BB 2019-01-11

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XI, ISSUE 17

JANUARY 11th, 2019

FROM THE TEACHER’s DESK

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Luther)

Bible
  • This week we reviewed the story of Christ’s birth and introduced John the Baptist.  
Theme Adventure
  • TK students studied the book Little Nino’s Pizzeria.  We used this book to prepare for the upcoming time in the kitchen where the students will create their own pizzas.  
Literacy
  • TK has continued to distinguish real information from make-believe.
  • TK sorted capital and lowercase letters.  
  • TK played games identifying the names of classmates by reading name labels.
  • TK reviewed compound words and onset and rime.
  • Next week TK will learn to label nouns by identifying items in pictures and books as a person, place, or thing.
Math
  • This week we practiced graphing and compared the information the graph shared.  
  • TK pretended they were in a store and paid for various classroom items using pennies.  
  • TK was introduced to geoboards and practiced creating different shapes.  The complexity of this task will grow next week.
  • Next week TK will begin counting by tens.
Arts and Sciences
  • The TK class learned to create art in the style of Henri Matisse that was mimicked in this week’s book.  
  • TK created a basic dough using yeast in science this week.  
  • TK also divided foods into different food groups in their center groups.

 

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera & Mrs. McDorman)

Language Arts
  • Our kindergarten scholars tackled their fourth book this week: Pepin the Not-Big. Pepin was the son of Charles Martel. He was called “the Short” due to his small stature. We reviewed our sight words and practiced writing them. Students are learning to identify if a word is a special exhibit word or if they can sound it out.
Math
  • Writing the number 0-10 using words; identifying pairs; graphing pieces used to cover a design; reading a graph; fact assessment 7; written assessment 12; identifying ordinal position to 26th;  writing money amounts using the cent symbol; paying for items using dimes and pennies.
History
  • In the year 66 AD the Jews of Judea rebelled against their Roman masters. In response, the Emperor Nero dispatched an army under the general Vespasian to restore order. The only first-hand account of the Roman assault on the Temple comes from the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius. We read some of his account found in The Jewish War.  
Science
  • The next few weeks we will be exploring the solar system. Our first lesson focused on the phases of the Moon. We used Oreo cookies to form the New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Third Quarter, and Waning Crescent phases. Students took turns holding the model of the Moon as we cycled through the different phases of the Moon. We watched a video of the Apollo 11 space flight that landed the first two people on the Moon.
Music
  • This week our video lesson was about songs from other countries! The students listened and sang along to songs from Japan, France, Mexico, Israel, and Africa in their native language, and also in English. Then, we spent some time coloring and listening to the music of the new quarterly composer, Gioacchino Rossini. Finally, we ended class warming up our voices and singing our quarterly hymns.
Art
  • We were transported to the Sistine Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope, for our art lesson. Our kindergarten scholars had the opportunity to “paint” the chapel’s ceiling. Michelangelo’s project changed the course of Western art and is regarded as one of the major artistic accomplishments of human civilization.
P.E.
  • We reviewed all of the different type of movements we have learned so far: walking, leaping, hopping, jumping, galloping, sliding, and skipping.
Memory Work:
  • Romans 11:33

 

1st Grade (Mrs. Campbell)

Language Arts
  • Phonics target: OA/OW/OE as Long O (roast, slow, doe)
  • We continue to practice putting words in alphabetical order and also pluralization of final silent E words (hope-hopes)
Math
  • This week we practiced measuring to the nearest inch, adding 10 to a two-digit number, and identifying 1-cup and ½-cup measuring cups, tablespoons, teaspoons, and ½ teaspoons.  We also learned how to read a recipe in preparation for baking cookies in the kitchen next week! Students successfully completed fact and written assessments this week after a two week break – way to go!!  They also began memorizing the sums of 12 facts.
History
  • Our class began the delightful story of a young girl and her father’s journey from the Massachusetts colony into the wilderness of Connecticut to build a new home for their large family.  Sarah must “keep up her courage” as they encounter challenges along the way. The students have enjoyed The Courage of Sarah Noble and creating new entries in their history notebooks including the definition of courage.
Science
  • Students learned the process of the scientific method and discovered that they sometimes use it!  We began memorizing a song to help them remember the steps.
Music
  • This week we began class with prayer and reading our new weekly praise verse together. We enjoyed some time coloring a picture of our new quarterly composer,  Gioacchino Rossini, as we listened to his beautiful and lively music! Our music theory lesson was based on notes and time, and showed the students how different kinds of notes show different lengths or durations of sound. Finally, we spent the last part of class warming up our voices and singing our new quarterly hymns.
Art
  • Art connected to history this week as students learned how to draw characters from The Courage of Sarah Noble, including Sarah, Thomas the horse, and an Indian!  They also practiced the technique of overlapping in their pictures.
P.E.
  • This week we worked on Bradford Bootcamp activities. Children learned how to do proper push-ups and crunches.
Memory Work:  
  • Jeremiah 9:23-24

