Ambrose Archers to play at Century Link Arena
Wouldn’t it be fun to watch our very own Archers play an exciting game of basketball at a professional venue like Century Link Arena? Well, on January 18th the Archers will be playing Greenleaf Friends Academy at Century Link Arena in downtown Boise. Tickets are $10 and 50% of the ticket price goes directly back to our athletic department, plus your ticket gets you into the Stampede game versus Santa Clara that evening! The varsity girls team will begin play at 12:30 pm, followed by the varsity boys at 2:30 pm. The Stampede game starts at 7:00 pm. Bring your family and friends and plan to stay downtown to shop and eat between the Archers and Stampede games. The deadline to order advance tickets is January 15th! Call or email Mark Schiebout and let him know how many tickets you need, then drop off a check made out to “Idaho Stampede” to the school office. OR, print out this Stampede Night flyer/order form and bring it with payment to the office. Advance tickets will be held at Will Call. Tickets can also be purchased at the door. GO ARCHERS!!!
View the 2013 Ambrose Christmas Program in HD
The Annual Traditional Christmas Concert, performed in the Brandt Performing Arts Center on the campus of NNU, was broadcast Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in the Treasure and Magic Valleys. The Christmas Program is our most popular and well-attended program that draws an audience of over 1,200 every year. The program is known for its excellence, variety, and the traditional sounds of Christmas from the middle ages through the early 20th century. Bells, strings, timpani, children and youth voices join to create an exciting evening of Christmas joy. If you missed the broadcast, watch it here in HD!
Please consider Ambrose in your year-end giving
It is a good day to be at Ambrose. The Lord continues to bless us with passionate, committed teachers and staff. We are nearing capacity in enrollment and expect wait listing again next year in several grades. Our graduates are performing exceedingly well academically and are well prepared. Your support of this year’s Annual Fund is vital as we continue to expand and enhance the experience for each student. As this year draws to a close, I want to invite you to consider making a year-end gift by December 31st to support the work of our school. We know the critical impact our school is having in our own homes, and certainly in the community and beyond. Small gifts combine to make a significant difference and the annual fund is critical as we head into the future. Below are a number of questions often asked about supporting our school. With some 285 families in the school this year, it is exciting to consider our future. So thank you in advance for your willingness to share in this work of teaching and training young people and furthering God’s Kingdom. By the way, do keep Saturday, March 15th, saved on your calendar for our annual auction. Please consider contributing an item or service that we can include in our live or silent auction. Details coming soon. Thank you for partnering with us. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! In Christ, W. Davies Owens Head of Vision and Advancement/Head of Upper Schools Q: What is the Ambrose School Annual Fund? Why is it important? A: The full tuition pays the basic operational expenses of the school; however, there are many programs and opportunities for our teachers and students that are only possible through the Annual Fund. These gifts supplement programs and tools that shape student life inside the classroom and beyond, and enable us to keep our tuition at a manageable level: Educational Programs such as classroom supplies, house retreats, technology and more. Faculty Support which allows us to provide resources to further train and equip the most qualified classical Christian faculty from around the world. Financial Aid provides need-based aid that makes Ambrose’s education accessible. Special Initiatives provides for programs like BaseCamp parent education, developing new training tools, making library acquisitions and overall enhancement of the school’s resources. Q: What is a matching gift? How does it work? A: A matching gift is just that—a gift, made by you to a charitable organization, which is matched by your employer, usually dollar for dollar. It is a great way to make your gift to our school count twice as much! It is a no brainer as many of your work places have funds they are obligated to give away – we just need to ask! Q: What if I can only contribute a small amount? What difference will my donation make? A: Every family’s situation is unique. Small donations or large all contribute to make a meaningful impact. Your participation alone is really important. If all families give to the best of their ability, we will more than exceed our goal. Q: Does it matter when I give? A: Though the Annual Fund runs on a fiscal year (July 1 – June 30), a gift made early to the school is a great advantage because we know how much money will be available to support the budget. By giving before the end of 2013, you have the ability to write off your gift in the 2013 tax year, and take advantage of the Idaho tax breaks. Q: How do I give? Cash: You may write a check to The Ambrose School Annual Fund for the entire amount of your gift. Or, you may make a pledge and give in monthly or quarterly installments until the June 30 campaign year end. The Ambrose School c/o Davies Owens, Head of Vision and Advancement 6100 N. Locust Grove Rd. Meridian, ID 83646 Credit Card: You may charge your gift to your major credit card online here. Securities: While most people make gifts of cash, The Ambrose School gratefully accepts gifts of securities. A gift of stocks or bonds is beneficial to you. You can receive a charitable deduction of the full fair-market value of the securities. To make a stock transfer, please contact the school for more information at 208.323.3888 or office@theambroseschool.org. Matching Gifts: Some corporations will match an employee’s gift. Any matching gift will be combined with yours to determine the giving level at which you will receive recognition. Please contact us if you participate in matching gifts at your workplace.
