Volume 1, Issue 1
Spring 2012
The Principium
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“From so simple a beginning, endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful
have been, and are being, evolved.” - Charles Darwin
Dear Reader,
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
Mrs. Fawcett on
Parenting with Love
and Logic
2
Notes about
Extracurriculars
4
Ms. Bettis on
Reading at Archway
6
Miss Tremblay on
Reading Group
7
Archway Gets New
Science Models
We present to you the first
issue of Archway Chandler’s
school magazine, Principium. In Latin, principium
literally means “first principles.” We were drawn to this
title as it encapsulates the
true, good and beautiful ideals that are learned during
the earliest stages of primary
education. Archway is the
first formal school that many
of the children at our academy attend. That makes us
the first institution that has
the honor to expose young
minds to great literature,
challenging concepts, the
beauty of truth within mathematics, and stimulating conversation that opens doors to
remarkable ideas. It is within
the four walls of this founding academy that our schol-
arly students will be encouraged to wonder, question,
and invite new ideas into
their paradigm in order to
reach those doors of opportunity. Most importantly, they
will learn to value these “first
principles” and carry them
alongside them on their journey of a truly great-hearted
education.
As Archway Classical Academy educators, it is our profound responsibility to foster
the remarkable learning environment that will instill the
core values within our students that we wholeheartedly
believe create the foundation
for upstanding character.
Our goals within this publication are to portray the fantastic dedication of our liberally-minded teachers, expose
you to the ideals and objec-
tives that both teachers and
students strive for each day,
and display various pieces of
profound work completed by
students.
Principles are also to be
questioned, and it is this
questioning that invites true
learning. We are excited to
present to you our school’s
principles, and to travel with
our readers and our students
on the path to answering
great questions.
Yours in Learning,
Lucia Pantalena and
Laurel Fischer
Passive Fundraising
8
Family Dinner Nights: $840
Hot Lunch: $4,000
Fry’s Cool Cash: $1,000
Used Uniforms: $1,260
Miscellaneous: $50
- Cameron Pratt and Carrie White
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T h e
Fa i l u r e
I still remember the day when, after
becoming a first-time parent just 36
hours earlier, they sent us home
with our little bundle of joy. I looked
at my husband and thought to myself, “Don’t they know that we have
no idea what we’re doing? We’ve
looked all over this hospital room,
and there isn’t a manual for new
parents anywhere. We are expected
to raise this child to become a responsible adult?” Nevertheless, they
sent us home with only our experiences as children to guide us. Once
home, we stepped into the pattern of
eating, sleeping, and changing diapers. Forgetting all our initial fears,
we foolishly thought, “this is a
breeze. We’re a little bit tired, but
we’re not totally incompetent. This
kid may actually turn out alright.”
That wonderful feeling of joy, bliss,
“Somehow, we have to protect
them at the same time as we
teach them to control
themselves and to grow up to
make responsible decisions not
just for themselves, but for
mankind.”
and unconditional love lasted until
our little bundle uttered a word we
never imagined would ever come out
of her mouth: “No.” That two-letter
word was a game-changer in our
household. Our false sense of confidence was immediately replaced
with the more proper feeling of
dread that we had first experienced. Somehow, we as parents had
to figure out how to get this little girl
to agree with us. It was scary
enough back then in the late 80s,
but today’s parents have even
greater fears. Children today are
growing up with the temptations of
adult life much more available in the
palms of their little hands. Somehow, we have to protect them at the
same time as we teach them to control themselves and to grow up to
i s
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P r i n c ip i u m
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make responsible decisions not
just for themselves, but for mankind. Jim Fay and Dr. Foster
Cline, in the book Parenting with
Love and Logic, identify four distinct parenting styles and their
results toward developing healthy
responsible adults. (23)
“Helicopter parenting” is popular
in the 21st century. This style is
easily identified as the parent who
hovers, then swoops in to rescue
the child at the first hint of impending disappointment or failure. They are forever running interference for their child with
friends, teachers, and other adults
and making runs to school with
forgotten lunches, homework, and
field trip notices. (23) This is all
done with the most loving intentions, and these parents often look
like model parents. Their children
don’t have a fear in the world and
never have to experience the pain
of failure. Their goal is to make
their child’s life easy and carefree
for as long as possible. I have certainly had my share of helicopter
moments with my own children. This seems to especially be
true for our youngest. I’ve driven
her back to school to get her books
in the evening so she could complete her homework. I even went
to the principal once when she
made an F on a paper. Hey, that
was not an F paper, I know because I helped write it! Some
parents have even developed a
super turbo helicopter style that
not only swoops down to rescue,
but does so with weapons deployed. (24) These parents believe
that their children need to be
launched into the world with a
certain set of credentials: a 4.0
GPA, a certain number hours of
community service, as well as a
mastery of a musical instrument
and three different sports. That’s
what it takes to get into a good
college these days and a good college is the ultimate goal. Anything
or anybody that gets in the way
needs to be avoided and if possible, blasted, especially those set-
ting high standards for behavior
and academic achievement. To
them, Jim Fay says, “the real world
does not run on the bail-out principle.” (23) These children often go
off to college expecting that Mom’s
note is going to explain to their
professor why they missed their
first exam or need more time to
finish their essay. Who will come
and argue with the Dean to keep
them from being suspended? They
are looking for Dad when their boss
fires them for being late too many
times. In this way, children of helicopter parents are poorly prepared
for life as responsible adults.
