The Cambridge School
Fa l l 2 01 1 / Vo lu m e V I , i s s u e 1
courier
c l a s s o f 2018: l e a d i n g t h e way
Fo r I k n ow t h e p l a n s I h av e fo r yo u d ec l a r e s t h e LORD.
T h e y a r e p l a n s fo r g o o d a n d n ot fo r e v i l , to g i v e yo u a f u t u r e a n d a h o p e .
j e r e m i a h 29:11
Welcoming a New School Year with New Cambridge Teachers
our Mission
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.
online
Find us online at
www.cambridgeclassical.org
C o n ta c t u s
For more information or a tour
of our school, please contact:
Heather Yphantides
Director of Admissions
Phone: 858.484.3488
Email: info@cambridgeclassical.org
Site address: 10075 Azuaga Street
San Diego, California 92129
Mailing address: P.O. Box 720508
San Diego, California 92172
o n t h e co v e r
Meet our current sixth grade students and
future first graduating class. Pictured from
left to right, top to bottom: Miss Lyons (sixth
grade lead teacher), Joshua Kim, Lucas
Settergren, Tristan Whang, Wesley Witsken,
Riley DeSaegher, Shalomi Philip, Emma Kim,
Haley Hom and Sophia Yphantides.
n e w fac e s
Mrs. Frances Baird, who is the lead
teacher for one of our two K5 classes,
most recently taught at a classical
Christian school in Princeton, New
Jersey. Mrs. Baird is happy to have found
another classical Christian school to call
home, this time in San Diego, where she
and her husband moved last August.
Conveniently, she is now much nearer to
her family, who primarily live in Whittier,
California. (She and her husband of three
years, Thomas, had moved to New Jersey
so he could attend graduate school.)
coming to Cambridge last year as the
first grade aide. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, Mrs. Clevenger moved to
Escondido for two years as a child when
her father attended Westminster Seminary,
and she returned to California nine years
later when her father was called to pastor
a church in Valley Center. Mrs. Clevenger
stayed in southern California to study at
Biola University, where she earned her
Bachelor of Arts in Communication with
an emphasis in Communication Disorders
and an interdisciplinary in Intercultural
Mrs. Jessica (Jessi) Lin, our new third
grade lead teacher, grew up in San
Francisco and attended the University
of San Francisco, where she earned a
Bachelor of Science in Sociology. She
has earned a Masters in Curriculum and
Instruction and a multi-subject credential
from Notre Dame De Namur University.
Mrs. Lin then completed her California
credential at UCSD. After three years in
Los Angeles teaching at Calvary Christian School in Pacific Palisades, Mrs. Lin
moved to San Diego this year because her
Mrs. Baird received both her Bachelor of
Arts degree in Elementary Education and
her multiple subject teaching credential
from California State University at Long
Beach. She absolutely loves her profession.
In her words, “I love the children’s honesty,
as well as the joy they exhibit when they
learn new subjects. There is a real beauty in
their desire to discover, and I love to be a
part of that process.” An avid reader, Mrs.
Baird tries to squeeze time with her books
into every spare moment. Having played
several sports while growing up, she still
loves to run, play soccer, and take walks,
and she expresses her creative side through
photography and painting. In addition to
teaching her K5 kiddos, Mrs. Baird loves
to travel and bake cookies.
Studies. She graduated from the Torrey
Honors Institute, a classical Christian
program offered by Biola. Grateful to be
on the Cambridge faculty, Mrs. Clevenger
considers The Cambridge School “a refreshing place for a teacher because education
is valued for the sake of the pursuit of the
Good, the True, and the Beautiful.” She
continues, “At Cambridge, you find a
beautiful and unique blend of rigorous
academic studies and a deep love of God
and the Gospel.” Mrs. Clevenger loves
that she is able to explicitly teach from a
biblical worldview, whether it by discovering God’s incredible design in science,
His order in mathematics and grammar,
or His beauty and creativity in art and
literature. Mrs. Clevenger has been married to her husband Scott for three years.
In her spare time, she is teaching herself
to sew and also enjoys reading, running,
walking, playing basketball, and spending
time with family and friends.
husband Winston transferred to Rady’s
Childrens Hospital to complete his residency in their pediatric dental program.
