2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5 • V o l u m e I X , I s s u e I I

courier

S ta r ti n g w ith th e e n d i n M i n d So neither he w ho pl a ntS nor he w ho water S

i S a ny thing , but only god w ho g i v eS the g row th .1 Corinthi a n S 3:7

t h e C a M b r i d g e S C h o o l

Find us online at

www.cambridgeclassical.org

Connect with us on facebook

Read our school blog

www.cambridgeclassical.org/blog

For more information about our school

Phone: 858.484.3488

Email: info@cambridgeclassical.org

Site address: 12855 Black Mountain Road San Diego, California 92129

Mailing address: P.O. Box 720508 San Diego, California 92172

The Cambridge School seeks to provide a distinctly Christian education in the classical tradition, which equips students to know, love, and practice that which is true, good, and beautiful, and thus prepares them to live purposefully and intelligently in service of God and neighbor.

o n t h e Co v e r A student adjusts a copper coil and magnet during the 4th graders electric motor workshop.

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K-Prep students present during the Thanksgiving Program >>

o u r M i S S i o n

o n l i n e

C o n t a C t u S

in thE classRooM

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L e a R n i n g t O L O v e t h e t R u e , g O O D , a n D B e au t i f u L

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Kindergarten students engaged their senses while exploring the Pinery’s Pumpkin Patch.1

Cambridge parents, join the students for the annual Veterans Day Program.3

8th graders experience the effectiveness of marching in formation against cavalry archers.8

<< Firsties perform The North Wind and Sun for a crowd of parents and students

Students pose with their fathers in the photobooth at the first annual Cambridge

Father Daughter Dance.10

4th grade Vikings pose after pillaging the 6th grade class, taking Mr. Baber hostage.12

K-Prep students present what they have been learning during a special Memory Time.13

7th graders extract strawberry DNA during a presentation to the Upper School parents.14

The Cambridge Houses celebrate during their gift exchange and ugly sweater party.15

2nd graders practice their sight reading during Mrs. Rockett’s Music class.11

Classical Christian thought-leader, Andrew Kern talks with parents after the first

Classical Collegium of the year.5

Students compete during the first Kendama Club event.2

3rd grade Achaeans review plans for a large wooden horse during the Trojan War Play.4

Cambridge students welcomed their Grandparents during the Annual

Grandparent’s Day.6

8th graders read CS Lewis’ Great Divorce outside in the Upper School lunch area.7

Enjoying the stormy weather, the 6th graders read A Christmas Carol by candlelight.9

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C o u r i e r • i s s u e i i • 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5

Here at Cambridge, our very reason for existence has always been a vision--in fact, a portrait of the kind of young adult we want to send forth into the wider world when they graduate from our school. This portrait of the graduate captured my imagination early on and the collective imagination of our board members, parents, and supporters and animated the soul of this school long before we had a place to meet, before we enrolled our first students or hired our first teachers, before we ever had a complete Grammar School (K-Prep - 6th), let alone launched the Logic School (7th & 8th) or Rhetoric School (9th - 12th).

Hellen Keller was once asked if there was anything worse than being blind to which she answered, “Yes--being sighted without vision.” Proverbs echoes this sentiment by saying that “without vision, the people perish.”

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And this portrait was an image, not just of the grades and SAT scores they would get and the colleges they would attend, but rather, it was a portrait of the kind of people our children and their children might eventually become thanks to the intentional cultivation and formation of both their hearts and minds to know, love, and practice the true, good, and beautiful during these early, formative years of their lives.

How? Through solid foundations laid in the grammar stage that prepare them for participation in the great conversation about enduring things, through the reading of great books and discussion of great ideas, through the enjoyment of great art, music, and drama, through the experience

of and delight in a community of faith and learning, through rich relationships with teachers and friends, and through a wonder that leads to worship—we imagined all this leading to young men and women who would grow into virtuous scholars, winsome Christians, humble and courageous servant leaders, and well-equipped stewards who would go on to love and serve God and neighbor in whatever vocations God should call them. These things make up our portrait of a graduate. And while that Portrait of a Graduate was enough to capture our imagination for the hard work of cultivating young minds and souls, even while seeing it from a distance, what’s really exciting now is to see that the pathway to the Portrait has become clearer and clearer through the years as we have built one grade slowly and deliberately upon the next. Now that we’ve built and continue to refine the Grammar School, we’ve built and are honing the Logic School, and we’ve planned and launched the Rhetoric School, you can finally start to see the details of the brushstrokes and

colors, contrast, line, and texture and all the beauty and complexity of a well integrated curriculum, pedagogy and culture of a classical Christian education and how all of this works together to make it a masterpiece as you get closer and closer to the finished portrait.