The drill-sergeant style of parenting
was popular when I was a child and
is still around today. It is, after all,
the way our parents raised us and
their parents raised them. Of
course, the drill sergeant parent
also loves their child but this love is
often perceived as more about
power and control. Their children
will behave or else. The child does
not have to think for themselves
because the parent is constantly
telling them what to do. (25)This is
often accompanied by “I told you
so” and “why can’t you do anything
right?” The unspoken message is,
“you are fragile and can’t make it
without me.” (25)The consequences
rarely match the infraction. When I
was raising my oldest, spanking
was the decide when to go to bed,
what they will eat, and whether or
not they will do their homework.
These parents can often be heard
saying, “I just can’t get him to do
anything.” These children often
grow into adults with little selfdiscipline, poorly-developed character and a lack of respect for authority. (26)
Jim Fay and Dr. Foster Cline suggest that the best way to parent
children into responsible adults is
through the consultant parenting
style, with a healthy combination of
love and logic. With this approach,
parents lovingly guide their children to make choices and experience natural consequences within
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protective limits. (27) Children learn
that inappropriate behavior results
in a consequence that makes
sense. When they experience these
uncomfortable events, their parents
respond with empathy instead of
anger. They realize that thoughtful
risks must be made to develop responsibility in children, and this will
mean allowing the child to experience failure. This is by no means an
easy thing to do, nor is it popular.
For me, this is the hardest thing to
do. The helicopter parent will come
to the rescue, and the drill sergeant
will never let it happen in the first
place. The idea of setting children up
to experience failure from taking
reasonable risks sounds unloving,
but it is actually the most loving approach. The lessons learned from
failure will be life lessons.
Telling a child to be more responsible, and allowing them to experience
the results of irresponsibility will
have different results. This is especially important as children turn into
teenagers. I didn’t always get it right
as a parent but I remember a time
when love and logic worked for
us. One day I came to pick my
daughter up at the mall, and she
greeted me with a scowl, berating
me for being late. I was furious but I
calmly drove her home. The next
time she asked to go to the mall, I
informed her that sadly, I really
wanted to be able to take her but I
just didn’t have the energy when I
felt so unappreciated. I let her know
that there was a bus that went to the
mall and her dad would be happy to
ride the bus with her. She had a
choice; she could stay home or ride
the bus. She cried all the way to the
bus stop, but she learned two things:
you can’t expect people to do things
for you if you mistreat them, and
public transportation isn’t all that
bad. Children who are raised by a
consulting parent learn that they are
capable of making decisions, and
they aren’t paralyzed by fear of failure. Failure is not seen by them as
something to be avoided but as an
opportunity to learn.
Raising children to make responsible
P a g e
decisions as adults is the best gift we
can give our children. It is the most
important thing we will do as parents, and it is a daunting responsibility. We won’t do it perfectly, and if
you’re anything like me, there will be
times when you hover, and times
when you bark. But if you remind
yourself that failure is an option, and
sometimes even a good one, you will
Eva Zimm, Illustrated Moral, 1st grade
find that you have raised a child
ready to face this world.
