BB 10-02-2020

 BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XIII, ISSUE 7

October 2, 2020

 

FROM THE OFFICE

We have made it to fall break!  Let’s praise the Lord together for His goodness in keeping us throughout this first quarter.  We trust you will have a fantastic week as a family, enjoying the beautiful weather the Lord has given us.  Stay safe and healthy and we look forward to seeing you again on Monday, 10/12/20.    

UPCOMING

NEXT WEEK:  FALL BREAK!  No school.

 

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:
  • October 30th – Greek Olympics House Competition – Please contact Mrs. Mitchell if you would be willing to man an outside station. emitchell@bradfordacademy.org

 

FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK

 

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

 

Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Grubb)

Bible
  •   This week the TK students learned about Joseph and the coat of many colors.  We learned that God is faithful. When we are experiencing hard times and cannot clearly see Him, God can still be trusted and He loves us well.  Joseph offered a great example of forgiveness and faithfulness.  We can see God’s wonderful providence through Joseph’s time of slavery and imprisonment.  
Theme Adventure, Arts, and Sciences
  •  This week TK concluded their study of Johnny Appleseed.  They watched a brief video about his life and learned the Johnny Appleseed Hymn. 
  • TK also transferred their garden seedlings to the outside garden.  Soon we will be able to enjoy fresh, organic, heirloom arugula, spinach, broccoli, sweet peas, oregano, thyme, and butter crunch lettuce! 
  • TK students created and wore paper “tin pot” hats representing the legend of the hat that Johnny Appleseed wore.  
Literacy
  •  TK students were introduced to Wet, Dry, Try.  This is a method used in teaching handwriting using chalkboards, chalk, water, and paper towels.  This lesson is always fun for them.  TK students have been hard at work with their pencil grip for 6 weeks now.  We have some wonderfully blooming writers! 
Math
  •  This week TK began ordering numbers 1-5.  They were challenged   

 

Lower School P.E. (Mr. Davis)

K – 5th
  • This week we focused on proper running technique and had the students practice running sprints and distance runs. 

 

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera & Mrs. McDorman)

This Week
  • The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. We are thankful to God for bringing us to the end of our first quarter. Our young scholars have mastered the addition double facts from zero to ten. Ask them to chant our catchy rhyme. In phonics, students have been introduced to all of the letters and their sounds. They have mastered all of the clock face letters to complete our first quarter handwriting curriculum. We continued our study of the color wheel and explored how to create secondary colors by mixing Play-Doh. The bones in the ear, also known as the auditory ossicles, are the three smallest bones in the human body. These bones play an important role in the sense of hearing by transmitting sounds to the inner ear. As we complete our unit on the five senses, it is clear that we can  join with the psalmist and say, “ we are fearfully and wonderfully made.” We pray our families can enjoy the beauty of God’s creation and enjoy a restful fall break. 
Memory Work:
  • Review first quarter verses.

 

1st Grade (Mrs. Morgan & Mr. Law)

This Week
  • This week our first graders completed our history book “Pocahontas”. We watched a video on Pocahontas and Native American dancing. This week in reading we entered the world of fantasy and enchanted kingdoms with the book “My Clara”. Students have enjoyed reading, retelling and acting out this story in class. In Science we are acting as Zoologist and developing our very own Classes of Animals booklet. In Art we had the opportunity to freehand draw the bird of the month, the Canadian Goose. Such an exciting end to the first quarter. 
Memory Work:  
  • Review memory work

 

2nd Grade (Mrs. Jones & Mrs. Batten)

This Week
  • This week the students were introduced to the famous pyramids of Egypt. They learned about who built them and why they were built, although how they were built is still a mystery.  In reading, we began the all time favorite Boxcar Children. The students enjoyed reading about how clever and resourceful the four children are in finding food and shelter for themselves. Ask your child what the Boxcar children considered a meal and how different that is from our meals.  In science, the class learned about symmetry in God’s world that is on full display in insects. They practiced drawing their own insects using symmetry and then colored them accurately based on photos and real insects that they collected. We are so thankful to God for giving us a very successful first quarter. We’ve covered a lot of material in a short period of time thanks to the eager attitudes and diligent work from your children.
Memory Work: 
  • Philippians 2:14-15
Upcoming:
  • Enjoy the beautiful weather and God’s glorious creation over Fall Break!

