BB 02-03-2023

 

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XV, ISSUE 22

Feb 3, 2023

 

FROM THE OFFICE

  • Congratulations to Savannah Drews for winning the Bradford Academy Spelling Bee!  She was up against some tough competition with Ian Frueh, but prevailed at last, after many, many rounds.  
  • HOT LUNCH next week:  Deadline to order and pay: Wednesday, February 8, at NOON.
  • Spring Running Club:  2nd – 3rd grades – keep your eyes out for more info to come soon!
  • Testing Dates:  Please note the dates below in bold for our standardized testing.  We kindly ask, and are giving sufficient notice, that you not schedule vacations or appointments on the day that applies for your child.  Administering make-up tests is difficult.  

 

UPCOMING

THIS WEEK:

  • Wed, 2/8:  Girls soccer pre-season training  (*watch for an email!) 
  • Thurs, 2/9:  
    • 7:50-8am – Archers’ Prayer Group – lower school
    • V Boys Basketball (3:30pm) – HOME – SENIOR NIGHT ceremony immediately following the game
  • Fri, 2/10: 
    • HOT LUNCH
    • Girls soccer pre-season training 

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

  • Tues, 2/14:  Girls soccer pre-season training 
  • Thurs, 2/16:  Girls soccer pre-season training 
  • Fri, 2/17: Teacher workday – NO SCHOOL
  • Mon, 2/20: Presidents day – NO SCHOOL 
  • Week of 2/20: Start of Spring Season Sports (Girls Soccer, Co-ed Tennis) and Run Club, more information regarding spring season sports to come
  • Thurs, 2/23: 11th NC State visit
  • Fri, 2/24: HOT LUNCH
  • Mon, 3/6 – Wed, 3/15:  Senior trip to England
  • Tues, 3/14: Pi day 
  • Fri, 3/17: End of 3rd Q – Report cards
  • 3/20 – 3/24: SPRING BREAK
  • Fri, 3/31:  Visit with and lectures by Dr. Andy McIntosh – upper school
  • 4/7-4/10:  Easter break, no school
  • Tues, 4/18:  CLT10 testing for 9th and 10th graders
  • Wed, 4/26:  CLT testing for 11th and 12th graders
  • Fri, 4/28:  6th grade field trip to Appomattox
  • Week of May 1st:  Standardized testing for 1st – 7th graders
  • Tues, 5/9:  CLT8 testing for 8th graders, Sports Banquet (pm)
  • Thurs, 5/11:  Bradford games (upper school)
  • Fri, 5/12:   Teacher workday, no school
  • Week of 5/15 and 5/22:  Senior Thesis presentations
  • Tues, 5/23:  Spring Concert and Art display(upper school)
  • Thurs, 5/25:  Last day of TK; Patriotic Program (3rd – 5th grades)
  • Mon, 5/29:  Memorial Day, no school
  • Wed, 5/31:  Verse Bee (lower school), Jr/Sr Gala (evening)
  • Fri, 6/2:  Last day of school, Graduation (pm)

 

FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK

 

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

 

Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Rich and Mrs. Grubb)

The highlight of our week was celebrating our 100th day in school! It was a great time and was so fun seeing everyone be creative with their outfits. We celebrated by doing several 100 themed activities and a special snack. It was a great day! In addition to 100 day, we learned how to copy designs on a geoboard and practiced matching number cards to the number of dots on a dot cube. Our letters of the week were K and R. It was so fun seeing the items brought in for show & tell. We continued working on reading readiness skills by practicing beginning and ending sounds of words, finding letters in books, and working on identifying words in a word family. We read this week about Jesus calming the storm while on the lake with his disciples and discussed how we can always trust in Him! 

Lower School P.E. (Mrs. Bennington)

K – 5th
  • Students learned several line dances in PE this week. Students also completed several relay races utilizing hand eye coordination. 

Lower School Music (Mrs. Bennington)

K-2nd  
  • Kindergarten, First and Second grade students continued working on our first hymn of the quarter, “Be Thou My Vision”. Students also worked on the first verse of “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”. We finished by working on “Thumbkin”, “Father Abraham”, and “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain”.  The students really enjoyed these songs. 
3rd
  • Third grade continued with the lesson we started last week on how to begin  reading music. Students practiced counting several different rhythm lines.  Students reviewed how to sit correctly to play their recorder, how to breathe, how to articulate, where to put their hands and fingers, and how to play their very first two notes (B, A). We also learned how to play Exercise #1-4 on page 8 in our books.  We ended by singing “Be Thou My Vision” and “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”. 
4th-5th
  • Students did a great job today going back and reviewing pages 8-11.  Many improvements were made due to hard work, focus, and practice. Please continue to practice three times a week before our next music class. Students should focus on page 11-12 during their practice. Students also did a great job singing “Be Thou My Vision” and “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”. 