She’s glad her husband’s job instigated her
change of schools: “I am truly thankful
and blessed to be a part of the Cambridge
faculty. It is a joy to teach with other
Christian believers who love Christ and
are eager to share their faith with their
students every day.” Her favorite subject
to teach is history. “Previously, history
was always the subject my students most
dreaded. But here, to my surprise, my
students are always eager to learn about
what happened next in our timeline. We
enjoy seeing God’s sovereign plan through
history.” Mrs. Lin also enjoys playing basketball, sewing, scrapbooking, and shopping.
She and her husband can frequently be
found at Disneyland, spectating at UCLA
and Giants sporting events, and playing
with their nephew in Orange County.
Miss Alice Lyons joins the Cambridge faculty as the sixth grade lead
teacher and the Latin teacher for grades K5 through sixth. Originally from
a small town near Sleepy Hollow (yes, as in The Legend of) about forty minutes
north of New York City, Miss Lyons moved to southern California to attend
Claremont McKenna College outside of Los Angeles. From there, she received
a dual degree in Religious Studies and Classics, the study of the ancient world
“At the younger levels, with its songs and jingles,
Latin shows students how much fun learning can
be, and when they are older, they learn how to
think categorically and analytically through Latin.”
and ancient languages. Miss Lyons took advantage of an opportunity to study
abroad in England, where she studied Latin and medieval Christianity and admired the view of the Thames River outside of her room. Cambridge is fortunate
to have found a Latin teacher who is willing to teach at so many grade levels, and
the variety in the children’s ages has been a bonus for Miss Lyons, who claims
that “the kids bring such joy to my life.” She loves teaching Latin at these levels,
as she explains: “At the younger levels, with its songs and jingles, Latin shows
students how much fun learning can be, and when they are older, they learn how
to think categorically and analytically through Latin. Plus, all along the way, they
learn how much fun playing with language can be. Latin has many tricks that
demonstrate how language can be used to paint a picture in a poem, tell a story
in a single sentence, and tell jokes with nuance.” Two of Miss Lyons’ favorite
things to do are to visit the zoo and go to the beach, so she is delighted that she
now lives near both the world-class San Diego Zoo and world-class San Diego
beaches. She also loves cooking, reading, and collecting and writing postcards
to her friends and family (about 200 postcards a year!).
Though this is her first year as the first
grade lead teacher at The Cambridge
School, Mrs. Lydia Clevenger has spent
five years teaching first grade prior to
1
S is for symphony
in the classroom
C is for Creation. The K4 kiddos have
been busy adjusting to life at school! They
have learned what it means to ponder
God’s creation as they study His world,
and they are learning the appropriate habits of study, workmanship, peer relationships, and obedience. As they dive further
into the curriculum, they are beginning
to learn how to apply their understood
knowledge to other areas in their lives and,
in turn, to figure out the unknown. For
example, the first letter the K4 students
learned to write was the letter “C”. The
students learned that they could use what
they knew about “C” to form other letters
like lowercase “a” and upper and lower case
“s”. As part of their literature unit and to
help bring a story to life for them, the kiddos
decorated
masks and
performed
in a play
called Henny
Penny. The
K4 students
C
are busy laying a strong foundation on
which to build many academic concepts
and skills in the coming years.
A is for Autumn. The K5 classes have been
spending time exploring God’s creation in
many exciting ways! In their science studies, they have enjoyed learning about the
four seasons of the year and the five senses
by which they gather information about
their surroundings. As part of their study
of autumn (and the sense of taste!), the K5
students sampled a wide variety of apples.
During their Bible lessons, the students
have discussed Adam and Eve
(there’s that
apple again!)
and the amaz
ing way our
God formed
our world. In
Social Studies,
the students
had the oppor-
tunity to explore the New World alongside
Christopher Columbus. In fact, on Columbus Day, the students were able to role-play
on their very own Santa Maria ship! In
Math, the students have enjoyed learning
new exciting concepts about patterns and
measurement, and they are looking forward
to more Singapore Math (the math curriculum we use) and the “number bonds” that
are coming soon. Every day, the K5 students
are strengthening their reading skills and
have thoroughly enjoyed using their magnetic writing boards during class time. The
students also had the opportunity to enjoy a
hay ride and select a pumpkin on their field
trip to the Pinery Pumpkin Patch. What a
wonderful fall it has been for the K5 kids!
P is for Pasta! The “firsties” have gotten
off to a wonderful start this school year!
After reading and exploring the story
of Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola, each
student drew Strega Nona’s house and
identified the setting, characters, plot, and
conflict of the book. They finished the literature unit with a “pasta party” in which
the students enjoyed their own pasta pot
overflowing with pasta. Thankfully, it did
not fill up the room the way it had filled
up Strega Nona’s house! In their Bible
time, the first graders have been marveling at how God shows His love and grace
by transforming the hearts of sinners who
In science, Mrs. Clevenger’s first grade
class spent the first part of the school
year learning about insects and plants.
