Elevate Your Journey
Each student’s journey through school is unique and makes up their very own story. Here’s what that “story” could look like at Rundle Studio for your child;
The Lead Teacher: Delivering the highest quality instruction to all students, everywhere.
Have you ever been a student and thought,
“I love this teacher, they are the best on the planet!”
In my life, I remember some transformative teachers I’ve had, Ms. Baldwin in Grade 2, Mr. Stallard in Grade 5, Mr. Maclean in Grade 7, and Ms. Wall in high school.
The empathy in me, also left me wishing every student in our school could be in my class and learn from the expertise of these master teachers. However, in a typical classroom, it often came down to the luck of the draw.
Good news — today we have the technology to get the world’s best teachers for students with learning disabilities and/or ADHD to every student who can benefit from their excellence. Rundle Studio is hiring master pedagogs who can teach 100’s, if not 1000’s of students at once!
To learn more about how we plan to scale the best teachers to all the students who need them most, feel free to reach out to our school principal, Mr. John Wolf.
— Mr. Jason Rogers, Head of School
The Teacher Advisor: Connecting online as if you were together in person.
As we designed the Rundle Studio program, we continually asked ourselves — what is Rundle Academy’s secret sauce? Each time we considered this, we came back to the same thing: Connection
Inevitably, the next question we asked ourselves was, “How can we take this integral feature of our in-person program and translate it into a virtual setting?” The answer we kept coming back to was a strong and connected: Teacher Advisor (TA)
We want to have a TA for each and every empathy group of students. Our TAs are specially trained in “Universal Design for Learning” and in emotional intelligence. Multiple times each day, the TAs connect with their empathy groups and work with them to personalize the learning and deepen individual student’s understanding of each and every concept.
Every student, in every subject, will form a deep and lasting relationship with their TA and the other students in their student grouping.
— Mr. Jason Rogers, Head of School
Making Friends Online: Building strong relationships between students.
The question that students ask often is, is it possible to make friends when learning in a virtual school?
“Making friends is one of the key parts of being in school.” — Mr. John Wolf
When I see new students arrive at Rundle Academy, they go through an adjustment period where they get to know other students. They do this through a variety of experiences such as meeting as a group, hanging out, talking about interests, and just playing around. It is during this unstructured time where they can build and nourish their relationships naturally.
Providing a time and place for unstructured play online is not only possible but safe as well.
By allowing students the freedom to connect through virtual platforms, such as Gather, students can experience the freedom to meet and interact with their classmates, much like they would on the playground at recess.
Rundle Studio provides the opportunity for students to build friendships in a safe and caring environment. To find out more about how your son or daughter can make friends while learning virtually be sure to sign up for an information session.
— Mr. John Wolf, Rundle Studio Principal
Beyond Academics: Giving back to our local communities.
Building character is our main focus at Rundle.
“Your grades may be impressive, but they may be the least impressive thing about you.” — Drew Dudley
I didn’t always get the best marks when I was in school. Looking back at some of the report cards I kept and reading the comments, I can clearly see that there was a mismatch between my potential and my achievements. Yet I always knew that I was capable of more. Now, over 23 years of teaching experience and a M. Ed. in Administration, I know I am capable of more than just achieving good grades. It is when I give back to help others that I really feel I’m making a difference.
Yes, Rundle Studio will teach the Alberta Educational Curriculum. However, at Rundle we go far beyond that. Through our Pathways to Learning, we will also focus on character development for each student. Every student has the potential to make a difference in the lives of others and with guidance, our teachers will help them find connections in their local, and global community, to reach that potential.
“Somewhere along the way, we must learn that there is nothing greater than to do something for others.”
— Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
When students are given the opportunities to create positive interactions with others, they experience positive growth within themselves. Learn more about how your daughter or son can be a part of a school that encourages this type of character development.
– Mr. John Wolf, Rundle Studio Principal
Esports: Being on a team is more than just playing video games.
“I loved playing video games with my friends when I was in school.”
— Mr. John Wolf
When I grew up, I remember Mr. Sprott, my science teacher, allowed a few students to stay inside during recess and play games on the computer. Back then, we used floppy disks and Atari joysticks. What I remember the most is how much we looked forward to this time together with friends.