 

3rd Grade (Mrs. Garner)

This Week
  • Our class has done a great job finishing this first quarter strong. I am so proud of them. We have been busy learning our second declension chart in Latin. In Grammar, we have started identifying common and proper nouns. Finally, after much anticipation, we began multiplication in math and learned about the Olympics in History. The excitement is building towards starting our Greek armor the week we come back from Fall Break. After our class discussions, I hope you see  your child actively reading over the break.  
Memory Work:
  • 1 John 1:5-6
Upcoming:
  • 10/12- Start Greek Armor 
  • 10/15- Math Test (Facts and Written) and Grammar Ch. 5 Test
  • 10/16- Spelling List M-5 Test, Latin Ch. 7 Test, “Founding of Rome” Test

 

4th Grade (Mrs. Burtram) 

This Week
  •  This week in History we studied about Muhammad, the founder of Islam.  We compared our Savior Jesus and His teachings with the teaching of Islam.  We discussed the five pillars of the Muslim faith and a works based religion compared to our Christian faith resting in the knowledge that we are saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.  In math this week we plunged into long division and had a visit from Mr. DMSBer.  We also created our frescos this week to end the study of Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel.  
Science
  •  We have wrapped up our study on plants and look forward to engaging in Chemistry topics for next quarter.
Memory Work:
  • 1 Corinthians 13: 8-10
Upcoming:
  • Please refer to google classroom for information regarding the Poetry Contest.  Students have access to websites to begin their poetry search.  You may bring them in any time.  

 

5th Grade (Ms. Vogus) 

This Week
  • This week in history we studied Jamestown. We talked about John Smith and what he contributed to the United States. In math we learned about circles, fractions, and percentages. We talked about how logical and orderly God made everything. In Art, we learned about Frescos and created some of our own. In Latin we did a review on conjugating verbs in the present, past, and imperfect tense. Lastly, we continued working on writing poetry. 
Memory Work:
  • Romans 12:13-16
Upcoming:
  • Fall Break!! 

 

LOGIC & RHETORIC SCHOOL

 

 

Mr. Batten

Language Arts
  • We watched the Jungle Book in order to compare and contrast the movie and book with one another. We found a vast amount of differences, and discussed why books can be more descriptive than movies. In addition, we began working on our second major argumentative essay for the year!
History
  • We learned about Westward Expansion in America, the tough travels that those on trails would have endured, and the relationship between Native Americans and Americans following the Trail of Tears. 
Science
  • In science we began a unit on cells! We started learning about how small they are, what makes up a cell, and how they are a part of the world around us. 
6th Logic
  • We finished our unit on the “Avoiding the Question” fallacies, and had students identify fallacies they saw in the presidential debate on Tuesday night. There were many!
7th Logic
  • We discussed appeal to illegitimate authority, mob appeal, and appeal to pity. We learned how these are often used in advertisements, and why they are fallacious, even when they don’t seem to be. 
8th Logic
  • We learned to put statements into standard categorical forms in order to evaluate them properly. In addition we debated whether or not Christians should be allowed to read/watch things like Harry Potter, and what the minimum age should be to become president. 
Upcoming:
  • We will continue work on our essays in order to become more eloquent writers, learn about the War with Mexico, and continue learning to identify fallacies. We will also continue our memorization of 1 John 2. 

 

Mrs. Byrd

Physics
  • We capped off the quarter with a crime solving velocity/acceleration project.  Students made some graphs and calculations to see which Archer shot and errant arrow into the headmaster’s windshield.
Precalculus
  • Our study of polynomial functions finished for the quarter on the topic of finding real zeros.  We will pick this topic up after break and consider imaginary zeros and how they actually exist but can’t be depicted in a typical x-y plane.
Geometry 
  • After an exciting round of weight testing, we discovered that the strongest bridge in our class was built by McKenna, Ben, and Catie.  Their arch style bridge held an impressive 73.6 lbs.  This is just a half pound less than the all time school record.  Anna, Max, and Dylan built the runner up bridge which held 54.2 lbs.  All bridges in the competition showed thoughtfulness of design and performed respectably in the weight test.

