BB 02-09-2024

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XVI, ISSUE 25

Feb 09, 2024

 

FROM THE OFFICE

IMPORTANT NOTES:  

  • Enrollment Deadlines:
    • Thurs, 2/15:  Inform the office in writing if your child will not return for 2024/2025 school year.  Notices that come in after this date are subject to the contract opt-out fee of $500.
    • Fri, 3/1:  Deadline for NC Opportunity Scholarship applications
    • Ongoing:  Financial Aid Application
  • Parenting Conference:  Fri 3/1 – Sat 3/2 – Register here!

 

LOWER SCHOOL:

“As classical educators, we must remember that regardless of how well students have the ten commandments memorized, it won’t matter if they do not love what is good. This is especially important in the grammar school for younger students whose moral imaginations are being formed. Stories are paramount for this. But when reading and discussing stories, remember that children don’t need to hear a moral, they need a picture of what good looks like, and they need to learn to love that picture. To learn more about moral imagination and the Bible in classical education, see this article by the CiRCE Institute.”

UPCOMING

NEXT WEEK:

  • Fri-Sun, 2/9-11: 20% OFF in-store Dicks Sporting Goods coupon
  • 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.)
  • Fri, 2/16:  Teacher workday (no school)

 

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

  • 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:  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
  • TK enjoyed a great week filled with many new concepts. In math, students learned to count by 10’s to 100 and were also introduced to dimes this week. We practiced making ABB patterns using our voices and bodies. We practiced writing numbers 1-10 to prepare to begin writing numbers 11-20. Our letter this week was A and we discussed the different sounds A makes. Next week our letters will be M and N. We are close to finishing our letters of the week and then we will begin lowercase letters. A few of our centers this week included matching rhyming words, playing store using pennies, matching number cards to dot cubes, lowercase letter limbo, letter/letter sound hunt and writing letters in alphabet pasta. Our vocabulary words this week focused on recycling. We read books about recycling and played a recycling game to learn what can be recycled. Our Bible story this week was the story of Jesus feeding 5000 people with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. You may have seen a bag with 5 crackers and 2 swedish fish which we used to help tell our story about how amazing Jesus is to have fed so many with so little. Students also began learning Proverbs 17:17 this week which tells us that “A friend loves at all times.”

 

Lower School P.E. (Mrs. Bennington)

K – 4th
  • Students did a great job in P.E. this week playing Capture the Flag and Pirates of the Caribbean.  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 all four verses of  “How Great Thou Art” this week.   Students also reviewed  the songs “The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock”, “I Love the Mountains”, and “Row, Row, Row Your Boat”. Third grade also worked on “All Praise to Thee”. . 
4th 
  • Fourth grade students worked on learning another note, “D”,  on their recorder. Students can now play the first three lines of “All Praise to Thee” on their recorders.  Students did a great job on their  playing test on the first two lines of “All Praise to Thee”.  Students also worked on singing “How Great Thou Art”  and “All Praise to Thee”.

Lower School Art (Mrs. Palmer)

3rd
  • Students finished up their one point perspective drawings this week.  Students also began learning some basic rules to color theory such as primary colors, secondary colors and complementary colors. 
4th
  • This week students finished their Thomas Cole inspired colored pencil landscapes.  We also began talking about texture (one of the elements of art). We will begin a pen and ink project soon.

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)

This Week: 
  • Our kindergarteners had a fun time coloring stained glass windows while learning about the medieval period in history. In math, we learned how to count large collections by grouping them by tens, how to add two-digit numbers with regrouping by using dimes and pennies, and how to tell time to the half hour. In phonics, we started a new word list beginning with the word “hat” and ending with the word “did.” In art, we continued to work on our Justinian mosaics and in science, we continued our segment on the moon and planets. 
Memory Work: 
  • Romans 11:33-36 and review

