Rundle Academy Newsletter January 2014

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ROCKIES RUMBLINGS M E S S A G E F R O M T H E P R I N C I PA L Here we are at the turn around point in the school year. We have officially made it half way to June and as a community, we have plenty to celebrate. In the time honored tradition of New Year‟s top ten countdowns, let's take this moment and remember what a special five months it has been at Rundle Academy with our very own: “WE MOVE MOUNTAINS”

Academy's Top Ten Moments of 2013-2014 School Year INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Message from the Principal

1

Cousellor‟s Notes

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Society News Parent Advisory Council Popularity of Rundle Academy Grade 7 and 10 Orientation Nights

3

Elementary Academic Fair

4

Speaker Series The Senior High Experience Letters and Numbers

5

Free Information Sessions In Their Own Words

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Fine Arts - Drama

7

Fine Arts - Drama Cont‟d

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Fine Arts - Music

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Kids Helping Kids

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Kids Helping Kids Cont‟d Spaceport

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Wrestling

12

Junior Girls Basketball

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Junior Boys Basketball

14

Grit Awards

15

Citizenship Awards

16

Extra Curricular Awards

17

Activities for February

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RUNDLE ACADEMY 4330 16 Street SW Calgary, AB T2T 4H9 Ph: 250-2965 / Fax: 250-2914 www.rundleacademy.ab.ca

10. The grittiest year yet! - Evident by our students‟ dedication to their preparation for exams. We see students in getting help from their teachers each and every day.

9. The athletic 80 - More than 80% of our junior high students are involved in one or more athletic endeavors. If we count the intramural program, this number would quickly approach 95%! Wow! 8. Rundle Rebirth - Huge kudos to our writing team who have already published two fantastic editions of our very own student-written newspaper!

7. The library that never closes - Our digital library is launched and becoming more and more popular each and every day. Be sure to drop in and have a look at our amazing collection of eBooks and audiobooks - this is a one of a kind collection!

their stories of success! It is so exciting to see them so happy and doing so well!

4. To give is to live - Our Kids Helping Kids revival is an inspiration to us all.

These teachers and students are living the altruistic life. In addition, our Ambassador Program is thriving! Our students are really helping the Academy shine!

Bravo!

3. Three, Two, One to One... we have liftoff - Our students have proven that they are the responsible group we always knew they were. Our One to One Technology project has taken off without a hitch! Thank you to all those who made this project possible.

2. Learning in the real world - Again, the elementary staff have been busy making sure our youngest students 'live the learning.' Their dedication to handson learning through field trips continues to breathe life into the content they are 6. Sound, Lights, Action - Thanks to our teaching.

PAC and our wonderful Fine Arts department for showcasing our students‟ talents 1. The best is yet to come - Graduathrough art, music and drama. A big tions, Celebrations, Awards Days, Moves thank you to the PAC for their support of Mountains Breakfast, ESP, Academic Fair, International Trips, Ottawa and Queour Fine Arts Center face lift project! bec Trip, Athletic Championships, Volun5. You've grown up so much! - The teer Day, Drama Productions, etc., etc.! words that were repeated time and time Hang on tight - we are in for an action again in the hallways in December as our packed second half of our year. alumni returned from college and shared As always, thank you to all the parents who provide unending support to the Rundle Academy community.

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COUNSELLOR ’S NOTES Learning Disabilities and Post-Secondary Education Please see below an invitation to "Making the Transition to Post-Secondary Education for Students with Disabilities".

This event is intended to facilitate the successful transition from high school to post-secondary for students with disabilities, who may be requiring accessibility services. There will be representatives from a number of local postsecondary institutions in attendance to meet with students and parents.

Please feel free to contact me at 403- 250-2965 (Ext. 103) or caines@rundle.ab.ca if you have questions or concerns regarding career or psychosocial topics.

