BB 10-18-24
BRADFORD BULLETIN
VOLUME XVII, ISSUE 15
OCT 18, 2024
FROM THE OFFICE
FOR ALL:
- ZIPCAST: Stay connected through our weekly Zipcast. Signing up is FREE and so easy! Simply text BANC to 833-409-4823. Each Monday morning at 7:00 a.m., you will receive a text with a link to click on for the week’s Zipcast. It lasts 10 minutes and is full of wonderful information. There’s something for the kids too!
- HOUSE SOCIALS – We’d love to see all students and their families come together with us for these events:
- Austerfield: Sat, 10/26, 5pm. Sign up here.
- Leiden: Fri, 11/1, 5:30pm. Sign up here.
- Plymouth: Sat, 11/2, 5:00 Sign up here.
- SOCKTOBER: New sock donations for the Piedmont Rescue Mission are being collected this month.
LOWER SCHOOL- IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Fri, 10/25, 9:15-10:45 or 1:15-2:00: Volunteer for the Greek Olympics. Sign up here.
UPPER SCHOOL- IMPORTANT NOTES:
- BONFIRE for Upper School students: Fri, 10/25, 6:00 – 8:00pm
- PARENTS DAYS: Have you ever wondered what our Upper School students are studying, discussing, learning and debating? All parents are invited to sign up for classes to sit in on November 7th and 8th. Please go ahead and mark your calendars! We will send out a sign up list in the coming days.
HOT LUNCH on Thursdays:
- The weekly menu locks at midnight on Sunday night – so be sure to place your orders and check out in time. Once your account is set up, it should be easy for the rest of the year! ORDER HERE
FROM MRS. MITCHELL: The first sentence of the school’s mission statement states: “Bradford Academy exists to assist parents in their duty to train and educate children.” We welcomed and enjoyed the opportunity to meet with 50 Lower School families this week for a total of 85 conferences. Though this is the only formal time during the year for parent/teacher conferences, our teachers are always willing to engage with you about questions, concerns, successes, and triumphs that involve the growth of these young hearts and minds. Thank you for taking the time from your regular duties to come! It was a delightful day.
UPCOMING
NEXT WEEK:
- Mon, 10/21: ALL: School Pictures – Make up day
- Tues, 10/22:
- Lower School: 2nd grade Field Trip (see email for details)
- Lower School: 3rd – 4th grade: Running club begins! Sign up here.
- Fri, 10/25:
- Lower school: K – 4th – Greek Olympics
- Upper school: Varsity XC Championship at WakeMed Park (Cary, NC)
- Varsity Girls race (9:00am)
- Varsity Boys race (9:45am)
- Team & individual state recognition (10:30am)
- Upper School: Student Bonfire, 6:00 – 8:00 pm at the lower school campus
- Sat, 10/26: ALL: Austerfield House Social
IN THE NEAR FUTURE:
- Week of 10/28 – Varsity Girls and Boys Basketball first tryout and practices begin
- Tues, 10/29: Upper school: 11th grade: College Night, 5 – 6pm
- Fri, 11/1:
- Upper school: Hobbit Day (5th grade – details to come)
- ALL: Leiden House Social (details to come)
- Sat, 11/2: ALL: Plymouth House Social (details to come)
- Wed, 11/6: Lower School: 4th grade field trip
- Thurs, 11/7:
- ALL: Used Uniform Sale
- ALL: 8am, Coffee and Discussion with Mr. Johnston
- Upper school: Parents Day (Parents and grandparents mark your calendar!)
- Fri, 11/8:
- Upper school: Parents Day (Parents and grandparents mark your calendar!)
- Upper school: 10th grade – Jr/Sr Preview – Lunch discussion (Parents welcome!)