The students had the opportunity to plant
their very own seeds and watch them grow
into seedlings. After the class memorized
The Caterpillar by Christina Rossetti, one
student brought in a real caterpillar, which
turned into a chrysalis that very same day!
The firsties had the opportunity to observe
first-hand the incredible transformation
from a caterpillar into a chrysalis, and finally
into a beautiful black swallowtail butterfly.
As the culmination of their study of plants
and insects, the first graders spent a day at
the San Diego Zoo, where they went on a
trust in Him. They have
studied the “fruit of the
Spirit” from Galatians
5:22–26, and through
their catechism study, they
have come to realize that it is
not by their own effort that they
can be good, but only through the Holy
Spirit’s work in them. In Math, the firsties
utilize a “hands on” approach by using
various manipulatives to actively engage
new concepts and identify first-hand the
relationships of numbers. The goal is to
show them how they encounter math in
all of life, whether at the zoo, on the playground, at home, or in the classroom.
firsties’ first field trip
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And Science and Sumerians.
In their science lessons, the second
grade class has spent the last month
learning about the three states of
matter. As they’ve studied the properties of each state, they have gained a
deeper appreciation for the incredible
wisdom of the Creator. While the
class was learning about the complexity of matter in science, they were
also learning about the creation of the
world in history and how God spoke
everything into being (using atoms,
of course!). The students also
have studied the writing of the
ancient Sumerians, who lived
in the Fertile Crescent and
wrote on clay tablets using
cuneiform, believed to be the
world’s first writing system. Like
the Sumerians, the second graders
collected their “mud” near the river,
flattened it out, and wrote a message
in cuneiform. In addition, to help
students better understand the steps
involved in making papyrus paper,
such as that used in the ancient world,
they made their own mock paper.
A highlight of the fall year has been
their class field trip to the historic
Copley Symphony Hall. This field trip
beautifully integrated famous works
of music with what the students have
been learning in literature about the
elements of fiction (character, setting,
plot, conflict, and theme). By viewing
the “Symphony Storybook,” the students had the opportunity to see how
music can express the elements of a
story in ways that mere words cannot.
photo scavenger hunt to find certain
categories of plants and animals.
Of course, because it is
their classroom mascot,
most of the firsties’
favorite animal on the
scavenger hunt was
the clever meerkat!
3
L is for a Lifetime Love of Learning
In their science lessons, the third grade
class has been learning about energy.
To bring science to life for them, they
conducted several experiments to learn
about stored energy, one of which used a
solar cell to absorb heat that then caused
motion in a motor. When they saw the
motor begin to move after absorbing
heat and light, the students became very
excited! They also eagerly anticipate their
field trip to the Legoland educational
program to further their knowledge of energy. In Bible, the third graders have been
reading through the historical books and
just finished a study of the book of Job.
While reading about Job, they had a great
discussion about what it means to suffer
for Christ and the attitude that we should
have as we face suffering. They all agreed
that so often we ask God, “Why me?”
or “What have I done to deserve this?”
Instead, Job teaches us to praise God in
all situations because He is our Creator
and is sovereign even in difficult times.
As a class, the third graders all agreed that
a better question to ask would be “How
can we trust God more during this time
of suffering?” In math class, they have been
learning about rounding, adding, and
subtracting three digit numbers. Following
the Singapore Math curriculum, we always
start the first few days exploring with
manipulatives such as number disks to
have a better understanding of the concept
of hundreds, tens, and ones. Next, the kids
use white boards and interactive games to
practice each concept. Each student has
truly enjoyed learning new concepts and
has found it so exciting to discover how
God has used numbers to bring such
order to the world He created.
