BB 10-11-2024

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XVII, ISSUE 14

OCT 11, 2024

 

FROM THE OFFICE

FOR ALL:
  • Zipcast:  Text BANC to 833-409-4823.  The Zipcast will be texted directly to you every Monday morning at 7am…just in time for your morning commute to school!  Even the youngest students will enjoy the joke as well as listening out for the work of the week.  It is a short, 10-minute broadcast that packs in a lot of great information!   Take a listen and let us know what you think about it!
  • SOCKTOBER:  It’s that time of year known as SOCKTOBER. Did you know that socks are the least donated item in most shelters? Every night in the United States, an estimated 600,000 people live on the streets. This October, we want to prove that even a small act of love, such as donating a pair of socks, can make a big difference in the lives of our neighbors who are homeless. We will take our donations to the Piedmont Rescue Mission in Burlington. There will be a collection box at the lower campus. We have partnered with a local business that will allow us to purchase a dozen socks for $5.00. Your student may bring in $5.00 and give it to their teacher or submit it to the office. This will be the 12th year we have participated in this important ministry! Our collection will end on Nov. 8th.
  • Makeup Picture Day:  Monday, October 21st.  Students who were absent on the original picture day need to wear their dress uniform and be dropped off at the lower school campus.  
  • House Socials:
    • Scrooby:  Fri, 10/18,7pm.  Sign up here.
    • Austerfield:  Sat, 10/26, 5pm.  Sign up here.
    • Leiden:  Fri, 11/1, 5:30pm.  More details coming soon!
    • Plymouth:  Sat, 11/2.  More details coming soon!
LOWER SCHOOL- IMPORTANT NOTES:
UPPER SCHOOL – IMPORTANT NOTES:
  • Wed, 10/16:  Parent -Teacher Conferences:  Please sign up here!  Several teachers have offered appointments on Wednesday.  If the teacher is not listed on the form, you are welcome and encouraged to contact them via email to schedule an appointment that best suits your schedule.
  • Thurs, 11/1 and Fri, 11/2:  Parent Days at Upper school.  Again this year, parents are invited to sit in on classes at the upper school.  We will soon publish a schedule of classes and their topics from which you can choose, so for now, mark your calendars and watch for more information coming soon!
HOT LUNCH on Thursdays: 
  • The weekly menu locks at midnight on Sunday night – so be sure to place your orders and check out in time. Once your account is set up, it should be easy for the rest of the year! ORDER HERE  
FROM MRS. MITCHELL:  

This quote from Jen Wilkin captured my attention this week:  “Repetition is the mother of learning.  This is a way the Holy Spirit condescends to us though [the Biblical narratives] to give us something that is sticky and memorable and meaningful.”  Second quarter brings an exciting new set of songs and chants, history and math facts and much more.  Enjoy quizzing your students on their weekly homework & memory work and participate in the Spirit’s unique gift to us.

UPCOMING

NEXT WEEK:
  • Week of 10/14 and 10/21:  Upper School:  NCISAA State Playoffs
  • Wed, 10/16:  ALL:  Teacher Workday – No school!  Parent-Teacher Conferences
  • Fri, 10/18:  ALL:  Scrooby House Social

 

