will take place on the morning of Friday, May 31st.

This is a very special event where we are able to celebrate with our graduates as they walk the stage, a tradition since our first graduating class. Our ceremony will take place at The Bella Concert Hall in the Mount Royal University Conservatory, 4825 Mt Royal Gate SW. You will find all of the information and how this affects your child below."

Grade 12 Graduation Information for All Academy Students

Ms. Philips

• All Rundle Academy students will be in attendance at the Grade 12 Graduation Ceremony, which will be held at 11 am on Friday, May 31th , 2019.

• Full dress uniform (blazer) is required.

• Busses will take students and teachers to the Bella Concert Hall at Mount Royal University for the ceremony. The busses will leave at 10:30 am.

• Once the busses arrive at the concert hall, teachers will show students to their seats.

• The ceremony should be complete at approximately 1:00 pm.

• For students who take the school bus, their regular busses have been directed to pick them up in front of The Bella Concert Hall at 1:00 pm.

• Students who do not normally take the school bus will need to make arrangements to be picked up from the concert hall by 1:00 pm.

• Students who take public transit will need to research other routes.

• High school students who choose to drive themselves are welcome to do so but they will be responsible for the cost of parking.

• For those students who walk to school there will be some transportation back to the school available to them.

Grade 12 Students • Must be at The Bella Concert Hall by 8:30 am to get into their robes and do a run-through.

• Grade 12 gentlemen need to wear dress pants and a collared shirt and tie.

• Grade 12 ladies may wear a dress, an open neck or collared shirt and skirt or pants.

#WEARERUNDLE #WEARERUNDLE

F&ST & Kids Helping Kids   Kids Helping Kids is a club where kids help kids inside and outside of the community by fundraising, volunteering and starting initiatives.

The KHK group has been busy this year. The group is currently planning a bake sale in the coming weeks, with proceeds going to local children's charities. A group of students will be going Brown Bagging for Calgary Kids in April where they will volunteer their time to make sandwiches and prepare lunches for many Calgary students in-need. KHK an incredible group of students who devote their time to make the lives of other kids a little bit brighter!

Mrs. Weddell

Ms. Whiting

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Wentworth Manor Volunteering

The importance of volunteering and giving back to our community is an ongoing goal at Rundle Academy. This year we chose to take a different route than our usual one day of volunteering. We have spread out our volunteering throughout the year, with our primary focus on one location. So far students in grade 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10 have headed to Wentworth Manor to spend time playing dominoes and card games, building puzzles and conversing with the senior residents. The grade 9’s and 11’s will be attending in April and May. The interactions the students have had, has been nothing less than inspiring.

Ms. Whiting

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Adopt - A- Family & OMA   Adopt- a- Family This year, with support from Kids Helping Kids, Rundle Academy adopted three deserving families through Hull Homes Christmas Hampers. On December 20th, along with a group of students, Ms. Whiting and Ms. Kapitza delivered the gifts to the very appreciative families.

Thank you to all the Rundle families for helping to bring some light and holiday cheer to the less fortunate!

Ms. Whiting

Opening Minds through Art Art 30 students have recently begun an 8-week program connecting them with seniors at Wentworth Manor. Opening Minds through Art (OMA), is an intergenerational art-making program designed to provide opportunities for creative self-expression and social engagement for people with dementia. Students work with the same senior over the course of the program growing their connections and building bonds with the residents of Wentworth. This incredible program is another great opportunity for our school community to give back! Â

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Senior Secret Service

Rundle Academy senior high TA’s took a different route this year with their season of giving and chose to support Calgary’s Seniors Secret Service. Seniors Secret Service is a program built to ensure that Calgary’s most vulnerable citizens are not forgotten. The goal is to ensure the senior feels special and cared for on important days throughout the year. While it is emotionally important for the seniors to feel supported at Christmas, it is also important they are provided with items that are useful and that they may not be able to provide for themselves. Thank you to all the senior high TA’s for all their support with this initiative this year.

Ms. Whiting

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Elementary/JH Academic Fair

The 2019 Elementary and Junior High Academic Fair was held on March 1, 2019. The gymnasium was buzzing with energy and excitement as students showed off their knowledge and passion of various topics ranging from dinosaurs and ocean creatures, and Harry Potter to genetics! All the students did an amazing job and should be very proud of their efforts and accomplishments.

Awards went to:

Mrs. Thompson

Grade 4: 3rd Place - Georgia D.: Why I like Art 2nd Place - Jonas B.: How did the Cambrian Period change into the Triassic Period?

