BB 02-02-24

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XVI, ISSUE 24

Feb 02, 2024

 

FROM THE OFFICE

IMPORTANT NOTES:  

  • NC Opportunity Scholarship:  We know a lot of you have begun your applications as we have received a lot of questions regarding Bradford Academy not being listed.  As has been communicated by Mr. Johnston in his email updates, we are working through the process of becoming a Direct Payment school as fast as the state is allowing us to complete the necessary steps.  When you get to the question that asks you to select your school, you may choose “Other” (or “Unknown” – whichever is listed).  Once Bradford is listed, you can go select our school.  We will keep you posted on when to do that!
  • Bradford Academy Financial Aid:  If you want to submit a financial aid application, you may do so here.  Please note that you must complete the NC Opportunity Scholarship application as well in order to be considered for in-house financial aid.
LOWER SCHOOL:
  • FROM MRS. MITCHELL:  Remind me why we’re low tech at the lower school?  It’s difficult to find a space that technology has not invaded in 2024.  Bradford Academy’s lower school classrooms is one such space.  We invite students to a degree of “desirable difficulty”, which involves the initially hard work of forming cursive letters, moving on to complete sentences, and finally to paragraphs and papers.  Pencil on paper.  The neuroplasticity this creates in the brain is a worthy benefit.  As those of us with teens know, any kid can learn to use technology, sometimes better than us.  In addition, our policy in the Parent Handbook (p.23) states: Students are also not permitted to bring any electronic item or items of a distracting or disruptive nature without prior permission (e.g. cell phone, Smartwatches, iPad, etc.).  While students are at school, parents communicate directly to teachers and the office concerning their child’s needs during the day, for the safety and well-being of all.

UPCOMING

NEXT WEEK:

  • Mon, 2/5:  
    • AWAY – Varsity Basketball games
  • Tues, 2/6:  CLT10 (Standardized Test) for 9th grade
  • Thurs, 2/8:  Potential Varsity girls’ basketball conference game
  • Fri-Sun, 2/9-11: 20% OFF in-store Dicks Sporting Goods coupon

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

  • Thurs, 2/15:  
    • 1st grade:  Field trip to Durham Life and Science Museum
    • CLT (Standardized Test) for 11th grade
    • Deadline to notify the office in writing for students who will not return for 2024/2025 school year.  (Contract opt-out fee will be applied for notifications that come in after this date.)
    • Deadline to complete the Parent Satisfaction Survey
  • Fri, 2/16:  Teacher workday (no school)
  • Mon, 2/19:  Presidents Day (no school)
  • Tues, 2/20:  Senior Thesis Pre-panels begin
  • Tues, 2/20: First Official day of spring season sports practices, anticipated sports include:
    • Varsity Girls Soccer (7-12 grade), option for 5-6th grade students to practice and manage
    • Varsity Boys Tennis (7-12 grade), interested 5-6th grade students could request a practice opportunity with the team
    • Varsity Boys Golf (7-12 grade)
  • Tues, 2/27:  3rd grade field trip to Morehead Planetarium
  • Thurs, 2/29: 
    • Deadline to complete the NC Opportunity Scholarship
    • 3rd – 4th grade, Bradford Night 2.0, 7pm
  • Fri, 3/1 – Sat, 3/2:  PARENTING CONFERENCE – at lower school campus – Register now!
  • Tues, 3/5: First Varsity Girls soccer game of the season (HOME)
  • Fri, 3/8: 
    • End of 3rd quarter – NOON DISMISSAL
    •  First Varsity Boys Tennis match & a varsity girls soccer game (AWAY)
  • Week of 3/11:  SPRING BREAK
  • Wed, 3/13 – Wed, 3/20:  SENIOR TRIP to Grand Canyon

 

FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK

 

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

 

Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Grubb and Mrs. Weber)

This Week
  • The highlight in TK this week was celebrating 100 days in school! We had a fun filled day on Wednesday packed with 100 themed activities. It was so fun to see everyone all dressed up! Our letters this week were R and K. We worked on writing these letters and learning their sounds. In math, we review writing our numbers up to 10. We also continued using a dot cube and matching the number of dots to number cards and pennies. Students also were able to copy shapes and designs on a geoboard. This is a great fine motor activity. A few of our centers included: practicing beginning sounds & ending sounds, introduction to lowercase letters and using the tip of a paint brush to “write” letters in play dough “cookies.” This week we studied the story of Jesus calming the storm. We discussed how even the waves & the wind obeyed Jesus’s voice as they recognized him as their Creator. Next week we will talk about the miracle of Jesus feeding 5000 people and begin learning Proverbs 17:17. 