 

2nd Grade (Mrs. Jones)

Language Arts
  • Reading: We began reading Owls in the Family this week, where we were introduced to Billy, an avid animal collector.  This book is actually a true story which makes it even funnier! Ask your child if they can name some of the unusual animals Billy kept as pets.
  • Cursive: We reviewed all the letters we learned last quarter, then learned x and g.
  • Grammar: We began learning the first 10 states & capitals of the USA.
    • Classifying sentences using the parts of speech that we have learned so far
    • Classifying sentences with  simple subject, simple predicate, complete subject, and complete predicate
Math
  • Writing division problems in three ways
  • Introduction to dividing by 10
  • Equal group stories
  • Identifying and drawing lines of symmetry
  • Identifying quotients

 

History
  • This week we learned about the Famine in Egypt that reunited Joseph with his brothers. Ask your child about why Joseph had so much success in Egypt.  The Bible using the same phrase multiple times in Genesis to explain Joseph’s accomplishments.
Latin
  • We learned our first verbs in Latin and played a fun game of Simon Says using the new commands. Ask your child which command was the most fun to act out?
Music
  • This week we began class with prayer and reading our new weekly praise verse together. We enjoyed some time coloring a picture of our new quarterly composer,  Gioacchino Rossini, as we listened to his beautiful and lively music! Our music theory lesson was based on notes and time, and showed the students how different kinds of notes show different lengths or durations of sound. Finally, we spent the last part of class warming up our voices and singing our new quarterly hymns.
Art
  • This week we read a book about Michelangelo’s David, then continued to work on their individual pieces of the Sistine Chapel.
P.E.
  • This week we worked on Bradford Bootcamp activities. Children learned how to do proper push-ups and crunches.
Memory Work:
  • Hebrews 11: 1-3

 

3rd Grade (Mrs. Mitchell)

Language Arts
  • Reading:  Misty of Chincoteague – We have enjoyed Marguerite Henry’s descriptive writing as we  delve into this very age-appropriate book. What 8-9 year old wouldn’t love to own a horse?
  • Writing: We are earnestly writing and revising entries for the Burlington Writers Club.  The deadline is 2/8/19. We hope to have them finished at least a week in advance so parents can get them typed up.   Details are forthcoming.
  • Grammar: This week our focus is on helping verbs.  We are memorizing a song that allows us to easily pick them out of the sentence.  We also learned that one is often needed at the beginning of an interrogative sentence.  Also, did you know that “not” is an adverb? Your student does!
Math
  • We have done a thorough review of large numbers to the billions place; reading, writing and putting them in order from least to greatest; identifying place value and the value of a digit in a large number; writing numbers in expanded form; multiplying 3 & 4-digit numbers by a 1-digit number using the multiplication algorithm; identifying missing addends for a sum of 100 and making change from $1.00.  Students are picking out 2 multiplication facts to learn in class every couple days as we try to nail down the last few facts.
  • If your student is struggling with facts (ie. not finishing the facts in the time allowed), please put a nightly plan in place to learn them.  They should be in review by 3rd grade.
History
  • Pericles and the Peloponnesian War:  We read about the Golden Age or Classical Period in Athens that occurred after the Persian War.  Many of the characteristics of our school, life and government find their roots in Greek culture.  We also discussed issues concerning trade and balance of power that affects all periods in history.
Science
  • We began our new quarterly unit in Chemistry by filling out the first page of a study sheet that lays a foundation for understanding the change from an ancient understanding of chemistry to a modern one.  Students learned about Aristotle’s theory as well as Robert Boyle’s theory. We also began memorizing many of the elements of the periodic table using a song that can be found here.
Latin
  • Chapter 16:  We memorized the endings that allow us to translate verbs into the imperfect tense.  Students are learning to parse verbs and nouns, which is an essential skill to correct translation.
Music
  • This week we began class with prayer and reading our new weekly praise verse together. We enjoyed some time coloring a picture of our new quarterly composer,  Gioacchino Rossini, as we listened to his beautiful and lively music! Our music theory lesson was based on notes and time, and showed the students how different kinds of notes show different lengths or durations of sound. Finally, we spent the last part of class warming up our voices and singing our new quarterly hymns.  
Art
  • Students began working on techniques for portrait drawing.
P.E.
  • This week we started off the new quarter with Bradford Bootcamp activities.
Memory Work:
  • Psalm 19:1-2 – Students will memorize this entire psalm this quarter.