Lower School Art (Mrs. Palmer)

3rd 
  • This week we worked on grayscale sphere drawings.  We talked about contrast, highlights and shadows and worked a lot on blending.  This was a good exercise for students!
4th
  • This week students finished up their Monet inspired water lily ponds.  They used short brushstrokes and bright colors much like Impressionists did.
5th
  • This week students worked on their Monet inspired water lily pond watercolor paintings.  Students worked on water to paint ratios and color mixing. 

 

Kindergarten (Miss Burdeshaw and Mrs. Rivera)

This Week:

We started the week off with a review day in math by going over doubles plus one and adding two-digit numbers. In history, we read about Justinian the Great and in art, they got to create their own mosaic  of him. We are continuing our astronomy unit with the study of constellations, and  recreated the night sky with our planetarium projector. 

 

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

This Week

This week in first grade we have continued with our study of nouns, verbs and pronouns and our new lesson on abbreviations. We now know how to abbreviate the months of the year. Students are developing their writing skills by writing short stories. I love to see the imagination of the students come out in their writing. This month in science we are learning about the Yellow Bellied Sap Sucker! Such an interesting bird. In math we are delving deeper into the world of subtraction. Students now know the -0, -1, -2, and -3 and they are continuing to review their 100 addition facts. In history we defined “courage” and how courage was demonstrated in the book we are reading “The Courage of Sarah Noble”. 

 Memory Work:  
  • This week: Philippians 4:19-20
  • Next 2 weeks: James 1:19-20
  • Review both addition and subtraction facts daily
  • Review both single and multi-letter phonograms
Upcoming:
  • 2/14- Students will be allowed to bring a small card or treat for each of their classmates on Valentine’s Day.Mrs. Morgan’s class has 12 students and Mrs. Smith’s class has 13 students. This is an optional activity. 
  • 3/17- Reading Day

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

This Week

Our second graders rose to the challenge in math this week as they found square roots, added decimals, read temperatures on the Celsius scale, and wrote their own story problems. In grammar, we learned the rules for subject – verb agreement, and we are continuing to work with prepositional phrases. The students did exceptionally well on their Latin quizzes this week, and we are moving from animals to parts of the body. Please keep encouraging your child to study regularly. We were interested to learn that the Egyptians were surprised by the chariots of the Hyksos, who invaded Egypt by these tools of battle. In science, we have moved on to rocks and minerals, beginning with the rock cycle. As we continue reading Winnie-the-Pooh in class, we have also started our at-home reading of Mr. Popper’s Penguins. Students are enjoying both of these beloved stories.

Memory Work: 
  • Hebrews 11: 8-10 (this week)
  • Hebrews 11: 11-12 (next week)
  • Practice subtraction facts, please!
Upcoming:
  • Students will be allowed to bring a small card or treat for each of their classmates on Valentine’s Day. Each class has 14 students, if you choose to participate in this optional activity.

 

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 continue to solve division problems, convert improper fractions into mixed numbers, and identify and name quadrilaterals. 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. We are halfway through the third quarter!
Memory Work: 
  • Psalm 19: 11-12; Review verses 1-10

 

4th Grade (Mrs. Burtram and Mrs. Lawson) 

This Week
  •  We had a fabulous learning week.  We completed a science experiment learning about warm water and how it is lighter in weight than cold water and its relationship to ocean water.  We worked in groups this week studying fresh water, ocean currents, tides, and filter feeders.  Students worked together and presented information about these topics in creative ways to share with the class.  The 100 years war, black death and Joan of Arc took center stage in History this week. The students listened and responded by creating a biography of Joan of Arc and shared their work  aloud with the class.  We spent time learning a new clause in writing this week and added this dress up to our writing about the Brothers Grimm.  Math was a joy as we learned about rounding and estimating to quickly add, subtract, multiply, and divide numbers, added on to our knowledge in Geometry by using letters to identify angles, and worked on multi step story problems.
Memory Work: 
  • Matthew 5: 17,18

 

5th Grade (Mrs. Owens) 

This Week

This week we learned how to change fractions into decimals and percentages.  We have continued to move further down our history timeline and this week the students learned about the Battle of Bunker Hill.  The students learned that the battle was actually fought on Breed’s Hill and even though the British technically won the battle, they lost over 40% of their soldiers and only gained two unimportant hills.  We are continuing on in our new book, Johnny Tremain, and today we read about an interaction between Johnny and Paul Revere.  The students have enjoyed pairing their history lessons with their reading.  

