BB 12-13-24
BRADFORD BULLETIN
VOLUME XVII, ISSUE 22
DEC 13, 2024
FROM THE OFFICE
FOR ALL:
EXTRA SUPPLIES: Austerfield, it is your turn to bring in the Extra (required) supplies starting in January. Please refer to the lists of supplies needed based on the campus your child attends.
ENROLLMENT TASKS: Preparations for the 25/26 school year enrollment are underway. We will be sending tasks and reminders each week to keep you informed.
- New students: Complete an application for younger siblings you plan to enroll.
- Returning students:
- Review contact information, health / medical information, pick up permissions, etc. in TADS for each student. (i.e. correcting a parent’s phone number for one child does not correct it for the other children).
- NC Opportunity Scholarship: Mark your calendar to complete an application on February 1st if you did not complete an application in 2024.
- Rising Kindergarten students: Parents, please be thinking about half day or full day kindergarten. We will need a decision by February 1st.
- Students not returning: Submit a letter in writing to office@bradfordacademy.org no later than February 15th.
LOWER SCHOOL- IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Supplies needed: Tissues, plastic forks, plastic spoons, (NOT KNIVES), bandaids (normal size and knee size)
UPPER SCHOOL- IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Supplies needed: tissues, 2 pumps of Softsoap (not large refills), white copy paper
- PE Uniform: We will be enforcing the PE uniform for a grade starting in January. An email with further information will be coming soon.
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:
A second “pro tip” for families as we head into the holiday season; we introduced a new call and response a few weeks ago. A teacher will say, “Respecto” (Latin for look back or around intently). Students will reply, “Turn around, do your share, make it better, show you care.” With the anticipation of unwrapping gifts (which may include many pieces), visiting relatives and friends and their playrooms, and eventually clearing out holiday decorations, this call & response gives an encouraging way to put the ownership of cleaning up in the right hands.
UPCOMING
NEXT WEEK:
- Week of 12/16: Upper School: Q2 Finals
- Wed, 12/18:
- Lower school: TK Parents Coffee and Donuts, TK Nativity Play
- 5K Race: 3rd – 4th grade Running Club participants will be racing at 1:30 pm.
- Thurs, 12/19:
- Upper school: Alumni Panel for 8th – 12th grade students
- Upper school: Christmas Concert
- Fri, 12/20: Christmas celebrations, Noon dismissal
IN THE NEAR FUTURE:
- Mon, 01/06: First day of spring semester
- Mon, 01/06 – 01/10: Intensive Short Term (upper school)
- Thurs, 01/09: Coffee and Discussion with Mr. Johnston at Traveling Addiction, 8:00 a.m.
- Mon, 01/20: MLK Day observed, No school
- Fri, 01/24: School Spelling Bee (4th – 8th grades) at Upper School campus, parents welcome
- Wed, 02/12: CLT10 – Standardized test for 9th grade
- Fri, 02/14: Teacher workday, no school
- Mon, 02/17: Presidents day observed, No school
- Thurs, 02/20: CLT – Standardized test for 11th grade
- Wed 02/26 – Fri 02/28: 10th / 11th grade Trip to Washington DC
- Sun, 03/09 – 03/14: Senior Trip
FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK
GRAMMAR SCHOOL
Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Grubb and Mrs. Weber)
This Week
- TK students continued working on practicing for the nativity program. Students are very excited to show all that they have been practicing. Our focus in the Bible this week was the shepherds and how they were the first to hear that Jesus had been born! Our letters this week were G and Q. Students practiced identifying these letters and writing them in their green books. We will pick back up with letters of the week when we return from Christmas break. We did not have any new math lessons this week, but we were able to review concepts like ordering numbers, playing the missing number game and playing bingo. New math concepts will be introduced in January. TK students were in the kitchen this week making rice krispy treats. Each student chose two cutters to use to cut out their treats and then were able to decorate them with frosting and sprinkles. Enjoying them on Thursday was a highlight of the week!
Lower School P.E. (Mrs. Bennington)
K – 4th
- Students did a great job this week playing various brain games!
Lower School Music (Mrs. Bennington)
K-2nd
- Students worked hard this week learning the first verse of, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”.
3rd-4th
- Students worked hard on recorder exercises that incorporated their first three notes. Students also worked hard this week learning the first verse of, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”.
Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)
This Week
- These past few weeks, our kindergarten scholars have been very intentional in displaying acts of kindness towards their families, friends, and neighbors. We have been encouraging them to love the people around them, and to put others before themselves. As Christmas break quickly approaches, we want them to remember that the reason for the season is the birth of Jesus Christ. He is the epitome of what it means to love well. In terms of academics, we had a full week of learning this week. In math, we learned the addition facts: adding zero to a number. We also learned how to count by 10s to a 100, how to find a sum by counting on, and how to make and read a bar graph. In phonics, we introduced the phonograms ng, ar, wh, aw, and au, and we worked on the reader, Bad Meg. In history, we discussed the Roman Empire and its founder, Augustus Caesar. In art, we learned about the Spanish painter, Diego Velazquez, who is considered to be a leading figure in Baroque style artwork. In science, we continued our section on measurement and we worked hard on our Mr. Gallon Man project.
Memory Work:
- 1 Corinthians 14:40 and review
1st Grade (Mrs. Cantaffa & Mrs. Smith)
This Week
- Our first graders have been joyfully learning and growing, with every lesson reminding us of God’s order and beauty in creation! In Math, we practiced identifying pairs, dividing sets into groups of two, and explored adding 10 to multiples of 10. We also searched for missing numbers on a piece of the hundred number chart. During Reading, Lexi’s Hope encouraged meaningful discussions about trust and perseverance, reflecting the hope we have in Christ. In Grammar, we continued learning about nouns and personal pronouns like “I,” “me,” “my,” and “mine,” celebrating the unique individuals God created each of us to be. Our Art time was filled with creativity and joy as students worked on special Christmas projects for a surprise that reflects the spirit of love and giving. In Science, we studied our bird of the month, the Tufted Titmouse, marveling at God’s creativity in designing even the smallest creatures with care and purpose. For History, we’ve been reflecting on God’s faithfulness as we near the end of Pilgrim Stories by Margaret Pumphrey, appreciating the Pilgrims’ courage and reliance on Him in their journey to the New World. It has been a week filled with growth, discovery, and the joy of learning under God’s care. Thank you for partnering with us as we guide your children to grow in wisdom and understanding through His truth!
Memory Work:
- Review
2nd Grade (Mrs. Hedgecock & Mrs. Eng)
This Week
- We continue with our normal weekly subjects, but we are also spending time focusing on the birth of Christ. Our history has taken us to the story of Joseph. There is much to learn about Joseph, but we will just be able to touch on the highlights. It is an amazing story of how God has a plan even during the difficult times of life. Latin has been extra exciting as we are learning to sing Joy to the World in Latin! And we continue to sing Happy Birthday in Latin. The students did a good job writing “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost. They learned to draw a tree landscape to go along with the poem. We concluded our reading of Sarah, Plain and Tall by watching the movie. The students have now learned 640 words in our spelling program (they started in first grade). These words and their derivatives include more than 70% of all the words we read and write! Our copy work this week was Micah 5:2 and the students all found Micah in their Bibles. In science we are introducing states of matter and this has gone along well with our math lesson learning the freezing and boiling points of water. As teachers we enjoy seeing the students’ excitement at celebrating the Birth of Christ – truly our best present of all is Jesus.
Memory Work:
- Proverbs 25:8-10
3rd Grade (Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Meredith)
This Week
- Students learned about three influential Greek philosophers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. These men were known for their love of learning. Socrates, unsatisfied with the teachers of his time, decided that in order to discover what is true, he must learn to think for himself. Ask your child to define the Socratic method and how it works! Socrates’s most famous student, Plato, opened an academy where students were taught not what to think, rather how to think. Plato’s Academy was the first institution of higher learning in the Western world, and produced many famous minds including Aristotle. In math, students continue to build fluency in division as they explore how using a related multiplication fact helps you find an unknown division fact. Even though it is hard to contain our excitement as Christmas approaches, students are busy preparing their hearts and minds for the coming celebration of Christ’s birth. We are reading through the scripture account in Luke, discussing the prophecies, and learning that it is better to give than to receive. (Acts. 20: 35).
- Burlington Writers Club Submissions – Due 1/15/25
Memory Work:
- Review Quarter Two Verses
Mrs. Fairchild
3rd Grade Art
- We have continued our work on the charcoal drawing. They are learning to blend and add contrast to their work in order to help the viewer understand what they are viewing. We have specifically been dealing with spheres, convex and concave lines, and gradients.
