BB 01-31-2020

 BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XII , ISSUE 17

JANUARY 31st, 2020

 

FROM THE OFFICE

Have you signed up for the Parenting Conference?  Paul Tripp has produced wonderful resources for parents.   We will be showing 4 videos following by discussion times to hash out the material with other parents.  We trust the Lord will use this weekend to encourage, challenge, and refresh you in the amazing, but demanding, work of parenting!  Sign up today!! (Childcare space is limited.)

UPCOMING

NEXT WEEK:

  • Mon, 2/3 : 
    • Financial Aid applications due
    • Last MS Boys bball game at MACC
  • Tues, 2/4:  
    • LAST Wrestling club
    • HS Men’s and Women’s bball games – away
  • Thurs, 2/6:
    • HS Men’s and Women’s bball games – away
  • Fri, 2/7:
    • Upper School:  Voice of the Martyrs service project:  3-5pm at MC

 

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

 

  • Fri, 2/14:  Teacher Workday (no school)
  • Sat, 2/15:  CONTINUOUS ENROLLMENT AGREEMENT DEADLINE
  • Mon, 2/17:  President’s Day (no school)
  • Fri, 2/21 – Sat, 2/22:  PARENTING CONFERENCE
  • Fri, 2/28:  Hot Lunch

 

 

FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK

 

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

 

Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Grubb)

Bible
  •   Students learned about Jesus feeding the 5000 with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread.  Our God is amazing and our great provider. We are thankful for his abundant blessings! 
Theme Adventure
  •  This week was the 100th day of school for the academy.  TK students joined in the fun for the Rodeo Roundup! Students dressed as cowboys and cowgirls and spent the day playing games with the theme of a rodeo.  It was a fun way to celebrate 100 days of school! 
Literacy
  •  TK students are recognizing and working on matching capital letters with their lowercase partners.  In just a few weeks we will begin writing lowercase letters! 
  • TK students practiced recognizing and writing diagonal lines.  Students built the letters K and R. 
  • This week we continued practicing recognizing the beginning sounds of words.  We will continue working on this in the weeks to come.  
Math
  •  TK students continued working with dimes and counting by 10s.  
  • This week we continued mastering differentiating between AB and ABB patterns.  

 

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera & Mrs. McDorman)

This Week
  • Yee-haw! Our kindergarten scholars are 100 days smarter. Bradford Academy became the setting for our Rodeo Roundup. Cowboys and cowgirls enjoyed a variety of activities including: Lasso the Bull, Snake in My Boot, Campfire Corner, Shooting Range, and a Barnyard Toss. In math, we are learning how to add doubles plus one. Daily review of math facts will help your child master their new cards and keep older ones memorized. Have fun with your child and create a grocery store where they can shop, total their order, and pay using pennies and dimes. This is an excellent way to master two digit addition and become a savvy shopper. Our new reader introduced our students to the ancient art form of Roman mosaics. They created their own mosaic picture of Justinian the Great. We will be discussing Justinian in history next week.  
Music 
  • In our lesson this week we learned about the treble and bass clef. The video that we watched showed us that the treble clef symbol supports the high notes, and the bass clef symbol supports the low notes. After our lesson, we enjoyed singing our hymns of love.
 Memory Work:
  • Romans 11:33-36

1st Grade (Mrs. Campbell & Mrs. Morgan)

This Week
  • Our first graders enjoyed a project in measurement this week.  Students worked in pairs to practice measuring to the nearest foot using both their feet and a ruler.  They also completed fact and written assessments and continued practicing adding two-digit numbers. In history, we began a study of Benjamin Franklin and students discovered the many talents of this curious, thrifty, and diligent man.  We also continue to learn about the classification of living things, particularly the animal kingdom, and in art each student completed a city skyline drawing using the elements of shape and the technique of overlapping.
Music 
  • In our lesson this week we learned about the treble and bass clef. The video that we watched showed us that the treble clef symbol supports the high notes, and the bass clef symbol supports the low notes. Then, we completed a matching game worksheet to help us review what we have learned the past few weeks. After our lesson, we enjoyed singing our hymns of love.
P.E.
  • No P.E. this week 
Memory Work:  
  • Philippians 4:19,20

