BB 2019 – 05 – 03

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XI, ISSUE 30

MAY 3, 2019

 

FROM THE OFFICE

Congratulations to Mallory Jones who has been elected as Bradford Academy’s first student body President!  

UPCOMING

NEXT WEEK:

  • Monday, 5/6/19:  8th – 11th Tennis Club
  • Tuesday, 5/7/19:
    • Student Council elections (Upper School)
    • Spring XC Training
  • Thursday, 5/9/19:
    • 1st Annual Bradford Games:  7th – 11th grades. Location:  Main Campus
  • Friday, 5/10/19:
    • Feed the Hunger Packathon:  3rd – 10th grades

 

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

 

  • 5/30:  Patriotic Program – 7:00 pm  SAVE THE DATE!

 

**We will be having a final rehearsal on Thursday, 5/30 at 10:00 a.m.  We would like to invite grandparents and parents with young children to join us for this sneak peak!**

 

FROM THE TEACHER’s DESK

 

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

 

Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Davis and Mrs. Luther)

Bible
  • TK students enjoyed reading about Jesus’ reunion with his friends after he rose.  It was a sweet time to celebrate Jesus conquering death and giving us eternal hope.  
  • Next week we will study the importance of Jesus’ ascension and the Holy Spirit as our helper and God.
Theme Adventure
  • We enjoyed the butterfly picnic!  The butterflies emerged over the weekend and into this week.  Because butterflies lay eggs just a few days after they emerge from their chrysalides, we needed to release them on the Bradford campus.  All students present got to hold a butterfly and have their picture taken. We were happy to share the butterfly picnic and release with Kindergarten through 2nd grade!
  • From TK farm to table: TK harvested butter crunch lettuce from the Garden.  We tasted them during snack with ranch dressing of course! The students were excited to take some home to their families!  
Literacy
  • TK students continue to work with onset-rime which is a big step toward reading readiness.  
  • Students have been further challenged to identify words that do not belong in word families.  
  • TK students wrote about the release of their butterflies in their observation journal.
Math
  • Students used tangram sets to cover challenging designs.  TK is learning to flip, turn and slide their pieces to create objects on paper.
  • TK learned to identify a quarter and distinguish it from pennies, nickels, and dimes.  We opened the TK store and students paid for items using the different coins. This exercise helped the students’ understanding of the different values of the coins to pay for the same item.
  • TK students were introduced to sets of doubles and halves.  They will be learning to play dominoes to further their understanding of identifying and matching equivalent sets.

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera & Mrs. McDorman)

Language Arts
  • We introduced the last target sound: TH. This is another sound which requires a letter pair in order to write it. Students learned the proper strokes and practiced writing TH words. Friday we celebrated their accomplishments with a Reading Fair Day. Our scholars were amazed at how easily they able to read the books we have studied thus far. It’s always exciting when the sixth graders come to our class to be reading buddies. Next week, our kindergarten scholars will be reading buddies for the TK students.    
Math
  • Subtraction facts: differences of 1; identifying a fractional part of a set; subtracting 10 from a number; identifying and drawing polygons; written assessment 24; identifying geometric solids.
History
  • By 1774, the year leading up to the Revolutionary War, trouble was brewing in America. Parliament had been passing laws placing taxes on the colonists in America. There had been the Sugar Act in 1764, the Stamp Act the following year, and a variety of other laws that were meant to get money from the colonists for Great Britain. In 1774, twelve of the thirteen colonies sent representatives to the First Continental Congress as a direct response to the Intolerable Acts. The Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775 when fighting broke out between the two sides at the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Science
  • The skeletal system is the body system composed of bones and cartilage and performs the following critical functions for the human body: supports the body, facilitates movement,  protects internal organs, and produces blood cells.
Music
  • This week we began class with prayer, and we watched our video lesson that was about how music can tell a story. Then, the students got out their music folders, we warmed up our voices, and we practiced our music for the Patriotic Program that is coming soon! Unfortunately, we did not have enough time to color and listen to the music of our quarterly composer, John Phillip Sousa, so we took our coloring pages home.
Art
  • Our scholars are busy creating their model of the human body. The conversations in are classroom are quite comical. “Where is my kidney?” “Where does the small intestine go?” We reviewed our songs for the circulatory and respiratory systems. We introduced the skeletal system and met Mr. Boris, are resident skelton.
P.E.
  • We prepared for the field days by working on some large motor skills. Students requested to play Builders and Bulldozers. They love the fast pace excitement of racing around frantically to build up the cones or tear them down.  A quick game of Spot and their little hearts were beating fast.
Memory Work:
  • John 1:1 and review