 IN THE NEAR FUTURE:
  • Mon, 10/21:  ALL:  School Pictures – Make up day
  • Tues, 10/22:  
    • Lower School:  2nd grade Field Trip (see email for details)
    • Lower School:  3rd – 4th grade:  Running club begins!
  • Fri, 10/25:  
    • Lower school:  K – 4th – Greek Olympics
    • Upper school:  Varsity XC Championship at WakeMed Park (Cary, NC)
      • Varsity Girls race (9:00am)
      • Varsity Boys race (9:45am)
      • Team & individual state recognition (10:30am)
  • Sat, 10/26:  ALL:  Austerfield House Social
  • Tues, 10/29:  Upper school:  11th grade: College Night, 5 – 6pm
  • Fri, 11/1:  
    • Upper school:  Hobbit Day (5th grade – details to come)
    • ALL:  Leiden House Social (details to come)
  • Sat, 11/2:  ALL:  Plymouth House Social (details to come)
  • Wed, 11/6:  Lower School:  4th grade field trip
  • Thurs, 11/7:  
    • ALL:  Used Uniform Sale 
    • ALL:  8am, Coffee and Discussion with Mr. Johnston
    • Upper school:  Parents Day (Parents and grandparents mark your calendar!)
  • Fri, 11/8:  
    • Upper school:  Parents Day (Parents and grandparents mark your calendar!)
    • Upper school:  10th grade – Jr/Sr Preview  – Lunch discussion (Parents welcome!)
  • Mon, 11/11:  ALL:  Veterans Day – No school
  • Thurs, 11/14:  Lower school:  K – 2nd grade – Bradford Night, 6:30 pm
  • Tues, 11/26:  ALL:  Thanksgiving Feasts
  • Wed, 11/27 – Fri, 11/29:  ALL:  Thanksgiving Break – no school
  • Sun, 12/1:  Applications open for 25/26 for new students
  • Thurs, 12/5:  ALL:  Coffee and Discussion with Mr. Johnston
  • Fri, 12/6:  Upper School:  6th grade Field Trip to Appomattox Court House
  • Week of 12/16:  Upper School:  Q2 Finals
  • Wed, 12/18:  Lower school:  TK Parents Coffee and Donuts, TK Nativity Play
  • Thurs, 12/19:  Upper school:  Christmas Concert
  • Fri, 12/20:  Christmas celebrations, Noon dismissal

 

FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK

 

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

 

Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Grubb and Mrs. Weber)

This Week
  • TK students were happy to be back at school this week and enjoyed the lovely fall weather we have been having this week. Our highlight of the week was TK Camp Promise Day. We learned about Abraham who was obedient to the Lord in going where he was asked and that God promised he would have more descendents than the number of stars in the sky so we pitched a tent and had our own camp day. It was a joy to learn that God always keeps HIs promises and how obedience honors the Lord. Students gathered leaves, acorns, stones, etc…from the forest and created sensory letters using each of their special letters. We read several familiar stories in the tent focusing on identifying main characters and the senior class came to read to the TK students as a special treat. We sang campfire songs and ate a special “s’mores” snack. In math this week students learned to name shape pieces and played a missing shape game as well as matching the number of items to a number card. A few of our centers included: making play dough cookies and “writing” letters in them, working on a pre-writing packet, and viewing constellations including constellations that look like each student’s special letter. Students are enjoying music with Mrs. Bennington. This week students learned Father Abraham and continued working on Trust and Obey. TK students also began learning October’s memory verse, Psalm 119:105.

Lower School P.E. (Mrs. Bennington)

K – 4th
  •  Students did a great job this week preparing for our next big athletic event, The Greek Olympics. Students practiced running the marathon course, running the sprint race, and long jump. 

Lower School Music (Mrs. Bennington)

K-3rd
  • Students did a great job in music this week singing the first three verses of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”. I love how students are starting to understand that hymns are like short stories and each verse  of a hymn is like a chapter of a story.  Students are really grasping the meaning of the hymn and why it is such an important song of praise. God is always with us, God will never leave us, and in the end God will win the battle against Satan. 
4th
  •  Students did a great job in music this week singing the first three verses of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”. I love how students are starting to understand that hymns are like short stories and each verse  of a hymn is like a chapter of a story.  Students are really grasping the meaning of the hymn and why it is such an important song of praise. God is always with us, God will never leave us, and in the end God will win the battle against Satan. Students also completed a music theory assessment. 