 

2nd Grade (Mrs. Jones)

This Week
  • This week second grade finished up the book, Owls in the Family. It was a bittersweet ending for our favorite owls, Wol and Weeps. We talked about how hard it is to say goodbye to an animal that you love. Most of the children have already been through this themselves. In fact, some of the pictures that the class brought in for the Pet Parade were of pets that have passed away. If your child loved this book, then be sure to check out Farley Mowat’s other books. In history the class continued to learn about the different parts of the mummification process. We discussed canopic jars and what they were used for. Afterward, the students colored the four canopic jars. They will each choose their favorite one to use on Mummification Day next Friday. Thank you for all of the hard work on the students’ sarcophaguses. They look fantastic!
Music 
  • Our lesson this week was about how to recognize and create symbols that notate musical sounds. We completed an exercise with the teacher, in which we identified musical symbols with flash cards. Then, we attempted to write them ourselves on sheet music paper. After our lesson, we enjoyed singing our hymns of love! 
Memory Work: 
  • Hebrews 11:1-10
Upcoming:
  • February 7-Mummification Day

 

3rd Grade (Mrs. Garner)

This Week
  • Our literary adventures in Detectives In Togas has taken our young sluths into the home of the mysterious Lukos, the famous soothsayer. During the visit, the boys encountered spooky masks, flying snakes, and mass chaos. Thankfully, the schoolboys’ valiant efforts were profitable and they ended up finding more clues, leading them closer to the truth. As we are reading this story aloud, our class is working on reading with confidence and appropriate expression. It has been fun to hear the students really get into character as they are reading. In doing this, the students are having to pay more attention to punctuation. Consequently, punctuation and capitalization rules are our Grammar focus this week. We have been working on becoming familiar with these rules and learning how to use them to edit sentences. In one of our exercises, we had to use a key and decode a sentence because it lacked all appropriate capitals letters and punctuation. The students definitely realized, in a fun way, how important these little details really are. 
Music 
  • Our lesson this week was based on identifying common musical terms related to tempo and dynamics. After a video in which we reviewed these musical terms, the students were required to identify them on a worksheet. We finished class singing our hymns of love.
Memory Work:
  • Psalm 19: 1-8 (Next week: verses 9-10)
Upcoming:
  • Tests
    • Wednesday, 2/5- Spelling List 19 Test and Grammar Chapter 11 Test
    • Thursday, 2/6- Latin Chapter 19 Test (*depending on class progress I may switch this test date with math) 
    • Friday, 2/7- Math (Written Assessment and Fact) Test and “Rome Rises to World Power” History Test

 

4th Grade (Mrs. Hamilton) 

This Week
  • Our favorite time of each day continues to revolve around our reading adventure–C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Students were holding their breath as Lucy, Peter, and Susan arrived at the Stone Table and met Aslan, Peter fought his first battle, and Edmund was rescued. Students were presented with themes of repentance, forgiveness, and sacrifice.  In Grammar, we continued focusing on punctuation and capitalization rules, while in Math, students began to feel much more confident working with metric measurements. In history, we focused on The Hundred Years’ War, Joan of Arc, and The Black Death: students researched one of the topics and presented their books to the class. 
Science
  • We began learning about major mountain ranges. Students will be bringing home maps they will be studying for the next several weeks. 
  • Geography test on Thursday, February 20: Continents, Oceans, Mountain ranges, Seas, Canyons, Plateaus, and Highlands. 
Music
  •  Our lesson this week was based on identifying common musical terms related to tempo and dynamics. In a video, we reviewed these musical terms. Then, the students were required to identify them on a worksheet. After our lesson, we worked on our recorders. We learned the fingering for High E, and took home the songs, “Technique Time,” and, “Hey, Ho, Nobody Home!,”  for homework. 
Memory Work:
  • Matthew 5:1-12