4th Grade (Mrs. McDorman and Mrs. Rankin)
This Week
- This week we focused on divisibility rules for 2, 3, 5, and 10. We practiced recognizing patterns to help us quickly determine if a number could be evenly divided by these numbers. For example, we learned that a number is divisible by 3 if the sum of the digits is divisible by 3. In language arts, we also embraced the Christmas season by writing poetry reflecting on our Savior’s birth. We introduced the indirect object in sentence patterns, helping students identify the recipient of an action in a sentence. In history, we continued reading about the Crusades, learning about their historical context and how they impacted Europe and the Middle East. In science, we focused on the geosphere, diving into the study of Earth’s physical layers—such as the crust, mantle, and core—and how these layers influence the surface of our planet. As they added to their science journals, students reflected on the incredible design of creation and expressed their gratitude for the world that God made. Altogether, it was a week of rich learning—connecting math, history, and science to real-life experiences while also taking time to reflect on the blessings we have through Christ’s birth and our Creator’s work.
Memory Work:
- Quarter 2 verses: review
- Optional: read day 14 and 15 with your student. We are also reading the account of Christ’s birth in the gospels.
Mrs. Fairchild
4th Grade Art
- We took a quick detour from our art project to study and reflect on the art of Thomas Cole. We looked specifically at the Course of the Empire and reflected on the message he included in his work.
LOGIC SCHOOL
Mrs. Bennington
5th Band
- Band students have been working hard on concert music this week. Big improvements are being made every day. We are looking forward to showcasing all of our hard work at the Christmas Concert this Thursday, 12/19 at 7pm. Students should arrive at the Upper School at 6pm. Doors for the audience will open at 6:45pm so that all of the band and choir students have time to warm-up for the concert. Students should wear their Bradford Dress uniform. We are looking forward to celebrating the Joy of the Birth of Christ with you though all of the pieces that we play and sing.
6th-8th Band
- Band students have been working hard on concert music this week. Big improvements are being made every day. We are looking forward to showcasing all of our hard work at the Christmas Concert this Thursday, 12/19 at 7pm. Students should arrive at the Upper School at 6pm. Doors for the audience will open at 6:45pm so that all of the band and choir students have time to warm-up for the concert. Students should wear their Bradford Dress uniform. We are looking forward to celebrating the Joy of the Birth of Christ with you though all of the pieces that we play and sing.
9th – 10th Band
- Band students have been working hard on concert music this week. Big improvements are being made every day. We are looking forward to showcasing all of our hard work at the Christmas Concert this Thursday, 12/19 at 7pm. Students should arrive at the Upper School at 6pm. Doors for the audience will open at 6:45pm so that all of the band and choir students have time to warm-up for the concert. Students should wear their Bradford Dress uniform. We are looking forward to celebrating the Joy of the Birth of Christ with you though all of the pieces that we play and sing.
Mrs. Johnston
5th – 8th Chorus –
We are continuing to prepare for the concert this week by doing some historical background discussion on the music as well as joint rehearsals. We discovered that the 12 Days of Christmas did not mean what we originally thought it did – feel free to ask your student about it!
REMINDERS: The Christmas Concert is next Thursday, December 19th at 7PM. Call time for students is 6PM, and doors open at 6:45PM. We do ask that attendees stay out of the church until the doors open so that students can set up and warm up. We look forward to an evening celebrating the Birth of Christ through instrument and song!
5th Grade (Mrs. LaTour and Mrs. Kromhout)
This Week
- This week in 5th grade, we learned about the French and Indian wars in History and continued to work on our Burlington Writers Club papers in writing! We learned how to rewrite and subtract fractions and the students completed their seventh math test on Friday. We are making our way through our book, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and have enjoyed following Kit’s journey thus far! We look forward to next week as we work on our Wax Museum projects and celebrate Christmas together as a class!
Memory Work:
- Colossians 3:23-24
Upcoming:
- Alamance Battleground Field Trip: 9/27
Mrs. Palmer
5th Art
- This week we continued to work on our American Revolution posters. Our focus has been on historical accuracy, tidiness in details and using our mediums to create effective works of art.
6th Grade (Miss Stevenson)
6th Reading and Literature
- We are continuing to work our way through A Christmas Carol.
6th Grammar and Writing
- This week we finished the second essay in Lost Tools of Writing. Our next major essay will be the fictional story for the Burlington Writers Club.
6th Bible
- We are almost finished with the gospel of Luke. Next week we will start reading the final gospel, John.
6th History
- Our final card of the semester was about the Reconstruction of the South after the US Civil War.
6th Science
- Students took their quarterly exam on bacterial structure this week. I am very excited to jump into our unit on Cell Biology in January!
6th Logic
- We finished up the Making Assumptions section in Fallacy Detectives this week. Students will be taking the test for that chapter on Monday, December 16.