Ms. Jana-Lynn Caines, School Counsellor

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SOCIETY NEWS Uniform Store Hours All Year Monday to Thursday - 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Friday - 8:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M. 12:00 P.M. to 1:00 P.M. (store closed daily)

P A R E N T A DV I S O RY C O U N C I L If you missed our last meeting, you missed the most riveting presentation ever shared with PAC. Mr. Jason Maitland presented his own version of the Fantastic Voyage, taking us on a journey through the brain, while highlighting the work on neuro-plasticity that he and the staff use to help support student learning. It was fascinating, informative and super cool. Thanks, Mr. Maitland, for sharing your time with us! Join us at our next PAC Meeting on March 13 th at 7:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. Where else will you get a chance to see neurons form?

THE POPULARITY OF RUNDLE ACADEMY With each passing year, the demand for admission into Rundle Academy seems to grow exponentially. Weekly tours have been packed all year long and the school is already at capacity for 2014/2015. On top of parent interest, there is also a growing interest from health professionals who want to visit our school and learn what makes our program so enticing. A group of psychologists from CanLearn (formerly the Calgary Learning Centre) visited on December 5th and were duly impressed, especially by our Ambassadors who spoke about their own experiences and how Rundle Academy has helped them. Two more tours are now organized for other psychology offices. Thank you faculty, thank you students, and thank you parents for all that you do to make Rundle Academy such a wonderful place to be!

G R A D E 7 A N D 10 O R I E N TA T I O N N I G H T S On Thursday, January 16th at 7:00 p.m., Rundle Academy was abuzz with Grade 6 and 9 students, parents, teachers and the buzz of anticipation! Our Grade 6 students and parents were hosted by Mr. van der Meer and Mr. Sylven and were informed of all the wondrous adventures that will come with entering our junior high program. In the Assembly Hall, students and parents were treated to an excellent presentation by Ms. Davidson, an enthusiastic pep

talk by Mr. Hauk and a short story by Mr. Rogers. Students and parents left the evening invigorated by the possibilities that lie ahead! It is hard to believe how quickly our students grow first into teenagers and then into adults.

We are excited to be a part of the process for many of our Grade 6 and Grade 9 students!

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E L E M E N TA RY A C A D E M I C F A I R Rundle Academy Academic Fair Parent and Student Guide Date of Academic Fair: Friday, March 7, 2014 Academic Fair schedule: Time

Activity

8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m.

Students begin set up of Academic Fair projects in the Fine Arts Centre.

Students return to their classes.

9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Parent viewing and judging.

11:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.

Students return to class.

11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Awards Ceremony in Fine Arts Centre.

12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Students take down projects.

1:08 p.m.

Student dismissal.

Projects: All students in Rundle Academy Elementary must complete a project.

Students will complete their project independently (no partners or groups).

All projects must be approved by homeroom teacher by February 7, 2014.

Any equipment required for presentation must be arranged by the student and brought in from home (notify teacher if student needs use of electrical outlet).

Projects will be displayed on a table space about 4 feet wide and 2 ½ feet deep.

On the day of the fair, projects must be set up and ready to go by 9:00 a.m.

Most participants bring their projects to school the morning of the fair or the previous day.

On the morning of the fair, students will remain at their presentation from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. to talk with judges and visitors.

The Academic Fair is like a science fair, because students complete projects and present them on a tri-fold. However, the topics can come from a wide range of subjects such as science, history, engineering, health, sports, architecture, language, writing, geography, etc.

As parents, one of your major goals for the Academic Fair is to help your child bridge the gap between the interests they pursue at home and the academic learning that engages them at school. Another goal is to limit stress on parents and kids. We urge you and your child to focus on enjoying the process of inquiry rather than refining the presentation for the fair.

If your child is struggling to come up with a topic, or is unsure of the format of the presentation, please refer to the document, "Preparing a Project". Please see the email that went home for further information and direction regarding Academic Fair projects.

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SPEAKER SERIES Information Evening For Parents and Students Another successful Speaker Series evening was launched on January 9 th by Mr. Sylven.

Parents and students representing all three divisions attended the academic skills presentation including topics in study strategies, test taking skills, and managing test anxiety. Interest was high due to the imminent midterm and final exams scheduled at the end of January.