With the launch of the Rhetoric School this past Fall, we now see the fruits of all the slow, solid foundations laid in the Grammar School in reading, grammar, Progymnasmata, Singapore math, science, art, music, and languages, and the cultivations of wonder, work, worship,

Pathwayt o t h e

Portrait

Adapted from a speech by Jean Kim, Founder & Head of School

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C o u r i e r • i s s u e i i • 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5

cambridgeclassical.org/Portrait

For More Information & to Watch Our Portrait of a Graduate Video, Visit:

and humility. This vision of a Portrait is becoming a reality—not only for the Upper School students, but for all those who are coming up behind them in the Grammar School. The upper school is shedding light on the pathway to the portrait so that the Grammar School can see the path and the goal more clearly.

And while it might be slow, thankfully, because it is slow in some very intentional, important ways and focuses on mastery of essential skills, tools of learning, and rich content, it is actually a very nutrient-dense and nutrient-rich education in the end with lasting results in forming and shaping who they are, how they think and what they love, for there are no shortcuts to good habits of mind and soul, no shortcuts to the cultivation of wisdom and virtue, no shortcuts to teaching to love and serve God and others. These are things that have to be planted deep into the soil of your kids’ lives, which grow into small shoots and have to be carefully tended to, nourished, weeded and pruned along the way in order to bear good fruit later.

Finally, as it says in I Corinthians, some may plant, others may water, but we know that it is God and His grace alone that enables young children to move along the pathway to the portrait to grow into the wise, virtuous, and winsome young adults. And to that end, we continue to hope, pray, and intentionally invest in the lives, hearts, and minds of our students and thank you for your support in doing the same.

The Cambridge School Cross Country Team finished a stellar 2014 season, with the boys winning the IMSL (Intermediate Middle School League) team championship, and the girls taking 2nd place! We had numerous individual medalists in each of the five meets, which is not surprising given the level of training and preparation that our athletes displayed throughout the season in everything from their nutrition, hydration and sleep, to intense intervals, hill training and circuit training.

More important than the meet results and trophies, however, was the character, teamwork, and discipline that all of our athletes displayed and experienced together. There is nothing like being pushed to your limits with the help, support, and encouragement from your coaches and teammates all there to be their best. Each athlete improved considerably in their personal fitness, confidence and understanding of the relationship between their minds, bodies, and souls.

In addition to acknowledging the team’s results before the entire school community last week, we also presented the inaugural “Eric Liddell Award” to the team’s runner of the year embodying all that our school and athletics program represent. The recipient received a baton, that they will then pass off to next year’s recipient in what should prove to be yet another coveted tradition of The Cambridge School experience. Soli Deo Gloria!

Griffin AthleticS

Our Inaugural Eric Liddell Award Winner

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S e e M o r e e v e n t S at C a M b r i d g e C l a S S i C a l .o r g

Observe student demonstrations on: Logic, Latin, Math, Physical Science, Literature, Bible/History, and The House Systems. For current 5th & 6th grade students, their parents, and prospective parents who might be interested in upper school admissions.

Hear, President of Gordon College & Pulitzer nominated author, D. Michael Lindsay present his talk, entitled Moral Imagination & Leading for the Common Good

C o M M u n i t y e v e n t S

UPPer School Preview Night • JaN 15 @ 7:30Pm

claSSical collegiUm: D. michael liNDSay • JaN 5

Hear from the Founder & Head of School, Jean Kim, a parent, a teacher, and a student.

iNFo Night • JaN 15 @ 6:30Pm

aNNUal SPriNg aUctioN & gala Save the Date • march 14

It is our goal to meet our student’s physical needs in order to create an environment for successful learning. Our teachers spend time with the students each week working on building their motor based skills and developing controlled movements. Such activities can be done while students are waiting in line for recess or during transition between subjects, and range from crawling to their desks or jumping as they spell out words missed on a test. Overall the activities are designed to stimulate and develop the reflex, tactile, proprioceptive, vestibular, visual, and auditory systems. Our hope is for our students to strengthen their motor skills to further enhance their learning experience. Focusing on motor based skills has shown to improve handwriting, attention span, speaking, and behavior. As students continue to learn the connection between body, mind and soul, they’ll also grasp a fuller understanding of who they are as God’s creation.

cambridgeclassical.org/annual-campaign

Learn more about giving at The Cambridge School online:

Body

ClassiCal Colleguim Save the Date

Over the years, researchers have noticed the less developed gross and fine motor skills in children. It isn’t as common anymore to see young children climbing trees or playing outside. In fact, today’s technology, whether watching television for long periods of time or passing time on

a hand held device, has deteriorated this type of play, and not without consequence. We have seen it become harder for students to sit up straight in their chairs or pay attention for longer periods of

time. Developing fine motor skills has become more difficult without the gross motor skills in place. These skills are necessary for success in their learning environments.