 

Mr. Davis

6th PE
  • This week the students worked on running technique and practiced running sprints and distance. The students also learned how to play flag rugby! 
7th PE
  • This week the students worked on building their running skills. They worked on running wind sprints and distance. 
8th PE
  • This week the students worked on improving their stretching as well as worked on running technique. The students also ran sprints and distance. They also began to learn the basics of flag rugby. 
10th Advanced P.E.
  • There was no advanced P.E. class this week due to IST. 

 

Mrs. Fairchild

9th Grade Advanced Art
  • Our students completed their last art project of the quarter.  They have already learned many watercolor techniques and skills and were able to apply them to their own original art.  

 

Mrs. Frueh

7th Grade Science:
  • We ended the quarter with an exam on the structure of the Earth. We are looking forward to studying earthquakes and volcanoes after Fall Break!
8th Grade Science:
  • We ended the quarter with an exam on States of Matter. The students have grown substantially in their ability to manipulate equations in their calculations of force and pressure. We will begin our study of the Gas Laws and forces in fluids after Fall Break.

 

Mr. Hamilton

9th Logic
  • I’m really proud of how students worked hard at logic this quarter, but more difficult concepts lie ahead of us!
9th Historic Theology
  • We ended our quarter with another look at the Nicene Creed and its impact on the church. I’m proud of how students worked hard in this class this quarter.
10th History
  • Next up in history is the story of the Greeks and their rise to prominence.
10th Literature
  • After the break, we will continue in Plato’s Republic, focusing on his theory of knowledge.
11th Philosophy/Apologetics
  • Next up in philosophy is the modern period, which includes Descartes, Hume, and Kant.
12th History
  • We look forward to studying the rise and impact of modernism after the break.
12th Literature
  • Our next exciting read is Emma by Jane Austen, followed by Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. 

 

Mrs. Hamilton

Logic School Music
  • What a wonderful week we had in music. We continued working on performance practice with piano ensembles, where each group worked on and played several measures of each of their pieces together. After the break, while we will continue to practice our ensemble pieces, we will also continue our study of music history with late Baroque composers and music theory, with intervals, scales, and keys. 
Music History Elective (Baroque to Modern)
  • Students did an amazing job on their final exams, which included a music vocabulary portion, listening identification of fifteen works by Mozart and Haydn, and an essay with analysis on one of the studied composers. After the break, we will enjoy a Met performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, after which our focus will shift to Beethoven and the early romantics–Schubert, Schumann, and Mendelssohn. 

 