 

Lower School P.E. (Mrs. Bennington)

K – 4th
  • Students did a great job in P.E. this week playing Capture the Flag, Four Corners, and/or Musical Chairs. A lot of time was spent on following the rules and having self control so that we can have fun playing a game. We talked about which characteristics would be present in good sportsmanship and why having good sportsmanship is important when playing a game. 

Lower School Music (Mrs. Bennington)

K-3rd
  • Students worked on our first hymn for the third quarter, “How Great Thou Art.”  Students also worked on  the songs “The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock”, “I Love the Mountains”, and “She’ll be Coming Round the Mountains”. 
4th 
  • Fourth grade students worked on learning two new notes, “C” and F#”,  on their recorder so that they could learn how to play  the first two lines of “All Praise to Thee”. Students will have a playing test on the first two lines of “All Praise to Thee” next Thursday 2/8. Students also worked on singing “How Great Thou Art”  and “All Praise to Thee”.  Students did a great job on their singing test!

Lower School Art (Mrs. Palmer)

3rd
  • One point perspectives were diligently worked on this week.  Students have done a great job with this project and these will be displayed proudly soon.
4th
  • We worked hard on our Thomas Cole inspired watercolor landscapes this week.  We have been focusing on translucency, color mixing and using the proper water to paint ratios.  Soon we will display these. 

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)

This Week: 
  • Our kindergartners loved learning about Justinian the Great, who was a Roman emperor in 527 AD. In history, we discussed Justinian’s role as a historical figure in Rome, and we also recreated a picture of him in the style of mosaic art. In math, we learned how to add two-digit numbers without regrouping, how to identify “how many more” on a graph, and how to identify and make congruent shapes. In phonics, we started our new reader “The Rig Ran On,” and we also started our new spelling list which contains ten words. In science, we continued to learn about the planets, with a specific focus on the moon’s phases.
Memory Work: 
  • Romans 11:33-36 and review

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

This Week:
  •  In math the students learned how to: solve a problem using the guess and check method, use mental computation to subtract 10 from a two-digit number, measure and draw line segments to the nearest half inch, and add two-digit numbers with a sum greater than 100. In history, the students are listening to a story about Squanto and how he was a friend to the pilgrims.  The kids are enjoying reading as we delve into the spy world and witness the defeat of the no-good Red Hood! Parents may find this story very familiar with lots of references to a more grown up spy thriller with 007. The students are identifying nouns, pronouns, and verbs in stories during grammar as well as learning about initials. We had a lot of fun in science as we learned about the 3 states of matter when making jello. 

 

Memory Work:  
  • Please review all the Bible verses and catechisms we have memorized so far.
Upcoming:      
  • February 15th- Field Trip! Please return permission forms ASAP. We need volunteers to drive and chaperone.

February 16th – Teacher work day / No school for students

February 19th- President’s Day/ No school

 

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

This Week: 
  • We celebrated 100 days of second grade by listing 100 things we have learned in second grade. It was fun to remember what we have learned as we continue to lay a solid foundation for future academic success.  In science the students are researching specific animals in the Animal Kingdom then completing an information sheet, drawing a picture and writing or copying a poem. It is truly staggering to the imagination the amazing variety of animals in the world!  Their unique characteristics exemplify the Creator’s perfect design for creation.  In a few weeks each student will do a project at home for one specific mammal, bird, fish, reptile, amphibian, insect or arachnid.  This will involve researching the animal then making a display of the animal in its habitat. Further information about this project will be sent home shortly.  We have concluded the reading of Stuart Little and encourage students to read other books by E.B. White.  Our next books will relate well to our Animal Kingdom study.  Telling time and counting coins are two math skills we continue to work to master.  
Memory Work: 
  • Proverbs 25:19-20
  • We will continue with Hebrews 11 next week