 

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)

This Week
  • Our kindergarten scholars have had a great week back from fall break! In math, we learned how to count by using pennies, how to identify a number between two numbers, and how to divide a solid in half. In phonics, we reviewed the cursive clock face and loop letter strokes, and we introduced the phonograms  s, t, and u. In history, we discussed Abraham, who was a major biblical  figure in the book of Genesis. We learned about how God made a covenant with Abraham, and the importance of  honoring a promise.  In art, we introduced the color wheel, and we learned about primary and secondary colors. The students had the opportunity to watch how mixing different colors can make a brand new color. In science, we continued our section on the five senses and we learned about the sense of taste. The students were able to taste different foods and decide on whether or not they liked it. It was definitely a fun and eventful experiment! 
Memory Work:   
  • Exodus 15:2 and review 

1st Grade (Mrs. Cantaffa & Mrs. Smith)

This Week
  •  It was great to be back in a routine after fall break. In math, the students learned their 2 facts. They were creating, reading, and drawing a pictograph, identifying polygons, identifying weekdays and days of the weekend. In history, we continued the study of Columbus and learned of how Queen Isabella wanted to bring the love of Jesus to the East. The kids read about the courage of a “grand” cat in Holland. This book is a good introduction to the area the pilgrims lived while waiting for their chance to go to “The New World”, which we will learn about later this year. The children continue to learn more uppercase letters in cursive and how to properly connect the lowercase letters. Grammar has the students deepening their knowledge of family names such as aunts, uncles, and cousins while making the connection between proper and common nouns. The kids have enjoyed playing outside in the beautiful weather this week! 
Memory Work:  
  • Proverbs 2:6-7
Upcoming:
  • Parent / teacher conferences Wednesday, October 16th
 

2nd Grade (Mrs. Hedgecock & Mrs. Eng)

This Week
  • What a great start to the second quarter with such lovely autumn weather so we were able to be outside for all recesses!  We had a busy week in second grade as we made up for the day we missed school, and several assessments, due to the hurricane on the last day of the first quarter.  Despite a week off, the students did well on the assessments and worked hard on the new information for this week.  The new quarter was the start of our Plant Science Unit and the beginning of a new book, The Boxcar Children.  Both subjects will be wonderful adventures in the weeks to come.  After such a marvelous Old Kingdom in Egypt where magnificent pyramids were built,  it was sad to see how Egypt declined due to civil war along with drought and famine.  We look forward to sharing with you more of your child’s work next week at the Parent Conferences.
Upcoming:  
  • Field Trip:  Mebane Train Display  October 22nd
Memory Work:  
  • Philippians 2:4

3rd Grade (Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Meredith)

This Week
  • We have enjoyed our first week back! Genesis 8:22, tells us that “as long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”  We enjoyed the changes in weather and as well as embarking on a new journey this quarter! Students began reading D’Aulaires Book of Greek Myths to help aid us in our understanding of ancient Greek culture. The Greeks used stories of gods to explain the world around them. In history, we learned about the legendary founding of Rome as well as the actual founders of Rome. In math, we have been practicing multiplication with arrays and simple  division. It was a busy first week back! It is our hope that they enjoy the writing process! We finished the week with a trip to the Greensboro Science Center.  It was a busy first week back, full of fun and learning!
Upcoming Memory Work:  
  • Matthew 6:26-27

Mrs. Fairchild

3rd Grade Art
  • Our students are continuing to work on mastery of drawing what they see. Their current art project is helping them to understand the importance of observation and working with patience. As they turn their attention to adding color to their project, they are learning to select and mix their colors with precision. They have carefully studied what they are copying and worked to understand how the colors are made by testing them before they apply it to their work.

4th Grade (Mrs. McDorman and Mrs. Rankin) 

This Week
  •  This week, students explored the Carolingian Dynasty and discussed how Pepin’s decision granted the pope significant power over kings. In mathematics, we revisited the concept of place value while also committing to memory the foundational properties of multiplication. We also began reading Rolf and the Viking King, a story highlighting courage in the face of adversity. Excitement is building as students prepare for their roles in the upcoming play, Door and the Wall. After holding auditions, we have assigned parts and are looking forward to a great performance! In Latin, we focused on third-person singular pronouns and started studying the Genitive case. Our class discussions reinforced the idea that proficiency in spelling, grammar, reading comprehension, writing, and speaking is crucial for becoming effective communicators. Just as God’s Word articulates His love for us with clarity, we strive to emulate that clarity in our own communication.  In forum, students recited all of 1 Corinthians 13, deepening our understanding of love. It has been a full and fulfilling first week back in fourth grade!
Memory Work:  
  • Psalm 23:4-6
  • Poems for upcoming Greek Olympics