At the time we were just having fun, but thinking back on this now I realize all of the skills we were engaging in; organizing who would get to play (only two students per computer), collaborating to complete the levels as a team, sharing by taking turns, communicating with the teacher and each other, and using hand-eye coordination to actually play the game.
Esports is quickly growing in popularity across Canada and the globe. It provides students with opportunities to connect with their peers in a fun, safe, entertaining environment. Students are able to make local, national, and global connections while learning how to balance their academic and co-curricular time. Some studies have found that students actually play less, and more effectively when they are part of a team. Since students enjoy playing video games at home, being part of an Esports team allows them to connect their passion with the school community.
“Now I get to play what I love as part of my school team.”
— Caleb Chandler, Academy Grade 7 Student
Learn more about our co-curricular offerings or watch a SHOUTcast of students participating on an Esports team.
– Mr. John Wolf, Rundle Studio Principal
A Day in the Life: How the daily schedule supports what we know about brain science.
“Sleep is critical for learning and memory.” – Dr. Matthew Walker
As a teenager, I clearly remember wanting to sleep in every morning. I also remember having to wake up early, grab some breakfast, and take a bus ride to school, all while feeling exhausted. I always wished that I could just sleep in late and not get in trouble. Then, at night, I’d want to stay up late because I didn’t feel tired and I didn’t want to go to bed at 9 pm.
It is only as an adult that I learned about the need for sleep for the teenage brain. They typically need to stay up later than the average adult, and wake up later, to optimize their ability to learn and remember information. When we make them go to bed early, they don’t always get a great sleep and when we wake them up early, they remain tired for a long period of time.
“A school day schedule built for the teenage brain.” – Mr. John Wolf
I always wondered what would happen if we built our school around what we know is scientifically beneficial for student learning. What if students were able to sleep in later and still be able to attend school? How would this benefit their growth and learning development? At Rundle Studio, we have kept this in mind when building the schedule. We will have a later start time to allow students to get more sleep at night and be better prepared for learning throughout the day.
– Mr. John Wolf, Rundle Studio Principal
Translating the “School Rally” Online: Celebrating our successes as a community.
Everyone likes to be recognized when they achieve success. It feels good to know that someone sees how hard you have worked and that you are making progress. When this happens, it motivates you to continue to work even harder. Rundle Studio believes that celebrating success is an important part of the educational journey. This is why we hold school rallies where we have the opportunity to recognize students for achievements related to our three pathways to learning; academics, co-curricular, and character.
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.”
School rallies allow the whole school to come together and recognize the achievements of various students. At Rundle Studio, we work with students to develop their pathways to learning, and when they succeed, we will be there to celebrate their success.
– Mr. John Wolf, Rundle Studio Principal
A Member of our Rundle Family of Schools: How does it look to connect in person?
Making connections is one of the most important aspects of being in school. We know that students need to connect with their teachers and peers in order to build relationships. At Rundle Studio students and teachers interact and connect online through a variety of online modes.
We know that it is possible for students to learn from, have fun with, and connect with each other while being online. The teachers at Rundle Studio provide meaningful ways for students to interact with each other.
As part of the family of the Rundle School Community, Rundle Studio students are welcome to be part of a number of the College and Academy experiences including our Friday Night Lights football games at the Collette campus. Students can also participate in school trips to Edmonton, Ottawa, or even Europe in senior high.
We value in-person connections and will make these opportunities available every chance we can in order to strengthen our community to the best of our abilities.
— Mr. John Wolf, Rundle Studio Principal
[Digital] Universal Design for Learning: Reaching all learners in a personalized way.
Imagine a building with an access ramp. You may think that the ramp is only for people in a wheelchair, however, anyone may use it, and for different reasons. The same is true in education. Not everyone needs to use accommodations for their learning, but anyone might benefit from it.
Making all of the tools available, and then teaching students how to use the right tools for the right job, that is a universal design for learning (UDL). By having access to accommodations, students can try them out and learn which ones work best for them. Teachers can guide students to use certain tools for certain tasks.
Every student learns in their own way. We know that this is true. We also know that students with learning disabilities benefit from accommodations. When teachers are highly qualified and understand how to provide effective accommodations for their students, they can provide tools and strategies for students to be more successful at learning and to achieve success.
~ Mr. John Wolf, Rundle Studio Principal