March 2013

1 7 t h

J R / S R Basketball and Wrestling pages 4-5

A v e n u e

H I G H New York trip and Professional Development page 6-7

Jr High Art

The Junior High students had a watercolor workshop where students enjoyed working with basic watercolor techniques creating images and Valentine’s cards.

C a m p u s

|

2 5 0 - 7 1 8 0

N E W S L E T T E R jr high, fine arts and athletic citizens of the month pages 8

Student services page 9

Speech and Debate Debate On February 6th, the Rundle College debate team competed at the Webber Academy Debate Tournament. Congratulations to the following teams for their tremendous efforts that evening: Jenice Ma and Sophie Thornton Leonardo Arreaza and Sunil Myers Erica Fowler and Tara Osler (Bronze Medal) All these teams as well as the team of Arijit Lodha and Aaron Sanchez moved on to Regionals at Branton School on February 23rd. Although our teams did not advance to Provincials, they competed very well and had a successful season.

Provincial Speech On February 9, our two top speakers competed at Provincials.

Sam Sirianni for senior high and Arijit Lodha for junior high both qualified at Regionals to represent Calgary. Sam competed in the largest category and finished 6th in the province. Amazingly, Arijit parlayed his Regional bronze medal into a Provincial gold medal qualifying him for Nationals in May. Congratulations!

PAC Meetings Monday, April 15th, and Monday, May 13th at 7 p.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room.

Everyone is welcome to attend these meetings.

March ~ 2013

Rundle College Professional Development One of the many strength of Rundle College has always been the quality of our administration, faculty and staff. The combination of strong leadership, together with dedicated staff and exceptional faculty, we believe, gives our students a distinct advantage throughout their Rundle College experience.

Providing our staff with professional development opportunities remains a high priority for our Board, Superintendent and Headmaster. A substantial portion of the Society’s annual budget is dedicated to professional development; an investment that continues to enrich the quality of instruction at Rundle College.

Professional Development in 2012 saw numerous faculty and staff attend conferences locally and internationally. Experts from all fields of instruction and administration imparted their wisdom and inspired our staff to celebrate their success and to embrace new ideas.

As education evolves, so does the need for continued growth of teachers and staff. Understanding the profile of a 21st Century Learner requires the commitment of administration and the dedication of our faculty and staff.

Student’s at Rundle College benefit directly from professional development that inspired our teachers and fuels their passion for teaching our children.

Below is a list of the most recent professional development programs attended by our faculty and staff:

Rundle College Academy Professional Development Faculty/Staff Date Location Ms. Kopp and Ms. May 2012 Red Deer, Alberta Coleman Mr. Rogers Jul 2012 Vancouver, BC Mr. Burla and Mr. Rogers Jul 2012 Trinity College, ON All Academy Sep 2012 Rundle Academy Ms. Patience Sep 2012 Calgary, Alberta Ms. Adams and Ms. van Sep 2012 Calgary, Alberta der Meer Mr. Sylven Oct 2012 Boston, MA Ms. Whiting Oct 2012 Calgary, Alberta Ms. Prest Oct 2012 Lethbridge, Alberta Mr. Mellor Nov 2012 Banff, Alberta Mr. Lawson and Mr. Paz Nov 2012 Banff, Alberta Mr. Palmer Nov 2012 Banff, Alberta Mr. Sylven, Mr. Palmer Nov 2012 University of Calgary and Ms. Thomson Mr. Rogers Nov 2012 Mount Royal University Ms. Coleman, Ms. Osaka Nov 2012 Calgary, Alberta and Ms. Whiting Mr. Waterbury Dec 2012 San Antonio, Texas Mr. Rogers and Mr. Jan 2013 Calgary, Alberta Sylven

Conference Details Reading and Writing International Association of Special Education CAIS Leadership Institute LDAA Presentation on differentiation and Learning Disabilities CRC on new Math Curriculum Alberta Teachers and Tablets in the classroom Delegate - Independent Schools Institute - Harvard University Mentoring Boys Shakespeare in the classroom Differentiated Instruction in Junior High Social Studies Alberta Social Studies Conference Alberta Science Teachers Conference CAIS Risk Management Conference The Role of Teaching Assistant in a LD Classroom Mariconda Writing Process National Physical Educator Conference Organizing Committee - CAIS Assistant Heads Conference Presentation - Best Practices in Learning Disabilities Education