The content of the presentation was developed by Mr. Sylven along with our Learning Strategists Mrs. Cawthorpe, Ms. Defoy, and Mrs. Carnovale. Our Handbook of Academic Skills is a resource available at the school for students and parents who did not make it to the presentation.

THE SENIOR HIGH EXPERIENCE On December 13th, our high school hosted our Grade 9 students. The day was titled, 'The Senior High Experience.' Mr. Vesey, Mr. Barry, Ms. Prest and Mrs. Thomson taught a variety of classes to our current Grade 9 students to give them a taste of what is to come. During the day they conducted experiments, they taped each others

ankles, they role-played Shakespearean dialogue, they debated and they played Jeopardy. Yes, even Jeopardy.

Needless to say, a good time was had by all. A big thank you goes out to our entire high school faculty who made this day possible and such a huge success!

LETTERS AND NUMBERS

Most schools have a Department of Humanities and a Department of Math and Sciences (which sounds kind of formal and serious!) in which teachers convene to strategize, work on initiatives, and pool resources.

Those departments in Rundle Academy are colloquially referred to as “Letters and Numbers.” Mr. Morrow runs the „Letters‟ side and has been leading teachers in areas of literacy, how to make the most out of reading groups, and bringing in critical thinking to the staff. For example, he organized a critical thinking expert to meet with all staff on January 17th. Despite it being a Friday afternoon after a busy week, it was a most captivating PD experience for our teachers! Ms. Adams runs the „Numbers‟ side and is currently assessing our numeracy and remediation, as well as how we can best support our students going into high school math. Rundle Academy is very fortunate to have leading teachers like Mr. Morrow and Ms. Adams take on these key roles and continually improve the daily experiences of our students.

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FREE INFORMATION SESSIONS Family and Community Resource Centre Registration Required: http://fcrc.albertahealthservices.ca/course_registration/public_course_list.php February 10 - Sibling Rivalry Remedies 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Fish Creek Library 3rd Floor Program Room February 19 - Youth, Sexuality and New Media 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Alberta Children's Hospital - B2200 February 21 - Raise Your Kids Without Raising Your Voice 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Alberta Children's Hospital - Theatre Telehealth/Video-Conference February 26 - Supporting Anxious Children and Teens: From Recognition to Response 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Arbour Lake School March 10 - Parenting Today's Teens 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Fish Creek Library 3rd Floor Program Room

IN THEIR OWN WORDS How Our Alumni Continue to Move Mountains Breanne MacLeod ‘07 After graduating from Rundle Academy, I spent a few semesters at Mount Royal University trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I quickly realized that I was more interested in a program at SAIT and I transferred into the two-year Energy Asset Management Program and I recently graduated in April 2013. I returned to SAIT and recently took the Petroleum Land Administration certificate, working for a small oil and gas company while completing the program.

During my studies, I played on the soccer team for the SAIT Trojans for three years. In my second year I was asked to become co-captain of the team. I help to lead the team to Provincials, which had not been accomplished in 10 years. I also had the opportunity to coach for the 2013-2014 Soccer team,. Determinedly I decided to return to SAIT for more schooling and, in turn, continued to play on the team.

Breanne was enrolled in Rundle Academy in grade 5 and graduated in 2007. She was involved in many extracurricular activities and special events around the school. In Junior High 2003-2004, she was awarded Athlete of the Year. In Senior High, she was awarded the Athlete of the Year award 2005-2007, and the Sportsmanship award in 2005-2006. In June, Breanne’s name will be placed on our Sports Hall of Fame to recognize her postsecondary achievement.

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FINE ARTS - DRAMA Congratulations to the cast and crew of "A Fairy Tale Christmas Carol." Thank you to all the staff, students, friends and family of the Academy for attending and making our production such a success. Congratulations to Tristan Maybee and Will Berry for winning the Shining and Rising Star Awards.

We will begin auditions and rehearsal for our upcoming production of OZ! the first week of February.

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FINE ARTS - DRAMA CONT’D

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FINE ARTS - MUSIC On Thursday, December 19th, the Elementary students performed a holiday musical called „Paint the Town Decemberâ€&#x;. In preparation for this performance, students worked hard to memorize speaking parts, songs and choreography. Special thanks to Mrs. GuyMacdonald for her help with the set and to the PAC for providing hot chocolate and snacks!