5th Grade (Ms. Windes) 

This Week
  • We have begun our research project for writing! So far, each student has chosen a topic and research question to pursue. We discussed how to find quality sources using the library’s website and catalog, and how to find information in those sources. We will be working on this project throughout the quarter, learning about taking notes, writing introductions and conclusions, using evidence to support a point, and transitions between paragraphs. In history, the Revolutionary War continues to develop with George Washington accepting the appointment to be leader of the Continental Army just two days before the British Pyrrhic victory at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Ask your student who really won that battle! We also continue to go through a general overview of the books of the Old Testament, learning about a few key themes, characters, and events for each book. 
Music 
  •  Our lesson this week was based on identifying common musical terms related to tempo and dynamics. After a video in which we reviewed these musical terms, the students were required to identify them on a worksheet. We finished class singing our hymns of love.
Memory Work:
  • Philippians 2:8-9
  • Literary Devices Song
Upcoming:
  • Friday, 2/6: History and spelling test 

6th Grade (Mrs. Garrett) 

This Week
  • The sixth grade enjoyed painting their clay statues this week and practicing mixing colors to make new dimensions. In addition, the class learned about ratio boxes and calculating ratios using different units. The class also practiced histograms, circle graphs, and line graphs. The class took assessments on The Civil War and the New Testament. Working through equivocation and slippery slope in logic has helped the students understand logical fallacies a bit better.
Music 
  • Our lesson this week was based on identifying common musical terms related to tempo and dynamics. After a video in which we reviewed these musical terms, the students were required to identify them on a worksheet. We finished class singing our hymns of love.
Memory Work:
  • Virus Song, 1815 History Song

 

LOGIC & RHETORIC SCHOOL

 

Mrs. Byrd

Calculus
  • We’ve been learning how to use first and second derivative tests to determine certain characteristics of functions – like extrema and concavity.  The data can be used to help sketch curves or to help inform decisions. We will have a test on this material next week.
Precalculus
  • We are considering features of less common trig functions – tan, cot, sec, csc, as well as inverse trig functions.   Our study of basic trigonometry will conclude with some application problems. We will take up analytic trigonometry after a brief diversion into probability.
Geometry 
  • The class has done well learning to write triangle proofs.  While the process is strange and trying at times, it is starting to make sense.  We will conclude this chapter with a test next week.

Dr. Byrd

10th Bible Survey
  • Thank you for your prayers for my trip to Bangalore, India over the last two weeks. The Lord blessed the time and allowed me to preach and teach his word at Grace Church and at the Family Conference.
  • This week we studied the book of Esther which actually has the country of India mentioned in it. We thought about the sovereignty of God and His providence. 
  • I also gave the students a report on my India trip and the students had South Indian filtered coffee and Tahini cookies. We were able to learn how so many there are following Hindu practices; yet the church is being built up as God saves sinners. 

Mrs. Dovan

10th Rhetoric I
  • The students are working to complete their drafts of their Refutation speeches. Each student is refuting a narrative found in an Omnibus text. 
12th Rhetoric II
  • The 12th grade is continuing independent progress and group accountability in the early stages of thesis writing.  I’m looking forward to getting to see their work next week! 

Mrs. Frueh

7th Grade Science:
  • Student astronomy presentations continued this week. The students have shown great creativity in bringing their chosen topics to life, teaching the class through models, music, and technology. I have even learned a few new things about the planets through their exhaustive research!
8th Grade Science:
    • We have wrapped up our detailed tour of the periodic table with a study of the noble gases and hydrogen. The students have developed a deeper understanding of the role valence electrons play in determining the reactivity of various elements.

 

  • Periodic Table Exam: Thursday, February 6th.