 

4th Grade (Mrs. Hamilton)

Language Arts
  • Reading: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Students have entered the land of Narnia and are holding their breath awaiting the adventures to come.   
  • Writing: Fourth graders are learning the art of descriptive language and character development from C.S. Lewis; we began by looking at and learning from his detailed description of the faun, Mr. Tumnus, as well as that of Edmund’s first view of the land of Narnia. Also, students continue to improve their stories that will serve as their entries for the Burlington Writers’ Club contest. Thank you so much for assisting them in typing their stories!
  • Grammar: This week’s focus has been on capitalization and punctuation rules and practice.
Math
  • Students learned subtracting a fraction from one, finding a fraction to complete a whole, and writing quotients with mixed numbers
History

 

  • St. Francis of Assisi: Students got to know the monk who gave up all of his earthly riches for Christ, loved nature, and put on the very first Christmas nativity scene.

 

Science
  • Earth Science: We reviewed the layers of the earth, focusing on the crust, and began looking at the forces behind earthquakes and tsunamis.
Latin
  • Chapter 14: Students were excited to begin learning numbers in Latin.
Music
  • This week we began class with prayer and reading our new weekly praise verse together. We enjoyed some time coloring a picture of our new quarterly composer,  Gioacchino Rossini, as we listened to his beautiful and lively music! Our music theory lesson was based on notes and time, and showed the students how different kinds of notes show different lengths or durations of sound. Finally, we spent the last part of class working on our recorders and learning the notes for the song, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.”
Art
  • We continued working on drawing in two point perspective, drawing a birdfeeder and table.
P.E.
  • This week we started off the new quarter with Bradford Bootcamp activities.
Memory Work:
  • Ephesians 4:1-3

 

5th Grade (Ms. Windes)

Language Arts
  • Reading: We began our new book, Duel in the Wilderness, the story of the young George Washington traveling through the wilderness to deliver a message to the French in a futile effort to prevent the French and Indian War.
  • Writing: Students are writing paragraphs about one specific topic or theme from The Hobbit. We are working on writing a clear topic sentence and backing it up with strong examples and explanations.
  • Grammar:
Math
  • Students learned this week about adding and subtracting fractions with common denominators, probability and chance, and adding mixed numbers.
History
  • We studied the time following the French and Indian war when tensions between the colonists and the British were rising because of British debts, new taxes for the colonists, new laws to protect the land, and an increase in the number of British soldiers in the colonies.
Science:
  • Introduction to Astronomy: Students reviewed the solar system and the phases of the moon and got a brief glimpse of the exciting things to come this quarter in science. You might notice your child looking at the night sky studying the moon or looking for a certain star, planet, constellation, or even just a small part of our Milky Way galaxy.  
Latin
  • We learned this week about the strange and irregular 3rd and 4th conjugation future tense endings besides continuing to practice our translating.