March ~ 2013

Wrestling Gearing Up For City Championship The team started 2013 in Edmonton with the Paperweight and the U of A Invitational tournaments. Both the Jr. and Sr. High teams competed very well in a difficult tournament with teams from Alberta, BC and Saskatchewan. Following were the top finishers: Gold- Mitchell Besplug Silver- Jordan Wong, Emily Buchanan Bronze- Medardo Villatoro-Perez Fourth- Tara Osler Fifth- Erica Fowler, Ellis Johnson Sixth- Norton Parker The Sr. High team then competed at the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldog tournamrnt with the following results: Bronze- Luc Terrien Fourth- Medardo-Villatoro-Perez Fifth- Lauren Kruger, Daniel Krayzel, Tony Terrien Best of luck to all wrestlers who will be competing for city and provincial championships.

JV Boys Basketball

The junior varsity boys basketball team has had a good month of February. They competed at a tournament in Lethbridge early in the month, losing a close last game to a tough Bowness High School team. The team beat Calgary Academy and lost two close games to Webber and FFCA. The JV boys finished 3rd in league play and have a match up against FFCA in the first round of playoffs next week. Good luck the team in their playoff run.

SV Boys Basketball The senior varsity boys basketball team have had a very successful month of February. They have continued their strong league play beating provincially ranked CCS and Webber to finish the season with a record of 7 wins and 1 loss. Senior night was celebrated February 25 before the CCS game. Dave Braakman, Dilmeet Sidhu, Garrett Copp, Tobi Odufeso and Joel Lindsay were all honored before the game. Thank you to our seniors for your commitment to our program over the years. The team finished 2nd in league play and heads into league playoffs playing Webber in the semi-finals. The team competed in 3 tournaments, one in Lethbridge, one in Lloydminister and one in Condor. Rundle finished 2nd in both the Lloydminister tournament and the David Thompson tournament in Condor. Rundle is ranked 6th in the province heading into playoffs. Good luck to the team on their playoff run.

Grade 9 Girls Basketball

March ~ 2013

The Grade 9 girls basketball team experienced a lot of success this season with tournament wins at John Paul II, here at Rundle College and at Hunting Hills in Red Deer. One of the biggest highlights of the season was beating undefeated Lindsay Thurber by two points in the final game at Hunting Hills with a last second basket to win the game. The team placed second in the ISAA losing a very close hard fought game in the league final. The girls should be extremely proud of all the hard work they put into this season and what they accomplished. The team was also very lucky to have an incredible group of parents, and without their support we would not have experienced the success that we did. Congratulations to the girls an outstanding season.

High School Track & Field “Track and Field has been described as 'sport stripped to its barest essentials'” (Australian Institute of Sport). It is the one sport that centers around running the fastest, jumping the highest or longest, and throwing the farthest.

We are looking forward to another strong Track and Field season and repeating our 12 year undefeated CISAA season. Senior High Track and Field practices will begin Tuesday, April 9. The practice schedule will be posted in both gyms. To tryout and qualify for the track and field team, athletes must contact the proper event coach to tryout for events and attend practices as attendance will be taken. If you are unable to attend practices due to other team commitments, but would still like to compete with the team, talk to your event coach. This year, we are asking that all students interested in competing for the team who are involved in another sport during the season to take part in at least one practice a week, be it running, throwing, or jumping.

Coaches: Sprinting/Hurdles/Distance –Mrs. McClements Throwing – Mr. Domstad Jumping –Ms. Adolphe Practice Schedule: Please note that practice times may be changed due to weather or school events.

*There is a place for everyone on this team. We look forward to another great season.

March ~ 2013

Donations Sent to Organizations in Cambodia and Africa

For the past three years, Rundle College has sponsored a young girl named Theara who lives and goes to school at Cambodia Children’s Fund (CCF) Orphanage in Cambodia. Although the sponsorship has ended, the Travel Club sent the remaining $485 to this organization to help with their efforts to support Cambodian children with their health and educational needs.