 

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

This Week
  • We finished another great week in third grade! From democracy and the idea of citizenship to the layout of our cities and roadways, students continue to discover the effect the Greeks and Romans had on our modern day lives.  In order to travel across their vast empire, the Romans built paved roads much like our system of highways. Government and commerce were carried out in Roman Forums similar to our town squares. They built aqueducts to bring fresh water into the cities, and underground sewers to carry away the waste. We can see the influence of Roman architecture here in our own cities through the use of columns and domes crafted into buildings and structures like the White House and Jefferson Memorial. In math, students began memorizing the algorithm for solving division problems. We’ve introduced the future tense verb endings in Latin, and practiced conjugating verbs in the future tense. This tied in nicely with Grammar as we studied the three simple verb tenses, past, present, and future, and stressed the importance of being consistent in our use of tense when we write. Students have been identifying the elements of a story in the books they’ve read and finished up the reading Homer Price. We are halfway through the third quarter! 
Memory Work:
  • Psalm 19: 9-10 (Review Psalm 19: 1-8)
Upcoming:
  • Moon Observations through the month of February
  • 2/26 Planet Presentations DUE
  • 2/27  Morehead Planetarium Field Trip
  • 2/29 Bradford Night

 

4th Grade (Mrs. Burtram and Miss Abrahamsen) 

This Week

We completed a busy week in fourth grade filled with group activities, independent learning and class discussions. We studied St. Thomas Aquinas in history and how he realized his greatest work seemed “nothing but straw” compared to the inspired Word of our Lord. We had fabulous Keva challenges and one focused on the tallest tower using the least amount of Kevas. The winning team built their tower a little over 3 feet. We discovered a new sentence pattern in English and learned about indirect objects. Math was filled with fractions, decimals, and percents. The students loved seeing the connection between these math concepts. Burlington Writers Club stories have been completed this week and we turned our focus to writing summaries using key words from a writing piece. Wonderful job fourth graders!

Upcoming: 

Matthew 5: 10-12

 

LOGIC SCHOOL

 

Mrs. Bennington

5th-6th Band
  • This week students learned several new notes and how to read and  play four types of dynamics. Students also began sight reading and singing their exercises. Our  fourth  practice record for the third quarter will be due next Tuesday 2/13.
7th-9th Band 
  • This week students worked hard on expanding their range!  We spent a lot of time on long tones and lip slurs. Students did a great job on their Long Tone test! Our fourth  practice record for the third quarter will be due next Tuesday 2/13. 

Mrs. Campbell

5th-8th Chorus
  • This week chorus class continued developing vocal blending and harmony through the use of a round.  Students were also given their next practice record, due Thursday, 2/8.

Mr. Webster

5th-8th Boys’ PE
  • The boys ran a mile and played basketball this week. 

Miss Stevenson

5th-8th Girls’ PE
  • Girls played floor hockey in PE this week.

 

5th Grade (Mrs. Owens) 

This Week
  • The 5th grade students have been busy this week!  Over the past couple weeks the students have seen the 13 colonies growing desire for independence.  The students finally dove into the beginning of the War for Independence by looking at the battles of Lexington and Concord and studying about a few influential figures of this time.  In our literature book, Duel in the Wilderness, George Washington is forming his group of individuals to accompany him on his mission to find the French.  This week the students turned in their final copy of their creative writing story and they have been sent off to the Burlington Writers Club.  The students continue to build their familiarity with fractions and this week we also looked at supplementary and complementary angles.  I am so proud of how hard the students are working!    
Memory Work:
  • Philippians 2:5-6 (this week)
  • Philippians 2: 7-8 (next week)
Upcoming:
  • Sons of the American Revolution Poster Contest – more details to follow

Mrs. Palmer

5th Art
  • Students have been hard at work on their Thomas Cole inspired oil pastel landscapes.  Learning how much to blend (and not to over-blend) has been a challenge but students have risen to the occasion.  I am looking forward to seeing these completed – they have worked hard!
Mrs. Kromhout
5th Latin
  • 5th graders reviewed for and took their test this week, and then began a new set of vocabulary and grammar, learning about the future tense in the third and fourth conjugations!