 

Music
  • This week we began class with prayer and reading our new weekly praise verse together. We enjoyed some time drawing or coloring a picture of our new quarterly composer,  Gioacchino Rossini, as we listened to his beautiful and lively music! Our music theory lesson was based on notes and time, and showed the students how different kinds of notes show different lengths or durations of sound. Finally, we spent the last part of class warming up our voices and singing our new quarterly hymns.  
Art
  • Students learned the basic proportions of a face in preparation for copying a face from a well known artist.
P.E.
  • This week we started off the new quarter with Bradford Bootcamp activities.
  • Memory this week: Philippians 2:1-2
  • Next week: Philippians 2:3-5

 

LOGIC & RHETORIC SCHOOL

 

Mrs. Dovan

8th Omnibus
  • Students began the week discussing the tension of Robin Hood as both hero and outlaw, and they re-wrote a Robin Hood tale from a first-person perspective of their choice. There were some creative entries, like the narrative told by the shooting target.)  We also began Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain and will be exploring how myth and history are closely linked in forming the identity of a people group.
11th Elective – Drama
  • We will start Drama next week, and we will launch the course with Sophocles.

 

Mrs. Frueh

7th Grade Science:
  • We started the semester with an investigation of the history of space exploration, specifically the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo missions. We are now going to finish our journey through our own solar system with a study of each planet and the various missions that have been carried out to study them. First up this week was the planet Mercury, along with the Mariner 10 and MESSENGER probes.
8th Grade Science:
  • We started the week with a fun logic activity to refresh our knowledge of the periodic table, which will be necessary as we launch into our final chemistry unit on bonding and chemical reactions. This week we discussed the difference between ionic and covalent bonds and when each would occur.

 

Mr. Hamilton

7th Grammar/Comp
  • We’re moving on to The Lively Art of Writing, seeking to learn the basics of the academic paper, which we will attempt to write in quarters three and four.
7th Omnibus
  • We’ve started off with a bang in our Omnibus class, engaging the still-relevant Euthyphro dilemma first posed by Socrates. In addition to understanding the dilemma, we have worked hard to apprehend  exactly what’s at stake, for the Christian and the philosophical naturalist alike.
9th History
  • 9th Omnibus will begin next week after the tech short term. We are looking forward to learning more about the many and varied issues our new country faced in the 18th century.
9th Literature
  • Next up: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
9th Theology
  • Coming soon: a Christian analysis of communism.
11th Philosophy/Apologetics
  • 11th Apologetics will begin next week after the intensive short term. Our first order of business will be to understand the importance of apologetics and to discuss relevant methodologies.

 

Mr. Johnston

HIGH SCHOOL INTENSIVE SHORT TERM (IST)
  • 9th/10th TECHNOLOGY IST: The students further considered the great wonders and blessings of modern technology.  The students spent two days focusing on hardware and how electronic circuits and microchips work.  They even tore apart a few computers other electronic devices.  They then turned to programming and software engineering.    Friday we spent the day at NC State and had the opportunity to visit various tech labs and witnessed the wonderful work taking place in working research facilities!  I special thank you to Jonathan White and Jimmy Thrasher who took the lead this week and arranged such great opportunities for our students!
  • 11th ECONOMICS IST: Our Juniors spent the week finishing of discussions on Macro Economics and Biblical Principles of Economics.  They were then able to look at the stock market, banking, and personal finances.  We were are blessed to hear some wise words from a couple small business owners.

 

Mr. Palmer

7th Pre-Algebra
  • This week we learned about percents and solving conditional proportions.
8th Algebra I
  • This week we worked with more exponents and solving polynomial equations.
7th/8th P.E.
  • This we started off the new quarter with Bradford Bootcamp.
9th Intermediate Logic
  • This week we did not meet due to short term tech week.

 

Mr. Davis

7th and 8th Grade Choir
  • This week students worked on vocal parts for the song “Holy, Holy, Holy.” Next week they will continue to finalize vocal parts for “Holy, Holy, Holy” and they will also work on the song “Is He Worthy?”
11th Grade Introduction to Church Worship
  • This week the students were not in class due intensives. Next week the students will study the history and theological application of the song “Rock of Ages.” The students will also begin to work on a “Sacred Music Lab.”