BB 12-04-20

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XIII, ISSUE 14

DECEMBER 4, 2020

FROM THE OFFICE

2021/2022 Applications opened on Tuesday! We have limited spots available across all grades.

UPCOMING

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

Friday, 12/18 –
- End of 2nd quarter. Report cards released.
- ½ DAY OF SCHOOL! All students dismissed at noon!
12/21 – 1/1 – CHRISTMAS BREAK, No school
1/1/21: Financial Aid Applications can be started.
2/15/21: DEADLINE: If you do not plan on having your child return for 21/22, you MUST let the office know in writing no later than 2/15/21 to avoid a $500 penalty.

FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Grubb)

Bible

This week we began the study of nativity. Students are also learning songs to help tell the story of Jesus’ birth. This week the focus was on the call of Mary to give birth to Jesus and the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.
We are memorizing Luke 2:11

Literacy

TK students have begun learning about word families. This is a great step toward reading readiness.
Students continue to work on letter identification and build vocabulary. They have been challenged this week to create complete sentences by using seasonal words drawn from a bag.
Students are learning to break short words into their beginning and ending sounds.

Math

This week we began telling time to the hour on analog and digital clocks! This would be good to practice at home!

Arts and Sciences

This week TK began a secret fun paint project that will be revealed to their parents for Christmas!

Lower School P.E. (Mr. Davis)

K – 5th

Due to the cold weather, many of the classes had to have P.E. class indoors. Because of that, the students worked on stretching, push ups, sit ups, and played “The Floor Is Lava!” “The Floor is Lava” is a great game that builds balancing and fine motor skills. If you ever have a rainy day at home, and your children need to get active; play, “The Floor is Lava!”

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera & Mrs. McDorman)

This Week

We are continuing to work towards mastering the order of strokes needed to write the clockface, loop, uphill stroke, and hump letters. Ask your student to write all the loop letters! We used the words from our previous spelling lists and included a few words from our upcoming list to create a word bank for writing sentences. After dictating several sentences, which we wrote on the board, they copied those sentences in their best handwriting. In math, we are continuing to find patterns in counting. Students discovered that in between even numbers, there are odd numbers. We enjoyed the story Even Steven Odd Todd to help reinforce the concept. We finished up our study on the seasons, and will begin the study of the sun, moon, and stars next week.

Memory Work:

This was a review week for memory verses. Next week, we will start memorizing 1 Corinthians 14:40.

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

This Week

This week, the boys and girls of 1st Grade have been making headway on a new spelling list that includes verbs and a few words with “silent e’s”. We have been discussing what verbs do in sentences and even how verbs sometimes change when you use them for different people (subjects). In math, the students have taken a giant leap into adding two, two-digit numbers together! Using dimes and pennies has made it easier to understand how to add these big numbers. In history, we are learning more about the life of someone the Lord used in a special way to help the Pilgrims, Squanto. We are also learning about states of matter in our science class. A special experiment using water bottles, water, vegetable oil, and food coloring will help the students grasp what it means for fluids to fill the shape of the container in which they are placed.

Memory Work:

Psalm 1

Upcoming:

December Bird of the Month: Tufted Titmouse

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

This Week

Second grade started a new book this week, Sarah Plain and Tall. We discussed the geography of the prairie where Anna and Caleb live versus Maine where Sarah is from. The students used their dictionary skills to research some new words used in Sarah Plain and Tall. Ask your child if they remember what pesky, homely and dusk mean. In the book Sarah brings a bit of the sea with her in the form of seashells. So, in science, we are learning about what seashells are and how they are formed. The students worked on identifying pictures of shells and even got to touch a sample of each one they identified. Ask your child to tell you the difference between a moon snail and a scallop. This week in Art, we learned all about proportion and how it is one of the most important aspects of any art piece. Students worked on creating winter themed artwork featuring a snowman that used the ideas of proportion, color, shading, and shapes.