The fourth grade class has started
their study of the biblical prophets
by learning about Joel, Jonah, Hosea
and Amos (so far). Their main takeaway lesson is that even though God’s
people had broken their covenant with
Him through idol worship and must
consequently face judgment, the Lord
loves His people and will restore them to
a right relationship with Him (eventu-
ally through Jesus Christ). In science, the
kids have been studying magnetism and
electricity, especially through hands-on
experiments that drive home the scientific
principles to them. Led by Board of Trustees Chairman Bill Weber and dedicated
parent volunteers, they recently put their
knowledge to the test by building a simple
electromagnetic motor. Another highlight
of the fourth grade classroom so far this
year was Monastery Day, when the kids
were monks for a day. They practiced
“Ora et Labora” (Pray and Work), taking
vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience
and spending time in silent prayer and
meditation. They also served their school
community by cleaning up around campus
after lunch, and they created illuminated
manuscripts of Psalm 23. In literature, the
students are beginning to write their own
paragraphs, helped thus far by their study
of the four rhetorical modes and the building blocks of great paragraphs. They will
put these lessons to work later in the year
when they write their first three paragraph
essay on a medieval character. The kids
have also been reading the Old English
heroic poem of Beowulf, a Scandinavian
warrior who battled the monster Grendel. The boys especially appreciate that the
story is chock full
of swords, blood,
and heroism!
The fourth graders
also visited the
Arbors nursing
home in Rancho
Peñasquitos as
one of their Min
isterium (service)
projects. There
they presented several memory work pieces,
read to and visited with the residents, and
closed their time with a recitation of the
Doxology. The kids enjoyed the experience,
and the Arbors has requested that we visit
again, which we plan to do in December.
In the weeks ahead, the class looks forward
to a trip to Medieval Times, Viking Day,
and their study of Marguerite de Angeli’s
The Door in the Wall. It has been a full
quarter in the fourth grade classroom!
After learning about the explorers
of the Americas in the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries, the fifth graders
studied the first permanent settlement
in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. Students
had a wonderful time making history come
alive by building a replica of Jamestown
fort from Rice Krispies treats and other
sweets. They invited the sixth graders to
view their sweet fort and to ask questions
(especially ones that had stumped them
when they studied the same subject last
year). The second graders (the fifth graders’
reading buddies) also visited to check out
the fort and ask questions. The fifth graders
enjoyed having an audience and were proud
that they were able to answer their
visitors’ questions about Jamestown.
Miss Chang enjoyed hearing
what the sixth graders could
remember and seeing how
the fifth graders worked hard
to explain the information to
the younger kids so that they
would understand. All the
students are very excited that
they will have the opportunity to visit the
very site that the English colonists landed
in 1607 when they visit Virginia in March
of 2012! Next the fifth graders will dive
into a study of the pilgrims, the Mayflower,
Plymouth colony, and the Puritans, a great
topic for Thanksgiving! While the students
were studying the explorers in history, they
were learning about methods of navigation
in their science class. On their first field
trip of the year, the fifth grade class visited
the San Diego Maritime Museum and
for pride and idolatry, God caused people
around the world to speak different languages. In their final year of the Trivium’s
grammar stage, the sixth graders now have
different teachers for Math, Science,
Art, Mandarin, Music, and Bible. Each
teacher approaches his/her subject with
expertise and passion for teaching it.
Though it’s a big transition for the sixth
graders to make, they are handling it well
and with enthusiasm! The teachers meet
weekly and discuss ways to integrate
their subjects horizontally, so
that they seize any opportunities to draw connections
across the different subjects.
the Star of India, explored inside an
American submarine, went rowing,
rode a pilot boat around the harbor, and shot cannons that had
been used in the Civil War.
w r a p p i n g u p t h e i r f i n a l y e a r i n t h e g r a m m a r s tag e
The sixth grade students have been
continuing their study of American
history and are now focusing on the
early nineteenth century. They have
studied the Erie Canal and the invention
of the cotton gin, the Trail of Tears and
slavery in the south. Their study of history is racing down the track to approach
4
the current day! As a project in Latin,
the students made a “language tree” to
demonstrate how words in English, Spanish,
Italian, Portuguese, French, and Romanian
originated from Latin. They also discussed
how even Latin has its own root language
and that all languages are ultimately tied
to a “mother tongue” that all humans once
spoke. They noted
how this ties in with
the biblical story of
the Tower of Babel,
that relates how at
one time all humans
spoke one language,
but as punishment
5
tune scias?
Cambridge students begin to learn simple Latin songs and prayers in K5,
and by fifth grade they are ready to translate entire paragraphs of
Latin text to English. But why exactly does The Cambridge School place
such an emphasis on a language that has long been considered dead?
cur Latinam discimus?
why do we learn latin?
The Latin language was used throughout Western Europe for more than
1,500 years from the time of ancient
Rome. As the “lingua franca” of intellectual Europe, Latin was used by all scholars
who wanted their works to be widely
read. If a scientist, philosopher or theologian in France wanted to communicate
with other scientists, philosophers and
theologians throughout Western Europe,
he did not write in French, but in Latin.