 

6th Grade (Miss Stevenson)

6th Reading and Literature
  • We finished reading Something Greater Than Gold this week. Next week we will start reading A Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.
6th Grammar and Writing
  • Students submitted their fictional stories and poems for the Burlington Writers Club this week! I am excited to see how they do in the competition.
6th Bible
  • We are continuing to read through the gospel of John.
6th History
  • This week we took a look at the Age of Industry in the US from 1870-1900. We also finished watching a documentary about the transcontinental railroad.
6th Science
  • In Science this week we took a quiz on the progression of cell theory. We also started looking into the organelles of plant and animal cells.
6th Logic
  • This week we started the section of our Logic book about statistical fallacies. The first two chapters touch on strong and weak generalizations.

Mr. Hunter

6th Latin
  • This week the students practiced translating passages from Pictet’s Medulla, particularly sections on obedience to their parents and loving their brothers and sisters. They also learned about the writings of Alcuin. 

Mrs. Frueh

6th Math
  • The students were introduced to the concept of algebraic addition this week. They learned to translate the subtraction expressions of traditional arithmetic into addition expressions using algebraic addition. This allowed them to use the commutative property to simplify the expressions. While using this new technique was challenging at first, algebraic addition will set a strong foundation for solving more difficult equations in the future.

Mrs. Palmer 

6th Art
  • This week we have continued on with our Thomas Cole inspired watercolor landscapes.  I have been very impressed with these sixth graders as watercolor can be a challenging medium.  They have been diligent in trying to select the correct colors, working hard to mix those colors and maintaining translucency in all of it.  A job well done so far!

Mrs. Crotts

7th Grammar
  • 7th graders spent time editing rough drafts for an essay.  We also emphasized the benefits of active verbs versus passive in most cases.
7th Omnibus
  • Literature: Students concluded making outlines and writing rough drafts for the essay question posed after reading Virgil’s Aeneid: “Does everyone  have a destiny?”
  • History/Bible: To study Dr.  R.C. Sproul’s Holiness of God, students were divided into three groups and tasked with reading, summarizing and presenting summaries about  three of the chapters.

Mr. Johnston

7th Logic
  • The students continued discussing the fallacy of Bifurcation, or False Dilemma. We also began our consideration of the Fallacy of Moderation.  This bad argument assumes that the truth is always found in some middle ground, not in the extremes.

Mrs. Frueh

7th Science
  • We wrapped up our study of volcanoes with a unit test. On to our study of astronomy next week!
7th Pre-Algebra
  • Various lessons were practiced this week including multiplying with scientific notation, making calculations with percentages greater than 100%, and reading numbers with multiple negative signs.

Mrs. Palmer 

7th Art
  • This week we have continued on with our Thomas Cole inspired watercolor landscapes.  I have been very impressed with these sixth graders as watercolor can be a challenging medium.  They have been diligent in trying to select the correct colors, working hard to mix those colors and maintaining translucency in all of it.  A job well done so far!

Mr. Hunter

7th Latin
  • This week the students practiced translating passages from Pictet’s Medulla, including his arguments for why and how we should fear the Lord. They also learned about Alcuin. 

 

Mrs. Kromhout

8th Omnibus
  • History: We learned this week about the manorial system and the feudal system, also talking more about medieval life! 
  • Literature: We have had great discussions this week about the characters of The Two Towers, comparing and contrasting the two great wizards and their character qualities, looking at how different characters respond to temptation, and discussing the consistent faithfulness of Samwise Gamgee. 
  • Composition: We finished polishing our short stories and submitted them to the Burlington Writers Club contest! 

Mr. Hunter

8th Latin
  • This week the students continued working on their translation projects. We discussed Pictet’s passage on self-denial, and the students also learned about Alcuin. 