By Leanne Fawcett, Headmaster
Cline, Foster, and Jim Fay. "Mission
Possible: Raising Responsible Kids."
Parenting with Love and Logic: Teaching Children Responsibility. Colorado
Springs, CO: NavPress, 2006. 23-27.
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Reading Club
The Reading Club is the school's
newest extracurricular. In our first
week, we had fifteen students participating, as well as one volunteer tutor
from Chandler Prep.
Students
brought their class novels, homework, and projects to work on. Some
chose to browse the library shelves
for new books to read. The atmosphere was relaxed but scholarly. Students helped each other find
words in the dictionary and lent pencils and paper cheerfully. Each student was signed up for an account
with ReadingRewards.com, a website
that allows readers to make virtual
bookshelves and track their reading
time. We will work towards a group
goal of 2000 reading hours. With so
many enthusiastic readers, it shouldn't take too long to achieve that
goal! Students also signed up to perform Reader's Theatre. We will select a Reader's Theatre script and
begin practicing in a future meeting. The Reading Club would benefit
from the help of one or two parent
volunteers who would like to read
with students or provide homework
help. Also, donations of pencils,
notebook paper, small prizes like
stickers and erasers, and books are
always welcome.
Extracurricular
Activities at Archway
Jump Rope Club
Jump Rope Club is a fun after-school
activity that meets once a week
throughout the second semester of
the school year. About twenty-five
third, fourth, and fifth grade students gather at the basketball courts
to learn fun, new jump roping skills
which match and extend beyond the
skills that are taught in P.E class. The
focus of this club is working with
others to learn new skills, beat personal jump rope records, and have
fun, all in an encouraging setting. On
a regular afternoon, one may see two
club members turning the long rope
as their peers take turns jumping in
and out. The students would be sharing new skills they’re working on, as
the other members cheer them on
encouragingly. You can even catch
the students attempting challenging
skills like double-dutch! This is a
great club for the older Archway students to experience an athletic challenge while enjoying themselves with
their peers!
Art Club
Archway Art Club meets after school on Thursdays until 4:30
p.m. Our group usually numbers between 15 and 24 students
and we have a few veterans who have participated every semester since we began. Thanks to generous tax credit donations, the Art Club now has a kiln, so we are happily working
in clay! Our first project is a pinch pot formed by hand from a
ball of clay. We will work through a variety of functional vessels and sculptural forms.
P r i n c ip i u m
Mallet Masters
The Mallet Masters are made up of
students in grades two-five. They
meet once a week before school and
practice their ensemble skills through
teamwork, cooperation and discipline.
In order to be successful in Mallet
Masters, the students have to be willing to not only know their own instruments’ parts but also know the parts
of those around them. The students’
hand-eye coordination is developed
with the use of the mallets. Beginning
MM meet on Mondays and Advanced
MM meets on Wednesdays both at
7:15 am.
Strings
The strings program has quadrupled in
the past year. Both the beginning and
intermediate groups are comprised of
third- through fifth-grade students.
The violin, viola and cello are instruments that hone in on the fine motor
skills of students as well as the musical
ear. Students must use all of their
senses to produce the best tone quality
possible. Discipline and dedication are
other important attributes of a strings
player. The students know that in order
to achieve their goals of performance,
they must practice daily outside of
school. The Beginning Strings Ensemble meets every Tuesday and Friday
and the Intermediate Ensemble meets
on Thursdays, both at 7:15 am.
Green Team
The Green Team meets every Tuesday after school in the
Media Center (until 4:00). They work together to gather
the recyclables collected in Archway during the past week
and take the paper to the green and yellow recycling
bin. So far, they have recycled 8.29 tons of paper and
cardboard, saved 25 cubic yards from entering a landfill,
and earned $50. As more students join the Green Team,
they will be able to expand their efforts.
Pr
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Student Work
Eric Unterkofler, Short Essay on the Age of Exploration, 5th grade
Andrew Xie, Illustrated Simile, 2nd grade
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R e a d i n g
T h e
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We are often asked to explain how we
teach children to read and how we support and develop the fluency and comprehension skills of lower school readers. It is possible to answer that question in brief by saying we have them
read, and read often. Able readers are
made by the frequent opportunity to
read aloud to an adult; however, reading words alone will not make an astute
reader. The longer answer is that reading beautiful, lyrical, complex and pivotal literature makes not just readers
but also thinkers. Herein is how Archway’s reading program distinguishes
itself.
