W I N T E R 2 0 0 9 The ProvidencePost Secondary Newsletter Merry Christmas! The Providence Post is brought to you with the intent to inform you about what is going on in our secondary department. Each edition will try to highlight a section of our secondary curriculum. This edition is focusing on our math department. We will be informing you about curriculum changes, recent successes, and awards the departments have received. This edition includes information from our math department, an intro by Principal Williams, a letter from our board chairman, and an update on or logic level department. Letter from the Principal A popular misconception about classical schools is that they narrowly focus on language skills and the humanities at the expense of the other disciplines. This is particularly ironic because classical education is, at its core, about integration of learning. The notion that subjects of study are to be treated independently is a fairly recent development. In reality, education in the western world is historically rooted in the idea that all of the subjects are inter-related. Therefore, all disciplines are important, and the goal of education is to help students become skilled learners in all areas. Continued on page 2 Save the Date! Spirit Week School Closed Breakfast 1/4 – 1/8 This is a week for students to dress for spirit days and enjoy friendly competitions. 1/18 We will be closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. 1/16 The Jr. Class will have a breakfast fundraiser at Texas Roadhouse. THE PROVIDENCE POST WINTER 2009 Letter from the Principal Continued from page 1 This edition of the Providence Post highlights one of these non-humanities areas of study: our math department. I am extremely proud of the skill of our math teachers, and their skill and hard work is evident in how well our students perform in math classes, on standardized tests, and in competitions. For example, our calculus course is an AP approved course, and geometry is offered at the honors level. In terms of standardized test scores, our teachers have helped math students achieve outstanding success. Over the last five years, grades 7 – 10 have averaged in the 90th percentile or above in mathematics on the Stanford Achievement Test; and last year’s graduating class posted an average ACT math score of 26.9, which is seven points higher than the state average. We all owe a special thanks to the math teachers of Providence Academy for their efforts in helping our students succeed academically and spiritually; we also need to remember that classical and Christian education is about seeking excellence in all areas of study because all fields of study belong to God. A Note On Chorus “I enjoy our chorus class because we work and perform well together even though we all enjoy different styles of music. It has taught me to pick out harmony lines and how to read music. My appreciation for talented singers has grown now that I have been in chorus for several years.” - Chace Graham 2 THE PROVIDENCE POST WINTER 2009 Letter from the Logic Level All of the logic level students are looking forward to enjoying the Christmas break. The last few weeks have been full of excitement and learning in every grade, and a break is much deserved after the rigorous training that has been taking place to enhance their skills in logical reasoning and understanding. Eighth graders are preparing for their rocket launch that will take place immediately following Christmas break. They have spent the last few weeks studying space exploration and Newton’s laws of motion. In addition to studying this material, they have been constructing small engine rockets that they will shoot off during an oral presentation of a historical launch. As you can see in the photos above, the ninth grade had their Greek and Roman feast. The students ate authentic food from the Greek and Roman regions provided by our wonderful PA parents. They also performed classical skits in their traditional Roman attire. This is a yearly event that ninth graders always enjoy during their classical literature reading and Latin study. These activities and projects at Providence Academy are unique in many ways and are preparing our students to glorify the Lord with their reason and understanding. Parents Getting Involved Many parents are involved with secondary activities this year You may sit at home or work wondering, “How can I get involved in PA’s secondary program?” There are many ways to get involved. The easiest way is simply to contact your child’s teacher and ask how you can help. You can do this through email, phone, or face to face. You can also contact Ben Holland or Dustin Williams for ways that you can help benefit the school and your child’s education. If you have any skills like art, photography, cooking, science, or a helping spirit, the school can use the gifts that God has given you. 3 THE PROVIDENCE POST WINTER 2009 The Math Department PA Middle School Students Earn High Honors at Franklin Math Bowl On November 14, Providence Academy participated in the Franklin Math Bowl, a competition for middle school students sponsored by the ETSU Department of Mathematics and the Upper East Tennessee Council of Teachers of Mathematics. In the team competition, Providence placed second in 8th grade Algebra and third in 7th grade math. Individual honors went to seventh graders, Hannah Hollowell for 6th place and Reid Smith for 7th place. In the past, small schools like Providence were allowed to compete separately from large public schools for team and individual awards. However, this year our students contended for prizes against several of the largest schools in our region: Indian Trail, Chuckey Doak, Jonesborough, Ridgeview, Sevier, Greene County, Tazewell, and University School. Providence’s 7th grade team outscored six regional school teams and was surpassed only by Pizitz Middle School of Birmingham, Alabama, and Jefferson Middle School of Oak Ridge. The 8th grade Algebra team followed Pizitz for second highest honors among a field of five schools. In the 7th grade individual competition, Hannah and Reid placed in the top ten percent among 70 of the region’s best math students. This year’s Providence team included 6th graders, Caleb Backus, Creighton Kellum, Lane Patterson, and Connor Smith; 7th graders, Ellen Duncan, Preston Harris, Hannah Hollowell, Sarah Jacob, Merritt McKinney, Natania Paul, Landon Phemister, Reid Smith, and alternate, Alex Williams; and 8th graders, 4 THE PROVIDENCE POST WINTER 2009 Letterfrom theBoard Dear Providence Families,  Software to facilitate communications between teachers and parents (estimated cost = $15,000)  A canopy over the elementary playground to protect children from UV rays year round and on the lower playground, from stray baseballs during practice and games (estimated cost = $10,000)  A fourteen passenger activity bus to improve PA’s capability to transport students to athletic contests and other school activities (estimated cost = $40,000) It’s hard to believe our school year will soon be halfway over. As each year passes, I’m reminded of how short the time is that God has given us to shape and influence our children in His name! We have a great and precious privilege in this area, and we are also blessed to have Providence Academy come along side us to assist in this journey. For many of us, we are also blessed to help other families at Providence who need financial assistance to assist with tuition. As the year-end approaches, should the Lord provide sufficiently for you to consider supporting our Annual Scholarship Fund, I hope you will be prayerful about God’s guidance for supporting this fund. We have an ambitious goal to raise $200,000 for the ASF this year to provide for anticipated needs in the 2010-2011 school year. We have passed the halfway point in achieving this goal but still have a long way to go. We recently received our first significant gift to the Knight Fund. If you have a passion for any or all of these projects, and would be led to support them without detracting from your support of the ASF, we would ask you to consider the Knight Fund as a year-end giving opportunity as well. May you have a blessed Christmas season and a Happy New Year! I would also take this opportunity to remind you about the newly created Knight Fund, which is intended to support funding for one or more of the following projects: Robert Smith 5 THE PROVIDENCE POST WINTER 2009 MissionStatement Providence Academy equips students to achieve academic excellence and spiritual maturity through a biblically based, Christ centered, classical education, so they will think and live in a manner, which brings glory to God. CORAM DEO Providence Academy 2788 Carroll Creek Rd. Johnson City, TN 37615 Contacts www.providenceacademy.com Administrator- Jerry Williams [email protected] Secondary Principal- Dustin Williams [email protected] Logic Level Dean of Students- Ben Holland [email protected] Math Department Head- Julie Gill [email protected] Development Director- Mark Koscak [email protected]