Mrs. Fairchild

4th Grade Art
  • Our students are continuing to work on mastery of drawing what they see. Their current art project is helping them to understand the importance of observation and working with patience. As they turn their attention to adding color to their project, they are learning to select and mix their colors with precision.

LOGIC SCHOOL

 

Mrs. Bennington

5th Band
  •  Students did a great job this week working on exercises that helped reinforce their first three notes. Students ended  the week with a successful playing test on 1.14, “Hot Cross Buns”.  Students will have a playing test this Tuesday 10/15 on 1.17, “Mary Had A Little Lamb”. 
6th-8th Band
  •  Students did a great job this week learning new rhythms and key signatures. They did a great job sight reading a new piece in the book. Students were able to successfully put multiple parts together. Students also started working on a set of lip slurs and warm-up techniques. This class will have a test on Warm-up set1, option 1 on Thursday 10/17. 
9th – 10th Band
  •  Students did not have Band this week due to IST. 

Mrs. Johnston

5th Chorus
We finished reading all our concert music this week. We explored new time signatures and practiced subdividing the time. We also worked on over-enunciating our words so as to be better understood while singing. We are in full rehearsal mode, preparing for our December 19th Concert!
6th-8th Chorus
  • We have almost finished reading concert music. We also worked in more depth where parts split, beginning to recognize separate parts and how they relate to one another.

 

PE

5th-6th (Girls)
  •  The girls did a great job this week running sprints and playing soccer. The girls are really starting to play well together in team settings. 
7th – 8th (Girls)
  • We played flag football this week and set goals for how fast the girls hope to run a mile by the end of the quarter.
5th – 8th (Boys)
  • The boys enjoyed final soccer scrimmages this week, after completing their warm up drills.

5th Grade (Mrs. LaTour and Mrs. Kromhout) 

This Week
  • This week in 5th grade, we began studying about the Mayflower! We discussed the Puritans and the Pilgrims and enjoyed digging deeper into what life was like for them. In math, we dove deeper into division and are preparing for our 4th test next Friday. We are writing about the Englishmen arriving in America and it is tying in well with our history curriculum so far! We are nearing the end of the Hobbit and we are enjoying these final chapters! We are making plans for hobbit day on November 1st and getting excited about what that day will have in store! The students even received their hobbit play parts this week and are excited to start preparing for that! Looking forward to 2nd quarter with them!
Memory Work:  
  • Romans 12:17-19
Upcoming:
  • Hobbit Day 11/1

Mrs. Palmer

5th Art
  • This week we wrapped up our Elements of Art booklets.  We have spent time learning about the various elements of art and how they work together to form works of art.   We will soon begin learning about our next artist of the quarter:  Diego Velazquez.

 

6th Grade (Miss Stevenson)

6th Reading and Literature
  • We finished up reading Call of the Wild and started reading  Across Five Aprils this week.
6th Grammar and Writing
  • We took time to review our comma and capitalization rules from last quarter. Next week we will begin work on our Civil War research paper.
6th Bible
  • We are continuing to work through the gospel of Mark.
6th History
  •  This week we learned about the Mexican/American War. A big thank you to our guest speaker, Coach Johnston.
6th Science
  • This week we started into our unit on bacteria and viruses. We started out by learning how to define a living thing. Ask your student what ORDER stands for 🙂
6th Logic
  • We discussed how to properly identify a faulty appeal to authority this week in Logic.
6th Latin
  • We finished up the first chapter of Latin this week. Next week we will jump into more vocabulary and basic Latin verbs. 