Archway students at all grade levels are
exposed to notable literature and texts
that have stood the test of time: classics, exceptional writing filled with
masterful word choice, overarching
themes, tales of the human experience
and artistic illustrations call our students to accomplished reading abilities
but also to a higher level of thinking. At Archway, students not only
read notable literature at every grade
level and across the curriculum but,
Our students understand what they
read because they understand at the
most basic level what words mean.
they also regularly experience these
works as they are read aloud by our
teachers. Verbal renderings of passages, rich with inflection and delivery
allow our students to experience great
works on an emotional level. Students
read literature worth reading; words of
value and beauty, telling the stories of
history, retelling lives of bravery and
calling children to virtue and goodness,
this is how we teach reading at Archway.
All Archway students receive explicit
phonics instruction through the Riggs
program. Explicit phonics instruction
accompanied by comprehensive grammar lessons comprise the backbone of
the Archway Language Arts Program.
Phonics provides children with a logical and understandable code for sounding out words that they do not recog-
a n
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nize. Knowing the rules and even the
origins of words and spelling patterns give children at all grade levels
a bevy of tools for making sense of
new and complex written texts. Understanding of roots allows children
to gain meaning of long and complex
words through deconstruction. Our
students understand what they read
because they understand at the most
basic level what words mean.
With the support system of phonics,
students at different grade levels
build reading skills in. In our Kindergarten classes, students read from
leveled readers each day with their
teachers and parents. Students take
home ability leveled books on a daily
basis that they are able to read with
only modest support. Through this
regular practice we encourage children to practice reading skills such
as pointing at the text they are reading, sounding out words letter by
letter and using the pictures and context of the “little books” to help them
gain meaning. Primary students also
build phonemic awareness through
rhyming, spelling pattern awareness
and experiencing beautiful literature
as it is read aloud on a daily basis.
First grade students work in groups
based on their reading skill level. All
first grade students work with a
teacher or parent volunteer in small
groups call “guided reading groups”
to develop fluency, improve decoding
and to build comprehension
skills. These groups meet three to
five times each week to read aloud
and complete activities designed to
refine skills appropriate to their
reading level. The goal of these reading groups is to build the skills necessary for all first graders to achieve
chapter book fluency by the end of
first grade.
Second grade reading at Archway is
rigorous and rewarding. Students are
expected to be able to read chapter
books and class texts with independence and understanding. Students
work in leveled reading groups during the first semester but, spend an
increasing amount of time reading
books aloud as a whole class. Groups
are used increasingly throughout the
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year for exploration of story elements, depth full discussions and to
help students understand the historical significance of story events.
Second grade readers spend the year
building stamina for longer books
and for understanding the story beyond its simple sequence of events or
defining characters.
From third through fifth grades
Archway students come together in
reading groups three to five times
each week. These groups can be led
by a teacher or volunteer but, may
also be student led and teacher supervised. Students are assembled so
that each group is a heterogeneous
mix of skills and strengths. The reading lists for these grade levels are
lengthy and challenging. It is assumed that students possess the academic stamina for lengthy texts:
strong decoding skills and both inferential and deductive reasoning
skills that allow them to fully access
challenging texts across the curriculum. Comprehension is paramount,
but students have the added expectation that they be able to reflect verbally and in writing about what they
have read. Discussions are led in
ways that challenge and encourage
students to read deeply and understand both the words and the stories.
Emphasis is placed on how the literature might relate to themselves,
to others and to the human experience across history. All students
read the same texts and group composition changes often allowing students to master cooperation and
discussion with those of differing
viewpoints.
Reading words alone will not make a
thoughtful lifelong reader. Reading,
discussing, and pondering great
words and works will lay the foundation for an exceptional reader. Archway thoughtfully selects books at
each grade levels that will challenge,
engage and invite our students to
excellence in all academic disciplines.
By Debra Bettis, Dean of Curriculum
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Experiences with a Faculty Reading Group
The collegiality of the faculty around the shared intellectual and moral ideals of
the Academy is the primary indicator of institutional health and sustainability.