Memory Work:
  • Philippians 2:5-6 (this week)
  • Philippians 2:7-8 (next week)
Upcoming:

Sons of the American Revolution Poster Contest – details coming soon

 

LOGIC SCHOOL

 

Mrs. Bennington

6th-8th Band
  • Students received their fifth practice record for the quarter to start documenting weekly practice and assignments.  We discussed the importance of at-home practice and the expectations for effective practice. Practice records need to be turned in every Tuesday for a grade. We spent a lot of time this week on dynamics and how to play soft and loud.  We also worked on pick-up notes,  accents, and our concert Bb scale. Students did a great job  demonstrating their ability to correctly play accents this past Tuesday 1/31 on their test on 2.20. Students will have their first scale test this Tuesday 2/7. Students are doing very well and I am pleased with their progress! 

Mrs. Sarah Johnston

6th-8th Choir
  • Students made some lovely harmonies this week as they became more confident with their parts and pieces. Practice records were introduced this week. We discussed the importance of targeting the most challenging areas during home practice time, and coming to class with specific questions regarding where help is needed. Students have become comfortable using solfeggio, and I daresay are having a bit of fun with it as well. You might see if they can sing a favorite song in solfeggio for you!

Mr. Davis

6th -8th Boys’ PE
  • This week the boys played basketball on Monday and then went bowling on Wednesday. 

Miss Stevenson

6th-8th Girls’ PE
  • This week in PE we played kickball and handball.
6th Reading and Literature
  • We started reading Corrie ten Boom’s The Hiding Place this week. This is a challenging and sobering read, so hopefully it will encourage some good discussions in class and at home. 
6th Grammar and Writing
  • Now that we are in February, students may be feeling the crunch as we approach the deadline of our Compare/Contrast Essay. I have given them a recommended schedule to help them complete the essay a couple of paragraphs per week. Hopefully by the end of this week they will have mostly completed their introductory paragraph as well as a full body paragraph. Next week they should be mostly finished with their final body paragraph and the conclusion. They should spend the following week proofreading and putting finishing touches on formatting, in-text citations, and the bibliography. I am excited to read the final drafts! 
6th Bible
  • We are continuing to work our way through the book of Acts.  Students also completed their memorization of 1 John 2 this week. 
6th History
  • The card from this week was a bit lighter. We had the chance to learn a bit more about cowboys in the West from 1870-1890. 
6th Science
  • This week we reviewed cell organelles in both plant and animal cells. I will be introducing the cell model project next Tuesday. That project will be due Tuesday, March 14.
6th Logic
  • We took a break from Logic this week to focus on some larger projects in other subjects.

Miss Windes

6th Grade Latin
  • We finished learning about the present system of the ‘to be’ verbs by learning the future and imperfect tenses of those verbs. We continue to review adjectives and practice translations and are preparing for a test next week! 

Mrs. Frueh

6th Grade 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
  • Students worked on their Monet inspired watercolor paintings.  We continue to talk about color mixing and water to paint ratios. 

Mrs. Crotts

7th Grammar and Writing
  • We spent time editing essays eagle-eyed for well-used literary devices.  The goal for 7th grade is to graduate from rushing to turn in a paper wreaked with grammar mistakes and to settle down and marinate in their work–firstly, are the basics of good grammar and assignment requirements covered and secondly, is the work interesting and clear and elevating.
7th Grade Omnibus
  • We concluded reading a summary work of the Aeneid.  Now we will hear rousing and famous passages from the Aeneid and put selections to memory.  This week, we concluded reading the Minor Prophets–the last 12 books of the Old Testament–and shared 2 verses from memory with the class.
7th Logic
  • Students reviewed for and took a quiz on “red herring” derivatives.  

Mrs. Frueh

7th Grade Science
  • We began our astronomy unit with a history lesson on the development of the heliocentric model of the solar system. We traced the long history of geocentrism and discussed the roots of Greek philosophy behind the long-held belief that the Earth anchored the center of the universe.
  • Next week we will take a more detailed look at how the work of Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo changed the course of history.
7th Grade 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
  • Students finished up their landscape oil pastels this week.  We also began a grayscale graphite project in which we will be talking about grayscale, contrast and blending.