Therefore, a study of Latin is essential
for any modern-day student who wants
to follow the conversations of scientists,
philosophers, theologians and other great
thinkers of Western Europe in the last two
millennia. By studying the works that have
shaped western civilization in the original
Latin (“ad fontem” or “to the source”), we
can have a much better understanding of
the author’s original ideas, without the
misunderstandings that potentially taint
translations.
Another benefit to the Latin student
stems from the fact that 50% of English
6
words come from Latin. Armed with
an extensive knowledge of Latin vocabulary, therefore, a student can more easily
understand the meaning of English words.
For example, if a student reads that a plant
is “saxatile,” he or she would recognize the
Latin word “saxum,” meaning “rock,” and
infer correctly that the plant grew on or
lived among rocks. Though the primary
goal of a Cambridge education is not to do
well on standardized tests, students who
have an extensive Latin vocabulary generally perform much better on the verbal
portion of the SAT. Moreover, students
who have a broader English vocabulary are
able to read more difficult literary works
without having to take the time to look up
words in the dictionary, and they can write
with more nuance by using every word in
the English arsenal.
The study of Latin also has many other
practical benefits. Once a student has
a solid understanding of Latin grammar,
he or she will find it much easier to learn
romance languages that are based on
Latin, including Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian, at least one
of which is spoken by approximately 1
billion people today. The Latin student
will also have a huge advantage in certain
professions, such as law, medicine, biology, botany, and other scientific fields,
since many of the terms used in those
professions are based on Latin vocabulary.
Furthermore, once a student is familiar
with the structure of the Latin language,
he or she will have a much better understanding of English grammar, which in
turn enhances his or her ability to write
effectively in English.
But beyond these practical benefits,
we offer Latin at Cambridge primarily
for the extremely valuable formative
effects it has on students. The Latin
student’s mind benefits from the study of
Latin much like an athlete’s muscles benefit from weight training. Because Latin
is a very logical and orderly language, the
study of Latin trains the mind to think
in a logical and orderly fashion. Unlike
English, Latin has very few irregularities,
and each word in Latin has a purpose.
When translating from Latin, the student
must analyze the text and think logically
about the purpose of each word in the
sentence before coming to an accurate understanding of the meaning. The precision
of the Latin language inspires precision
of thought in those who study Latin. So
whether or not they go on to read ancient
works in their original Latin, Cambridge
students will benefit for the rest of their
lives from their Latin studies.
Word order does not matter
in Latin. The purpose of a word
in the sentence depends on the
ending of the word, not on the
placement of the word in the
sentence.
Thus, “Canis mordet puellam”
and “Puellam mordet canis” both
mean “The dog bites the girl.”
To change this sentence to
“The girl bites the dog,” you
must change the endings as
follows: “Puella mordet canem”
or “Canem mordet puella.”
Latin Nouns
• Are sorted into 5 declensions
• Are identified by:
Case (its role in the sentence)
Number (singular or plural)
Gender (masculine, feminine,
or neuter)
• The case and number change
the ending of the noun.
E x ample :
“puella” is “girl”
“puellae” is “girls”
Latin Verbs
• Are sorted into 4 conjugations
• Are defined by:
Person (1st, 2nd, or 3rd)
Number (singular or plural)
T
ense (e.g. present, past,
future, etc.)
• The person, number and tense
change the ending of the verb
E x ample :
“amo” is “I love”
“amat” is “he loves”
“amavit” is “he loved”
7
Dear Fellow Cambridge School Parents,
Following our last Parent Academy
presentation from Ravi Jain on the
role of Math and Science in a classical
education, my head was spinning and
my heart was inspired! Many of you,
though for differing reasons, may be asking
me, “Why?” I have been asking myself the
same question, and this letter to you all is,
in part, my thinking out loud to come up
with some answers.
Why
Should
I
Care?
Personally, I have been intrigued by the
course that my own education has taken
into and through the realm of classical
education. It began with a desire for my
children to receive the education I never
received, an education that taught not
only the “what”, but also the “why” and
ultimately the “therefore”. Well into my
thirties, I was not even aware that there
had ever been anything different than the
education that I had received. I was a child
of the 70’s and 80’s, which put me smack
dab in the center of an educational movement that led me to believe that if I chose
the college track courses and performed
well in them, I would go to college and get
a Bachelor’s degree, for the ultimate end
of obtaining a good job.
A good job meant one that
would allow me to produce
the income I needed to live
a comfortable life. Though this
way of viewing the “why” of
education may appear harmless, I am coming to believe
that it is actually deadly!