 

Mr. Hamilton

9th History
  • We had a great time learning about the Civil War this week. Students did individual research projects using books from our collection and reported on fascinating and little known facts about the war. Fantastic stuff!
9th Literature
  • As we continue discussing A Tale of Two Cities, the Defarges have led the assault on the Bastille, while Darnay is headed to Paris on behalf of his servant. 9th is doing a great job discussing themes and character!
9th Theology
  • We had our quiz on the law this week.
10th History
  • Our Thucydides projects continue to generate excitement! Students are doing a great job putting their films together.
10th Literature
  • Our journey through Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics continues; this week we discussed the state of virtue.
11th Philosophy/Apologetics
  • This week we continued discussing apologetic method.
12th History
  • We continued to discuss the Civil War and its many related issues this week.
12th Literature
  • Our journey through 19th century Victorian poetry has come to an end; next up is a look at Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson.

 

Dr. James

10th Chemistry
  • This week the students took their first test of Q3.  We also started talking about gases as a state of matter. 
  • Next week we will continue our discussion of gases, focusing on the effects of temperature, volume, and pressure.

 

Miss Oldham

8th Grade Omnibus
  • We are reading Macbeth, which will be finished and tested on next week. Then we will resume Tolkien’s adventure! 
11th Grade Literature
  • We are reading The Faerie Queene and dissecting Spenser’s allegory on holiness. 
11th Grade History
  • We are comparing/contrasting A Distant Mirror with modern times. 
7th Latin
  • We are working on relative pronouns in Latin (as well as a reminder of them in English). 
8th Latin
  • We are continuing to work through Latin Alive Book 2. 

 

Mrs. Palmer 

7th Art
  • This week we took a quiz on our artist of the quarter, Thomas Cole.  We also started working on our watercolor landscapes.
8th Art
  • This week we took a quiz on our artist of the quarter, Thomas Cole.  We also started working on our oil pastel landscapes.
9th Spanish 
  •  This week we finished up chapter four which consisted of many irregular verbs (stem-changing and irregular “yo” form verbs).  Students have a test next THURSDAY, 2/6. Please encourage students to use their study guide for this upcoming test!
10th/11th Spanish
  • This week we learned vocabulary for our new chapter.  We have also worked hard on the imperfect tense conjugations as well as learning when to use both the preterite and the imperfect.  Please continue to encourage your students to study their notes for 5-10 minutes each night! 

Mr. Palmer

7th Pre-Algebra
  • This week we worked more with percent problems and began working with problems that deal with absolute value.
8th Algebra I
  • This week we worked with solving complex fractions and using the elimination method to solve equations.
10th Algebra II
  • This week we reviewed for a test and then took the test. If your child is struggling with the concepts then please encourage them to come see me Monday, Wednesday, or Friday at lunch. 
9th Intermediate Logic
  • This week we began learning the rules of replacement and how to properly use them.
12th Systematic Theology
  • This week we talked about the sinfulness of man.

 

Ms. Hutchison

7th Grade Forum
  • Recitation due Monday: 2 Timothy 3:12-17
7th Grade Omnibus
  • History:  We began our reading of Histories by Herodotus and are focusing on the events of the early Greeks after the captivity of the Israelites by the Babylonians and the Assyrians.  Using the Story of the World, by Susan Wise-Bauer, as a starting point, 7th graders are learning to see the connectedness between the various histories and stories which are unfolding among ancient nations and powers.
  • Literature:  Our Literature study of The Odyssey will be concluding soon, with a unit test next Friday, February 7.  This week we played a rousing game of “Obstacles” with our class being divided into 4 teams to see whose “ship” would make it to Ithaca first.  Our class bake sale to raise money for the Odyssey production was a huge success!  Students raised $92, which is enough to purchase our playbooks, and so…..rehearsals will soon begin!
9th Grade Biology
  • General Biology students did very well, as a whole, on their Module Test on the Cell Membrane and transport.  We began a new unit of study this week on Cellular Reproduction and DNA.
Honors Biology
  • Lab Investigation 5: Photosynthesis concluded and Formal Lab Reports were submitted.
  • AP Bio Exam students are learning to read and analyze a scientific journal article.
  • Photosynthesis Test: Friday, January 31
  • Next week begins a new unit on Cell Communication and the Cell Cycle/ division