- Mon, 11/11: ALL: Veterans Day – No school
- Thurs, 11/14: Lower school: K – 2nd grade – Bradford Night, 6:30 pm
- Tues, 11/26: ALL: Thanksgiving Feasts
- Wed, 11/27 – Fri, 11/29: ALL: Thanksgiving Break – no school
- Sun, 12/1: Applications open for 25/26 for new students
- Thurs, 12/5: ALL: Coffee and Discussion with Mr. Johnston
- Fri, 12/6: Upper School: 6th grade Field Trip to Appomattox Court House
- Week of 12/16: Upper School: Q2 Finals
- Wed, 12/18: Lower school: TK Parents Coffee and Donuts, TK Nativity Play
- Thurs, 12/19: Upper school: Christmas Concert
- Fri, 12/20: Christmas celebrations, Noon dismissal
FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK
GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Grubb and Mrs. Weber)
This Week
- TK students were introduced to pumpkins this week in preparation for next week when we will be harvesting and roasting pumpkin seeds. Students learned the parts of a pumpkin and began learning a pumpkin song. Students made binoculars this week and we used them when listening to a story to identify the setting of our book. Students also used their binoculars on an outside adventure looking for signs of fall! In math this week we focused on identifying, making and reading AB patterns. A few of our centers included: our first journal entry, identifying words and using the words to make a sentence, using our fingers to “write” in shaving cream, and searching for letters in alphabet pasta. We read about Moses this week and how he was saved as a baby by Pharaoh’s daughter and then later used by God to help His people escape from Egypt. Students continued working on Psalm 119:105. Next week our focus will be on the Ten Commandments.
Lower School P.E. (Mrs. Bennington)
K – 4th
- Students did a great job this week preparing for our next big athletic event, The Greek Olympics. Students practiced running the sprint race, the discus, and the javelin throw.
Lower School Music (Mrs. Bennington)
K-3rd
- Students did a great job in music this week reviewing the first three verses of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”. Students also began working on the last verse. I love how students are starting to understand that hymns are like short stories and each verse of a hymn is like a chapter of a story. Students are really grasping the meaning of the hymn and why it is such an important song of praise. God is always with us, God will never leave us, and in the end God will win the battle against Satan. Students also sang the “B.C. History Facts”and the first verse and chorus of “Wonderful Words of Life”. Third grade students completed a music theory assessment in preparation for learning how to play recorders.
4th
- Students did a great job in music this week reviewing the first three verses of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God”. Students also began working on the last verse. I love how students are starting to understand that hymns are like short stories and each verse of a hymn is like a chapter of a story. Students are really grasping the meaning of the hymn and why it is such an important song of praise. God is always with us, God will never leave us, and in the end God will win the battle against Satan. Students also learned more music theory. Students applied their ability to read music and played pages 8-9 in their recorder book. Students should be practicing their recorder at least three times a week for 10 minutes.
Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)
This Week
- Our kindergarten scholars have had yet another awesome week of learning! In math, we learned how to divide a solid in half, how to picture and combine sets, how to graph a picture on a pictograph, how to count from 0-23 by using our new learning wrap-ups, how to write addition number sentences, and how to represent equivalent forms of the same number. In phonics, we introduced the rest of the single-letter phonograms, and we practiced the uphill cursive letters, i, j, p, r, s, t, u, and w. In history, we discussed the biblical figure, Joseph, an interpreter of dreams, and we learned how God used him to become a ruler in Egypt who would later save the Egyptians from famine. In art, we learned about the Russian artist, Wassily Kandinsky, and we imitated one of his artworks, the Kandinsky Circles. In science, we finished our section on the five senses by discussing the sense of sight. The students had the opportunity to test their vision by looking at an eye chart with one eye covered, and saying the letters in bigger and smaller forms.
Memory Work:
- Psalm 75:1 and review
1st Grade (Mrs. Cantaffa & Mrs. Smith)
This Week
- Even though it was a short week, the students learned much! In math, the students began learning how to: identify fractional parts of a whole, solve a problem by using logical reasoning, or by acting it out, create a color pattern, and add 10 to a single-digit number and add 9. The kids enjoyed getting to read various character parts in the Frog and Toad book this week. The kids continue to learn their uppercase cursive letters. They only have 4 left! In history this week, Columbus reached “India”! The kids learned how the native Americans came to be called “Indians”. In grammar we dove deeper into family relationship names and proper versus common nouns regarding people. In Science we started our water cycle lessons.