Ms. Hutchison

7th Grade Omnibus
History
  • This quarter we’ve sailed through about 2,500 years of history!  That’s because so little is known about the world before the Great Flood.  The Genesis account is our only written record of events that occurred before the Flood, and all of that narrative is contained in the first 11 chapters of the book of Genesis!  What mysteries will be solved when we are in heaven and can ask God about all of the details 🙂  Seventh grade students are beginning to get a clear picture of the vast expanse of time that lies between us and the people who lived in the first two millennia of human history.  We come back to our timelines again and again to “plug in” new information as we learn it.  We’ve made it through about half of the book of Exodus, and we will pick up where we’ve left off when we return from Fall Break.
Literature
  • Reading God’s Word has not only expanded our understanding of ancient people, but we are learning to enjoy the WORDS that God has given us through his servant Moses.  We are learning that God is a Master designer; a Master artist; a Master architect.  We are understanding that language is a gift that God gave only to humans…those made in His image.  Even ancient people expressed themselves in sophisticated ways, as evidenced by the beautiful epic poem Gilgamesh. Seventh graders are working diligently to become masters of their own language, by writing and speaking well.  We are learning that it matters to God that we write with excellence, and speak words that would please Him.  To that end, we are taking pains to remember the grammar and punctuation rules that guide our written language and to practice those  rules in our writing.
Bible
  • We are continuing to study 2 Timothy, and have looked intently this quarter at chapter 1.  Students have worked at memorizing chapter 1 verses 5-9.  We’ve looked at the theme of “guarding the good deposit” that has been given to us and suffering for the gospel.
  • Our new hymn this week has been Amazing Grace, written by John Newton, a former slave ship captain, in 1805.  Students have studied the story of Newton’s conversion, and the radical change that took place in his heart and his work to abolish the slave trade in England. We have learned that the melody to this famous hymn is found in the pentatonic scale (only the black notes on the piano), and that this pentatonic scale originates in West Africa.  Perhaps it is no coincidence that the melody which accompanies the words to this great hymn are similar to the melodies which Newton may have heard rising from the belly of the very ship he captained.  Praise God for His mercy toward us!
9th Grade Biology
  • Biology students have been enjoying a week of IST.  In Biology class, we have been learning about using Google Sheets (Google’s spreadsheet app) in science.  Students have learned how to record data in tables on a spreadsheet and convert that data to a chart or graph in the spreadsheet.  After Fall Break, we will use real data from a Pond Water Lab to put our knowledge of Sheets into practice.

 

Miss Oldham

9th Grade Literature
  • This week was IST week, so we did not have literature class. 
9th Grade History
  • This week students wrapped up their unit on Europe in the 17th century. 
11th Grade Literature
  • This week students wrapped up Dante’s Purgatory and are looking forward to our Shakespeare unit next quarter. 
11th Grade History
  • This week students took a final quiz over the Middle Ages and the cycles we see in history. 
10th Rhetoric I
  • This week students practiced reading children’s books to their classmates. This helps with projection, poise, and composure (especially when reading silly books). 
12th Rhetoric II
  • This week was IST week, so we discussed research (how to do it well), what the expectations for the thesis are, as well as what makes a good/bad speech. 

 

Mrs. Palmer 

6th Art
  • This week we finished our charcoal shoe still life drawings. Students worked hard on these and they are now proudly displayed in the hallway! 
7th Art
  • This week some students finished or nearly finished their original comic strips. The originality in these is always a highlight. 
8th Art
  • This week students finished their pen and ink historical figure portraits. Students did a great job using their pen and ink techniques!
9th Spanish 
  • This week we focused in on helpful Spanish technology tools and resources. We looked at several beneficial websites and practiced on our book affiliated webpage. Students also practiced typing this week.
10th Spanish
  • This week we did not have Spanish 2 due to IST week. 

 

Mr. Palmer

6th Math
  • This week we worked with fractions. We also finished the semester doing review games from everything we learned this quarter.
7th Pre-Algebra
  • This week we learned how to find the area of a triangle. We also learned how to compute range, median, mode and mean of a data set. We also did a review of the lessons learned this quarter.
8th Algebra I
  • This week we worked with solving more complicated equations. We also did a review of the lessons learned this quarter.
10th Algebra II
  • This week due to IST, we spent one day reviewing the lessons we learned this quarter.
11th / 12th NT Greek
  • This week, due to IST, we did not meet. All students are asked to work on translations and vocabulary during break. 

 

Miss Windes

8th Grade Omnibus
  • History: In history this week, we discussed the fall of Rome and the barbarian kingdoms that rose and fell around its borders and weakened the empire. 
  • Literature: We continue to read and enjoy Beowulf, discussing Anglo-Saxon poetry, the role and characteristics of heroes, writing our own Anglo-Saxon style riddles and poetry, and the symbolism of monsters in the book. 
  • Composition: We learned this week about writing a poetry analysis, and practiced with a paragraph about the poem “Death, Be not Proud.” 

 

6th Grade LATIN
  • The sixth graders learned the second declension endings and practiced a new set of vocabulary. 
7th Grade LATIN
  • The seventh graders practiced translations and began a new chapter and set of vocabulary. 
8th Grade LATIN
  • The eighth graders began a new chapter and learned a new set of vocabulary as well as the fourth declension endings.