Rundle 21–26 Strategic Plan

IMAGINE RUNDLE Our Strategic Plan 2021—2026

GUIDING

our decisions and ASPIRATIONS in all that we do.

OUR PURPOSE

As education continues to evolve and the world needs leaders who are able to think critically, we use these words to truly guide our decisions and aspirations in all that we do — everything links back to these core statements.

AND

Throughout Rundle, you see this value statement come to life in the way our teachers deliver our programs and in our students’ learning and actions.

Our Mission

To create a nurturing, engaging environment that provides an enriched, personalized education, preparing students for an everchanging world.

Rundle will:

• Help students discover their potential;

• Challenge students to attain their best; and

• Celebrate with them when they do.

Our Vision

To develop inspired minds and unparalleled character.

Our Values

Together: Be Kind, Be Curious, Be Well

Our value statement guides our thoughts and actions. By following these simple words, we strengthen character. We truly believe one’s character is central to a life of fulfillment, happiness, and success. Throughout Rundle, you see this value statement come to life in our students’ learning and actions.

Our community embraces each of these values daily — inside and outside the classroom. They are at the core of every student’s Rundle experience.

Our Philosophy: Pathways to Learning

Academics are at the core of our programs; however, at Rundle, we aim for a balanced approach between academics, co-curricular, and character/leadership programs. We believe our students are so much more than just the grade on their paper and encourage them to develop many talents and choose kindness above all.

OUR COMMITMENT

2020 brought about many challenges for all of humankind. No person or industry was spared difficulties – large or small, in navigating the world’s events. Rundle was no exception; however, early planning and preparation ensured Rundle was posed to deliver REEDS (Rundle’s Excellence in Education through Distance-Delivery System) — an exceptional online learning experience when the time came. The support of our entire school community made the challenges along the way more manageable as we collectively faced them head on.

Many messages from our families echoed this sentiment:

“While there may be bumps we can’t predict, we were thoroughly impressed by REEDS and the nearly instantaneous transition to it. We saw that Rundle can pivot and provide meaningful education, however, it is delivered”.

In the later months of 2020, our board and leadership team came together to craft Rundle’s five-year strategic plan. While fully rooted in a pandemic, it became clear that all future priorities and initiatives should allow Rundle to continue to be agile and innovative during uncertain times.

As you will read in the following pages, a robust plan was developed to serve as a roadmap for honouring our history, protecting financial stability, preparing for future growth, and building a strong culture of giving. Grounded in our mission, vision, and values, Rundle continues to deliver an exceptional educational experience, focusing on a balanced approach between academics and life beyond the classroom.

Coming together as a community over the past two years helped each of us face adversity. As we look toward the next five years, it is important to share Rundle’s strategic priorities to provide context and clarity around its decision-making and priorities. Rundle remains committed to balancing prudent risk management with an overall pursuit of excellence. For the duration of this strategic plan, Rundle administration will monitor and report on all pillars and overarching themes. Each pillar has specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and outcomes. As our organization continues to make progress on the KPIs and objectives, our administrative team is committed to updating our community annually.

In the spirit of reconciliation, at Rundle we acknowledge that we live, work, and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.

WHO WE ARE

Rundle is an independent, university preparatory, co-educational day school program that provides an outstanding educational experience for over 1100 students in kindergarten through grade 12. In addition to high academic achievement, Rundle’s programs emphasize character development, leadership training, and good citizenship. Small class size that enables personalized education, dedicated teachers who are committed to making a difference in the lives of individual children, and competitive tuition, are attributes that uniquely define Rundle.

Unique among independent schools in Canada, Rundle delivers parallel College and Academy programs on two separate campuses. The College program serves the needs of the general population of learners and the Academy program meets the needs of students who have a diagnosed learning disability.

To expand on the success of the Academy program, the Studio was launched in fall 2021 as a virtual school to further reach students anywhere with diagnosed learning disabilities. Each program has a unique environment in a small school community where every child is encouraged and where all achievements are recognized and celebrated.