Memory Work:
- Proverbs 2:6-7
2nd Grade (Mrs. Hedgecock & Mrs. Eng)
This Week
- Each week the second graders learn so much and it is amazing to see not only their knowledge grow but also their demonstration of love to their classmates. We continue our memorization of Hebrews 11 with verses 8 to 10 this week as we start our study on Abraham. This week we learned how Abram showed faith in God by leaving his home and traveling to Canaan. God told Abram that he would give this land to his descendants and make him into a great nation. We are excited to continue this story for the next few weeks. In science we planted seeds and we will keep you updated on how well they are growing as the weeks go by. Our math lessons have involved working with fractions and adding 9.
Memory Work:
- Hebrews 11: 1-10
Upcoming:
- Field Trip to the Mebane Train Display on Tuesday, October 22nd
3rd Grade (Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Meredith)
This Week
- Our history card this week tells us democracy began with the Greeks. The Greeks had three main bodies of government called the Assembly, the council of 500, and the courts. Every citizen was expected to vote on every law. We discussed how our government is also composed of three branches, but that we vote for a person to represent us instead of voting on every law ourselves. We continued writing using Aesop’s fables and improved our skills by adding strong verbs, quality adjectives, and -ly words to our writing. It is our hope that they enjoy the writing process! We finished the week learning about physics and one of our scientists of the quarter: Archimedes. Archimedes was a famous Greek mathematician and brilliant inventor. Students will get a chance to build and operate one of his inventions at the end of this quarter! Our studying and applying reminds us that we catch glimpses of God’s unchanging character, order, and logic in the world all around us!
Upcoming:
- Greek Feast 10/24
4th Grade (Mrs. McDorman and Mrs. Rankin)
This Week
- This week in our fourth-grade class, we engaged in a variety of activities that illustrate how God moves in the hearts and actions of people to fulfill His will and spread His word. In math, we explored the properties of multiplication, reflecting God’s order and consistency in creation. Our preparation for the dramatic reading of “The Door in the Wall” allowed students to practice their reading fluency while also delving into themes of courage and faith. As we discussed story elements—such as characters, setting, plot, conflict, climax, and resolution—we discovered how these narratives often mirror our own journeys of faith. In history, we studied Alfred the Great, focusing on his perseverance in defeating the Danes and uniting southern England. We drew parallels to biblical figures who overcame challenges through faith and determination, reinforcing the importance of trust in God. Alfred’s commitment to promoting Christianity and education serves as a powerful reminder of our calling to seek knowledge and share God’s love with others. Overall, this week has provided a wonderful opportunity to see how God has worked throughout history to spread the gospel.
Memory Work:
- Mathew 5: 1-5
- Catechism #88
LOGIC SCHOOL
Mrs. Bennington
5th Band
- Students did a great job this week working on exercises that helped reinforce their first three notes. Students successfully performed their playing test on 1.17 “Mary Had A Little Lamb”. Students finished the week by learning their fourth and fifth notes. Confidence is growing and better sounds are being made. At home practice is expected and will continue to aid in success in class.
6th-8th Band
- Students did a great job this week learning new rhythms and key signatures. They did a great job applying this knowledge to Christmas Concert music. Students were able to successfully put multiple parts together. Students also continued to work on a set of lip slurs and warm-up techniques. Students did a great job on their test on warm-up set 1, option 1 on page 6 this past Thursday. Confidence is growing and mature sounds are being made. At home practice is expected and will continue to aid in success in class.
9th – 10th Band
- Students did a great job this week working on music for the Christmas Concert. Students were able to successfully put multiple parts together. Confidence is growing and mature sounds are being made. At home practice is expected and will continue to aid in success in class.
Mrs. Johnston
- 5th Chorus – We worked hard on clarity of words. We practiced “putting daylight between” words while we sang so that the words did not mesh together to create odd “new” words. We also had a singing test, focusing on accuracy of notes and timing.
- 6th-8th Chorus – We focused on finishing reading concert music as well as independence of parts. We have an especially challenging piece that calls for paying close attention to individual parts. We nailed it today! Keep practicing your parts so that we can only build on all the hard work you’ve put in! Practicing at home will build your confidence and endurance.
PE
5th-6th (Girls)
- The girls did a great job this week on interval training to increase their ability to better run the mile.