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KIDS HELPING KIDS CLUB Operation Christmas Child On December 12th, a large group of Kids Helping Kids volunteers headed to the Operation Christmas Child warehouse after school, and worked hard for three hours to check and seal hundreds of shoe boxes.

These boxes are filled with both practical and fun items, and are sent to children in need all around the world. We are so proud of the work these young people put into this project!

Kids Helping Kids Shines at Christmas December 15th was a very special day for the children of Rundle staff. It is a long-established tradition to host a Christmas party for all of the children of Rundle staff across all of the schools. Rundle Academy hosted this year, and it may have been the best party ever! From games and bouncy castles in the gym, to arts and crafts, to snacks and treats, to a visit from Santa bearing gifts, this party had it all. Thank you to all of the volunteers from Kids Helping Kids who sacrificed their Sunday to provide a magical morning for our extended Rundle community.

Adopt-a-Family As is our tradition, Rundle Academy adopted families in need this Christmas season. We had more families than ever before and our very generous Academy community provided gifts for FOUR families. A small group of Kids Helping Kids members loaded up the bus and headed out with Ms. Caines and Mrs. Whiting to deliver presents to these very grateful families. Thank you to everyone who gave to this wonderful cause!

Upcoming Events: Family Skate Day: In February, members of KHK will be assisting the Rundle College Primary campus with their Family Skate day. It promises to be a fun day for all involved!

Brown Bagging: In March and April, Kids Helping Kids will participate in two volunteer opportunities to pack lunches for Calgary school children in need.

Peer Tutoring: In Semester 2, we will launch our new Peer Tutoring program. Several Kids Helping Kids members have signed up to be volunteer peer tutors and we have no doubt that this will be a valuable service to our community!

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KIDS HELPING KIDS CLUB CONT’D Congratulations to Tom Stephen, Grade 6, for having his design chosen for the new Kids Helping Kids logo!

S PA C E P O R T Earlier this month, the Grade 6s visited Spaceport to learn all about flight, airplanes and space shuttles. The students learned how different crafts fly, the importance in the shape of an airplane‟s wing and the major differences between space shuttles and airplanes. During the afternoon, students had the opportunity to visit Spaceport‟s portable planetarium and explored our night sky, discovering the constellations and their stories. Students are already looking forward to our Sky Science Unit!

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WRESTLING

Congratulations to the entire Rundle Academy community for your support in hosting the CISAA Wrestling Championships on December 12th. Teachers, students and parents all came together to contribute their time to a very smoothly run tournament. The wrestling was exciting and athletic prowess was demonstrated in students from Grades 4 through 12. Rundle Academy had a strong team going into the tournament, and missed capturing the banner by only one point due to a string of injuries just before the competition! Disappointing, but thatâ€&#x;s what sports is all about! As a consolation, our own Sadie Matus captured an Outstanding Wrestler Award for the tournament.

Coaches: Mr. Barry, Ms. Hoehn, Mr. Mellor, Mr. Palmer, Mr. Sylven

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JUNIOR GIRLS BASKETBALL

The Junior Girls basketball season is well under way and we have come very far together as a team. Our team is made up of a wide range of experience levels, with grade 6 girls who came out to play for the first time, as well as grade 9 ladies who brought with them years of experience. The more experienced girls have demonstrated excellent leadership in mentoring their younger peers, while the younger girls have shown an admirable commitment to hard work, grit and practice! Some of our goals for this season include mastering foundational skills, fostering a love for the game, and bringing a positive competitive attitude to all of our games and practices. In addition to having the pleasure of working with this fantastic group of students, we have had the good fortune to bring Coach Dan Coledi aboard as one of our new coaches. Coach Dan has brought great enthusiasm and shown a remarkable commitment to the Rockies and to the sport of basketball. We are very lucky to have him.