Memory Work:

Proverbs 25:6-16

Upcoming:

Wednesday, December 9th-Latin Test

3rd Grade (Mrs. Garner)

This Week

In Math, our class learned about area and how to find it based on the given dimensions of a rectangle. We also learned how to subtract two multiple digit numbers using mental computation. This week, in Grammar, our new chapter taught us the three rules of using apostrophes to make a noun possessive. As we spent the week reviewing in Latin, all of us were amazed at all the vocabulary, declensions, and conjugations that we can do! In science, the students were full of excitement about their planet presentations that they are researching and preparing for in class. Finally, in Forum, we have been talking about the season of Advent and reading in our Bibles about the prophets in the Old Testament, who prophesied the coming of our much needed Savior. Reading through the Advent devotional, from Focus on the Family, has been very meaningful to our class. We have had some wonderfully thoughtful discussions about our Savior and His love for us. If devotional time is not a tradition in your home, I would strongly encourage you to try. It’s never too late to start discipleship in our homes!

Memory Work:

Psalm 84:10-12

Upcoming:

12/9- Earth Science Test
12/10- Grammar Chapter 8 Test
12/11- Latin Chapter 14 Test, Spelling N-3 Test, History (Timeline Only) Test

4th Grade (Mrs. Burtram)

This Week

We have finished a wonderful week learning how to write a three paragraph expository essay, and creative writing with cliffhangers. The students finished their Burlington Writing Contest stories and enjoyed sharing them aloud in the classroom. We talked about analogies this week in spelling and the students enjoyed matching a word list to complete analogies. We studied Cathedrals this week and read a wonderful book all about the construction process. The students enjoyed using the design elements to create their own drawings. The students were introduced to long division with multiples of ten. I enjoyed watching them use knowledge of prior learning to apply to their new math concept.

Science

We completed our study of atoms and all of its parts as well as learning many new vocabulary terms.

Memory Work:

Matthew 5: 1-9
Ephesians 4: 1-3

5th Grade (Ms. Vogus)

This Week

We have had a wonderful week in the 5th grade. We have been practicing dividing and multiplying decimals. We are continuing to read through The Witch at Blackbird Pond, which the students love. We always have interesting discussions about the novel and they’re always trying to guess what will happen next. In science we discussed the difference between chemical change and physical change. We are also working on memorizing the first 30 elements of the periodic table. While we were discussing the periodic table, we had a good discussion about how orderly creation is and what an amazing Creator we have. In writing we are finishing up the Burlington Writer’s story and will begin a history essay next week. Lastly, in art we began a pastel project. The students are learning how to layer the colors by creating a starry sky.

Memory Work:

Colossians 3: 23-24

Upcoming:

History Essay to be completed by 12/17
12/7-Grammar Test
12/11-History, Spelling, and Math Tests

LOGIC & RHETORIC SCHOOL

Mr. Batten

Language Arts

We finished Across Five Aprils, and began reading a Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. We are wading through the challenging vocabulary to see how Dickens portrays what Christmas is about, and comparing that to the Christian worldview.

History

We are learning about the Battle of Gettysburg, its impact on the Civil War, and beginning to review for our Civil War exam next week.

Science

We continued our discussion on bacteria, viruses, and diseases by learning about pathogens and infectious diseases

6th Logic

We are continuing our review of all fallacies learned so far this year, while beginning one on one debates that will be judged by the class

7th Logic

We are continuing our review of all fallacies learned so far this year, while beginning one on one debates that will be judged by the class

8th Logic

We learned about distributed terms, how to test syllogisms by five rules, and learned the names of the fallacies that go along with each invalid syllogism. .

Upcoming:

We will begin memorizing 1 John 3, wrap up our unit on the Civil War, and continue reading a Christmas Carol

Mrs. Byrd

Physics

We’ve completed our study of Newton’s Three Laws. In the time remaining before Christmas break we will be working on constructing egg protection devices. Besides doing some Newton’s Law calculations with our drop data, we will compete to see which team has the “winning device”. Points are awarded for egg survival, proximity to bulls-eye, compact design, and economy of construction materials.