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

This Week: 
  • We finished our books about Squanto and the pilgrims this week. We all agree that there needs to be a new movie made based on the real story of Squanto! In math the students learned about subtracting 3, identifying gallon, half-gallon, quart, and liter containers, identifying the place value of a digit in a three-digit number, representing three-digit numbers pictorially, ordering three-digit numbers, and identifying the median of a set of #s. In science we wrapped up our 3 states of matter study with a quiz. The students worked on a secret project in art (to be revealed on Valentine’s day). The kids had an introduction to King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table with our book this week where we read A Tale of Sir Galahad. He was known to be the purest knight and the main one in the quest for The Holy Grail.
Memory Work:  
  • Philippians 4:19-20, Catechisms 10-17
Upcoming:      
  • Valentine’s Day – Wednesday February 14
  • Field Trip to The Museum of Life and Science – Thursday February 15
  • Teacher Workday/ No School for Students – Friday February 16
  • President’s Day / No School – Monday February 19

 

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

This Week: 
  • It has been another busy week in second grade.  We are up to the New Kingdom in our Ancient Egypt study and look forward to studying Moses the next few weeks.  In math we have learned to find the square root of perfect squares and learned to add money amounts. The tricky part is to be sure to line up the decimal points.  We have begun reading two new books, both about animals.  In class we are reading Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne and at home the students are reading Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater.  We have also begun reading nonfiction books to glean information to complete animal information sheets for our Science Journals.  This is a challenging task, but little by little the skills will develop.  It is always a joy to see the students’ enthusiasm for each new opportunity to learn.  
Memory Work: 
  • Hebrews 11
Upcoming:
  • Animal Habitat Project Due March 5   

 

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

This Week
  • We continued our study of Roman Architecture, and discussed the marvel of the Roman roads. These roads connected travelers from all over the empire much like our highways connect us  to loved ones across our nation. In grammar, we continued working with rules for quotations and punctuation and incorporated them into our writing. Your students have been busy working on writing tall tales about Pecos Bill, a fictional cowboy and folk hero, who lived during the westward expansion of the United States.  We are taking the mystery out of Latin cases by adding the study of accusative case endings, which simply indicates it is the direct object in the sentence. Having already studied this in grammar, students have been able to apply what they know to help them understand what they are learning.  Students can now look for the nominative and accusative case endings to determine the job of the noun in their Latin sentences before translating them. We finished the week strong, and look forward to a full week next week! 
Memory Work:
  • Psalm 19:11-12
Upcoming:
  • Teacher Workday 2/16 – No School
  • President’s Day 2/19 – No School
  • Planet Project Due 2/26
  • Morehead Planetarium Field Trip 2/27
  • Bradford Night 2/29

 

4th Grade (Mrs. Burtram and Miss Abrahamsen) 

This Week

After completing our short story unit (in conjunction with Burlington Writers’ Club), the fourth graders have enjoyed beginning a new literature book- From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler. We are using the character traits of contentment and responsibility to frame this book; the story is about a brother and sister who decide to run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, so we will also “explore” various items in the Met throughout our study of this book. Marco Polo is the focus of both our history studies and our writing this week!  The kids have enjoyed completing various physics challenges with Keva blocks, and they are working hard to learn the Lord’s Prayer in Latin as well as various other pieces to present at the 3rd and 4th grade Bradford Night (aka Bradford Night 2.0).

Upcoming: 
  • Matt 5:13-16 due Thursday, February 15
  • No School- Friday, February 16 and Monday, February 19
  • Thursday, February 29- Bradford Night 2.0

 

LOGIC SCHOOL

 

Mrs. Bennington

5th-6th Band
  • This week students learned more music terminology and how to perform “accents”.   Students continued to practice  sight reading and singing their exercises. Our  fourth  practice record for the third quarter will be due next Tuesday 2/13. Students will have a test on 2.25 Part A on Tuesday 2/13/24.
7th-9th Band 
  • This week students continued to work hard on expanding their range!  We spent a lot of time on long tones and lip slurs. Students will have a test on the assigned  lip slurs for each section  on Tuesday 2/13/24.  Our fourth  practice record for the third quarter will be due next Tuesday 2/13. 

Mrs. Campbell

5th-8th Chorus
  • Chorus students continued learning new songs, vocal blending, working together as a team in a round, and reviewing new repertoire for the spring.