Although we only have about a month to go before the playoffs, we still have many games to play, and most of them give us home court advantage! Please come out to any one of our home games in the coming weeks to support the girls as they face off against Waldorf School on Thursday, January 30 th; Chinook Winds on Tuesday, February 4th; or Calgary Academy on Thursday, February 6th. We hope to see you there. Go Rockies!

Coaches: Ms. Rees, Mr. Coledi

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J U N I O R B OY S B A S K E T B A L L The 6 / 7 / 8 Boys have hit the ground running in 2014. With more than 15 games and practices in the month of January alone, they have been putting in the hard work needed to improve their skills. Their attitude of grit and perseverance has led to success, as the boys have kept up a competitive .500 record with wins against Clearwater Academy, Foothills Academy, and Menno Simons Christian School.

“I‟ve been impressed with our development from last year,” Coach Locking commented. “These boys have become fierce competitors. They are hungry for every rebound, every defensive stop, and every loose ball, every game.”

“It‟s great seeing so many new players come out,” Coach Rogers remarked “We‟ve seen contributions from all 18 of our players.”

The Rockies will host the Year End Tournament on the last Friday in February, so make sure to come out and support this hard working group of young athletes!

Coaches: Mr. Locking, Mr. Rogers

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GRIT AWARDS „Grit‟ as defined by Laura Pappano in the Harvard Education Letter (Jan/Feb 2013) is a combination of “hard work, delayed gratification, curiosity, open-mindedness, and perseverance.” The Rundle Academy „Grit‟ Award will be awarded to one student in each division who has consistently demonstrated a commitment to developing these traits in academic, personal or extra-curricular pursuits.

James Mullback Grade 5

Brice O‟Brien Grade 9

Darian Garcia-Ahmadi Grade 12

We would like to commend this month's GRIT Award Winners - James Mullback, Brice O'Brien and Darian Garcia-Ahmadi. All three of these students enjoyed a great breakfast treat that was sponsored by The Loop Eatery right here in Marda Loop. We would like to extend our thanks to The Loop for their generous support of the program!

Lastly, we would like to commend Mr. Barry's Chemistry 20 class for receiving the Group GRIT Award! For their hard work, the school will be providing them all with the next Special Lunch!

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CITIZENSHIP AWARDS Awarded to students who display an aptitude in leadership, contribute to positive school climate and have a genuine concern for the well-being of others.

Charlotte Warme Grade 5

Sawyer Figol Grade 6

Will Berry Grade 9

Jasmine Mancuso Grade 8

Anthoney Stan Grade 10

Anthony Martopullo Grade 7

JJ Bruyn Grade 11

Emily Matlo Grade 12

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EXTRA CURRICULAR AWARDS Awarded to students who exemplify the values of sportsmanship, participation, cooperation and team work.

Ellie Mogan Grade 4

Amy Vertanness Grade 6

Sadie Matus Grade 9

Nathan Retzer Grade 8

Kennedy Huntley Grade 10

Ian Hards Grade 7

Stephanie Berry Grade 11

Conner Rasch Grade 12

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A C T I V I T I E S F O R F E B R UA RY February 5

Elementary Rally (1:30 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.)

February 6

Junior High Rally (1:30 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.) Europe Trip Meeting (3:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M.)

February 12

Rundle Academy Olympics (1:00 P.M. - 3:00 P.M.) Wok Box Special Lunch

February 13

PD Day - No School

February 14

Teacher Convention Day - No School

February 17

Family Day - No School

February 21

Senior High IPPs Go Home

February 26

Elementary Winter Activity Day

February 27

Elementary Winter Activity Day

February 28

Dress Down Day

March 3

Europe Trip Meeting (3:00 P.M. - 4:30 P.M.)

March 7

Europe Trip Meeting (7:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M.) Elementary Academic Fair Parent Viewing and Judging (9:30 A.M. - 11:00 A.M.) Awards Ceremony (11:45 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.)

REMINDER TO ALL PARENTS Our Classroom Moodle Pages and our Division Portals sites are accessible from our homepage (www.rundleacademy.ab.ca).

Look for morning announcements posted on our Moodle Pages.

Follow us on Twitter @rundleacademy for more information and upcoming events.