Mrs. Frueh

8th Science
  • We explored within the atom this week with an in depth study of protons, neutron, and electrons, as well as quarks (the building blocks of protons and neutrons). The students are starting to grasp the astounding complexity of the quantum world. There is a famous saying in the field of quantum mechanics that says “If you think that you understand quantum mechanics, then you don’t understand quantum mechanics.” While this can feel daunting and humbling, it also pushes us to worship the Creator who knit together the fabric of the universe in such a way that even the most intelligent humans in the history of the world struggle to grasp its detail.
8th Algebra I
  • The students are beginning to master the skill of factoring trinomials. This week, they learned how to factor simple trinomials, but also how to factor out a greatest common factor before factoring the remaining trinomial. They also learned to factor the difference of two squares.

Mrs. Palmer 

8th Art
  • Our Lord of the Rings inspired oil pastel scenes are coming along nicely.  We continue to work on blending, color matching/mixing and using techniques such as sgraffito to obtain detail.  Ask your student which they chose:  Mordor, Rohan, or the Shire. 

Mr. Crotts

8th Logic
  • We are learning about the mood and figure of a syllogism. Wondering what mood and figure and syllogisms are? Ask your students to tell you all about arguments!

 

RHETORIC SCHOOL

 

From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:

9th-12th:
  • The CLT (Classic Learning Test) has put together an excellent resource highlighting like minded colleges offering summer programs to high school students!! Many of these programs offer college credit or scholarships, but also would be an amazing opportunity to experience life on campus, take classes from the professors, explore a certain field or area of study, meet like minded students from across the country, and get a taste of college life. I highly recommend checking out the guide to see if there may be a good fit for your student and family! 
Juniors: 
  • Juniors should sign up for the SAT and/or ACT if they have not already! Several are signed up for the below dates at BCA:
  • We had our second SAT/ACT study session this Tuesday afternoons from 2:15-3:15. I had students fill out an accountability form with their study goals for these sessions! These are my recommendations:
    • Taking a full practice test at home and scoring it
    • Using Khan Academy to work on the more challenging concepts (for example – many of the students need to brush up on the geometry concepts from the math sections) during these sessions
    • Attending tutoring lab once a week while either Mrs. Byrd or Mrs. Frueh are there and able to help them with any challenging math problems or concepts

 

Mrs. Palmer 

9th Spanish 
  • We have been working on past vocabulary review and added new vocabulary this week.  We also continue to practice with irregular verbs in the present tense.  Students added the “present progressive” to their tenses this week as well.  

Coach Johnston

9th History
  • Students completed their overview of the presidency of Andrew Jackson and have begun to read some of the primary documents explaining the causes of the civil war.

Mrs. Frueh

9th Geometry
  • It was an exciting week in geometry. We finished our first unit of the semester on proving the similarity of polygons, but we also completed our balsa wood bridge projects! After a long design-and-build process, the students finally had the chance to test the strength of their truss designs. Ask your student how well their design held up.

Mr. Crotts

9th Logic
  • We are learning tricks & clues for writing out formal proofs of validity. Your students are learning a very difficult concept but are doing well!

Mrs. Fairchild

9th Advanced Art
  • We have started oil painting! The students learned about many different mediums and studied the rule of Fat Over Lean.  We began with some color mixing and learning different techniques with a palette knife. The students looked at various landscape artists like Bierdstat, Thomas Cole, Bob Ross, Maynard Dixon and Thomas Kincaid and debated the qualities of these artists’ works. After hammering out what makes a good landscape painting they began adding those elements to their own design. 

Mrs. Hicks

9th Biology
  • This week we wrapped up Module 7 about Molecular Biology. Since students are taking the CLT on Tuesday, the test for Module 7 has been moved to Thursday, February 8th. Our next unit will be on Genetics with many fun activities!

Mrs. Crotts

9th Literature
  • 9th graders went back in time and presented a summary of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.  This is a creative bunch.  They concluded the week by writing an in-class essay.