How to celebrate Christmas in June
The Ambrose/Africa Bright Future mission team will be visiting our partner school in Rwanda this coming June. They will be distributing the gift bags collected by our generous Ambrose families while they are there. Well, now we have another opportunity to bless the Bright Future School students with Bibles for Christmas in June! These students do not have Bibles of their own. Imagine the joy it would be to own and read God’s word in their very own Kinyarwanda Bible! These Bibles will be distributed to the students in June by the Ambrose mission team. If you would like to participate, the cost of a Bible is $15.00. Make out a check to ABFM and put it in the box below the Bible drive poster next to the Christmas tree in the school entry. Giving cards are available for those hard-to-buy-for loved ones for whom you could make a donation in their name. There are also pre-printed labels to personalize the Bible you are giving. This label will be put on the inside of the Bibles before they are given to the BFS students. Both of these items will be with the display next to the Christmas tree in the entry. The Bible drive will continue through the Christmas season. Thank you for being part of God’s work to make a difference that will last for the BFS students.
Ambrose celebrates grandparents
On November 26th, our school grandparents were treated to a special day at school with their grandchildren. Every year, we invite all the grandparents to attend a half-day of classes alongside the students, enjoy a treat, and watch special presentations from a variety of classes and students. This year, grandparents also learned about an exciting new project: a school garden that will be used throughout all grades for teaching and for community service. We are asking grandparents to come alongside this important project through planning, funding, and implementation. If you’re interested in learning more about the garden project, please contact Davies Owens at dowens@theambroseschool.org. Grandparents are always welcome at The Ambrose School, not just on Grandparents Day. We invite grandparents to visit and volunteer. There are many ways grandparents can contribute to the school such as helping with recess duty, distributing hot lunches, or taking admission at the front gate during games and events. If you’re interested in getting involved, contact the front office at 323-3888 or office@theambroseschool.org.
Base Camp
October 8th beginning at 6:30 pm in the library, David Goodwin and Davies Owens will lead parents through a discussion of how we help our children to engage in God-honoring relationships. One of the greatest challenges before students today isn’t academic, it is social. We are surrounded by a culture that celebrates dating, flirting and exclusive relationships. Even cliques among peers are considered normal. Yet God intended so much more for our children’s social life. Douglas Wilson says that the modern dating system is as much a preparation for divorce as it is for marriage. How can we support our children as they seek the best of what God intended in relationships? Join us Tuesday night as we explore parenting best practices in how we guide and instruct our children to be able to enjoy the best of what God intended for their relationships. All parents, especially those with children in 4th grade and above, are encouraged to attend. BaseCamp is a series of talks designed to encourage and support you as a parent.
Chili Fest
The Ambrose School’s western themed “Chili Fest” is so much more than a rip-roaring good time. Chili Fest is how we bless and thank our teachers for the many sacrifices they make for our children. This year, Sheriff Owens (a.k.a. Dean of the Upper School and Director of Vision & Advancement) spent much of the evening issuing warrants for the “arrest” of these teachers we love so much. Students were gathering bounty money to get their favorite teacher thrown in jail, and the teachers then raised money to make “bail.” The jail was reported to be somewhat cozy, and was catered with tea and cookies. Students in the upper school houses participated in a line dance competition to “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.” Each house showed great creativity and talent, but a challenge by the lower school teachers took everyone by surprise when the teachers showed their heretofore hidden boot-scootin’ abilities. The teachers were declared the winner, with Tennent house receiving special mention for their rendition. The younger set kept the “carnies” (parent and upper school students) busy playing an assortment of carnival games ranging from a cupcake walk to fishing to beanbag toss. And of course, what would Chili Fest be without chili? Eight teams competed this year. There are some teams that everyone looks forward to seeing each year, like Coach Vanderbeek’s “Boom-Boom” chili team. Many a mouth has taken on the challenge of the spiciest chili on the planet, but few have lived to tell the tale. Nevertheless, every chili team ran out of chili! Good thing there were still hot dogs and pulled pork sandwiches to keep everyone eating. When the dust settled, it was the Newcomers chili team, lead by veteran parent Jennifer Barbour who won the coveted “Best Chili” award. Thank you to everyone who planned, volunteered, cooked, served, danced, ate, and played this year. We’re already looking forward to next year!
Save Saeed
To mark the one-year anniversary of Saeed Abedini’s imprisonment in Iran, a prayer vigil was held on the capitol steps in Boise. Ambrose students have been praying for Saeed since his imprisonment began, and the prayer vigil became an opportunity to show their support for Saeed, his family, and all persecuted Christians around the world. Nine buses took all of the 2nd through 12th students to the capitol where they joined with other local supporters. Saeed’s wife Naghmeh spoke to the crowd, and specifically thanked the Ambrose students for coming. Tiffany Barrans, a lawyer from the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) also spoke. A statement from Mike Crapo was read, and Bob Caldwell of Calvary Chapel lead the prayer. There was also much worship as Saeed’s 7-year-old daughter sang “Here I Am to Worship,” a song her father would sing to her at bedtime.
