February is the beginning of a new se-mester and the halfway point of the school year. The last three weeks have been filled with stress and anxiety. I am sure the students are relieved that it is over and excited about starting new courses. The High School students be-gan a new set of courses this semester. The Junior High will continue with the same core academic courses, but new options. As for the Elementary, it will be business as usual. Mid-Term Examination Reports were sent home on Tuesday, February 1st, for all Grade 6 to 9 students. The purpose of this report is to inform parents of Mid-Term Examination results and Option final marks. There will be no Parent/Teacher Interview. The next reporting period will conclude on March 11th, with Report Cards going home on March 14th, and Interviews scheduled for March 17th. The Senior High Final Course Mark Re-ports were sent home on Tuesday, Feb-ruary 1st, for all High School students. The purpose of this report is to inform parents of the final course results for all semester one courses. There will be no Parent/Teacher Interview. The first re-porting period of semester two will con-clude on April 15th, with Report Cards going home on April 19th, and Interviews

scheduled for April 21st. Parents are en-couraged to contact Homeroom Teach-ers/Teacher Advisors if they have ques-tions or concerns. The Alberta Education Accountability Pil-lar Survey has been sent to all the Rundle Academy households to solicit parent input on the learning goals of schools, school authorities and the pro-vincial government. The student and teacher portions will be completed at the school within the next two weeks. I would encourage your participation and honest input as last year’s report was useful in the identification of both areas of strength and growth. There are two significant meetings sched-uled for this month. First, the Junior/Senior High Orientation is on Wednes-day, February 9th, at 7:00 P.M. All stu-dents entering Grade 7 or Grade 10 and their parents should be in attendance as important information will be shared on students approaching enrollment into Junior and Senior High, respectively. Also, our annual Open House is on Wednesday, March 2nd, at 7:00 P.M. All new families interested in attending the Academy for the 2011/2012 school year are encouraged to attend the presenta-tion and tour.

Volume 8 , Issue 5

ME S S A G E FRO M THE PR I N C I PA L

R O C K I E S R U M B L I N G S

RUNDLE ACADEMY 4330 16 Street SW

Calgary, AB T2T 4H9 Ph: 250-2965 / Fax: 250-2914 www.rundleacademy.ab.ca

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Message from the Principal Open House

1

Counsellor’s Notes 2

Society Office Orientation Evening Alberta Education Survey

3

Academy Speaker Series Academic Fair

4

Moodle Pages / Division Portals Jr. / Sr. High Student Council

5

City Hall Tour Extra Curricular Awards

6

Citizenship Awards Moves Mountains Awards

7

Honor Roll 8

Activities for the Month 9

February 7 , 2011

“WE MOVE MOUNTAINS”

OP E N HO U S E Rundle Academy’s Open House for prospec-tive parents will be held on Wednesday, March 2, 2011, from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. This evening will give parents the opportunity to learn about our academic and extracurricu-lar programming. For more information, please contact Jason Rogers (rogers@rundle.ab.ca).

Volume 8 , Issue 5 Page 2

CO U N S E L L O R’S NOT E S

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

Ms. Jana-Lynn Caines, School Counsellor

Learning Disabilities and Post-Secondary Education Please see below an invitation to "Making the Transition to Post-Secondary Education for Students with Disabili-ties". 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 post-secondary institutions in attendance to meet with students and parents.

OR I E N TA T I O N EV E N I N G

Volume 8 , Issue 5 Page 3

SO C I E T Y OF F I C E

AL B E RTA ED U C A T I O N SU RV E Y

Alberta Education invites you to play an important role in your child’s education. From January 15th to the end of February, Alberta Education will be conducting the annual Accountability Pillar Survey. In January, parents of stu-dents in grades 4 to 12 will receive a survey from Alberta Education. These surveys are mailed from Alberta Edu-cation and returned directly to Alberta Education. In Feb-ruary, students in grades 4 to 12 and all teachers will be completing their surveys online at school. All surveys are anonymous and ask questions about experiences with this school. In addition to English and French, the parent survey is available in Mandarin, Cantonese, Punjabi, Ara-bic, Blackfoot, Cree, Korean, Spanish and Tagalog. By completing the survey, you are giving your school au-thority and your provincial government important informa-tion to gauge the quality of education your child is receiv-ing and make improvements where needed. Both PATs and Diploma Exams contribute to the Accountability Pillar, a tool used by Alberta Education to evaluate how well the education system is meeting the expectations of parents and the public. All parents want to know that their chil-dren are receiving a quality education. Grades are impor-tant, but there is more to it than that. A quality education helps all children make the most of their talents and abili-ties.