1st Place - Sasha S.: What is Neuroplasticity?

Grade 5: 3rd Place - Jacob M.: How are tootsie rolls made and what's in them?

2nd Place - Amelia H.: Does age affect your memory and if so, how does it?

1st Place - Olivia W.: What are the layers of the ocean and what sea creatures live in each layer?

Ms. Whiting

Grade 6: 3rd Place - Claudia S.: What is the best popcorn?

2nd Place - Natalie S.: How does the heart work?

1st Place - Chaz G.: What are the economics of airline classes?

Best Overall Winner for Elementary: Alexa S.: How do you combine two room temperature solutions to create an edible solid?

Grade 7: 3rd Place - Max V.: Innovations in Health Care 2nd Place - Annika S. and Camryn M.: How are Police Dogs trained and treated when learning their roles?

1st Place - Hayden W.: The effects of teen vaping on the brain Grade 8: 3rd Place - Gabrielle S. and Amelia V.: What are the effects of anaesthesia?

2nd Place - Noah C. and Emerson P.: How gas masks work 1st Place - Ethan Niven: Can dogs get dementia?

Grade 9: 3rd Place - Braelyn R.: What is life like for someone with Cystic Fibrosis?

2nd Place - Avery B.: Food cravings 1st Place - Sam S.: What are medical robots?

Best Overall Winner for Junior High: Alexsa Z.: Superbugs Congratulations to all the winners for your exemplary passion that you conveyed through your interesting topics!

#WEARERUNDLE

Elementary Winter Activities  

The elementary students were treated to some great weather as they spent a day snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in Kananaskis Country in February. Leading up to the trip, like most of Alberta, K-Country was in a deep freeze with extremely cold temperatures. Â However, with brief improvement in weather, the group ventured into the mountains for a day of adventure, experiencing some much needed fresh air. To their surprise, the weather was even better than forecasted and in the end, it may have been one of the nicest days the group has spent at Pocaterra in years.

Ms. Kapitza

The students enjoyed spending time together in the great outdoors learning about wildlife, how mountains are formed and forestation. Our amazing guides not only helped teach us about snowshoeing and cross-country ski skills but also about our beautiful surroundings.

All in all, the students and staff had a wonderful time and enjoyed the experience immensely. We will look forward to another adventure next year!

#WEARERUNDLE #WEARERUNDLE

Grade 5 - Teacher’s Pet

On February 25th, the grade 5’s experienced an in-class field trip called Teacher’s Pet. The students studied the Stories and Histories of Canada. They worked through numerous interactive stations focusing on traditions, immigration and understanding Canada’s cultural melting pot. The students had the opportunity to create a small play, make their own personal puzzle and postcards. The field trip was a great introduction into our next unit focusing on “People on the Move”.

Ms. Holt

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Grade 6 Social Studies - Greek Day

To finish up our unit on Ancient Athens, Grade 6’s celebrated with their annual Greek day on January 15th. The morning consisted of a short presentation from each pair of students to the Grade 6’s, and then sharing projects with our Grade 4-6 students in the form of a gallery walk. Students explored all aspects of Greek life and topics included the police, sports, Greek Mythology, food and much more. Grade 6’s then enjoyed some fabulous Greek food from Pegasus restaurant to celebrate!

Mrs. Thompson

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Grade 6 - Zoo Field Trip

In December, the grade 6 students went to the Calgary Zoo to experience hands-on learning relating to the Air and Aerodynamic science unit. The program studied was called Flight, Aerodynamics and Biomimicry. During this program, students learned how animals use Bernoulli’s Principle and how animals have influenced human flight. Some of the activities the students took part in included comparing real bird’s wings, an iPad app about air movement, making paper planes, and a parachute drop. One of the highlights from this field trip was walking through the bird conservatory and playing a bingo game when spotting the birds. It was a fantastic day at the zoo!

Mrs. Falkenberg

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Grade 6 - Spaceport Field Trip

March 5th saw grade 6 students make the trek to the Calgary Airport to visit Spaceport.

During their morning session, students were able to take part in 5 stations looking at air and its properties by performing experiments and participating in hands on activities. They also examined specifics about how airplanes and space shuttles fly. After lunch, students learned all about life in space (everything from eating to sleeping), directly from astronauts themselves. Then the group built their own rockets, and launched them in the common area of Spaceport using Alka-seltzer tablets. As a conclusion to the day, students learned all about gravity and Newton’s three laws, and got to see them in action with some exciting demonstrations.