Mr. Webster

5th-8th Boys’ PE
  • This week the boys ran a mile and played hockey. 

Miss Stevenson

5th-8th Girls’ PE
  • This was the last week playing floor hockey at the old rec center. On Monday, February 12, we will be going bowling with the boys at Buffaloe Lanes.

 

5th Grade (Mrs. Owens) 

This Week
  • This week in math we have continued to study our fractions chart, we multiplied three fractions together, and we studied coordinate planes.  We had a review week in Grammar and focused on writing compound and complex sentences.  We continue to make our way through Duel in the Wilderness.  We are focusing on comprehension and taking notes as we read.  We also dove into poetry this week during our writing lessons.  We read some poems as well as wrote a few.  Ask your student to share their poem with you this weekend! 
Memory Work:
  • Philippians 2:7-8 (this week)
  • Philippians 2:9-11

Mrs. Palmer

5th Art
  • This week students worked on finishing up their Thomas Cole inspired oil pastel landscape drawings.  These turned out nicely and are proudly displayed at upper campus.  Our next project will be using the medium of charcoal.
Mrs. Kromhout
5th Latin
  • Fifth graders have done a fantastic job learning the future tense of the 3rd and 4th conjugations, successfully translating many sentences! Their test will be next Thursday, and then we will start chapter 15. 

 

6th Grade (Miss Stevenson)

6th Reading and Literature
  • We finished up reading Something Greater Than Gold this week and also started to read The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. 
6th Grammar and Writing
  • We took a week off of writing this week since they had a major essay due last week. We spent our Grammar time reviewing our comma and capitalization rules.
6th Bible
  • I had several students ask me about the life of Moses last week, so we will be spending the next couple of weeks taking a break from the New Testament so that we can do a brief overview of the book of Exodus.
6th History
  • This week we learned about General Custer’s Last Stand at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. 
6th Science
  • We finished up our notes on cell organelles this week. 
6th Logic
  • This week in Logic we discussed hasty generalizations and started learning about analogies. 

Mr. Hunter

6th Latin
  • This week the students learned about Petrarch, read more from Pictet’s Medulla, and practiced for the NLE. 

Mrs. Frueh

6th Math
  • This week, the students were introduced to the concept of balanced algebraic equations. They learned to treat equations like a balance scale, meaning that whatever you do to the left side of the equation, you must do to the right side as well in order to keep the equation balanced. They were able to isolate the variable in order to solve for the unknown value. These lessons are building an excellent foundation for future algebra classes.

Mrs. Palmer 

6th Art
  • Students have been finishing and matting their Thomas Cole inspired watercolor landscapes.  Watercolor is a tough medium to get the hang of but students did a great job with translucency, color mixing and using the medium accurately. 

Mrs. Crotts

7th Grammar
  • Students took notes about adverbs and also about coordinating conjunctions, subordinating conjunctions and correlative conjunctions.  The students also wrote a poem after hearing a lesson from the Grammar of Poetry: iambic pentameter (in light of reading William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar), nursery rhymes and riddles.
7th Omnibus
  • Literature: Students are eagerly participating in reading Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.  We have discussed the history of the Caesars and also how and why Shakespeare wrote about the subject.
  • History/Bible: In addition to studying the history of the Caesars, we have enjoyed discussions defining a republic, a democracy  and the fight against dictatorship shown in Julius Caesar.

Mr. Johnston

7th Logic
  • This week we reviewed some of the fallacies we’ve been covering this quarter and had a quiz to see if we could recognize them in various sample conversations.  We also revisited the question, “Why should we study logic?”

Mrs. Frueh

7th Science
  • We focused this week on the discoveries of Nicolas Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, and Johannes Kepler. We saw that, individually, none of these men had all the knowledge needed to draw definitive conclusions about the universe, but by building on the work of each of these individuals, Galileo Galilei was able to provide definitive confirmation of the heliocentric model. This reiterates the fact that science is a collective endeavor conducted globally over centuries of time.
7th Pre-Algebra
  • This week we reviewed solving  problems as rates and solving problems as proportions. We also reviewed using the properties of equality to solve for unknowns in algebraic equations.