The Accountability Pillar uses a set of 16 indicators con-sisting of surveys of students, parents and teachers on various aspects of quality; student outcomes, such as dropout and high school completion rates; and provincial assessments of student learning. As an annual check-up on the education system, the Accountability Pillar pro-vides an opportunity for Alberta Education and school authorities to ensure that we are equipping students for success. Your participation in the survey helps, so we encourage you to return your survey promptly. Survey results will be available to school authorities in May 2011, and will be reported publicly by school authori-ties as part of their 3-year Education Plans and Annual Education Results Reports. School authorities receive a results report that is colour-coded and easy to read. At a glance, it points out successes and areas of concern from both a local and provincial perspective. The results report shows which measures have improved, remained consistent, and which have declined. It allows everyone - parents, teachers, school authorities, students and the province - to celebrate successes and respond to challenges together.

Alberta Education Accountability Survey

Details about the Accountability Pillar and how to obtain results are available online. http://www.education.alberta.ca/accountability

Grade 7 and Grade 10 Orientation Evening (for Grade 6 and Grade 9 students) On the evening of February 9th (7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.), Rundle Academy is hosting the annual Junior High and High School Orientation evening. We expect all Grade 6 and Grade 9 students and parents will be in attendance so they can learn about what to expect in the coming school year.

Uniform Store Hours

October 2010 to May 2011 Tuesdays and Thursdays only

8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.

The store is closed daily during the noon hour from 12:00 P.M. to 1:00 P.M.

Volume 8 , Issue 5 Page 4

Information Evenings For Parents and Students

7:00 p.m.

February 9, 2011 Junior High School Orientation & High School Orientation * All Grade 6 and Grade 9 Parents and Students * John Wolf, Jamie Burla and Terry Hoganson March 2, 2011 Open House * For prospective parents March 16, 2011 Panel Discussion on ADHD—Implications for School & Home * Speakers TBA April 14, 2011 What to expect at Post Secondary Institutions—Transition Planning *Dr. Brent Macdonald, University of Calgary and Alumni Student Panel

AC A D E M I C FA I R

AC A D E M Y SP E A K E R SE R I E S

January 2011 Attention all Parents of Elementary and Junior High Students: Rundle Academy will be having an Academic Fair on Friday, February 25th. The intent of our Academic Fair is to help the student enjoy the process of academic discovery. When students do projects, they are independently working at their own level, developing and refining their process skills. While working on projects, they are increasing their knowledge and their ability to think critically. The project is to be completed outside of regular class time. We encourage you to support your child’s efforts at every step. Although it is the student’s effort, there is no substitute for a parent’s support. Areas in which a parent’s assis-tance is encouraged include:

Suggesting project ideas - The project for Academic Fair can be on any topic the student would like to explore. The internet and library are an excellent resource for ideas.

Transportation to libraries, businesses, museums, nature centers, universities, or any source of project information.

Technical support such as construction and photography. Helping with project expenses. Being attentive to safety issues. Being an interested listener.

Students must have chosen a topic for the Academic Fair by Monday, January 17th. They can let their teacher know when they have made a final decision. It is important for students to know what they are doing in order to make the learning experience a rewarding and enjoyable one. There is a package with information on the Academic Fair on our website www.rundleacademy.ab.ca for the students to refer to for more guidance. From, The Academic Fair Committee

Volume 8 , Issue 5 Page 5

JU N I O R / SE N I O R HI G H ST U D E N T CO U N C I L As we move into the second half of the year we have lots of exciting events coming your way! Here are a couple of things coming up soon: Crush Grams

For only a dollar, send a Crush Gram to all your favourite people!

On sale from February 3rd until February 9th.

Crush Grams will be handed out on Friday February 11th – just in time for Valentine’s Day!

They will be available in the following flavours: Cream Soda (pink) = love Grape (purple) = like Orange (orange) = friendship

Special Lunch On Wednesday, February 23rd, there will be a special lunch for all Junior/Senior High students. Forms for OPA wraps came out this week and are due back by February 16th. Do not miss out on this delicious opportunity!

Moodle Site

Lost your special lunch form?

Can’t remember the dates for crush grams?

Want to see pictures from past activities? Check out the Student Council Blog available with your Moodle login. Look to the left on the main Moodle site – you can’t miss it!

Classroom Moodle Pages and Division Portal sites are accessible from our homepage (www.rundleacademy.ab.ca) or from the links below. The Division Portals will give up to date events specific to your division, e-mail access to all the teachers, a link to the Moodle classrooms and a place to download any forms that need to be filled out.

Elementary Portal: http://iforge.ca/div2/ Junior High Portal: http://iforge.ca/div3/ Senior High Portal: http://iforge.ca/div4/

The Moodle Login Page gives you full access to all of your child’s courses. These pages will have necessary text-books, handouts, notes, etc. Also on each page you will find an updated calendar for upcoming exams and specific course events. To get into the secured sites, all you need to do is use your child’s school login and password (they will all know what that is).

http://iforge.ca/moodle/login/index.php Finally, we also have a Twitter and a YouTube page that will be evolving throughout the year. You can visit these sites by clicking on the relevant buttons on the bottom of the portal pages. If you have any feedback on these initiatives, please let me know.