6th Latin
- We had the GREAT blessing of having Mrs. Kromhout as guest teacher for Latin this week. She reviewed and discussed first declensions.
Mrs. Crotts
6th Math
- The students paused chapter six to take an assessment of Sadlier Math skills from earlier grades.
Mrs. Palmer
6th Art
- Students have been working on a festive oil pastel drawing. We have been working on blending, smoothness, and listening to instructions.
Dr. Wright
7th Composition
- We are continuing Burlington Writers’ Contest writing, and this prior week delved into Greek drama by writing short play synopses.
7th Omnibus – Literature, History, Bible
- We have begun Oedipus Rex and should finish by Christmas. We continue to look at Greek civilization, as well as themes of 1-2 Samuel.
7th Logic
- Due to some confusion differentiating the informal fallacies which we have so far studied, we are revisiting and reviewing Chapter 1 of our workbook.
Mrs. Frueh
7th Science
- We moved on from earthquakes this week to studying volcanoes. We discussed recent eruptions in Iceland, Hawaii, and the Canary Islands to compare the different types of volcanoes present in those regions. We also looked at the difference between the lava released by a less explosive volcano like Mauna Loa and the ash and gases released by a more explosive volcano like Mt. St. Helens.
7th Pre-Algebra
- This week we started solving for an unknown in 2-step equations. This is a foundational skill for all future math courses. Daily practice of this skill is key to mastering this concept.
Mrs. Palmer
7th Art
- Students have used both watercolor and colored pencils this week to create several festive drawings. Our focus has been on creating hyperrealistic details in these drawings.
Miss Johnston
7th Latin
- Students continued to work on our new chapter. They studied the new noun endings and practiced sentence translations. They are making good progress and I am encouraged with how well they are learning the material.
Dr. Wright
8th Omnibus
History:
In History, we delve through Charlemagne,
And Alcuin’s wisdom, bright as summer rain.
The Carolingian age inspires our quest,
To see how learning flourished at its best.
Literature:
In Literature, brave Beowulf we meet.
By hero bold, foe Grendel sees defeat.
Next week, we’ll scene-act Beowulf to life:
His daring deeds, his battles, and his strife.
Composition:
In Composition, stories take the stage,
For Burlington’s fine contest, all the rage.
We gather verbs like squir’ls store up for snow,
To craft with skill as winter winds may blow.
(Some lines here came from me, ChatGPT.
Beware my lure, or I will make of thee
A churlish liar. Though “your” words may soar,
At Judgement Day you’ll own an empty core.)
Miss Johnston
8th Latin
- The students continued to work on their Latin art poster! I love the designs and quotes that they have picked out and showed me. They are very eager to do this project and are doing a great job so far!
Mrs. Frueh
8th Science
- We wrapped up our unit on fluid dynamics this week with a study of Bernoulli’s Principle (an increase in the velocity of a fluid results in a decrease in the pressure within the fluid). Ask your student if they can point out Bernoulli’s Principle at work in the world around them. In class, we discussed the role this principle plays in the function of carburetors, fireplace chimneys, pitched curveballs, airplane wings, helicopter blades, and racecar spoilers.
8th Algebra I
- We ended our semester with a final exam that covered all of the concepts learned in the first 6 units of our course, including evaluating algebraic expressions; solving for an unknown in equations, inequalities, and proportions; graphing functions; and writing linear equations in slope-intercept form.
Mrs. Palmer
8th Art
- We continue to work hard on magazine collage famous artworks. These students have worked diligently and with great eyes for detail. We will be wrapping up this project soon!
Mr. Crotts
8th Logic
- We have been analyzing statements (sentences with a truth value of either true or false) and their relationships with other statements by translating them using the verb of being. It is awkward and sounds funny, but helps us learn our standard categorical logic relationships.
RHETORIC SCHOOL
From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:
Upcoming for 8th-12th:
Bradford Alumni College Panel – Thursday, December 19th, 1:30-2:30pm
- Several of our Bradford alumni (college freshman through seniors!) have graciously agreed to come back to Bradford to talk to our students about college life, their college experiences, and what they learned throughout the college search and application process! We are excited to have them back with us and to hear their wisdom.
11th:
- Juniors and some parents, even, have been meeting with Mrs. Crotts for benchmark, college match meetings.
12th:
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is out, and seniors should fill it out as soon as possible!
