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
New 2-day blended model Bridge Program to open next fall
The month of April was filled with exciting work for the Bridge faculty. We conducted over 29 family interviews and tested 52 students. We also interviewed many wonderful candidates for teaching positions. More on these to come! High School Update In addition to opening grades K-8 in the Bridge program, we also are actively pursuing opening 9th and 10th grade classes for the Bridge Program in the fall. We have three families committed to these grades, and need three more students in order to open 9th and 10th grades. If you have a 9th or 10th grader you are considering for Bridge, please contact us as soon as possible, at the latest by May 10, so that we can determine whether we will indeed open these grades. We plan to offer the following courses in 9th and 10th grades for 6 or more students: for 9th grade: geometry, biology, rhetoric, medieval literature and history, foreign language, and an elective; for 10th grade: Algebra I or II (depending on student’s math ability), chemistry, medieval literature and history, rhetoric, foreign language, and an elective. The upper school elective will be either choir, band, or art, depending on interest of enrolled students. Junior High Sports We are also excited to announce that Bridge junior high students will be able to play sports with the five day Ambrose school students! This includes cross country, basketball, and volleyball. More information on signing up for these to come! What to expect in the coming months… July 1st Enrolled families will receive uniform information, student supply lists, and a curriculum ordering guide. August 22nd & 24th Parent training August 25th All Bridge School BBQ. Come meet your classmates and the other wonderful Bridge families! August 29th First day of school We are so excited for the Bridge family that is forming! 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
Have you listened to the latest episode?
Bruce Flanagan spent four months in a prion in Hanoi after his humanitarian and ministry work nearly cost him his life. A few years later he was back as a businessman and gained influence and friends with leaders as high up as the prime minister. Five years ago, after he adopted two children he seriously had to rethink what he was doing and how he could best impact the next generation. His perspective on America and his recommendations for parents today is compelling and inspiring. Listen to Bruce Flanagan’s story “What I Learned in a Vietnam Prison About Raising the Next Generation.” Go to BaseCampLive.com to listen to every episode or subscribe through iTunes. If you’re a parent, pastor, youth leader, teacher, or administrator involved in raising the next generation, join us as we explore ways to shape children who can tackle the challenges they’ll encounter in today’s culture, and rise above to become flourishing adults who love Jesus Christ and who think with confidence, believe with courage, and serve with compassion.
BaseCamp LIVE podcast launches April 10!
Join us on April 10 as we launch our new podcast: BaseCamp LIVE! We will be broadcasting live on Facebook and recording this forum for the BaseCamp Live podcast. Soon you will be able to listen anytime to a variety of interviews and discussions on raising the next generation of Christ followers. Join us for the launch! April 10 @ 7:00 pm in the school library Learn more about BaseCamp Live at BaseCampLive.com (available April 10) or on Facebook at Facebook.com/BaseCampLive. Our topic for this BaseCamp Forum/Live event is: In the late 1950s the sitcom “Father Knows Best” ran for six successful seasons. Jim Anderson was the confident father who was clearly the loving authority in his home, along with his wife, Margaret. Whenever their children Betty, Bud, and Kathy needed advice on anything at all, they always turned to their father, because he “knew best.” A mere 30 years later, the Simpsons debuted in 1990 with the plot being the antics of the know it all pre-teen son Bart Simpson and his buffoon father, Homer, who was clearly out of control as a father and husband and the brunt of most jokes on the show. It is a parody of American family and culture that now claims to be the longest running American sitcom in history! And while these sitcom examples are somewhat extreme and obvious, it isn’t so clear how 21st century parents, who want to lead their children to Christ and a successful future, navigate how much to protect and guide and how much to allow independence and even difficulty. What is the fine line between kids feeling special and being spoiled? Should your kids be the most important people in your family? Is your child’s happiness your greatest concern? How is child’s view of God as an authority in their life influenced by your authority? Come hear answers to these and other questions at our next BaseCamp Forum. Monday, April 10th in our school library @ 7:00 pm. SPECIAL GUEST Jim Mhoon | former VP of Content Development at Focus on the Family, Family Counselor, Media Consultant & Publisher Jim has been developing content for books, videos, websites, magazines, membership programs and events since 1991. A highlight of Jim’s time at Focus on the Family was launching a club version of the popular Adventures in Odyssey program that now has thousands of members from all over the world. Jim has been involved with a variety of organizations including CRISTA Ministries, Partners International, Medical Teams International, CRU, Operation Christmas Child and Compassion International. Aside from his B.A. and Masters degrees, Jim is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. This BaseCamp will also be live streamed on the Ambrose Facebook page. PLEASE RSVP! To ensure we have enough seating, please let us know if you are coming. We will also be offering childcare. Tell us in your RSVP if you will be using the childcare services. $5 per hour per child. RSVP FOR BASECAMP 4/10
Insights: Fighting Lions and Bears
A businessman battles against the heavy weight of failure after his business goes under. A teen feels abandoned and rejected after the divorce of his parents. A husband suffers through the unexpected loss of his wife. A man drives a delivery truck through a crowded street, killing dozens. Trials come to us all. Our response to them can either make us or break us: we can either grow from them, or they can be our undoing. As Christians, we are even exhorted to celebrate trials, knowing that God can use them to produce virtue in us. Part of our responsibility as parents and educators is to prepare our students to not just survive trials, but to thrive in them. To grow from them. Even to celebrate them. The truest fruits of our labor will not manifest themselves in high SAT scores or admissions to the best universities (though we get those) but when our students cling to Jesus as their Lord despite temptation from the world, when they remain faithful to their spouse in a difficult season in their marriage, or when they love the unlovable child. How do we strive towards such a noble goal? We ask our students to fight lions and bears. Here is what I mean: in 1 Samuel chapter 17, David arrives at the Israelite camp; the Philistines are camped across the way, and Goliath their champion has spent 40 days challenging any Israelite brave enough to face him to a winner take all, fight to the death; David, just a teenager at the time, volunteers to fight Goliath, and all the Israelites mock him; finally David is referred to King Saul, who tells him more the same: “You’re a teenage boy. He’s a professional soldier. You can’t possibly hope to beat him!” Note David’s response: “’[I] used to keep [my] father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth…. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.’ Moreover David said, ‘The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’” (1 Samuel 17:34-37) “Our natural inclination as parents and educators is often to try to make life easier, more comfortable, for our students, when in reality God is calling them to fight lions and bears.” David had a perfect confidence in God’s provision because he was in the business of fighting lions and bears. David knew that because God was faithful when he fought lions and bears, God would be faithful when he fought Goliath. And He was. Our natural inclination as parents and educators is often to try to make life easier, more comfortable, for our students, when in reality God is calling them to fight lions and bears. When our students go out in to the world and face their own Goliath, do not let it be the first fight they have been in. They need to be able to look back and see moments where they were pushed, where they were challenged, where they did the hard thing, and see God’s provision in their lives. They need to know that they can conquer any Goliath that life throws at them, because God has given them the victory before. It is true that at The Ambrose School students are required to do hard things. Reading Virgil as a sophomore is no easy task, but Virgil makes a great lion. Mr. Hosier and Mrs. Pauls will often expect more from students than they expect from themselves, but Chemistry and Precalculus make great bears. Our hope is that when students leave here and arrive on college campuses, in the workplace, or are confronted with difficult circumstances in life, they will have a perfect confidence in the provision of God because they first experienced it here. When faced with future trials, may our students say with confidence, “The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of Virgil and the paw of Chemistry, He will deliver me from the hand of this Goliath.”
Insights: Would the shared instruction model be a good fit for your family?
Would the shared instruction model be a good fit for your family? By Mandi Moore Shared Instruction Consultant at The Ambrose School and Board President at Cross Classical Academy, Brownwood, TX As our oldest child approached school age in 2009, my husband and I began to research educational options. Through much prayer and research, we became convinced that classical Christian education is the most effective option for instilling a love for God, truth, virtue, and learning into the lives of our children. To make classical education available for our children and other Christian families in our community, we helped launch Cross Classical Academy (CCA), a hybrid educational model in central Texas that blends the best of traditional classical Christian education with the best of parent-based learning. Our children attended classes on Mondays and Wednesdays and completed teacher-assigned lessons at home under my instruction and guidance on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Before attending CCA, I had often felt the time I had with my children passed so quickly that I was not completely accomplishing the goals I had for teaching and training them. The structure of our home days at Cross Classical enabled me to be intentional and effective with our family time. Dinner conversations were rich and meaningful as we discussed what we learned together each day. I became deeply acquainted with my children’s individual strengths and weaknesses. It was helpful to be able to provide extra instruction and practice when they struggled with concepts or content. Additionally, there was freedom to invest extra time and energy in the areas in which my kids enjoyed and excelled. When absences from school were necessary, I was able to easily teach any make-up work because I had all of the materials at home. “I had often felt the time I had with my children passed so quickly that I was not completely accomplishing the goals I had for teaching and training them.” Along the way, I had many opportunities to disciple my children as we worked through character issues that naturally arose on home days. We also had time to discuss their time spent on campus with friends and identify any areas for growth. The flexible schedule of our home days also allowed us to enjoy time with friends and family, as well as attend field trips during the week when exhibits were less crowded. I was blessed to be highly involved in the education of my children. The model supported and equipped our family by providing curriculum selection, daily lesson plans, student assessment and accountability, as well as parent training. Shared instruction model was a great fit for our family, as it is for many families around the country. Ambrose has a vision to make this hybrid educational model available to families in the Treasure Valley in fall of 2017. I am excited to be a part of the team launching the Bridge Program, which will blend the best of classical Christian education (2 days per week on campus) with parent-based learning (3 days at home). Please spread the word to your friends and family! OPEN HOUSE FEBRUARY 2ND & 23RD! Any parents interested in hearing more are invited to attend an informational meeting in the Ambrose library on February 2nd or 23rd at 7:00-8:00pm. Childcare available upon request. To RSVP or for questions, contact Bridge Program Director Melody Tracy at mtracy@theambroseschool.org. READ MORE ABOUT THE AMBROSE SCHOOL BRIDGE PROGRAM
Idaho Statesman Athlete of the Week: Ethan Christianson
Ambrose junior Ethan Christianson was chosen as the Idaho Statesman Varsity Extra Player of the Week for Boys Basketball. Ethan’s outstanding efforts against Horseshoe Bend and Riverstone were noted by the sports editors of the Statesman as prompting his selection. Congratulations to Ethan! See the online Statesman Varsity Extra blog HERE.
Snow Day Guidelines
By policy, if either West Ada OR Boise school districts close, we close, as well. If you’re concerned about road conditions and want to know if our school is closed due to weather: Go to the website: www.theambroseschool.org. If there is a red banner across the top of the screen, it will have text saying if school is canceled. If there is no red banner, school is on. We aim to have it up by 6:30 am, but keep checking. IMPORTANT: Refresh your page each time you check. Check your email: We will send out a school-wide email if school is canceled. Check your phone: We will send a parent alert text message as well. Due to the higher than usual number of snow days this year, we will consider a delayed start instead of canceling under certain circumstances. Parents will be alerted as soon as possible when this occurs.