Mrs. Crotts

6th Math
  • Students concluded chapter 3 review and took the chapter 3 test.  They also learned about another math moment in history.

Mrs. Palmer 

6th Art
  • This week we spent time talking about our artist of the quarter, Diego Velazquez.  We also began learning about our next medium, watercolor.

Dr. Wright

7th Composition 
  • Students are composing a brief epic poem, based on the thematic patterns in Gilgamesh and The Odyssey, telling the story of a personal challenge overcome.  
7th Omnibus – Literature, History, Bible
  • Students are practicing their declamation speeches, preparing for their Odyssey drama presentation (Nov. 7-8 at Parents’ Day), and have begun to consider ancient Greece research paper topics. 
7th Logic
  • We are studying the ad fontem fallacies, discussing how an argument itself is distinct from its source, and using case studies from advertisements.

Remember that we do have parent-teacher conferences available Wednesday 10/16.  Sign up here. 

Mrs. Frueh

7th Science
  • The students have jumped into their Soil Lab Reports with enthusiasm. This week was spent organizing and analyzing data. This stage of the lab process has allowed them to practice calculating averages, create organized data tables electronically and then turn their data tables into graphs. Rough drafts are due October 30th.
7th Pre-Algebra
  • This week, we practiced making many types of graphs, which aligned well with the work being done in science. We also reviewed adding and subtracting fractions, as well as the Order of Operations.

Mrs. Palmer 

7th Art
  • We spent time this week learning about our artist of the quarter, Diego Velazquez.  We also have been learning about the Doric, Ionic, Corinthian Greek order of architecture.   Students focused on using charcoal to create a version of an acanthus leaf, egg and dart or column. 

Miss Johnston

7th Latin
  •   This week we worked on declining nouns using our 1st declension noun endings chart. We also worked on parsing and translating sentences!

 

Dr. Wright

8th Omnibus 
  • History:   Students are studying monasticism in the Western church after the fall of the Roman empire.  
  • Literature:  We have finished Athanasius (hoorah!) and have begun St. Benedict’s Rule.  Students are also working on their declamation speech memorization and delivery.  
  • Composition:  Students are working on the first draft of their entire biographical research paper, which is due Friday, 10/18.  Both a printed and a digital copy must be submitted.  

Remember that we do have parent-teacher conferences available Wednesday 10/16.  Sign up here. 

Miss Johnston
8th Latin
  • We worked on translating sentences, reviewing old vocab and we also began working on our new vocab and our new chart from chapter 10. 

Mrs. Frueh

8th Science
  • We ended the first quarter with a broad overview of the three phases of matter and changes between the phases. We started the second quarter with an in-depth look at solids and how their molecular structure is different from liquids and gases. We ended the week with an experiment to test the movement of liquid particles through solid surfaces.
8th Algebra I
  • We jumped into the second quarter with a study of proportions and percentages. The students practiced writing ratio relationships in the form of proportions and then learned multiple ways to solve for the unknown.

Mrs. Palmer 

8th Art
  • This week we spent time learning about our artist of the quarter, Diego Velazquez.  We also began working on our next project, “paintings” with magazines.  This project will involve looking for color nuances. 

Mr. Crotts

8th Logic
  • We regrouped after the Hurricane Helene day off and fall break – our minds weren’t too rusty!

RHETORIC SCHOOL

 

From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:

9th-12th: 

  • For any students interested in NC State (9th-12th!): NC State hosts an open house each year offering the opportunity to meet with specific academic departments and over 100 sessions about various topics! This event requires pre-registration and fills up – register asap if you are interested! 
    • This would be excellent for 9th-10th graders interested in starting to see what college is like and get an idea of what colleges are out there
    • The open house is also excellent for 11th-12th graders wanting to get a closer look at NC State – this is a rare opportunity to get to meet with academic departments
  • NC State Open House: Saturday, October 19th, 9am-2pm  REGISTER HERE 

Juniors: 