- Who? Most seniors will benefit from filling out the FAFSA
- When? Seniors should aim to fill out the form by the end of January at the latest – some of the money is first come first serve so it is good to fill it out as soon as possible
- What is it? The FAFSA will offer access to federal grants (free money!), federal loans (to be paid back), state aid, work study options, and is sometimes also used by the institution to give aid
- You do NOT need to have decided on a college to fill out the FAFSA; go ahead and do it now, and you can send it to the institutions later (you will need to list the colleges you are interested in, but you can update this later if it changes and you can list up to 20 colleges)
- Keep your FSA ID safe! You will use it each year you submit the FAFSA
- How? Students can complete the form here: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
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- If you would like a more in depth guide to filling out the FAFSA, see here: https://www.collegeessayguy.com/paying-for-college/fafsa/101
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Mrs. Palmer
9th Spanish
- We have worked on several types of stem changing verbs (e:ie, e:i, o:ue) this week. Students practiced using these conjugated verbs in context. We also studied both new and past vocabulary and students took a quiz.
Mrs. Frueh
9th Geometry
- We spent time this week reviewing some concepts from the previous unit that were not mastered. We also looked ahead at the types of geometry questions that may appear on the CLT or PSAT.
Mr. Crotts
9th Logic
- Formal logic uses truth tables, truth trees, and formal proofs to analyze arguments. We are nearing completion of learning about truth tables and their uses.
Dr. and Mrs. James
9th Biology
- This week we finished the lessons on fungi and reviewed for the test.
- Next week the students will take their last test of Q2.
Mrs. Crotts
9th Literature
- Students are extremely thrilled to read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice!
Dr. Byrd
9th Bible
- Students worked on their book analysis project and took a test on I Samuel through the Life of Elisha in II Kings. We began the book of Psalms.
- We hope to be finished with the Book Project soon after we return to school after Christmas break.
Dr. James
10th Chemistry
- This week we reviewed oxidation numbers and balanced equations, the students took their third test of Q2, and we reviewed for the final exam.
- Next week the students will take their final exam, which is cumulative for the quarter.
Mrs. Palmer
10th Spanish
- Students worked on reviewing irregular preterite verbs as well as present tense stem changing verbs. We took a vocabulary quiz and students continued to review formal commands.
Mrs. Byrd
10th Algebra II
- We concluded our unit on quadratic functions. After Christmas break we will begin a study of polynomial functions.
Mrs. Crotts
10th Literature
- 10th Graders wrote poetry in light of the book of Psalms and shared with the class.
Miss Oldham
10th Rhetoric I
- Students recited poetry and took their final exam.
Dr. Smith
10th Historical Theology
- We began to cover developments in Christian theology during the medieval era and are learning about how the relationship between faith and reason became the primary issue wrestled with from the mid 400’s to the early 1000’s. We have been noting how the relationship between faith and reason was reflected in the relationship between the church and state, and anticipated what would blossom throughout the Reformation and post-Reformation era and culminate in the 18th century with the “fact/value” split that now dominates Western Culture.
Mrs. Palmer
11th Spanish III
- This week students worked on a writing assignment using both the preterite and imperfect tenses as well as the present perfect tense. Students took a vocabulary quiz and also practiced speaking in the target language.
Mrs. Byrd
11th Precalculus
- Students completed a CSI Style project involving exponential and logarithmic functions. We also did a bit more with using the unit circle to find a trig ratio for an angle of any size.
11th Physics
- We had fun testing our egg drop devices. After Christmas break we will return to our study of work and energy.
Miss Oldham
11th Literature
- Students presented their quarterly research project. We as a class also talked through what to expect on their final exam (scheduled for Monday 12/16).
Dr. Smith
11th NT Greek
- We have begun reviewing for the final exam, which will be next Wednesday, Dec. 18. We are reviewing by going over NT Greek sentences that we have previously translated, which has included reviewing vocabulary, noun cases, recognizing singular and plural endings to nouns and definite articles and focusing on the structure of Greek sentences (syntax).
Mr. Webster
11th-12th Systematic Theology
- This week we finished up our unit by covering the doctrine of sin. Next week the students will take their test for this quarter.
11th History
- This week we finished up our unit on the high middle ages and will finish the week by taking a test.
Miss Oldham
12th Literature
- Students finished “The Importance of Being Earnest” and took their final exam.
12th Rhetoric II
- Senior thesis is on hold until January. My Christmas present for the seniors is to take a break and not think about their theses until IST week. Please encourage your seniors to take this time and remember what this season is about, and eat a lot of good food!
Mrs. Byrd
12th Calculus
- We completed our study of Analytical Applications of Differentiation. After Christmas break we will begin the next major topic of calculus – Integration.