Mrs. Thompson

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Grade 9 - Zoo Field Trip

On February 13, the grade 9 science classes visited the Calgary Zoo to learn about biological diversity. Students watched the march of the penguins, examined different animal skulls, investigated penguin pedagogy, and had a hands-on lesson with a local snake. They also participated in a walking tour of Destination Africa to learn about reproductive strategies and mating habits of different animals.

Mrs. Carr

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Grade 9 - Dracula   Blood! Fangs! Death! Suspense! And a whole lot of laughter!!! On December 6, the Grade 9 ELA classes had the privilege of attending the production of Dracula: A Bloody Truth at Vertigo Theatre. After some introduction to the story of Dracula, and some discussion of Bram Stoker’s novel, the students were expecting suspense and gore. Although there was a touch of that in the play, the humour, the irony, and the puns that dominated the stage, kept the entire audience, especially Mr. Wolf, Mrs. Goepen-wee and Mrs. Vesey, in stitches.

Students enjoyed watching this live theatre performance and were able to discuss what they learned in class, which they compared to the experience they watched on stage.

Mrs. Vesey

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Grade 9 - YYC Beach

Grade 9’s decided it was time to combat the cold weather and head to the beach! The Beach YYC that is. A new experience for the grade 9’s and a chance to work on their physical literacy in an alternative environment. Students were taken through a variety different activities such as agility training, yoga, the fundamentals of walking, all while being done in sand. A great time was had by all students!

Ms. Whiting

Mr. Paz

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Junior High Skating   To engage in a bit of wellness after midterm exams, all junior high students took a lovely walk to Stu Peppard arena on January 31st.  This was a great chance to reconnect with each other and enjoy games, hot chocolate, music, a game of shinny, and some free skating.

Based on the smiles on the faces of the students and teachers, it is clear that a good time was had by all!

Mrs. Adams

#WEARERUNDLE

Grade 12 Volunteer Day   Once again grade 12 students at Rundle Academy skipped across the parking lot and headed into Altadore Baptist Church to show support for our neighbours. This year students offered their help by cleaning toys used by the children in the many programs offered to the community. A much appreciated volunteer effort by all our grade 12’s!

Mrs. Whiting

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Grade 12 Buddies - Tubing at Winsport

On March 13th the grade 6 and grade 12 buddies were able to enjoy a glorious day tubing at Winsport. Students sat with their buddies on the buses while going to and returning from Winsport and the conversations ranged from learning how to study to sharing favorite songs. With the sun shining brightly on the day, students spent an hour together riding up the Magic Carpet and sliding down the hill. There was much laughter and joy found during our time together. The buddies are looking forward to our next get-together in April.

Ms. Philips

#WEARERUNDLE

Outdoor Education

The Junior High Outdoor Environmental Education has had a very busy semester.

We have just finished off our wall climbing unit at Mount Royal University. Students have mastered the knots and belay techniques required for supervised top rope climbing. Self checks, partner checks and climbing commands have been memorized and perfected! Each student experienced a self rappel from the top of the climbing wall! We finished off practising physical movement techniques and worked on many of the challenging climbs and wall problems!!

Mr. Palmer

The class quickly switched seasons and focused on safe winter travel. The class practised snowshoe techniques and built snow caves (Quinzes) in the school field, taking full advantage of the great winter weather in March.

On Tuesday march 19th the class had a spectacular day snowshoeing in Peter Lougheed provincial park. It quickly became apparent that,“it is still winter in the mountains” as the class hiked through the deep snow and blue skies of the Smith Dorrien valley.

Students will move into our cycling, hiking and canoeing units starting in April.

#WEARERUNDLE

Student Council/Prefect

The Rundle Academy Prefects were busy leading into the Winter Break with 12 days of activities. These ranged from the ever-popular Ugly Sweater Day, to a chance to have some hot chocolate in the morning before classes. The Prefect group has been busy planning other events in and around the school including a St. Patrick’s Day coin hunt, special lunches, and snack bar at the Grade 6 Basketball Challenge. Looking past spring break, our focus will soon shift to planning the annual Rundle Academy Carnival. Students, watch for your chance to volunteer for this great activity coming soon!