8
Having grown up in a family that was
narrow-minded about politics, religion,
race relations, economics—just about
everything, I grew up thinking very little
about questioning and a lot about making
life as comfortable as possible. Living in
“small-town USA,” surrounded by other
people who thought just like I was taught
to think (or maybe taught not to think),
I lived for many years perfectly content to
live life in “black and white.”
Thanks be to our faithful Creator and
Redeemer, he did not leave me in that dull
state. In his smiling providence, he introduced me to the riches of the theology of
the Protestant Reformers and then to a
very “colorful” husband, who took me to
a shockingly non-conformist part of the
country, where we continue to live today.
Planted in a theology that
took its history seriously and
having acquired a new conviction that I needed to know not
only what I believed but why
I believed it, when I arrived at
the classical Christian education table, I was determined to
apply the same analysis to it.
So enough of my history. Why do I find
classical Christian education so compelling?
Why, in my estimation, was Ravi Jain’s
presentation so brilliant? For me, it comes
down to this: My heart has been stirred by
a noble theme! Muse with me on some of
the themes: Classical Christian education
actually reminds me that life is more than
making a living. God created human beings in His image, not to become gods, but
to glorify and enjoy the self-existent three
in one through the very people and things
he created. He has commanded us to fill
our thoughts with the good, the true and
the beautiful and has given us the unique
ability to imitate him in our capacity to
create out of what he has made and to delight in the process and the final product!
It is often easier to identify noble themes
as we approach history and literature, the
pillars of the Trivium. Ravi introduced us
B y l i s a h o r to n
to the pillars of the Quadrivium: math, science, music and astronomy. To my delight,
he revealed to us the way in which these
disciplines of the mind inspire greater
respect for nature, an increased harmony
with nature, and a rekindling of our sense
of wonder. The truth that matter is good
because God created it places value back
into vocations that once took a back seat
to more “heavenly minded” callings. In the
classical application of math and science,
we discover and observe the order and
unity at work within God’s creation, such
that faith and reason can be removed from
their separate compartments in our minds
and placed back together where they belong.
You may say, “Yes, so how do I do this?”
This is a wonderful question, since it
demonstrates that we have been convinced
of the value of this education and are ready
to move forward into action. With much
awe and gratitude, I am confident that
our children are receiving the grammar,
logic and rhetorical tools of the Trivium at
Cambridge. They are beholding the unity
of their subjects with each other, with the
world, and with their faith. We as parents
are all actively encouraging one another
with ways to keep the fires stoked at home
by exposing our children to history, art,
and literature and providing them with resources to feed their curiosity and broaden
their knowledge of these subjects. Many
of us are experiencing the joy that comes
with hearing our children recognizing and
enjoying beautiful artwork and gardens,
telling and writing their own stories, and
craving a good book.
The Quadrivium, at first
glance, seems more difficult
to apply; and yet I believe
that we will follow a similar
path of discovering both old
and fresh ways to do so.
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We Exceeded Our Goals and A Matching Grant Doubled the Impact
c o n t i n u e d f r o m pa g e 9
The brilliance of Ravi’s approach to application was its simplicity, not that it was simplistic.
Simply, we introduce math, science, music and astronomy by way of a scientific narrative.
The Cambridge Fund
We come to scientific laws, mathematical computations and
musical scores with the idea that each scientist, mathematician
and musician has a story surrounding his discovery. The narratives include a human being in a quest for truth during a
particular time in human history. Once again, our school is
blazing the trail by introducing our children to scientists,
mathematicians, and musicians within their historical context.
Again I believe that we as parents will come alongside each other to share ways to relate
the goodness, truth and beauty to math, science and music. Having our children outdoors, Ravi mentioned, will lead to delightful observation and discoveries. There are
many simply joyful ways we as parents can begin to nurture our children’s curiosity,
imagination, and lust for life: pointing out the wind blowing a leaf or a hummingbird
retrieving nectar, smelling a rose and touching its thorn, feeling our toes in the grass,
listening to the rain fall, to the songs of different birds, and the symphonies and operas
of composers. And I know you can name many more.
It is beginning to make more sense to me how a liberal arts education that is focused on
what it is to be created in the image of God will set us free: free to serve our neighbor
and free to glorify and enjoy God, our good, true and beautiful Creator and Redeemer.
Now that’s a life worth living!
