New Parent Orientation September 7 & 9
Session 1: Thursday, September 7 @ 6:30 – 8:00 pm Session 2: Saturday, September 9 @ 8:30 – 10 am New parents! Be sure to sign up for one of our new parent orientations. There is a lot to learn at a new school, and we want to help ease that transition with these orientations designed to welcome and inform you. Childcare is available from the junior class (suggested donation $5 per child). Please be sure to RSVP to Michele Vernon. Let her know which session you are attending and if using childcare, how many children you are bringing. Welcome to Ambrose!
BaseCamp LIVE: Anxiety Free Learning and Living
Modern education is an education in anxiety. Teaching has largely become a technical trade designed to instill efficiently in students a volume of information so that students will prove their knowledge using quantifiable testing data. And most school days are made up of rapid fire classes of often disconnected subjects. Most students today end up with fully loaded afternoons of rushing to practices or music lessons concluding with a full night of homework. Check lists and economic pressures have made what was once an enjoyable experience of “joyful discovery” into a frantic process of cramming, testing and all too often, forgetting. Is it possible to regain more of a contemplative life and educational experience in the midst of a modern world? Yes! Chris Perrin shares how. LISTEN NOW Chris Perrin has been a part of the classical education movement since 1996: first as a headmaster (and Latin teacher) of a classical Christian school in Pennsylvania and then as a publisher, author, and consultant with Classical Academic Press. Mr. Perrin also serves as Vice Chair of the Society for Classical Learning , an organization dedicated to promoting and supporting classical Christian education in the U.S. and abroad. Director of the Alcuin Fellowship, Chris leads a fellowship of educators committed to the renewal of classical education by means of writing, publishing, training and hosting educator retreats. LISTEN TO MORE! Go to the BaseCamp LIVE website to see all the episodes.
Bridge Program off to a great start!
Our new 2-day Bridge Program kicked off a brand new school year this week with 58 students representing 32 families! The Bridge Program is an educational model where instruction is shared between a Bridge teacher on campus and parents at home. Students receive classroom experience coupled with the benefits of homeschooling. An on-campus Bridge Program teacher provides students with instruction on Tuesdays and Thursdays while parents use our lesson plans to teach the other three days at home. Students completing the Bridge Program receive an Ambrose diploma. Interest continues to grow in the program, and we are anticipating rapid growth in the coming years. Currently meeting at Valley Life Christian Church, future plans include housing the program across the street on the Ambrose campus. Check us out on Facebook! If you haven’t already, please consider liking The Ambrose Bridge Program on Facebook. Learn more about our new option for Treasure Valley families that offers a classical Christian education two days on campus and three days at home with The Ambrose School curriculum. See our website: The Ambrose School Bridge Program
The Ambrose Top 5 Show
You and your kids are getting ready to leave for school Monday morning and you think to yourself “Now, what am I supposed to remember for this week?” Right about then, you get a text on your phone and a link to the Ambrose Top 5 Show. As you climb in the car, you hit play, and listen to our Ambrose media students give you a quick summary of the five most important things going on at school this week. But that’s not all! You all get a good laugh out of the Joke of the Week, submitted by a student, and have something to ponder after the weekly Bible verse and devotion. Now that you’re in the know, the week goes a little smoother. Parents, watch your phone (via our Parent Alert texting system) and email for a link to the Top 5 Show around 6:55 am on Mondays. The show is audio only. It may take a few seconds to load on your phone. Hit the play button to begin.