  • Juniors took the PSAT on Wednesday! They should get their scores back before the end of October!! These will either be delivered to their phones if they signed up for that or can be accessed online at their collegeboard accounts. 
    • Once they get their scores back, they can work to improve their scores as needed for their target schools and scholarships. 
    • I recommend they take both the ACT and the SAT early in their junior spring, decide which test they prefer, and then focus on improving their scores on that test and taking it again before the end of junior year. That will set them up well for senior year applications in the fall! 
  • Save the date! Junior College Night will be held on Tuesday, October 29 from 5-6pm for all juniors and parents! I would love to have at least one parent in attendance for each student. We will review the junior and senior year timeline for college research, visits, and the application process! 

Seniors: 

Upcoming for seniors:
  • Seniors should keep a close eye on upcoming deadlines and continue working on applications! Many colleges have priority and scholarship deadlines of November 1st. Pray for our seniors as they work through this busy season!
    • 10/15: UNC early action (non-binding) application deadline
    • 11/1: NC State early action (non-binding) and scholarship application deadline
    • 12/1: Anderson University scholarship priority deadline (rolling admissions)
    • 12/31: Liberty University early action scholarship deadline (rolling admissions)
  • Students should be working on these pieces of their applications: 
    • Asking for letters of recommendation
    • Creating their resume/activity list
    • Writing personal statements and supplemental essays
    • General application info

If possible, students should use CommonApp to submit their applications for ease of use! 

 Mrs. Palmer 
9th Spanish 
  • This week students spent time reviewing vocabulary and familiarizing themselves more with our Spanish book website during IST week. 

Mrs. Frueh

9th Geometry
  • We did not meet this week due to IST.  Next week, we’ll continue our study of parallel and perpendicular lines.

Mr. Crotts

9th Logic
  • Students have been in IST this week.

Dr. and Mrs. James

9th Biology
  • Next week we will begin a series of lessons introducing the students to Botany.

Mrs. Crotts

9th Literature
  • Students developed their typing skills and learned about the pros and cons of technology during IST week.  We will conclude our study of Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities next week.

Dr. Byrd 

9th Bible 
  • Our class didn’t meet this week due to IST

Dr. James

10th Chemistry
  •  Next week we will begin a series of lessons on periodic trends of the elements and information that can be gleaned from the periodic table.

Mrs. Palmer 

10th Spanish
  • We did not have class this week due to IST.  

Mrs. Byrd

10th Algebra II
  • Class will resume next week.  We will be learning various ways to solve systems of equations.

Mrs. Crotts

10th Literature
  • This week 10th graders studied civics during IST week, and they also visited ACC’s Smithsonian’s  Voters Exhibit.  Students will dive into a study of the Iliad next week.

Miss Oldham

10th Rhetoric I
  •   We did not have class this week due to IST. 

Dr. Smith

10th Historical Theology
  • No class due to IST.

Mrs. Palmer

11th Spanish III
  • We did not have class this week due to IST. 

Mrs. Byrd

11th Precalculus
  • Next week we will return to our study of polynomials focusing on various techniques to find solutions (zeros) of polynomials)
11th Physics
  •   Next week we will continue our study of two dimensional motion focusing on projectile motion and how gravity affects the vertical dimension of travel but not the horizontal dimension.

Miss Oldham

11th Literature
  •   We did not have class this week due to IST. 

Dr. Smith

11th NT Greek
  • No Class due to IST

Miss Oldham

12th Literature
  •   We did not have class this week due to IST. 
12th Rhetoric II
  •  This week was Senior Thesis IST, so the students worked hard on writing their rough drafts. They are aware that the expectation is to just get ideas on paper, not to have the best draft ever written. The rough drafts are due on Monday night. We also had the opportunity to speak with 6th grade about thesis topics, as well as read to TK. This has been a long week of writing, so hopefully they can rest this weekend. 

Mrs. Byrd

12th Calculus
  • We had a few extra meetings this week wrapping up our study of basic differentiation.  With the AP exam coming in early May, we use the extra sessions to complete our content in time.