7th – 8th (Girls)
- This week we finished up our unit on flag football. Next week we will begin the soccer unit.
5th Grade (Mrs. LaTour and Mrs. Kromhout)
This Week
- Fifth graders had a great week of learning! In math, we learned about working backwards for problem solving, writing our own equations for word problems, and then reviewed for and took a test. In writing, the students completed their three paragraph stories based on a battle during the French and Indian War. For history, the students have been learning about the building of Plymouth Colony in 1621 and the years that followed. In reading, students were excited to get their characters and scripts for our Hobbit Day play and start working on their lines. We also continue reading, watching as characters gather from near and far to see if they can snag some of the dwarves’ now unguarded treasure. In Latin, students learned the perfect tense and practiced conjugating and using verbs! Thanks to all of the parents who came in for parent teacher conferences! The conversations were valuable!
Memory Work:
- Romans 12:19-21
Upcoming:
- Hobbit Day! Friday, 11/1: Sign up to volunteer, bring food, and donate supplies here!
- 10:45am: Come join to watch the Hobbit play!
- 12:00pm: Help serve Afternoon Tea!
- Alamance Battleground Visit: Monday, 11/25
Mrs. Palmer
5th Art
- This week students learned about their new artist of the quarter, Diego Velazquez. We learned about how he impacted the Spanish Golden Age of art and the Baroque period.
6th Grade (Miss Stevenson)
6th Reading and Literature
- This week we began reading Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt. This also officially kicks off our introduction to the U.S. Civil War.
6th Grammar and Writing
- I introduced the second quarter paper on Monday. This is a research paper, and I will be spending the majority of class time working on direct quotes, paraphrasing, and in-text citations. First drafts are due Wednesday, October 30.
6th Bible
- We are continuing to work our way through the gospel of Mark.
6th History
- This week in History we looked at the 1849 Gold Rush.
6th Science
- Due to it being a short week, we reviewed the ORDER of living things. We will jump into our powerpoint about Kingdom Monera next week.
6th Logic
- We finished up the Avoiding the Question section in our Logic book this week. Logic Test #1 will be given on Wednesday, October 23.
6th Latin
- This week we started Chapter 2 in our Latin books. We reviewed some of the basics about verbs, syllabication, and accents.
Mrs. Crotts
6th Math
- 6th graders took off with chapter 4 this week. They are learning or refreshing their knowledge of “order of operations.”
Mrs. Palmer
6th Art
- This week students learned about their new artist of the quarter, Diego Velazquez. We learned about how he impacted the Spanish Golden Age of art and the Baroque period.
Dr. Wright
7th Composition
- Students continue to work on the second draft of their epic poem, including composing their own couplet to complete the poem.
7th Omnibus – Literature, History, Bible
- We are now off-script for the Odyssey play. The play will be performed at Parents’ Day, in the sanctuary, both Thursday (as a dress rehearsal) and Friday (as the performance). We welcome attendees both days.
7th Logic
- Student have begun the ad hominem circumstantial fallacy section in the workbook.
Mrs. Frueh
7th Science
- This week we discussed the theory of plate tectonics and talked about the role that worldview plays in interpreting data. We looked at various pieces of evidence that point to the fact that Earth’s continents are in motion and have been in motion for a long time. We discussed how the two different worldviews of uniformitarianism and catastrophism would affect how a scientist interprets data that points to the fact that the continents are in motion. We also discussed how evidence of a global flood aligns with the theory of plate tectonics.
7th Pre-Algebra
- The focus this week was on adding and subtracting fractions, including mixed numbers. We practiced a few different methods of subtracting mixed numbers, including borrowing and making the subtrahend whole. We discussed the wisdom used to discern when each method would make the most sense.
Mrs. Palmer
7th Art
- This week students learned about their new artist of the quarter, Diego Velazquez. We learned about how he impacted the Spanish Golden Age of art and the Baroque period. We also worked on charcoal Greek order architecture drawings.
Miss Johnston
7th Latin
- We only had one Latin class this week so we worked on our review sheet/study guide for our upcoming chapter 4 Latin test. It is on Monday the 21st so I would highly recommend that you encourage your students to be studying! They finished quarter one strong and they understand my expectations, so this next test I will be less lenient on silly mistakes, however I expect them to do very well! They have worked hard!