At the Christmas Gala in December 2012, students from the Grade 11 Travel Club and the CAUSE group (a new social action group aimed to help the local and global community) raised $2,500 for organizations in Africa.

A donation of $1,250 will go to Mully Children’s Family (MCF), which is a registered charity committed to transforming the lives of orphaned, abandoned and abused children in Kenya, Africa. They focus on helping street children facing abandonment, abuse, addictions and/or HIV/AIDS. This year it is even more imperative to support this organization given the possible political uprising with the elections occurring later this month.

A donation of $1,250 will also go to LOHADA, which is an organization that offers a loving hand for the disadvantaged and aged in the city of Arusha in Tanzania. As the disadvantaged flock to African slums in search of work, many children are abandoned, orphaned and abused. LOHADA has responded, meeting needs that no one else sees. This non-profit organization has three centers for nearly 200 children and 12 elderly people.

It’s goal: To empower families to break the cycle of poverty, prostitution, alcoholism and abuse; and to be a guardian to children who have no one because they have been abandoned, orphaned or abused.

LOHADA still has many areas of need, one of which being a boys dormitory, as two to three boys are currently sharing each bed. With this money, the current living conditions for these children can be drastically improved.

For more information about these organizations, please contact Ms. Dunsford (CCF or MCF) or Ms. Pidkowa (LOHADA).

New York Theatre Tour 2013 Twenty talented and energetic acting students set off for the “Big Apple” late Tuesday, February 12th. After a cancelled flight and lost luggage, which was later recovered, a once in a lifetime experience began. Our beautiful, boutique hotel was located in the same building as “Late Night with David Letterman”. From this location we were able to walk and take the subway all over Manhattan. The days were filled with attending dance, acting, auditioning and other theatre workshops right in the heart of Broadway.

During the evening we attended “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” starring Scarlett Johansson, the sold out, Tony award winning “The Book of Mormon” and the “Blue Man Group”.

Some other highlights included watching the rehearsal for February 15th Saturday Night Live and touring the NBC studios, being sung to by Broadway performers at the Stardust Café, Time Square, eating hotdogs at the famous Gray’s Papaya, walking through Central Park, touring Lincoln Center, visiting the 911 Memorial and hanging out in Greenwich Village, SoHo and the Financial District. Students came home exhausted and with a new understanding of the challenges and wonders of being a performer on Broadway.

Prefects The Prefect Team has enjoyed a great year so far! As part of a new initiative to encourage interaction between grades, all of the high school students have been organized into eight house teams that are named after mountain ranges around the world. The teams have competed for house points in Halloween themed contests, winter sled races, and various other school activities. During the first semester, the Prefects also organized a Movember fundraiser and held the annual Frosted Formal Dance, both of which were a success! We also dressed up in Christmas gear to deliver hot chocolate to the high school classes at the start of December, marshmallows and all. In February, the school dressed up in red and pink to celebrate Valentine’s Day, and on February 21st we hosted the legendary Staff-Student Hockey Game. Unfortunately, the teachers won this year! In the next month, we’ve planned a Spring Fling dance on Thursday, March 7th, and houses can earn more points in the upcoming Belly Baseball Tournament.

Later on, students can look forward to St. Patrick’s Day and Easter Activities, as well as Beach Day in May.

March ~ 2013

Senior High Art Trip

Senior High Citizens of the Month Graham Fader has been enjoying a successful wrestling season. He is representing Rundle College at the Provincial Championships in early March after a successful City Championships. It has been impressive with how well Graham is balancing athletics and academics. As such, he is a model student athlete. Graham is always looking for ways to improve and he is becoming a leader in the school community.

Morgan Saunders has shown tremendous growth in character, leadership and skill as a member of the SV Girls Basketball team. Prior to breaking her foot, she worked her way up to being a significant member of this team. After her injury, she found a very positive way to contribute to her team by being a leader, and by supporting her team mates with positive energy.

Danielle Fung has been playing on the JV Girls basketball team since November and has taken on the role of team captain. She is always looking for ways to improve herself, and, as a result, was given a spot on the SV Girls Basketball Provincial Roster. Danielle has displayed her leadership in this area of the school and has been very successful. Danielle embraced all opportunities to improve herself as not only a basketball player but as a student and leader in the community.