Mr. Jason Rogers

MO O D L E PA G E S A N D DI V I S I O N PO RTA L S

Volume 8 , Issue 5 Page 6

CI T Y HA L L TO U R

Conner Rasch Grade 9

Sarah Dowling Grade 11

Doug Gardner Grade 9

Emily Wood Grade 12

EX T R A CU R R I C U L A R AWAR D S Awarded to students who exemplify the values of sportsmanship, participation, cooperation and team work.

Taylor Reich Grade 12

Dan Driscoll Grade 11

Matt Vician Grade 11

On January 31, 2011, all grade sixes received a tour of City Hall and the Municipal Building. They sat in Council Chambers and learned many aspects about the jobs of Mayor and Aldermen. Most stu-dents did not know the origins of Calgary’s name and the connection with Scotland.

Volume 8 , Issue 5 Page 7

CI T I Z E N S H I P AWAR D S

Sadie Matus Grade 6

Eric Hallson Grade 7

Bradley Hollohan Grade 7

Rosemary Breton Grade 11

MOV E S MO U N TA I N S AWA R D S

Nathan Retzer Grade 5

Jason Buckley Grade 10

Lauren Reynolds Grade 9

Awarded to students who overcome challenges academically or personally while displaying appropriate and positive behaviour.

Davis Maxwell Grade 7

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.

Hugh Alvarez Grade 11

Andrew Warren Grade 12

Natalie Heaton Grade 9

Charlotte Jones Grade 9

Amy Cottingham Grade 6

Adam Hadford Grade 5

Stefanie Johansson Grade 12

Anya Curtis Grade 12

Julia Hansen Grade 5

Volume 8 , Issue 5 Page 8

HONOR ROLL - REPORT 2 - 2010/2011 SENIOR HIGH

Escellence (90% - 100%)

Silver (80% - 84%)

Cosman, Lauren (Gr. 10) Dirks, Ian (Gr. 10)

Hartwell, Alex (Gr. 10) McColl, William (Gr. 10) Salahor, Drewe (Gr. 10) Timlick, Steven (Gr. 10)

Gall, Carter (Gr. 11) Hashman, Gabrielle (Gr. 12)

Miller, Kayley (Gr. 12) Molle, Sean (Gr. 12)

Wood, Emily (Gr. 12)

Midkiff, William (Gr. 10) Breton, Rosemary (Gr. 11)

Brintnell, Troy (Gr. 11) Huband, Chris (Gr. 12)

Bronze (75% - 79%)

Buckley, Jason (Gr. 10) Loughlean, Nate (Gr. 10)

Marston, Stephanie (Gr. 10) Shearer, Hunter (Gr. 10) Smith, Margaret (Gr. 10) Beckford, Callum (Gr. 11)

Brodylo, Alex (Gr. 11) Cartmell, Ryan (Gr. 11) Cronje, Declan (Gr. 11)

Duckworth, Victoria (Gr. 11) Driscoll, Dan (Gr. 11) Janzen, Megan (Gr.11) Kinzer, Jacob (Gr. 11)

Luca, Matthew (Gr. 11) Magee, Darian (Gr. 11)

Vanderbeek, Danielle (Gr. 11) Wright, Joe (Gr. 11)

Henderson, Jackie (Gr. 12) Hendry, Cole (Gr. 12)

Horth, Chandra (Gr. 12) Johansson, Stefanie (Gr. 12) Lamoureux, Sarah (Gr. 12)

Ruck, T.C. (Gr. 12) Smith, Riley (Gr. 12)

Gold (85% - 89%)

Empey, Luke (Gr. 10) Warltier, Angus (Gr. 10) Abels, Michael (Gr. 11) Alvarez, Hugh (Gr. 11) Dowling, Sarah (Gr. 11) Gold, Virginia (Gr. 11)

Rose, Amber (Gr. 11) Bailey, Mackenzie (Gr. 12) Levesque, Collin (Gr. 12)

Reich, Taylor (Gr. 12) Warren, Andrew (Gr. 12)

Volume 8 , Issue 5 Page 9

AC T I V I T I E S F O R FE B RUA RY

February 1 Midterm/Final Mark Statements Home

February 7 PAC Meeting (7:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M.)

February 9 Junior / Senior High Orientation (7:00 P.M.)

February 11 Dress Down Day

February 14-16 Senior High Ski Trip

February 17/18 Teacher’s Convention (No Classes)

February 21 Family Day (No Classes)

February 25 Academic Fair

February 25 High School IPPs Home

March 2 Open House (7:00 P.M.)

March 4 Newsletter Home

March 7 PAC Meeting (7:00 P.M. - 9:00 P.M.)

March 9-11 Junior High Ski Trip

March 14 Elementary and Junior High Report Cards Home

March 16 Speaker Series-Discussion on ADHD (7:00 P.M.)

March 17 Elementary and Junior High Parent/Teacher Interviews (1:00 P.M. - 8:00 P.M.)

March 18 Talent Show

REMINDER TO ALL PARENTS

Look for morning announcements posted on the website www.rundleacademy.ab.ca Our Classroom Moodle Pages and our Division Portals sites are accessible from our home-page (www.rundleacademy.ab.ca).