Dr. Wright
8th Omnibus
- History: Students have begun learning about Constantinople and the rise of the Byzantines, particularly Justinian.
- Literature: We are finishing up The Rule of St. Benedict, with a pair of short reflection questions due Monday, 10/21. We will begin Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring soon.
- Composition: Students submitted the first drafts of their biographical history paper, which I will return to them with my comments within about a week.
Miss Johnston
8th Latin
- On Tuesday we started our new chapter! We have begun learning about third declension noun endings. I am encouraged by the student’s discipline and readiness to work hard, learn and participate, it is being reflected in their grades!
Mrs. Frueh
8th Science
- We wrapped up our unit on solids, liquids, and gases this week with a lab in which we investigated the latent heat of fusion and latent heat of vaporization for pure water. We will have a test on this unit next week.
8th Algebra I
- We faced a very challenging topic this week: solving two-variable equations for y. This is a brand new skill that initially doesn’t seem to make much sense to students who are new to algebra and are used to getting a simple answer as a “solution” for every problem. This skill doesn’t arrive at a solution, but simply rearranges the unknowns to solve for a particular variable, in this case the output (y). By the end of the week, everyone was feeling much better about this new and difficult skill.
Mrs. Palmer
8th Art
- This week students learned about their new artist of the quarter, Diego Velazquez. We learned about how he impacted the Spanish Golden Age of art and the Baroque period. We also worked on our magazine landscape collages.
Mr. Crotts
8th Logic
- We prepared for our first test by organizing study note cards and completing exercises on definitions and their uses.
RHETORIC SCHOOL
From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:
9th-12th:
- For any students interested in NC State (9th-12th!): NC State hosts an open house each year offering the opportunity to meet with specific academic departments and over 100 sessions about various topics! This event requires pre-registration – register below if you are interested! This would be excellent for 9th-10th graders interested in starting to see what college is like and get an idea of what colleges are out there. The open house is also excellent for 11th-12th graders wanting to get a closer look at NC State – this is a rare opportunity to get to meet with academic departments
- NC State Open House: Saturday, October 19th, 9am-2pm REGISTER HERE
Juniors:
- Save the date! Junior College Night will be held on Tuesday, October 29 from 5-6pm for all juniors and parents! I would love to have at least one parent in attendance for each student. We will review the junior and senior year timeline for college research, visits, and the application process!
Seniors:
- Upcoming for seniors:
- I continue to meet with seniors! They are doing a great job getting all the pieces of their application in!
- FAFSA update: It continues to look like the FAFSA will be released to fill out on December 1st; they say they are doing beta releases starting October 1, but without much info about who is getting these. You can read more here, but for the moment no need to take action!
Mrs. Palmer
9th Spanish
- This week students continued to work with AR, ER and IR ending verbs. We practiced with both new and old vocabulary. Students learned about the verb “gustar” and how it is used. We also took a vocabulary quiz.
Mrs. Frueh
9th Geometry
- We used our proof writing skills this week to prove two more theorems for our resource journals: The Triangle Sum Theorem and the Triangle Exterior Angle Theorem. We also reviewed how to construct lines on the coordinate plane using slope-intercept form (y = mx + b).
Coach Johnston
9th History
- The freshman class returned to their history classes this week and we concluded the English political revolutions of the 17th-century and began to look at military and economic terms that help us understand why wars are fought. We will apply those terms to our upcoming study of the Seven-Years War, the American Revolution and the French Revolution. There is a quiz on English Absolutism and the political developments of the 17th-century on Wednesday (10/23).
Mr. Crotts
9th Logic
- We learned how to set up a truth table for analyzing propositions translated into symbolic logic.
Dr. and Mrs. James
9th Biology
- We’ve gotten off to a great start for our first section of Botany! We have been discussing plant anatomy this week and the students were given their assignments for the Leaf Identification project for this quarter, due by 11/14.