Precalculus

The class has learned to solve exponential and logarithmic equations. We’ve seen how these can be used to model various real world scenarios. We will wrap up the unit with a test and an investment project.

Geometry

We finished our study of logic and are now preparing for a cumulative test of first semester material. We plan on putting our logic skills to use in solving a mystery – The Incident at Blue Mountain Lodge.

Dr. Byrd

10th Bible Survey

This week we finished the life of Elisha. Now we are enjoying the study of the book of Psalms. There are several types of psalms including praise, lament, and thanksgiving among others. We saw what a wonderful way they express emotions and worship to the Lord. We can use them as a pattern in our personal worship to the Lord. Next week we will be studying the psalms and the life of Jesus.
Students are writing a psalm of worship to the Lord.
Students are also choosing a book to read for the next six weeks to analyze and present upon to the class.

Mr. Davis

6th – 10th Grade PE

This week the students worked on endurance running as well as strength training through doing various sets of pushups, sit ups, lunges and military squats.

Mrs. Fairchild

9th Grade Advanced Art

Our students completed the Las Meninas Mock Trial. Both teams did extremely well. Our four judges were Mrs. Fairchild, Mr. Johnston, Mr. Palmer and Mrs. Palmer. Both teams made strong arguments, but in the end it came down to a very close two point difference. The winning team had 265 points and the losing team had 263 points. The evidence and arguments made in this debate fell in favor of the King and Queen being the objects of the painting instead of the Princess.

Mrs. Frueh

7th Grade Science:

We wrapped up our study of rocks and minerals with a detailed discussion of the differences between igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. The students had the opportunity to study samples of all the different types of rocks.
Unit test: Tuesday, December 8th

8th Grade Science:

We concluded our study of heat and energy by creating our own heating curves for water. We collected temperature data as the water moved through the solid, liquid, and gas phases. The students are now able to identify all six of the basic phase changes and classify them as endothermic or exothermic.
Unit test: Tuesday, December 8th

Mr. Hamilton

9th Logic

We completed our Chapters 8-12 test this week, which covered using the shorter truth table method and dilemmas.

9th Historic Theology

This week we are examining the controversy over whether or not Jesus suffered in his divinity.

10th History

Our focus this week was on the Classical and Hellenistic periods of Greek history.

10th Literature

We are presently reading Poetics, Aristotle’s excellent work of literary criticism. Of special interest is his emphasis on imitation and his discussion of the nature of tragedy.

11th Philosophy/Apologetics

This week we discussed developments in logic, epistemology, and philosophy of action in the 20th century.

12th History

Our focus this week was unification in both Italy and Germany.

12th Literature

This week we discussed how Jane experiences a moral crisis, leaves Rochester, and then finds herself the object of the affections of St. John Rivers.

Mrs. Hamilton

Logic School Music

Students continue to progress in their ensemble pieces. This semester, in lieu of a formal concert, we will present a virtual performance during the last week of school. All performances will be posted on our music website: https://bradfordacademymusic.wordpress.com.
In Music History, students are preparing for a comprehensive test next week encompassing the mid-to-late Baroque period.

Music History Elective

After a comprehensive review of instrumental music during the early Romantic period, we began the study of early Romantic opera with Il barbiere di Siviglia by Gioachino Rossini, Norma by Vincenzo Bellini, and a wide array of operas from Gaetano Donizetti ranging from tragic (Lucia de Lammermoor and Anna Bolena) to comic (L’elisir d’Amore). We enjoyed discussing the new Italian bel canto style, the rise of ballet as an art form, and a growing expression of nationalism in this mid-century period.

Ms. Hutchison

7th Grade Omnibus

History: We are continuing our study of the books of 1 and 2 Samuel. With the reign of King Saul coming to an end, and King David on the throne, the nation of Israel is entering its golden age, just at the time when the rest of the known world is experiencing major financial and cultural collapse. The Greek Dark Ages are closing in, and a major shift, from Bronze Age to Iron Age, is occurring. As always, God is on His throne throughout HIStory.

