Wednesday 7 October 2015

"What does the 'Experience Rundle' really mean?"
Resiliency, Renaissance & Passion

October 8, 2015

Recently, I was given the opportunity to speak with the parents of our Grade 7 students at our 'Grade 7 Parent Wine and Cheese.'  To frame the conversation, I thought it might be interesting to discuss what we really mean when we say.... 

"Welcome to the Rundle Experience: 



When your child graduates from Rundle, their grades will be impressive, 
however they will be the least impressive thing about them."

For the parents of our Grade 7 students, I thought I would frame it around 3 key components of the Rundle College program; resiliency, renaissance and passion.

Resiliency

Failing forward, non-catastrophic failures, growth mindset, grit or resiliency... however you choose to phrase it they mean generally the same thing.  At their core, they mean that when you fail, it is invariably a learning experience.  If we enter and exit this failure with a mindset that we will recover and be stronger the next time we face a challenge, we will always be making positive strides.  


Further to this point, I personally believe that one of the greatest gifts we can give to our students, particularity as they navigate their junior high years, is the ability to bounce back after a challenging time.  

Renaissance

One great thing about the Rundle College & Academy programs is the variety of opportunities we are able to offer and that students are able to get involved in.  Whether students are interested in intellectual clubs (maker spaces, speech, debate, writing), athletics (over 40 unique teams), arts (dozens of productions, bands and visual arts opportunities) or service (trips, volunteer days, service clubs) - there is something our students can get involved in.  Even more importantly is that we are a small school and we encourage students to try things they may have not tried before.  


In turn, encouraging our students to take chances and get involved was a significant part of the overall message to our parents.  The Rundle Experience is abundant with opportunities to use all parts of your brain, body and spirit and we hope our students take us up on this offer!

Passion

Finally, due to the broad approach to experience and excellence, we want our students to find their individual passions.  Finding these passions does not happen overnight.... and not even over the course of a Grade 7 year.  




We believe that these passions only start to present themselves after challenging ones' self, taking risks, succeeding, failing, being curious and exploring.  As our students move throughout our program we encourage them to develop their personal identity and channel it towards excellence in their lives outside of Rundle.

Through the hard work of all members of our community, I am sure we'll continue to graduate the finest young men and women of character!

Sincerely,

Jason B. Rogers
Headmaster, Rundle College Society
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Heads Up
Your Monthly Communication From the Headmaster 
Dear Parents,
September was a month filled with opportunities to: 
  • welcome our old friends back and embrace all the new members of our community
  • adventure into unknown environments in an opportunity to orient ourselves with our schools and each other
  • meet the teachers and have teachers meet all the parents
  • challenge ourselves in athletics and volunteerism
  • to ultimately, embrace the Rundle Experience!
In this month’s Heads Up, I hope to highlight a few things that are coming up, that have gone by, and that illuminate the great things that happen at Rundle. I hope you enjoy!

Coming Up:
Open House Events
Over the course of the next two months, each of our schools will be hosting their annual Open House events. This is our chance to highlight Rundle’s exceptional programs to prospective students and their families.
For our current families with students in grades 3, 6 and 9, we will be hosting special transition events throughout the year that provide information about our Elementary and Jr. Sr. High programs.    
If you require information regarding admissions, please contact Ms. Nicola Spencer for College admissions or Ms. Andria Slipp for Academy admissions.
While on this topic, I would like to take an opportunity to thank each of you for your ongoing support of our program. It is a little known fact, but the vast majority of our successful applicants come as result of your ‘word of mouth.’ We appreciate your kind words and good will.

My Rundle App for iPhone and Android
We are excited to announce the launch of the ‘My Rundle’ mobile app for iPhone and Android devices. The Android app is currently available as a free download in the app stores - the iPhone app will be available next week. We hope these apps help you find a ‘one stop shop’ for all things Rundle!

Rundle College Primary/Elementary School Updates
As I had mentioned at the ‘Meet the Teacher’ events, all ongoing updates for the New School Project will be posted to our website under the About Us tab. If you are interested in the progress, visit the websitehere for the most recent updates on the project.

Gone by:
Meet the Teacher Evenings
A big thanks to each parent who was able to attend these events. They were great opportunities for our faculty to get to know you and for you to get to know them. The evenings were filled with great energy for the upcoming year.
Internet Safety Evening
Paul Davis drew the largest Speaker Series crowd in the history of Rundle College. We had nearly 300 parents join us for an evening of information about Internet Safety and Digital Responsibility. Please keep your eye on your e-mails for future Rundle College/Academy speaker series events.  
Thank you to the Elementary PAC for their financial support of the event.  It could not have happened without you.
Friday Night Lights
Two amazing things happened at our game vs. Ernest Manning. First, we had the largest crowd for a football game ever. The weather was bleak, but it did not stop our Rundle community from coming out in droves. The second item of note was that our boys pulled off a big win against one of the bigger high schools in our city!
Introducing Emmett Jonathan Orlando Rogers
Sarah and I are proud to announce the birth of our new baby boy, Emmett Jonathan Orlando Rogers!
Emmett was born on September 24th, 2015 at 10:40PM at Foothills Hospital. He weighed 8 lbs 10 oz and stretches 20"! Both Sarah and baby are happy and healthy! Thank you all for your support and encouragement during this exciting time in our lives!
Heads Up - Experience Rundle
“If there is one story you share….”
Our community is steeped in stories that are inspirational, affirming and ultimately epitomize the ‘Rundle Experience.’ Too often, I believe these stories remain isolated and unshared. This year, in my closing comments of the ‘Heads Up,’ I hope to highlight these experiences and ‘celebrate with you, when you do.’

The Rundle Experience - Story #2
This month, I would like to take a moment and focus on the accomplishments of some of our recent alumni. These two videos have come to my attention inside the past month and I think they exemplify what we would want for all our students.
The first video is from Sam Sawchuk '12 and Evan Beck '12. I believe this shows the true essence of social entrepreneurialism. The video says it all!

The second video is from Global TV and features Andrew Buckley '11.  There are several notable moments in the clip, but the one I enjoy most is when Andrew speaks about winning the Hec Crighton Trophy. Again, this outlook is the greatest gift our students can receive.

At the end of the day - these students’ ‘grades’ are certainly impressive.
Have a wonderful October all.
Be well,

Jason Rogers, Headmaster
Rundle College Society 

Books on the shelf this month:
"The Happiness Advantage: The seven principles of positive psychology that fuel success and performance at work” by Shawn Achor

“Most Likely to Succeed: Preparing Our Kids For The Innovation Era” by Tony Wagner and Ted Dintersmith

“Red Notice: A True Story of High Finance, Murder and One Man’s Fight for Justice” by Bill Browder

Maclean’s Magazine feature on Private Schools - read here