At Rundle, students become leaders in their field, professionals in the fine arts, experts in STEM industries, and humanitarians by discovering their passions and potential across a broad and comprehensive range of opportunities. In a safe and nurturing environment, Rundle students thrive. They aim for high academic goals and their achievement is fortified with a multitude of co-curricular and character-building programs.

OUR MESSAGE Board Chair & Head of School

Dear Rundle Community,

As we have witnessed over the past several years in both society and the government, education is undergoing a somewhat turbulent and trying time. Whether we are considering new curriculum, societal change, provincial assessments, school choice, or health protocols, navigating these choppy waters has not been easy for anyone in education. With that said, Rundle continues to be steady and unwavering in the face of these countless challenges.

While these storms have raged on around us, over the course of the 2019–2021 school years, Rundle came together and established a focused strategic plan to set the course for the next five years. This strategic planning process engaged students, staff, parents, alumni, governors, and leaders across all segments of our school

community. This energetic undertaking was enriched through dialogue, contemplation, and team collaboration resulting in a focus on four strategic pillars and three integral themes. This inspired plan provides our organizational compass bearing and enables Rundle to continue to improve upon the already exceptional educational opportunities.

Jointly, we take great pride and joy in seeing our community’s resilience, fortitude, and togetherness, as these are the attributes that have allowed us to, not only weather the storm but to accelerate through it to a bright and optimistic future. In the following pages, you will find the dynamic road map for our continued success.

Sincerely,

Carrie Ferguson

Rogers Board Chair Head of School

Jason

Without a compass bearing, a ship would neither find its port nor be able to estimate the time required to get there.

— Peter Drucker

WHY RUNDLE?

#1 RANKED SCHOOL IN ALBERTA

Rundle’s excellence has been repeatedly recognized by independent organizations such as the Fraser Institute, which consistently ranks Rundle College as a top private school in Alberta.

At the Academy, College, or Studio, our students experience a premier academic program that both supports and sparks their curiosity.

A STRONG CULTURE OF LEARNING

As an academically challenging program, our students, faculty, and staff are committed to the pursuit of lifelong learning. At Rundle, 1 in 3 teachers have advanced education credentials and many are working towards their next degree in their spare time.

How we learn is just as important as what we learn. In our small classes, teachers work with students to personalize their learning by giving them the tools to learn effectively, creatively, and passionately.

Education continues to evolve as new technologies, markets, and industries develop across the globe. To support future learning and a deeper understanding of our world, Rundle is committed to integrating emerging technologies and future thinking throughout our teaching and learning journey.

CONFIDENT STUDENTS OF STRONG CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP

Our vision to develop students with inspired minds and unparalleled character starts as early as kindergarten. Students learn what character means and are valued for their individual character efforts. Rundle offers countless opportunities to develop students’ character and leadership skills.

Often, at Rundle, you will hear Drew Dudley’s phrase, “When you graduate, your grades will be impressive; however, they will be the least impressive thing about you.”

At Rundle, as impressive as our students’ grades may be, we are equally as proud of the quality of their character, the extent of their curiosity, and the high value they place on kindness.

SMALLEST CLASS SIZES ACROSS COMPARABLE PROGRAMS

Our students experience the magic that happens with learning in a small class — they are fully engaged with their teachers, their peers, and in their learning. Students find their voice and their way at Rundle.

POST-SECONDARY SUCCESS

As a post-secondary preparatory program, we guide our students to follow their path and pursue further education, which for each student can look very different.

The Rundle Portrait of a Graduate profile helps our students articulate their values, experiences, and attributes as young adults applying to some of the most competitive post-secondary institutions. Rundle is proud that each and every grade 12 student who applies to post-secondary is accepted into their program of choice — locally, nationally, and to some of the most prestigious schools in the world including Harvard and Oxford.

The strength of Rundle’s academic program and our students’ success has resulted in our graduates earning millions in scholarships as entrance, athletic, or academic awards. Our students continue to earn financial awards throughout their many degrees.