Miss Windes

7th Grade Latin
  • Seventh grade Latin students did a longer translation passage, and then reviewed giving a command in Latin and using the vocative case, the case of direct address. 

 

Miss Windes

8th Grade Omnibus
  • History: In history this week, we learned about the aristocracy of the High Middle Ages, learning about the knights and noblemen and the castles and manor houses they lived in. We also learned about the towns of the time period and the development of trade. Students have been researching and will begin their research presentations next Monday! 
  • Literature: We began Return of the King this week, meeting Denethor, the proud steward of Gondor and watching as all those around Gondor prepare for Sauron’s attempt to conquer all the free peoples of Middle Earth. 
  • Composition: The students began making edits to an older essay – their Beowulf essay – and we reviewed some stylistic elements that we have been working on throughout the year.
8th Grade Latin
  • Eighth graders reviewed the uses of the ablative case, learned a new set of vocabulary, reviewed the vocative case, and began reviewing for the National Latin Exam. 

Mrs. Frueh

8th Grade Science
  • It was an exciting week in science class! After many weeks of work, the students had the opportunity to race their mousetrap cars. It was a successful year with every single car making a good showing on the racetrack. Several cars even went double the required distance. The students should all be proud of their hard work.
8th Grade Algebra I
  • The students learned how to use the slope-intercept form of linear equations to graph on the coordinate plane. This form (y = mx + b) allows for the quick identification of both the slope and the y-intercept of the line so a graph can be drawn. We also practiced solving for consecutive integers, as well as consecutive odd and even integers.

Mrs. Palmer 

8th Art
  • Students are continuing on with their Lord of the Rings cross curricular project in oil pastel.  These are coming along nicely!

Mr. Davis

8th Logic

This week the students worked on testing the validity of a syllogism by using a counter example. 

RHETORIC SCHOOL

From COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:

Juniors: 

  • There are several upcoming events for the juniors in the next couple months:
    • Thursday, February 23, Junior NC State visit: We will visit from 1-3pm, parents are welcome to join – just let me know as soon as possible!
    • Tuesday, March 7, 10am-12pm, Christian College Fair: Our juniors have been invited to a Christian college fair at Trinity of Durham and Chapel Hill. Around 30 Christian colleges will be represented and available to talk with our students! 
  • These are the tasks that should be on our juniors’ radar throughout the spring:
    • Study for and sign up for SAT/ACT (see my email or reach out for registration and date details)
    • Continue to research and build a college list 
    • Visit colleges – this is one of the best ways to get insight into a college and to better understand what you are looking for
    • Begin to think about how you will spend your summer 

Seniors:

  • I was able to meet with most of the seniors this past week – many are still applying for scholarships, waiting to hear from colleges, and waiting to hear about financial aid, but many have heard from colleges. Congratulations to them on their many college acceptances and scholarships! I am praying for them as they think through decisions and finish this last semester of high school. 

Mrs. Palmer 

9th Spanish  
  • We have reviewed this week in preparation for their chapter 4 test.  They took this test and next week we will begin a new chapter. I’m excited to see their verb conjugation skills growing!

Mr. Crotts 

9th Logic
  • Our class has been working to master rules of inference and replacement. 
Dr. James
9th Geometry
  • This week the students took their first test of Q3, and we began a study of calculating areas. 
  • Next week we will continue with how to calculate areas of complex shapes. 

Mrs. Hicks

9th Biology
  • On Tuesday, we took some time to review the information from Module 7. This was important as it is building blocks as we moved forward to Module 8, which focuses on genetics, on Thursday. 

Dr. Smith

9th Theology
  • Students are learning about the character of the medieval time period in terms of the ideas and doctrines most debated within the church, and the delicate relationship between the church and civil government. They have been learning about how the rivalry that developed between the popes and the kings led both to try and solidify their authority. In turn, this is hopefully preparing them to understand the need for and character of the Protestant Reformation.

Mrs. Crotts

9th Grade Literature
  • We spent the week editing the longest essay yet of the year–an essay, inclusive of research and bibliographic citation in MLA format, on a transcendentalist author from the 1800’s. The students worked hard.

Coach Johnston

9th History
  • We spent the week considering American expansion in the 1840s and American arguments in the 1850s. We’ll be ready to begin the American Civil War next week.

 

Mrs. Byrd

10th Algebra II
  • Students have learned to convert between linear and liquid units of volume, to solve equations containing two radical expressions, and multiply and divide complex expressions.  