In Christ,
Lisa Horton
(Mother of 3rd grader James, and 2nd grade triplets Adam, Matthew and Olivia)
Ravi Jain teaches Pre-Calculus/AP Physics C-M (“Scientific Revolution”) and Calculus/AP Physics C-EM (“Relativity and Reason”) at The
Geneva School in Orlando, Florida. Mr. Jain has a Masters degree from
Reformed Theological Seminary and is a member of the Alcuin Fellowship,
a group that seeks to refine Christian Classical education both in theory and in
practice. As we enter the Logic and Rhetoric phases of the classical education, we
are blessed to have such a knowledgeable and experienced advisor as Mr. Jain.
Much gratitude and appreciation
goes to Cambridge parents, Rob
and Tisha Freitas, who generously
matched all donations made to the
Annual Campaign through October 31, bringing the total raised
to $102,000. This matching gift
makes the 2011 Annual Campaign
the largest in our school’s history,
for which we are most thankful!
Our school is now in a much better
position to take advantage of
opportunities for new facilities
when they arise. The theme of
this year’s Annual Campaign is
“Securing Our Future.” Thank you
once again to everyone for helping
us meet our fund goals and better
secure the future of this school.
We would like to thank the Cambridge Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and parents, who
gave generously and made the first phase of The Cambridge School Annual Campaign
such a success! Our goal was set at $50,000 and 100% participation. Not only did more
than 95% of the Cambridge community participate, but we raised a total of $51,000!
Actual Cost of Educating
Each Student
Ca
Tuition
Funding Gap and
Tuition Assistance
a
mp
ig
Auc ti
on
Dono
gr
an
n
rs
ts
17%
42%
15%
26%
Annual Campaign Goal:
$50,000 (17%)
Auction & Gal a Goal:
$125,000 (42%)
Ma jor Donors Goal:
$45,000 (15%)
Foundations/Gr ants Goal:
$75,000 (26%)
The Cambridge Fund Goal for 2011–2012: $295,000
p l e a s e j o i n u s f o r u p c o m i n g Pa r e n t a c a d e m y e v e n i n g s a n d g r i f f i n g at h e r i n g m o r n i n g s
Math, Science, and
Technology in a
Classical Curriculum
10
Friday, November 11th, 6:30–9:00pm,
St. Timothy’s Church. Please join us for the
second session of our series in Math and
Sciences as Mr. Andrew Elizade
(Academic Dean & Math Department Chair at Veritas Academy,
Richmond, Virginia) delivers a
talk about the Beauty in Math.
Friday, January 13th, 6:30–9:00pm,
St. Timothy’s Church. Dr. Deborah
Haarsma is a Professor of Physics and
Astronomy at Calvin College, and holds
a PhD in astrophysics from MIT. She
will be speaking on science and faith as
outlined in her book, Origins: A Reformed
Look at Creation, Design and Evolution.
Friday, January 27th, 2012, 8:30–9:30am,
The Cambridge School Sanctuary.
Join us after morning Memory Time as
Susie Loomis, who holds a MA in
Family Studies, speaks on the topic of
The Grammar of Emotional Connection:
What we wish we’d known when our
children were in elementary school.
Friday, February 24th, 2012, 8:30–9:30am,
The Cambridge School Sanctuary.
Please stay after Memory Time and join
us for a morning of invaluable insight
and advice as a panel of verteran moms
present Shared Wisdom: Parenting
advice from moms of grown children to moms of younger children.
Friday, February 24th, 6:30–9:00pm,
St. Timothy’s Church. Reverend Dr.
Mike Horton, Dr. Melissa Gingrich,
and Mrs. Jean Kim will spend the
final Parent Academy session
of the school year discussing
Science Education at The
Cambridge School.
11
Lessons for a Lifetime
Last month, during their professional
growth days of October 13 and 14,
the majority of The Cambridge School
faculty visited The Ambrose School,
another classical Christian school in
Boise, Idaho. Established in 1995, The
Ambrose School has a total student body
of around 400 in grades Kindergarten
through 12th. The primary purpose of the
trip was to give the teachers a glimpse into
the future of The Cambridge School once
we enter the Logic and Rhetoric stages of
the classical model. The teachers observed
classes at their own grade level, which gave
them ideas they could put into practice
immediately. But equally valuable was the
opportunity they had to listen in on both
an eighth grade Logic class and a tenth
grade Rhetoric class. Mrs. Lydia Clevenger
noted, “Observing at another Classical
Christian school allowed us to more
deeply anticipate what is ahead of us, but
also return to our own classrooms with
affirmation that we are on the right path.”