Mrs. Adams

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Cambodia Update

Over spring break, 26 high school students embarked on a trip to Cambodia. They spent several days at the Centre for Children's Happiness orphanage where they improved the facilities by painting, landscaping, and cementing. Using the money fundraised throughout the year at Rundle Academy, they were able to purchase school uniforms, shoes, and a variety of school supplies for the children. In addition to their humanitarian work, the travellers learned about Cambodian history and culture through a number of activities including a visit to the Killing Fields, a cooking class, a dance show, and a rural bike ride.

They capped off the trip by visiting several ancient temples including the awe-inspiring Angkor Wat. Thank you to everyone who supported our trip and helped make it such a big success!

Mrs. Carr

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Summit Series IV

On March 1st, at Westside Recreation Centre the staff and students at Rundle College/ Academy faced off for the 22nd time! Although the teachers had been training particularly hard over the course of the winter, a training camp in Sweden back in October, practices at Lake Placid, and a crushing the 1981 Flames Alumni in a warm up game. The teachers were ready…or so we thought….for the fourth year in a row, the kids came out flying and handed the Staffers a 10-5 loss. It was agreed by all that next year we would not pasta load ahead of time in the hopes of avenging the loss! Thanks to all who participated or supported the game!

Mr. Paz

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Tech Talk!

Elementary and junior high classes continue to take risks, experiment with new programs, and create and innovate! It has been inspiring to watch the students try new technology with such enthusiasm and excitement.

The projects we have been working on have focused on teaching methods that differ from what students see on a regular basis. We have been incorporating digital tools and websites to learn and review concepts more efficiently and/or in a different way. By tapping into the students’ creative side, ideas about specific topics have been communicated in a more meaningful and powerful way.

Ms. Switzer

Some of the projects we have focused on include: Grade 6- Silent poems using iMovie plus QR codes for presentation Grade 5 - Simile portraits using Pages to visually communicated the portrait Grade 6 - Google Sites was used to create a classroom website to communicate student knowledge about the Iroquois Confederacy and the six tribes within the confederacy Grade 7 - Canva to create visuals for their poems Grade 7 - experimented with coding on the iPads through the Swift Playgrounds app Grade 8 - Adobe Spark to create advertisements about a person of their choice who should be an honorary Canadian Grade 9 - Adobe Spark to create an advertisement for Refugees explaining why they should come to Canada

I am excited to see what other creative and engaging projects we can explore in the last part of the school year!

“Don’t worry about failures. Worry about the changes you miss when you don’t even try.” #WEARERUNDLE - Jack Canfield

Alumni Spotlight

How Our Alumni Continue to Move Mountains Alumnus Amber Rose 2012

Mrs. Cawthorpe

I have been attending Vancouver Island University (VIU) in Nanaimo, British Columbia for the last 7 years and I will be graduating in the summer of 2019. I first enrolled into the Fisheries and Aquaculture program, and after 2 years I began to contemplate the program and the career options that it offered. I then took a year off to complete a Holistic Nutrition course at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition. Through the program I learned about the multi-faceted field of nutrition. I was not ready to start working as a Register Holistic Nutritionist (RHN), since it would require me to start my own business. I went back to VIU and enrolled in their Sports, Health and Physical Education BA program (SHAPE). Through my time in the SHAPE program I have looked at teaching, and nutrition, and I have now settled on taking the Naturopathic Doctorate (ND) after graduation. I have been part of our program’s club and this year I’m the club president.

This last summer I took part in a field school with my program in which a group of us went down to San Pedro, Belize. While in Belize we spent 5 days providing physical education classes to one of the local primary schools. My partner and I ran a circuit for the grade 5s and 6s. It was a lot of fun and when I was able to venture away from the school, I was able to explore the weird and wonderful food, as well as their local culture. During the last spring semester, I volunteered as a TA for the Nutrition Profession. I assisted a couple students throughout the semester to improve their understanding of the complex details of nutrition and digestion.

Currently, I have been hired to start in the Spring as a Peer Support leader in a nutrition class. I have also been involved with a local organization called Pacific Sport as an art and sports leader. Within the art programs I helped manage the class of grade 1-7 students while the art teacher teaches the class. The sports program also provided opportunities for planning, teaching and managing the class with normally 1 or 2 other leaders. It was a learning experience and this helped me to clarify my career path decisions and my passion.

After graduating from the Academy I began to miss the community of teachers and peers back in Calgary. Fortunately, I have been able to keep in touch with some of them through the alumni events. My message to future graduates at the Academy is: Be flexible. Changes and challenges will pop up - these will often clarify where you want to go with your future ... even if it is just discovering what you don’t want to do. How you face them is what is truly important.

Alumni Moving Mountains