Mrs. Crotts
9th Literature
- 9th Graders wrote and then polished a creative writing assignment about a picture from Charles Dickens’ Pickwick Papers. They will write a comparative in-class essay next week about the theme of sacrifice and salvation as highlighted in A Tale of Two Cities. Also, we will begin reading and studying Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. (A heads up! Author research papers are due December 6. The rough draft is due November 22 and research will be due November 8. We will visit the library November 5.)
Dr. Byrd
9th Bible
- This week we are in the book of Judges. We have seen how the Lord brings His judgment on those who turn away from Him and His word.
- Memory verse: Judges 5:2; and Ruth 1:16
- Students are also working to choose a book for the Book Analysis Project.
Dr. James
10th Chemistry
- This week we began discussing information that can be gleaned from the periodic table.
- Next week we will continue this discussion, focusing on periodic trends.
Mrs. Palmer
10th Spanish
- Students worked on both new and old vocabulary. We continued to practice with preterite and imperfect tenses. Students also received their first group skit in which they will be working in several tenses using plenty of vocabulary.
Mrs. Byrd
10th Algebra II
- We’re wrapping up our unit on Absolute Value and Piecewise Functions and turning our attention to solving systems of equations and inequalities.
Coach Johnston
10th History
- Students received a brief overview of major Assyrian, Babylonian and the intro to Persian history which would impact both Israel and Greece. We are currently reading Cyrus the Great’s origin story and considering the lessons that we can learn from dreams, visions, fate/destiny, justice vs revenge, humble monarchs, and other topics of interest as we read these stories.
Coach Johnston
9th/10th PE
- Students have continued to work on their GAP project material, choosing one specific virtue/Fruit of the Spirit to focus their attention upon this quarter. We also began our new unit on basketball.
Mrs. Crotts
10th Literature
- 10th Graders are reading Homer’s Iliad. They will soon write an essay based on the work. The class also worked more on a creative writing assignment that will span the 4 quarters of the school year; they are challenged to specifically insert literary devices and strong vocabulary and verbs. Additionally, they will begin research for the author paper. We will visit the library, November 4 and research is due November 8. The rough draft is due November 22 and the final on December 6.
Miss Oldham
10th Rhetoric I
- We looked at what goes into a college application essay. The students are writing a practice one for next week. We also began working on our Declamation speeches in class.
Dr. Smith
10th Historical Theology
- We are reviewing last quarter’s material this week, since it had been two weeks since we last met.
Mrs. Palmer
11th Spanish III
- This week students worked on reviewing past vocabulary and concepts. We also took a test on the future tense, reading comprehension in the target language and on vocabulary.
Mrs. Byrd
11th Precalculus
- We’re working on various techniques to determine real zeros of polynomial expressions. Next, we will also be looking for “imaginary zeros” – not visible on the cartesian plane but in the third dimension.
11th Physics
- We’ve begun considering projectile motion including the process of separating dimensions so that each can be analyzed separately. Ask your student if a bullet that is fired reaches the ground after a bullet that is dropped.
Miss Oldham
11th Literature
- Students began Dante’s Purgatorio, one of my favorites. They also received their quarter research assignments on Monday.
Dr. Smith
11th NT Greek
- We are reviewing last quarter’s material, since it has been two weeks since we met. .
Coach Johnston
12th History
- Students finished our study of the development of religious liberty spanning the early 16th through the middle of the 17th centuries. We have tried to bring as many modern examples and applications to these stories so that students grow in their ability to see something in history and recognize its rhyming events in modern history, and then apply those lessons to these modern events. With the remainder of this quarter, we will focus on quickly surveying the American Revolution, the French Revolution and the American Civil War.
Miss Oldham
12th Literature
- Students began our treacherous walk through the eyes of Denmark’s Prince Hamlet. They also received their quarter independent reading assignment on Monday.
12th Rhetoric II
- Theses have been submitted! Dr. Smith and I are working on reading and giving feedback for these first drafts. I am very proud of the work the students have done and I know they feel a sense of accomplishment as well. This quarter is all about revision and editing, so they will have several drafts to turn in before Christmas break.
Mrs. Byrd
12th Calculus
- We’re learning to differentiate more complicated expressions. Topics for this week included the Chain Rule and Implicit Differentiation.