The teachers also commented that it was
helpful to meet other classical Christian
teachers, with whom they plan to correspond by email, and they were grateful for
the opportunity to bond with each other
on this short yet inspirational trip.
“Observing at another Classical Christian school allowed us to more deeply anticipate what is
ahead of us, but also return to our own classrooms with affirmation that we are on the right path.”
last worD
by jean kim, head of school
Education for The Great Dance
One distinctive of a Christian Classical education is that it distinguishes between what we as humans were made for and what we
were NOT made for. Recognizing that we are NOT primarily or merely wage earners and economic beings, it emphasizes that we
are so much more than our degrees, job titles and salaries. Recognizing that we are not primarily or merely social or cultured beings,
it emphasizes that our purpose is to not just make witty banter and sophisticated cocktail conversation. And recognizing that we
are not primarily or merely political beings, this model of education emphasizes that we are not just meant to be good citizens.
Rather, the purpose and end of the Christian Classical education provided at
The Cambridge School is human flourishing. In keeping with what early church
father Irenaeus once stated, “The glory of God is man fully alive,” the purpose of
this education is to ennoble embodied souls to the ultimate end of glorifying God.
As such, this education is not merely about the passing on of information, but rather the formation of habits of mind and soul and
the formation of appetites and affections. It is our hope that, as our children grow into adults, this education will drive them to act
on what they have come to love and, in turn, drive them to know God as their Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer and Friend and to
delight in and enjoy Him forever.
Thus, Cambridge seeks to educate our students to become fully human, to become all that God intended them to be—
“reasoning, choosing, creating beings who can think about what is true, choose what is good, and create what is beautiful.”
And everything we do here—from our philosophy to our curriculum to our pedagogy and culture—seeks to impart the kind of
knowledge that we hope and pray will lead to wisdom, eloquence and virtue and to acquaint our students with the kind of structured/ordered freedom that will prevent them from being on one extreme “robots following rules by rote with no freedom” or
on the other extreme “little hellions practicing self-expression with no limits.”
We emphasize intellectual and spiritual formation for God’s glory and man’s delight because we want our children to grow into
adults who take their place elegantly and gracefully in “The Great Dance.” In medieval Christendom, this metaphor represented
the nature of reality and the universe, where God is the cosmic choreographer, Christ is the Lord of the Dance, and each person
was created to play a part in this cosmic ballet. This isn’t a march, where every person moves identically, but rather a dance, such
that everyone has different roles that work in harmony toward beautiful ends. Similarly, we want our students to grow into adults
who are free to choose the part they play in God’s Kingdom, but have a framework within which they can make meaningful choices
that impact the world for Christ.
upcoming events
Friday, November 11th. Operation
Christmas Child boxes will be
sent off with blessings of prayer
during Memory Time. Remember
to pray with your student for the
child who will receive your gift.
Have questions? Please contact Becky
Priest at rebeccaspriest@gmail.com.
12
Friday, November 18th, 10:30–11:30am.
Cambridge grandparents, parents
and friends are all invited to come
watch the students perform their
Annual Grandparents’ Day and
Thanksgiving Program. Refreshments will follow during which you can visit
classrooms and enjoy a time of fellowship.
Friday, December 16th, 10:30–11:30am.
Mark your calendars! The
students will celebrate our
Savior’s birth during their
Christmas Program. Stay
afterwards to visit and enjoy
some holiday treats before the
break. Merry Christmas!
So as we look ahead to this new school year, I hope you are as excited as I am about the steps your children will learn to prepare
for this Great Dance. And as they learn more about God, His work, His Word and His world, join with me in praying that they
might learn to better love Him with all their hearts, soul, strength and mind and better serve their neighbor with the gifts He has
given them.
Soli Deo Gloria,
Jean Kim
The Cambridge School
p.o. Box 720508
San Diego, CA 92172
t h e w h at, w h e r e a n d w h y
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 grades K4
(pre-kindergarten) through sixth, with grades being added 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. W h e r e a r e w e
located? We are just south of the 56 freeway at the Rancho Peñasquitos
Boulevard 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.
f o r m o r e i n f o r m at i o n
Open Houses 2011–2012
Friday mornings, 8:15–9:45am
November 11, 2011
December 2 and 9, 2011
January 6 and 13, 2012
February 3 and 10, 2012
March 9, 2012
April 13, 2012
May 18, 2012
Invite your friends to find out about
The Cambridge School, see students
presenting at Memory Time, and
tour the various classrooms.