CLOSELY CONNECTED SCHOOL & ALUMNI COMMUNITY

Feeling a sense of belonging, where students can get involved in their school, and meet new friends, is critical to a positive and healthy learning environment. At Rundle, our teachers really know and truly connect to their students, and encourage them to explore their curiosities and discover their passions.

Rundle doesn’t just focus on kindergarten to grade 12, but from kindergarten to forever. As graduates, our students continue their community experience by joining our worldwide alumni network of 2241 strong. Coaching, mentoring, guest speakers, and return to Rundle events create connections between students and our alumni.

PLURALISM, WELLNESS & INNOVATION

A critical component of this strategic plan is to ensure that our schools remain academically and culturally relevant institutions that prepare our graduates for the ever-changing world they are about to inherit. To ensure that our programs remain rooted in the strength of our past and are still agile enough to adapt to the exponential societal change we face, we have opted to root this plan in the themes of pluralism, wellness, and innovation.

Pluralism

At Rundle, we have a working definition of pluralism as described by the Global Centre for Pluralism. “Diversity in society is a universal fact; how societies respond to diversity is a choice. Pluralism is a positive response to diversity. Pluralism involves taking decisions and actions, as individuals and societies, which are grounded in respect for diversity.”

Rundle values the unique life experience that each person brings and we strive toward being a community where every person feels welcome and valued. Human differences enrich our school and provide a myriad of perspectives from which we can learn through our academic, co-curricular, and character programs.

Wellness

At Rundle, we believe that wellness is dynamic, collective, and personal. In alignment with Stanford University’s BeWell Program, we believe there are ten domains of well-being:

• social connectedness

• lifestyle behaviours

• stress and resilience

• emotional health

• physical health

• meaning and purpose

• sense of self

• finances

• spirituality or religiosity

• exploration and creativity

While all domains of wellness cannot be adhered to in every moment of our lives, we do believe that better understanding the domains and focusing on them at the appropriate time and stage of one’s life is essential for a lifetime of wellness.

As a school, we will continue to encourage our students, teachers, and the greater community to focus on wellness as we pursue our broad strategic objectives.

Innovation

At Rundle, we believe that creativity stems from curiosity and from curiosity comes innovation. Our value of “Be Curious” is the starting point for our staff and students to fully embrace innovation in their teaching and learning.

A working definition of innovation can be found at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At MIT, innovation is defined as, “the process by which we take ideas from inception to impact.” At Rundle, we aspire to see our students taking their original thoughts and ideas and changing them into tangible actions that will go on to improve our school, city, country, and world. We believe the inspired minds of our students and teachers will not only bring program relevance in this ever-changing world but will also create the conditions for ongoing improvement in our greater society.

Pluralism, Wellness & Innovation Coordinator Roles

To ensure there is deep, meaningful, and ongoing engagement in these critical thematic areas, Rundle committed to creating and supporting three new leadership roles inside Rundle. These roles will be led by a staff member and supported by senior administration to continue to focus our collective attention on pluralism, wellness, and innovation. The coordinators will continue to work with our faculty support team and each other to find ways to further plant these important seeds and nurture them as they grow into strong and enduring roots of our programs.

OUR FOUNDATIONAL PILLARS

For the past 37 years, Rundle has established itself as a premier educational program in Canada. We have seen incredible success in our students’ academic success, character development, and our school’s contributions to the world. In our next chapter, we aim to build on the incredible foundation that has been built by all who have come before us and solidify Rundle’s legacy for generations to come.

In consultation with our Board of Directors, our parents, staff, students, and community, four clear areas of priority emerged; The Fabric of Rundle, Financial Sustainability, Facilities for the Future and a Culture of Giving. These four strategic pillars, when placed upon our program’s foundation, create a true future of excellence in education that we can all take tremendous pride in.

