Category Art and Education

The Greatest Benefit Gained

I didn’t simply read about Abraham Lincoln or study algebra in the same way that other secondary school students did. Rather than having reading assignments for homework, I read and discussed living books together with my classmates. We made discoveries and came to understanding, and I was enlightened to the past.

Learning to Observe Truth

How often it is that we go through life missing the simple pleasures. Our focus is on ourselves; our thoughts, our plans and our concerns–failing to hear the joy around us. Charlotte Mason reminds us to be fully present and to listen. Miss Mason’s idyllic picture of being “in the fields on a spring day” is far from the reality of most 21st century lives. Although being in the fields on a spring day, or most days for that matter, would do us all good.

Retirement Plans

You may not be aware that if you name your children as the ultimate beneficiaries of your I.R.A. or Qualified Retirement Plan(s), they may only receive one-third of the total assets. By gifting all or a portion of your retirement plan(s) to a charitable organization, the full value is generally passed to the charity and may ultimately make a greater impact. The amount received by a charitable organization will be fully deductible from your estate.

Bequests

A Bequest made during your lifetime is the most common method of planned giving and enables you to distribute assets to individuals and charitable organizations in the amounts or proportions you indicate. An estate gift also provides the opportunity to make a major gift while preserving assets during a lifetime, with a reduction in federal estate taxes.

Life Insurance

A gift of Life Insurance is a simple way to make a legacy gift. You may name a charity as the beneficiary of all or a portion of a life insurance policy. A charity can also be named as the alternate or final beneficiary. At your death, all proceeds would pass immediately to the named charitable organizations. Policies originally intended to protect a spouse, child or even complete a mortgage payment may no longer be necessary. Consider how these policies may be used to help fulfill other needs or causes.

If you would like additional information about how to include Ambleside Schools International in your legacy giving,

IRA Charitable Rollover or Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)

A QCD is a distribution from an IRA which is paid directly to Ambleside after the IRA owner turns 70½. An IRA owner can make QCDs of up to $100,000 annually. If your distribution counts as a QCD, the amount is not reported as taxable income on your tax return. Amounts that exceed $100,000 or don’t fit the QCD rules are typically treated as regular distributions. QCDs are also sometimes referred to as an IRA charitable rollover.

IRA Required Minimum Distribution (RMD)

An IRA owner who has turned 72 is required to distribute a certain portion of his or her IRA every year. This is known as your RMD. If you do need the funds, donating to Ambleside is a great option.

If you would like additional information about how to provide an IRA charitable gift to Ambleside Schools International,

Non-Cash Giving

Ambleside can accept many types of assets, including:

Privately-held corporate stock and business interests (ownership in closely-held businesses, Limited Partnerships, Limited Liability Companies, or Sub-chapter S & C corporations)
Restricted securities (publicly-traded securities that may have sale restrictions)
Real estate
Tangible personal property
Royalties or copyrights
Life insurance (term, whole, universal, or variable)
Loan notes (money owed to you through loan notes)
Estate gifts (proceeds from wills or trusts)
Retirement plans (401ks, IRAs, or pension plans)
Certain oil and gas interests

Ambleside Schools International works with the National Christian Foundation [NCF] to accommodate non-cash gifts.

Mr. Andrew Hayes

Principal

Mr. Andrew Hayes re-joined Ambleside Colorado as Principal in 2016 after serving for two years as Principal at Ambleside Boerne (Texas). Previously he spent three years as a Junior High teacher at Ambleside Colorado. Andrew received his Bachelors of Arts in History from the University of Notre Dame and met his wife, Joanna, in French class during his senior year. They have three young children.

Prior to his work at Ambleside, Andrew was the College Pastor for three years at River Valley Church in Mishawaka, Indiana, while also learning the construction trade (just enough to make him dangerous), and spent formative college summers as a counselor and director at Spring Hill Camps in Evart, Michigan. Through these experiences, a passion for academic and spiritual growth emerged in Andrew. The longer he spends at Ambleside schools, the more convinced Andrew is that this is the best way to educate children.

He enjoys all aspects of the philosophy, but is especially drawn to the cultivation of a lifelong love of learning, the growth-oriented mindset for the whole community, the healthy approach to work, and the ways that the ideas in the rich texts are life-giving and formative. He most loves the opportunity to serve Christ, children, and parents on a daily basis. Andrew grew up in Okemos, Michigan, a little town near Michigan State University. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys watching Notre Dame football and the Detroit Tigers, playing baseball in a local men’s league, reading (Russian novelists, history, and science fiction are three favorites), hiking with his family, woodworking, and playing board games.

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