Garrett Merz has demonstrated an enormous level of personal growth in the last few months both in the classroom and in his contribution to the Rundle College community, particularly through his involvement in the CAUSE club, where he starred in a promotional video and brought his enthusiasm to other club duties. Garrett is embracing the opportunity to be a positive leader in our school with a capacity to help and inspire others.

Melissa Guenette has had a very successful year this year as Head Girl and as one of the captains of this year’s SV Girls Basketball team. Melissa takes on these leadership roles very seriously and as a result, makes positive contributions to her school, her team and her community. Melissa has done a great job of balancing all of her responsibilities as a student athlete.

While not only being a top academic student, Devon Keys has had tremendous success this year as a member of the SV Girls Basketball team. Consistently the leading scorer, Devon has lead her team to victory and as a result, a position at this year’s 2A Girls Basketball Provincials in La Crete next week. Devon has been working on her leadership skills and through her hard work has grown tremendously as a person.

Professional Development

Ms. Woods attended the “Research in Action” AISI Conference in Edmonton February 11-12. She had the opportunity to collaborate with educators from across the province to stimulate ideas about better ways to engage students, foster innovative instructional strategies and develop strategies to foster 21st century learning skills, such as critical thinking and problem solving.

Ms. Woods also attended the “Learning and the Brain” conference in San Francisco February 14-16 where she attended numerous sessions that highlighted using the brain to ignite innovation and imagination. The key message in all of the sessions was how to take a creative teaching approach that aligns with 21st century competencies, fostering the skill set necessary for our students to be successful in our ever-changing world.

Leading education and brain researchers from around the world shared their discoveries and implications for the 21st century classroom, emphasizing that skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and innovation be at the forefront of learning, rather than facts and procedures.

On Wednesday February 27th Art students and senior Art Club members traveled to Lethbridge to participate in the U of L’s Fine Art Day. Students were able to experience workshops in areas of art, music, new media, digital audio arts and drama, tour Fine Art facilities, tour U of L campus, and meet professors and students. The day was a success as students were exposed to university life as they participated in a day of activities and information sessions. One of the greatest parts was seeing university students engaged in the learning of their subject choice and the variety of possibilities available.

March ~ 2013 Rundle teachers have chosen a very mature, conscientious and well-rounded student for grade 7 citizen of the month. Shaye De Paiva has developed solid relationships within the Rundle community by being a good listener, having a solid academic work ethic, and by being a strong team player in her athletics. Shaye is also known to be a very talented artist, showing excellent creativity and dedication to her work. She shows a fierceness on the court for volleyball and basketball, but can be kind, caring and generous when helping her peers in the classroom. Shaye De Paiva is a standout student in grade 7!

Cameron Clark has been an outstanding citizen in many different areas of the school over the course of the year including both extracurricular and academic aspects of school life. Cameron has been involved in a variety of extracurricular opportunities and has contributed greatly to the athletic program as a key member of the grade 7 boys volleyball team. Cameron also is a very conscientious and hard working student, which has led him to achieve at a high level in all classes. He also has the ability to get along and work very well with all members of his class no matter what the task. It will be remarkable to see what Cameron accomplishes next as he continues to be an exceptional citizen in our school.

Congratulations to Hannah Bentsen, February citizen of the month. Hannah is a conscientious student who works really hard and strives to do her best at all times. She is a quiet strong leader who is well respected by her peers. Hannah was a key member of the grade 8 girls basketball team this year and showed great character throughout the season. She is always positive and enthusiastic and acts with integrity. Hannah is an excellent example of what it means to be a Rundle citizen.

Miranda Pachkowski is an exemplary Rundle citizen. She exudes a joy and pride at being a member of our school. She manages her time wisely, juggling a busy extracurricular schedule of music and dance outside of class. In class her academic achievements are outstanding, yet she always seeks ways to improve her understanding and mastery of concepts. She is mature and sensitive in her relationships with others and generally is just fun to be around. Her positive attitude is infectious to those around her. Congratulations to Miranda on this well deserved acknowledgement of her character.