Literature: Our Literature studies find us deeply in Homer’s Odyssey. We are enjoying the beautiful language of this epic classic, as well as the exciting events in the story. Seventh graders are digging deep into the various themes found throughout the story of our hero, Odysseus. Among these are the themes of hospitality, hubris, divine intervention and homecoming.

Bible: Hymn of the week: Joy To The World, by Isaac Watts. Final recitation due Wednesday, December 16: Psalm 119:1-11

9th Grade Biology

This week, biology students have continued to learn about the chemistry of living things. We have discussed chemical and physical changes and are working hard at balancing equations. Students began a week-long experiment studying osmosis and are observing simple natural laws which govern the universe. Thanks to a generous donation from the Duke TIPP program, our students are enjoying the use of our new “Molecular Model Kits” to build simple molecules.

Dr. James

10th Chemistry

This week the students were introduced to oxidation/reduction reactions, learned how to calculate oxidation numbers, and were introduced to IUPAC nomenclature.
Next week the students will learn about writing and balancing chemical equations, and they will take their third test of the quarter.

Miss Oldham

9th Grade Literature

We have begun to dig into the dystopian universe of Orwell’s 1984.

9th Grade History

We have begun to discuss Napoleon Bonaparte. Students also have a research paper and presentation due for their final, so they have been working hard on these.

11th Grade Literature

We have wrapped up our Shakespearean unit with Romeo and Juliet and are comparing two film versions of the play, as well as discussing the comedic and tragic elements within the play.

11th Grade History

Students have a research paper and presentation due for their final, so they have been working hard on these.

10th Rhetoric I

We have been discussing the importance of word choice in rhetoric, tying in Newspeak from 1984 and looking at real world speeches.

12th Rhetoric II

Students have been making contacts with their mentors and are progressing with their thesis.

Mrs. Palmer

6th Art

This week we continued working on our watercolor fall leaves and started our watercolor finals. Students have really grown in their knowledge and use of watercolor!

7th Art

This week we continued working on our detailed charcoal historical buildings. Students are working hard at focusing on the detail they see before them.

8th Art

This week we finished up charcoal landscape finals and began working on charcoal still lives.

9th Spanish

This week we worked on two verbs TENER and VENIR. We continued to conjugate all three main verb types: -AR, -ER and -IR. Students also received a study guide for their upcoming chapter test that will be on 12/10.

10th Spanish

This week we talked about POR and PARA (generally meaning “for”) and how/when to use them. We continued to work on our vocabulary and practiced with irregular verb conjugation as well as conjugating past tense verbs.

Mr. Palmer

6th Math

This week we learned how to convert decimals into fractions and percents. We also reviewed for a test and then took a test.

7th Pre-Algebra

This week we spent 2 days reviewing for a test and then took a test.

8th Algebra I

This week we spent 2 days reviewing for a test and then took a test.

10th Algebra II

This week we learned how to “complete the square” in order to solve quadratic equations. There will be a test next week.

11th / 12th NT Greek

This week we learned about the Greek relative pronoun and some new vocabulary words.

Miss Windes

8th Grade Omnibus

History: We continue to cover the Carolingian dynasty and Charlemagne, this week focusing more on their culture and daily life.
Literature: We have been so excited to begin the Fellowship of the Ring this week! We have discussed and compared some of the main characters, and are keeping our eyes open to the themes of friendship, home, good vs. evil, perseverance, and more.
Composition: This week we reviewed and noted the strengths of several classic short stories in preparation for writing a short story next week!

6th Grade LATIN

Sixth graders learned all about and practiced the perfect tense endings this week. Their last test of the year will be next Thursday, 12/10.

7th Grade LATIN

Our seventh grade Latin class continued to review third declension endings, distinguishing i-stem nouns, and translating nouns in any declension.

8th Grade LATIN

Eighth graders reviewed the accusative case and its three main uses. We also studied the chapter two vocabulary in preparation for the last test of the year.