Mrs. Palmer 

7th Art
  • Students have been finishing and matting their Thomas Cole inspired watercolor landscapes.  Watercolor is a tough medium to get the hang of but students did a great job with translucency, color mixing and using the medium accurately. 

Mr. Hunter

7th Latin
  • This week the students learned about Petrarch, read more from Pictet’s Medulla (particularly on the duties of children toward their parents), and practiced for the NLE. 

 

Mrs. Kromhout

8th Omnibus
  • History: We learned about some aspects of medieval life this week – hospitality, diet, travel, and medicine – and then went on to learn about the Vikings and their incredible shipbuilding skills which led them to be masters of raids, invasions, and exploration from the 9th-11th century.
  • Literature: We continue Two Towers, and the students have had great discussions about Frodo’s choices and trust in Gollum as well as comparing the two brothers, Boromir and Faramir. Next week, the students will each lead short discussions about a theme of their choice from Two Towers as a final assessment. 
  • Composition: We are starting a new literary analysis essay, focusing on a theme from Lord of the Rings. We also worked this week on fixing and avoiding run on sentences, an ailment that plagues many of my students!!

Mr. Hunter

8th Latin
  • This week students learned about Petrarch, continued working on their translation projects (focusing this week on the section on love), and prepared for the NLE. 

Mrs. Frueh

8th Science
  • We dove deep into the anatomy of the atom this week, studying the difference between protons, neutrons, and electrons, as well as the quarks that make up the nuclear particles. We talked about how these particles determine the identity of an element and where it is located on the periodic table.
8th Algebra I
  • Our study of linear equations is starting to bear fruit! Students are now becoming proficient at graphing linear equations using the y=mx + b formula, which will allow them to quickly solve systems of equations by graphing. 

Mrs. Palmer 

8th Art
  • Students wrapped up their Lord of the Rings oil pastel drawings this week.  We matted our drawings and these are proudly being displayed at upper campus. 

Mr. Crotts

8th Logic
  • We are learning the difference between validity and truth. It’s a mind-bender!

 

RHETORIC SCHOOL

 

From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:

  • A big congratulations to McKenna Johnston who placed second in the Daughters of the American Revolution Scholarship contest! She will receive a certificate, pin, and an award at an upcoming ceremony. 
Sophomores: 
  • I met with the sophomores this week to discuss their elective options and the elective process! They are excited to get to choose some of their classes next year. There are three main options:
    1. Take classes at Bradford in unique areas that our teachers are excited to get to teach!
    2. Take classes at ACC (free with the CCP program!) and earn dual credit
    3. Take online classes at various universities, earn dual credit, and get to experience a small taste of that university (parents cover any costs above $300/class)
  • I sent home a sheet that outlines our process, their choices, and some of the potential Bradford elective offerings for next year – ask your student about the sheet!
  • They do not have to make their final decisions until Monday, May 13th, but it is good to start exploring, discussing, and looking into their options now
  • Let me know if you have any questions! 
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 
  • This week we worked on direct object nouns and pronouns.  We learned how to use them in both present and present progressive tenses.  We continue to practice irregular verb conjugations and work with old and new vocabulary.  

Coach Johnston

9th History
  • Students have begun to study the part of American history dealing with the Antebellum Era and Manifest Destiny.

Mrs. Frueh

9th Geometry
  • We have continued our study of triangles with a special focus on right triangles. First, we reviewed how to use the Pythagorean Theorem to solve for an unknown side length. Then we studied the special case of 30-60-90 triangles.

Mr. Crotts

9th Logic
  • We are wading through the murky waters of various rules for formal proofs of validity.

 

Mrs. Hicks

9th Biology
  • This week students completed a valentines trivia game about the science of love. This was a nice bridge activity and break after completing CLT on Tuesday. They also completed a test on Module 7, we will move on to genetics next week!

Mrs. Crotts

9th Literature
  • 9th graders enjoyed a movie version of Little Women and also watched their mini-play that they wrote and acted out.  We moved on to a brief “listen” to Sergeant York’s biography.  This work gives the class a window into linguistics and also the WWI time period.  Following this work we will read The Great Gatsby.