August 21: The solar eclipse & first day of Upper School
A note from Upper School Dean, Chris Browne, regarding the solar eclipse: Dear Ambrose families, As you may have heard, there will be a solar eclipse on Monday, August 21st. This is the first day of classes for our Upper School (7-12), which provides a really exciting opportunity for us to experience the eclipse as a school community. Northern Meridian is just outside the path of “totality.” Initially we had discussed taking a school-wide field trip to either Emmett or Horseshoe Bend to get within the path; however, we have learned more about what “totality” means, and there have also been apocalyptic traffic predictions about the morning, including several counties declaring various states of emergency. Here’s what we know: From our site in Meridian, we will see 99.5% of a total eclipse. The eclipse will occur at just before 11:30, and will last for roughly four minutes. There is expected to be somewhere in the range of 500,000 to a million people commuting to Idaho to see the eclipse; tens of thousands of those will be in the Hwy 55 and Hwy 16 corridors. Given all the above, we have elected to remain on our campus and structure our morning around an interactive eclipse observation lab. Here’s how the morning will go: Students meet for their regular classes in the morning. At 10:00 am, they will transfer to the gym for our annual back to school exordium. From 10:30 to 11:00, Mrs. Westcott, one of our science teachers, will do a lesson on the eclipse. After the lesson, we will go out on to the field and observe the eclipse together as a school community. We have already purchased ISO certified glasses for all upper school students to safely view the event, and we are working on a few additional ways to make the day memorable. As always, we partner with parents in the education of their children. Parents are welcome to come on campus and observe the eclipse with us on our field. We recommend that you bring your own viewing glasses, but we may have a few extra pairs for those who need them. For those parents who want to make it a family event and travel that day, you have our support as a school to make that decision. Gratefully, Chris Browne
Join us at the Back to School Picnic! Thursday, August 17th, 6:00 pm
Our annual Back to School Picnic will be held Thursday, August 17th, at 6 p.m., on The Ambrose School field. The picnic kicks off the school year and is the perfect time for K-6 students to meet their teacher, and parents to meet their child’s homeroom parent. You can bring a picnic dinner, or order from a food vendor here. K – 6 students meet your teacher. Parents meet your homeroom parent (HRP). Bring a picnic dinner or order from a food vendor. Ambrose T-shirts will be available to purchase. Bring lawn chairs or a blanket. Bring cash or check to buy food, snow cones, or a t-shirt! Although there will be no structured activities for upper school students, upper school families are also welcome! No pets, please. Questions? Call the office at 323-3888 or email office@theambroseschool.org.
The Upper School Retreat: What A Fun Way to Kick Off the Year!
When Ambrose students reach 7th grade, they are inducted into one of our six houses. Incoming 7th or new students learn which house they will join at the annual Upper School Retreat. The retreat also orients students to the new year and the upper school’s culture and expectations. Camaraderie is built within the houses and among grade levels as students compete in house games and tackle important topics together, lead by the upper school teachers and house governors. Far from the distractions of the city and in the beautiful mountains of McCall, the setting for the retreat is key to helping students focus in on their role as part of a house and the entire Ambrose School community. Students return with closer friendships and clear goals in mind as they begin the school year. This year’s retreat is set for August 16th – 18th. School begins August 21st. 7th grade and new students need to let Mrs. Hughes know their shirt size by August 4. Learn more about House. Watch the House Video to learn more about the Upper School Retreat:
Wow! Look at this college acceptances list!
The Ambrose School’s graduating class of 2017 has accumulated an impressive list of colleges that have accepted them as students. Congratulations to all our graduates! Auburn University Baylor University* Biola University* Boise Bible College Boise State University* Calvary Chapel Bible College Carroll College Clemson University College of Idaho College of Southern Idaho Colorado Christian University Colorado School of Mines Corban University Dordt College Florida Southern College Grand Canyon University Iowa State University Liberty University Loyola University Mississippi College Massachusetts Institute of Tech. Montana State University New Saint Andrews College Northern Arizona University Northwest Nazarene University Notre Dame De Namur Ollvet Nazarene University Portland State University Purdue University Regis University Rose-Hulman Institute of Tech. San Francisco State University Santa Clara University Savannah College of Art and Design {Atlanta} Seattle Pacific University Southeast Missouri State Southern Mississippi University Texas Tech University The Kings College The Master’s University University of Alabama University of California, San Diego University of Colorado University of Denver University of Idaho University of Illinois University of Minnesota University of Utah University of Washington Utah State University Westminster College Westmont College* *Includes Honors College