Dr. Byrd

9th-10th Bible Survey
  • This week we have finished the book of Ezekiel which has the theme “the glory of the LORD.”  We have begun the book of Daniel. We have seen how the Lord was with Daniel and his three friends and helped them in the difficult environment in which they found themselves. They would not compromise. Many valuable lessons in this book.
  • Scripture Memory: Jeremiah 33:2-3
  • Test: Wednesday – 2/7/24

 

Dr. James

10th Chemistry
  • This week the students took their first test of Q3, and we began a study of the gas laws. 
  • Next week we will continue our study of gas laws, including properties that distinguish gases from other states of matter. 

Mrs. Palmer 

10th Spanish
  • This week we have continued to work with the imperfect tense.   Students also compared and contrasted preterite and imperfect tenses and learned specific words to help them know when to use each tense.  We continue to practice with present tense irregulars and review both old and new vocabulary.

Mrs. Byrd

10th Algebra II
  • Topics for the week include metric volume conversions, multiplying and dividing complex numbers, simplifying complex fractions, exponent rules with variable exponents, and solving nonlinear systems of equations.

Mrs. Crotts

10th Literature
  • The 10th grade worked on two projects.  They are working towards a rough draft of an essay about one of three topics.  Secondly, they continued to develop presentations of Edith Hamilton’s Mythology.

Miss Oldham

10th Rhetoric I
  • Students delivered their first speeches of the quarter and received their next speech assignment. 

Coach Johnston

10th History
  • Students continue to read and discuss The Peloponnesian War, this week’s application focused on alertness, problem solving and struggling with unintended consequences. Students took a quiz on Thursday covering the early Athens government.
10th PE
  • Students have enjoyed a week of playing floor hockey in the gym.

Mrs. Byrd

11th Precalculus
  • We’re continuing in our work with trig functions.  We’ve learned to evaluate trig ratios for any angle and how to use a unit circle.  Next we will consider graphical representations of trig functions and inverse trig functions.
11th Physics
  • Periodic motion has been our focus of the week.  We’re learning about the features of simple harmonic motion and how energy is exchanged in a mass/spring system and a pendulum system.

Miss Oldham

11th Literature
  • Students continued on Lewis’s journey in The Great Divorce. Their final essay is on Friday 2/9. 

Mr. Webster

11th History
  • This week we learned about the kings of England and France during the 11th century, as well as the influence of the Mongols in the 12th and 13th centuries. The students also turned in their paper on doctrinal controversies in the Middle Ages. 

Mr. Hunter

11th NT Greek

This week the students continued learning about personal, relative, and demonstrative pronouns. We also discussed the Greek work of Manuel Chrysoloras and Erasmus. 

Mrs. Palmer

11th-12th Elective: Color Theory/Design
  • Students worked this week on finalizing their first project.  They took a quiz on the elements and principles of art.  We continue to look at and learn about what principles of good design and students received their next project. 

Dr. Smith

11th-12th Apologetics & Philosophy
  • We continue reading and discussing James Sire’s book The Universe Next Door. This week we discussed deism (the belief that there is a god, but this god is removed from the physical universe.) and naturalism, which is the belief that nature is all that is, or that there is nothing outside the physical material realm. We discussed that according to both deism and naturalism all explanations regarding anything must come from within the physical material realm, but in point of fact this leaves life without any meaning other than what the individual chooses to give it, which is existentialism. Students also continued memorizing portions of Ephesians 1. 

Coach Johnston

12th History
  • Students have been working to understand Western expansion and the other cultural and political issues that defined the antebellum era.

Miss Oldham

12th Literature
  • Students continued with As I Lay Dying. 
12th Rhetoric II
  • Seniors have been working on turning their papers into speeches in preparation for their prepanels at the end of February. Please let me know if you did not receive a calendar invite for your senior’s panel! 

Mrs. Byrd

12th Calculus
  • This week we’re learning how to use a differential equation to model various situations, how to solve a simple differential equation, and how to use a slope field to represent solutions of a differential equation.

Mrs. Hicks

12th Anatomy
  • This week we wrapped up the cardiac system. Students will take the test on Tuesday. We will then move on to the neurological and endocrine systems!