"A Classical and Christ-centered Education"

CHRIST-CENTERED

In all its levels, programs, and teaching,

Heritage Oak School seeks to:

1. Teach all subjects as parts of an integrated whole with the Scriptures at the center (II Timothy 3:16-17); To develop and maintain a high academic standard in the student body, using God-centered curriculum in all subjects. (ascertained by oral and written work, SAT scores) II Timothy 2:15.
2. Provide a clear model of the biblical Christian life through our staff and board(Matthew 22:37 - 40);
3. Encourage every student to begin and develop his relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18 - 20, Matthew 19:13 - 15)
4. To disciple our children and equip them to live according to Biblical standards and to be able to share their faith with others. Matthew 28:19, 20 and Titus 1:9.
5. To reinforce the Biblical standards and character training that the families in the school are working on. Hebrews 13:17a.
6. To protect the moral innocence of the student body (i.e., the family will teach Sex Ed., drug awareness, AIDS prevention, etc. at home). Romans 16:19b 

CLASSICAL

In all its levels, programs, and

teaching, Heritage Oak School seeks to

1. Emphasize grammar, logic, and rhetoric in all subjects (see definitions below);
2. Encourage every student to develop a love for learning and live up to his academic potential;
3. Provide an orderly atmosphere conducive to the attainment of the above goals.

In the 1940's the British author, Dorothy Sayers, wrote an essay entitled “The Lost Tools of Learning.” In it she calls for a return to the application of the seven liberal arts of ancient education, the first three being the “Trivium” - grammar, logic, rhetoric. Miss Sayers also combines the three stages of children’s development to the Trivium. Specifically, she matches what she calls the “Poll-parrot” stage with grammar, “Pert” with logic, and “Poetic” with rhetoric.  At Heritage Oak, the founding board members were intrigued with this idea of applying a classical education in a Christian context. Doug Wilson, explained the classical method further in his book, Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning. Heritage Oak School has been committed to implementing this form of education since 1997.

 
An excerpt from Doug Wilson’s book, Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning:

“The structure of our curriculum is traditional with a strong emphasis on “the basics.” We understand the basics to be subjects such as mathematics, history, and language studies. Not only are these subjects covered, they are covered in a particular way. For example, in history class the students will not only read their text, they will also read from primary sources. Grammar, logic, and rhetoric will be emphasized in all subjects. By grammar, we mean the fundamental rules of each subject (again, we do not limit grammar to language studies), as well as the basic data that exhibit those rules. In English, a singular noun does not take a plural verb. In logic, A does not equal not A. In history, time is linear, not cyclic. Each subject has its own grammar, which we require the students to learn. This enables the student to learn the subject from the inside out.

The logic of each subject refers to the ordered relationship of that subject’s particulars (grammar). What is the relationship between the Reformation and the colonization of America? What is the relationship between the subject and the object of a sentence? As the students learn the underlying rules or principles of a subject (grammar) along with how the particulars of that subject relate to one another (logic), they are learning to think. They are not simply memorizing fragmented pieces of knowledge.

The last emphasis is rhetoric. We want our students to be able to express clearly everything they learn. An essay in history must be written as clearly as if it were an English paper. An oral presentation in science should be as coherent as possible. It is not enough that the history or science be correct. It must also be expressed well.”

The Heritage Oak School is a member of

Association of Christian Schools International

&

Association of Classical and Christian Schools

The Heritage Oak School is in the process of becoming accredited through

Association of Classical and Christian Schools.