C o u r i e r • i s s u e i i • 2 0 1 4 - 2 0 1 5

Hear from the Founder & Head of School, Jean Kim, and tour the classrooms.

oPeN hoUSe • JaN 30 @ 8:00am

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Mind

StartiNg with the eND iN miND

Soul

The Cambridge School purposes to graduate wise and virtuous scholars who are defined by the Portrait of a Graduate. Thus, the education at Cambridge begins with that end in mind. The destination is set and the journey is long and rigorous. Our goal is to set a course in the right direction at the beginning so that the journey is filled with joy and a real sense of accomplishment as they reach the destination.

At Cambridge, a special effort is made to ensure that all students receive the specific support they need to be successful in kindergarten and beyond. In an effort to proactively support students at the beginning of their academic careers, we conduct a developmental screening for all Kindergarteners during the month of September. This assessment addresses the underlying skills that support reading, writing and math, which are foundational to a life of learning. The student’s

Additionally, the kindergarten students are given an introduction to metacognition, the awareness and understanding of one’s own thought processes. While unusual for a kindergarten program, this introduction to metacognition beautifully supports the classical model of education. At Cambridge, the kindergarten students enjoy “thinking about their thinking.” The students discuss how cognitive functions such as “thinking things through before

strengths and any areas that may need support are shared with both the parents and the student’s teacher. Our Student Academic Services Director meets with the families, as well, to go over any suggestions for how to strengthen the student’s skills and to demonstrate fun, interactive activities that can be done at home. If there is a need for further support, we offer families a program that consists of activities specifically chosen according to that student’s needs. We have

seen this one-on-one instruction quickly expand the student’s skills and confidence. Kindergarten teachers receive the same screening reports as

responding,” not only benefit them in doing a specific task, but also how this principle is helpful in all school subjects, the playground, at home and in their communities. The students are learning that there is a divine thread in life; their classroom experience is not disjointed from the rest of their lives but connected. It is incredible to hear

the parents along with an overview of their class, listing which students could benefit from additional support in a specific skill area. This information helps each teacher target instruction that promotes academic success for all the students. The Cambridge School is committed to the formation of wise and virtuous students. Taking a proactive approach at the foundation of this education by addressing necessary skill areas before a student experiences academic difficulty is one way The Cambridge School is taking action to fulfill its mission.

a five year old pause before tackling a difficult problem and tell you that they are

“thinking things through before responding.” Life-long principles and deep thinking are being introduced at this foundational grade level that will grow, with careful cultivation, into rightly ordered affections and strong communication skills throughout their lives— working hand in glove with the later stages of classical education.

Cultivating the whole person

In KIndErgArtEn

And bEyOnd>>

what iS the CaMbridge SChool? Founded in the Fall of 2006, The Cambridge School provides parents of San Diego County with a unique educational option for their children. Instruction is currently offered in Kindergarten Prep through ninth grade, adding a grade each year. Cambridge is a Classical and Christian school, seeking to emphasize the truth of God’s revelation, the tradition of the great thoughts of civilization and the skills needed to be lifetime learners, thinkers and leaders. Our goal is to cultivate wisdom and virtue in our students so that they may love that which is worth loving and then go forth to act upon what they know and love. where are we loCated? We are just south of Hwy 56 at the Black Mtn Road exit. why ClaSSiCal eduCation? The classical method was born in ancient Greece and Rome, used throughout the Western world by the 16th century, and remained the norm until at least 1850. The reason for its widespread use? It works. The time-honored teaching method employed at Cambridge is known as the Trivium, which imparts the basic tools of learning to the student. Becoming educated in any subject involves knowing its basic facts and principles (grammar), ordering and analyzing relationships concerning these facts (logic), and communicating conclusions in a clear, persuasive, and winsome manner (rhetoric). This three-phase model works because it focuses on the way children learn best at each stage of life and builds on the foundation of previous stages. Thus, it prepares students to become life-long learners who can think for themselves. And in today’s culture, such skills are increasingly valuable precisely because this educational model is the exception rather than the rule.

The Cambridge SChoolP.O. BOx 720508SAN DIEGO, CA 92172

addreSS ServiCe requeSTed

t h e w h at, w h e r e a n d w h y

NON-PROFIT ORGU.S. POSTAGE

paidSAN DIEGO, CA

PERMIT NO. 2518

Cambridge School open house Friday Mornings, 8:00–9:45am An informative time for interested parents of students entering Kinder-garten Prep through 10th grade in Fall 2015. Invite friends to learn more about Classical education, watch students present at Memory Time, visit our classrooms, and experience The Cambridge School community.

January 30, 2015February 27, 2015

aC C e p t i n g a p p l i C at i o n S !