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY THE FABRIC OF RUNDLE

FACILITIES FOR THE FUTURE CULTURE OF GIVING

THE FABRIC OF RUNDLE

When Drs. Conklin and Collett founded Rundle in 1985, they had a vision of a school that embodied “smallness” in all aspects. They created small class sizes and a faculty culture that felt more like a closely connected family than a group of teachers. As Rundle continues to grow and expand, we must be reminded of the original mission of Rundle and the ethos at the genesis of this incredible school.

To support the legacy of our visionary founders and the hard work of the staff and board members who built the foundation of Rundle, it is imperative to focus on the “Fabric of Rundle” as we move forward strategically. We aim to continually assess our program’s relevance, how to attract and retain the most talented staff and to strengthen our overall brand proposition. Weaving these three elements into our already strong fabric will create an updated “Rundle tartan” that will serve generations of staff, students, and parents to come.

Program Relevance

• Preparing graduates for an ever-changing world

• Exploring the possibility of delivering Rundle’s program virtually

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• Retaining talented staff

• Recruiting the best and brightest

Deepening our Value Propositions

• Looking to the future, Rundle must honour its past

FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY

Rundle has always dreamed big. As with any big dream, using the guiding principles of strong financial planning and fiscal prudence will allow these dreams to become a reality and remain sustainable. This strategic plan aims to lay the foundation for organizational certainty and improvement for generations to come.

We will continue to develop a strong budget philosophy and a robust reserve fund to support us through any challenging days that may lie ahead. Furthermore, having a “downside playbook” will provide us with a future-ready strategy for foreseeable risks and adversities Rundle may face. We remain committed to setting a strong course of financial planning which will allow Rundle to continue to see ongoing growth and enhancements.

Establish and Maintain a Reserve Fund

• Establish and maintain a reserve fund setting the target at the mid-point of the industry standard recommended range

Establish a Budget Philosophy and Framework

• Establish and document the budget philosophy, including setting tuition fees as Rundle College Society strives for fairness and transparency across programs

Develop a Downside Playbook

• An action plan that can be implemented should the school suffer an event that puts the existing program at risk

Develop a Facility Lease Policy

• Establish the maximum proportion of the budget Rundle College Society will allocate to facility lease/rental costs

FACILITIES FOR THE FUTURE

As we continue to learn more about the science of learning, we are becoming aware of the fact that traditional learning environments may not be the best for critical thinking, inquiry, and overall cognitive development. At Rundle, we remain committed to evaluating our current learning environments and using a human-centered design approach to reimagine and redesign them.

Our opportunities for overall space development will take place in our current buildings, in the buildings we plan to construct, and on the land which we plan to acquire.

With each development, we will continue to ask ourselves, “How will this development improve the student experience and learning?” With this as a guiding question, we can feel certain that the efforts and resources from our community will serve to strengthen the Rundle experience for future generations.

Dynamic Learning Spaces

• Continuing to build dynamic learning spaces across Rundle, indoors and outdoors

• Evaluating and updating our classrooms and collaborative learning spaces

Academy Campus Reimagined

• Redesigning the Academy campus will help us to fulfill our mission and allow us to remain competitive

Land Expansion

• Looking for opportunities to acquire additional land for the benefit of Rundle’s programs

CULTURE OF GIVING

Rundle has a history of generosity. We see members of our community give their talents and time. These gifts continue to inspire all members of our Rundle community to create a better world for the generations to come. Each year, we see our community contributing monetary donations to improve the overall experience at Rundle for our current and future students.

In the next five years, we aim to continue this culture of giving in support of our students, programs, and facilities. Our school’s sustainability depends on our ability to support families in our community who are in financial need and our ability to provide the learning environments our students need to be successful.

The “Culture of Giving” pillar aims to meet both the student support and the facility improvement objectives in a meaningful and sustainable way.

Annual Giving

• Maintain and enhance programs and facilities

Academy Campus Redesign

• Embark on a capital campaign

Endowment Funds

• Fund bursaries, programs, and facilities at Rundle

Planned Giving

• Ensuring the future stability of Rundle; to sustain a longterm, consistent funding stream

Rundle College Society

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Calgary, AB T3H 3W5

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IMAGINE

what is possible when we work TOGETHER