Dr. Byrd

9th-10th Bible Survey
  • We are finishing the book of Daniel and have taken a test on the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Lamentation, and Ezekiel. We are getting closer to finishing the Old Testament.
  • Verse Memory: Ezra 7:10
  • Book Analysis project – students are reading in their books 

 

Dr. James

10th Chemistry
  • This week we talked about more properties of gases and solved problems using the various gas laws. 
  • Next week we will review material, and the students will take their second test of Q2.

Mrs. Palmer 

10th Spanish
  • Students learned about forming adverbs this week.  We are also hard at work on skits using the target language which will be presented in two weeks.  Students had a vocabulary quiz this week and we reviewed irregular verbs as well. 

Mrs. Byrd

10th Algebra II
  • Topics of the week include the Distance Formula, the Slope Formula, solutions to nonlinear systems of equations, and using the Ideal Gas Law.

Mrs. Crotts

10th Literature
  • Students concluded essays pertaining to Edith Hamilton’s Mythology.  They also finished scripts for presentations of Mythology to the 7th graders. And finally, 10th graders wrote a creative writing sample for the Burlington Writers Club contest.  (They had the opportunity to write a poem or fictional writing or both.)

Miss Oldham

10th Rhetoric I
  • Students took a vocab quiz and had two study halls to work on their next speech. 

Coach Johnston

10th History
  • Students continued to read and discuss Thucydides’ material. We will be moving to Philip II and Alexander the Great next.
10th PE
  • Students finished their unit on indoor floor hockey and have begun playing a style of indoor soccer known as futsal. Students are working to focus on their control/trapping and movement off the ball in order to have better success in the games.

Mrs. Byrd

11th Precalculus
  • We’ve spent the week learning how to graph and transform the six trig functions.  Next we will be learning about inverse trig functions – how to graph them and more importantly how to use them to solve trig equations.
11th Physics
  • This week we completed our introduction to periodic motion in spring/pendulum systems.  Next we begin looking at sounds and light waves.  This will lead us to contemplate a unique feature of light (and all matter) – wave-particle duality – allowing us to dip our toe into quantum physics.

Miss Oldham

11th Literature
  • Students wrapped up Lewis’s The Great Divorce with an in-class essay. 

Mr. Webster

11th History
  • This week we covered the recovery and reform of the Catholic church in the 10th and 11th centuries. Next week will have a quiz on what we have covered thus far in the unit. 

Mr. Hunter

11th NT Greek
  • This week the students took a quiz on new vocabulary and pronouns and learned about the future tense. They also learned about Theopompus and Theodorus Gaza. 

 

Mrs. Palmer

11th-12th Elective: Color Theory/Design
  • Typography was the name of the game this week as we learned about kerning, leading and tracking along with many other typography terms. Students are also working on redesigning a book cover.

 

Dr. Smith

11th-12th Apologetics & Philosophy
  • We continued discussing a Christian analysis and response to naturalism and nihilism. Students memorized Ephesians 1:11-14, and will take a test on Friday. Their test will be them explaining what they believe are the most effective Christian arguments against deism, naturalism, Marxism and nihilism.

Coach Johnston

12th History
  • Students surveyed three of the major events (Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 -> “Bleeding Kansas,” and the Dred Scott Decision) which contributed to ruptures that would cause the American Civil War. Next week will involve student mini-research projects into the major people and events of the Civil War.

Miss Oldham

12th Literature
  • Students continued to trudge through As I Lay Dying. We will be finishing up next week! 
12th Rhetoric II
  • Senior prepanels are looming over the horizon! Please let me know if you did not receive a calendar invite for your senior’s panel. 

Mrs. Byrd

12th Calculus
  • We’re nearing the end of our Differential Equations unit.  Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a practice AP exam and begin to acclimate ourselves to its format and feel.  Following President’s Weekend, we will begin our final unit on Applications of Integration.

Mrs. Hicks

12th Anatomy
  • We wrapped up the cardiac system this week and started a new module on the neurological and endocrine systems!