I have never had such an overwhelming response when asking for insights for a citizen write-up. Brett Bradley is a new student to Rundle this year, and he has made a tremendous impression on everyone who has had the pleasure to work with him, both in the classroom and out of it. Brett was the only grade 9 student from the College who came out for football in the fall. He worked hard and made an impression on his coaches, who praised his willingness to learn new things. The words “strong character”, “maturity”, “wellrespected”, and “positive attitude” have been used to describe Brett. He puts forth 100% effort in class and is willing to step outside of his comfort zone in other areas, having taken on a leading role in the junior high production, again as the only grade 9 student.

Brett is truly an example for his peers, displaying politeness and positivity when interacting with everyone in our building. The term Renaissance man comes to mind when thinking of this most-deserving recipient of February’s citizen of the month. Congratulations!

Mitchell Besplug is a very deserving recipient of Citizen of the Month. He has this amazing positive energy about him. Nothing seems to rattle him and his calm and mature manner have a way of settling people down. His sense of humor is timely and very witty. He is a kind, supportive and inclusive individual that has earned the respect of his peers and teachers. Moreover, Mitchell is an amazing athlete. He is one of the top football players and wrestlers in the province. In wrestling this year, he was able to wrestle in 3 tournaments and was undefeated in all of them. Congratulations to Mitchell, a very deserving award recipient.

A t h l e t e s o f t h e m o n t h

Shaye DePaiva

Jesupamilerin Falade

Joelle Petersen

Hugo Teare

Megan Williams

Cole McKenna

F i n e A r t s S t u d e n t s

Jr High Production

Anna Ciprick

Katie Cooke

Zachary Welch

Adam Klassen

Alyssa Berry

Tara Osler

Katherine Holroyd-Leduc

Jenna Magus

Jennifer Chow

After a brief hiatus, rehearsals have resumed for the junior high production of Anne Frank & Me. With a new cast member, Brett Bradley, joining the team, this production promises to be one of the best yet! Performances are scheduled for May 28 & 29, 2013, so stay tuned for more information about how to get your tickets!

STUDENT SERVICES NEWSLETTER February 2013

Post Secondary Deadlines Institution U of Saskatchewan

Deadline Admission to all programs (except Kinesiology &

Western Acadia Waterloo McMaster U of Calgary

Visual Arts and Nursing Program Applications for Admissions Applications for Admissions Applications for Admissions Applications for Admissions

Education)

Scholarships

Date Feb 15th Feb 15th March 1st March 28th April 1st April 1st

Diploma Rewrites:

U of Alberta: Entrance Distinction Award: ■ Average of approximately 95%+ in Grades 10, 11 and 12 (projected).

■ Academic reference and essay must be submitted Entrance Leadership Award: ■ Exceptional leadership qualities: community service and involvement ■ Average of 80% or higher based on Grade 11 and/or Grade 12 final marks

If a student intends to rewrite a diploma examination, he/she must submit Diploma Examination Registration and Rewrite Fee Forms, along with a rewrite fee ($26.25) for each examination.

Transcripts: Most institutions outside of Alberta (aside from UBC) require that a transcript gets sent in AFTER diploma results are released in late February.

Please see Ms. Moodie to requests those transcripts.

All institutions outside of Alberta will require a transcript gets sent directly from Alberta Education to their Admission Office AFTER June diploma results are released in mid-late July. This request MUST be made online through Alberta Education at

Information at www.ualberta.ca/AWARDS/ Applications can be found on U of Alberta Bear Tracks. The updated deadline for applications is Feb 18th.

http://www.education.alberta.ca/students/transcripts.asp x. The cost per transcript is $10.

SPE Star Scholarship and Fellowship:

US College Admission Tests:

Sponsored the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), over $1 million dollars annual worldwide is donated. Value: $20,000 over four years of study.

This would be $5,000 USD/year renewable annually for up to 4 years. The application can be found at http://www.spe.org/scholarships/star.php The deadline for applications is March 15.

Grade 11 students who are interested in attending a post secondary institution in the states are encouraged to write either the ACT or the SAT in the spring.

The ACT (American College Test) dates are April 13th & June 8th. Go to www.act.org to register.

The SAT (Scholastic Achievement Test) tests are May 4th & June 1st. Visit www.collegeboard.com to register.

Ms. Sarah Dunsford, Director of Student Services 403-250-7180 ~ dunsford@rundle.ab.ca