One way this collegiality is expressed and developed is through guided, common
study. (The Philosophical Pillars of a Great Hearts Academy, 2011)
The Great Hearts network prides itself
on the high level of intellect in its esteemed faculty. However, not all staff
members walk through the campus
doors with classical, liberal arts degrees. I arrived on campus
feeling trivial next to my
colleagues with years of
Socratic discussion training
and significant comprehension of texts that I could
only dream of reading with
fluency. Reflecting back,
what I interpreted as expertise turned out to be just a
passion for the works of the
world’s best literature.
gerald’s scandalous “Bernice Bobs
Her Hair.” This text was followed
by Herman Melville’s “Bartleby the
Scrivener” and Geoffrey Chaucer’s
“A Knight’s Tale”. The texts are
For me, this reading group
has helped me become
stronger and more confident
in my job, a sentiment that I
have heard echoed by other
members. This group allows
us to practice what we preach
to our students. “Great literature is timeless and both student and teacher must be
drawn up into the test, rather
than bringing the text down
to them” (The Philosophical
Pillars of a Great Hearts
Academy, 2011). Simple being in pursuit of Verum
(truth), Pulchrum (beauty),
and Bonum (goodness)
alongside our students allows
us to remember that pain of
learning.. If we expect them
to work hard and grow, I feel
that we should expect the
same of ourselves.
Faculty members like me
craved a place to grow in
our appreciation of great
literature. Additionally,
those faculty members who
were used to it, such as our
returning teachers and St.
John’s alumni, wanted a
place to continue discussing
and studying great works.
Thus, Archway Chandler’s
faculty reading group was
formed.
Lauren Golda, Examination of the Whale, 1st Grade
On a Friday night in December,
a night usually reserved for family,
loved ones, or just a date with the
couch, a group of about ten faculty
members gathered together. Our first
conversation focused on F. Scott Fitz-
and honest discussion. This shared
experience builds a strong faculty
community and cultivates our culture of literacy.
examined and discussed by all
members. Even when I did not
fully understand the story while
initially reading it, the group discussion allowed shared inquiry
Though at first intimidated,
I’ve learned quickly that there is no
better way to take your mind off a
long day at work than an evening
of great company, good food, and
good discussion!
By Lindsay Tremblay, Apprentice
Teacher
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S R P
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Salt River Project, a local provider of
electricity, has supported education
initiatives for decades with their program, Learning Grants by SRP. These
grants support innovative teaching
strategies which improve student performance in math and science. Archway Classical Academy at
Chandler was awarded $5,000 to help
build a library of scientific models
which allows teachers to enhance their
science and math curricula, while providing our students the opportunity to
learn in a more tactile way. Due to the
efforts of Denise Norris and Debra Bettis, twelve models and a glass case in
which to store them were purchased
with the grant funds.
Six of the models support the study of
the human body by students in Kindergarten through fifth grade. These include two life-size torsos with fourteen
removable parts which allow students
to investigate the workings of the body,
organ by organ. Also included is lifesized version of a skeleton and a lifesized version of an arm which has
seven removable parts. Enlarged models of the ear and eye provide opportunities for hands-on examination of
these intricate body parts.
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S c i e n c e
The other six models support nonanatomical investigations. To enrich
the study of various geology units,
students will be able to observe the
causes and forces that shape the
Earth’s surface with a land form
demonstration kit, a rock cycle
model, and volcano model. Kindergarten through fourth grade will use
a new Solar System model to gain a
deeper understanding of the planets,
relative size and orbital motion. Other models purchased with
the grant funds include a giant
flower model which clearly illustrates
the parts of a flower with removable
pieces. Six beautifully crafted
wooden simple machines render
tactile certain physical principles
such as force and motion. These
models are all classroom-quality
with high durability to ensure students and teachers will have access
to these tools for many years to
come. Our school is grateful for the
generosity of SRP for funding the
purchase of these biological, geological, and physics models, as they will
enhance the science and math curriculum at our school by providing
an innovative way to augment visual
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and kinesthetic learning, therefore deepening our students’ intellectual understanding.
Simple Machines, one of many types of models
purchased with a grant from SRP
The Principium
Archway Classical Academy
at Chandler Preparatory Academy
A Great Hearts School
1951 N. Alma School Road
Chandler, Arizona 85224
Amanda Stoft, Diagram of a Neuron, 3rd Grade