Dr. Byrd

10th Bible Survey
  • This week we have been studying the books of Ezekiel and Daniel. We have been challenged by their faith and service to God. We will continue in Daniel next week. Students are beginning to read for their book analysis project. 

Mrs. Crotts

10th Grade Literature
  • Students concluded last week with some outstanding presentations on the history of Greek and Roman gods/goddesses.  They presented these to the 7th grade class, also studying Ancient Greek and Roman mythology. (7th graders stated that Levi is an excellent and knowledgeable teacher and the goddesses were beautiful in their costumes!)  The class is continuing to read Edith Hamilton’s book, Mythology, and face a new assignment due in the coming weeks–an essay about either 1) comparing Egyptian gods that were fearsome and animal-like with Greek & Roman gods that were human-like and often had an emphasis on beauty, or 2) expound on and agreement or disagreement with Edith Hamilton’s view that the Greeks’ & Romans’ gods being human-like eased the Greeks’ & Romans’ understanding and relation to the God of the Bible.

Dr. James

10th Chemistry
  • This week we reviewed the first test of Q3, and we began a discussion of gases.  The students also gained some experience with dry ice.
  • Next week we will study the gas laws. 

Coach Johnston

10th History
  • Students have been reading and taking notes on Alexander the Great. The students have completed the first half of Plutarch’s biographical sketch which summarizes his rise to the Macedonian throne and his campaigns to unseat Darius as emperor of Persia. Students should have a good idea of some of the mythical claims surrounding him, some of his real character traits, and some of the seeds of discord which would lead to some of his worst decisions and ultimately his untimely death.
10th PE
  • This week we continued our regular class routines while starting a new unit on hockey! We were thankful for a gym to use despite rainy weather and the opportunity to build some skills, compete and enjoy a new sport!

Miss Oldham

10th Rhetoric I
  • Students gave speeches and wrote fables this week. We will be moving our class into the sanctuary soon, so encourage your quieter students to start projecting now. 

Mrs. Palmer 

10th Spanish
  • We have reviewed this week in preparation for their chapter 2 test.  They took this test and next week we will begin a new chapter. I’m consistently impressed with their increasing language acquisition!

Mrs. Byrd

11th Physics
  •  We completed our study of momentum this week and began to look at periodic motion.  We are going to focus on spring and pendulum motion.  This ties in well with precalculus where we are looking at how sine and cosine waves model periodic motion.
11th Precalculus
  • We’re considering graphical representations of trig functions, how parent functions can be transformed, and how this can be interpreted in some basic applications – volume (in decibels), frequency, and phase shifts.

Dr. James

11th Geography
  • This week we expanded our study of North America to countries outside the US, and we had a guest speaker teach us about Costa Rica. 
  • Next week Mr. Johnston will speak about Canada before we shift to the Caribbean nations.

Miss Oldham

11th Grade Literature
  • Students are mimicking Lewis’s writing from The Great Divorce by writing about meeting a historical figure (or literary character). These stories are coming along nicely! 

Dr. Smith

11th NT Greek
  • Students are entering into the somewhat messy and complicated nature of Greek verbs. The difficulty level has just increased! Pray for them and their teacher!

Mr. Webster

11th Grade History
  • This week we covered new religious orders and popular theology of the High Middle Ages. Next week we will finish chapter 10 and take a test on Friday.  

Mrs. Byrd

12th Calculus
  • We’ve completed our introduction to integration and accumulation of change.  Now we are working on using integration to solve some basic differential equations.

Mrs. Hicks

12th Anatomy
  • We started the cardiac system this week (one of Mrs. Hicks favorites!). We started on the basic anatomy of the heart and learned about different heart sounds, as well as what impacts our pulse. In the coming weeks, we will do our first big dissection on a cow heart!

Coach Johnston

12th History
  • We spent the week considering American expansion in the 1840s and American arguments in the 1850s. Students completed an in depth reading and examination of Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address and are working on Alexander Stephens’ Cornerstone Speech response as we prepare to quickly overview the American Civil War next week.

Miss Oldham

12th Grade Literature
  • Students are continuing our journey through Yoknapatawpha County with the Bundren family in As I Lay Dying. 
12th Grade Shakespeare Elective
  • Students are wrapping up Taming of the Shrew. 
12th Rhetoric II
  • Please be in prayer for our seniors. The pressure of this year is starting to get to them. Theses are forming, prepanels are looming, and the final defense is always in the back of their minds. Not to mention all their other obligations. I am incredibly proud of what these kids have produced so far, we just need to get them over the finish line.