 

1st Grade (Mrs. Campbell)

Language Arts
  • Phonics target sound: TION/SION
  • Review of blends and alphabetical order
  • Phonics reader
Math
  • This week we practiced drawing a picture to solve a problem, cutting a geometric shape apart and making a new shape, and using comparison symbols.  We also practiced subtracting four facts and continued to work on mastering the 100 addition fact sheet! The students enjoyed a fun group challenge called “Add It Up” where they practiced adding three two-digit numbers.   
History
  • We inched closer to the modern era while enjoying the book Buffalo Bill by the d’Aulaire’s.  First graders enjoyed these exciting tales of the Wild West.  We also added entries to our history notebooks.
Science
  • Our study of Earth Science leads us to the water cycle and types of clouds and precipitation.  We read It’s Raining by Gail Gibbons which describes it all in fun, colorful way.
Music
  • This week we began class with prayer, and the students recited last week’s weekly praise verse to receive a prize at the end of the day! Then, we spent some time coloring and drawing as we listened to the patriotic music of our quarterly composer, John Phillip Sousa. Our history of hymns was about our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and our music theory lesson was about key signatures. Finally, we warmed up our voices and practiced the music for the Patriotic Program!
Art
  • We continued our study of Norman Rockwell by viewing an excellent documentary on his life and work, and then enjoyed discussion on a few of his illustrations, both humorous and thought-provoking.
P.E.
  • Due to Mr. Palmer being out, the kids got to hang out with the great Mr. Lee Davis.
Memory Work:  
  • Psalm 67:1-6

 

2nd Grade (Mrs. Jones)

Language Arts
  • Reading: We continued to read about the exciting adventures of the Popper family in  Mr. Popper’s Penguins. This week the Poppers had all sorts of crazy encounters with the various people in Stillwater who meet Captain Cook.
  • Cursive: Upper Case F, B, P
  • Grammar: Coding sentences using two prepositional phrases
Math
  • Multiplication facts (x 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10)
  • Writing mixed numbers
  • Measuring to the nearest quarter inch
  • Telling time: quarter past, half past, quarter til the next hour
History
  • This week we followed the Israelites as they traveled from Mount Sinai to Jericho. The students took turns reading from the Bible to learn about Joshua, Caleb, Rahab, the Jordan River and the Israelite’s conquest of Jericho. We also talked about God instituting Judges for his people and why that was necessary.
Latin
  • We continued to study parts of the body.
Music
  • This week we began class with prayer, and the students recited last week’s weekly praise verse to receive a prize at the end of the day! Then, we spent some time coloring and drawing as we listened to the patriotic music of our quarterly composer, John Phillip Sousa. Our history of hymns was about our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and our music theory lesson was about key signatures. Finally, we warmed up our voices and practiced the music for the Patriotic Program!
Art
  • We combined art and science again in our study of rocks and gems. While some students were busy coloring geodes and crystals that we’ve studied, others got to crack open their very own geode.
P.E.
  • Due to Mr. Palmer being out, the kids got to hang out with the great Mr. Lee Davis.
Memory Work:
  • Hebrews 11: 1-38

 

3rd Grade (Mrs. Mitchell)

Language Arts
  • Reading:  What is Pompeii?  – Students finished this book, learning about Herculaneum as well as Pompeii.  We have also been practicing timed reading comprehension to prepare a bit for end of grade tests.
  • Writing:  Tasty Nests:  Summarizing using keywords.  Students were exposed to a very unfamiliar topic and learned how to choose the most important information in order to write a summary.
  • Grammar: Beginning and ending quotation marks; review of editing skills with punctuation and capitalization.
Math
  • Making line graphs, writing a function rule; finding the missing numbers in a function; finding a fractional part of a set; identifying factors of a number; identifying the greatest common factor of two numbers; assessment.
History
  • Constantine and the Edict of Milan – We are all very relieved to come to the end of widespread Christian persecution and enter the time of the “Christian empire” – though they will learn more of the faults of this time period next year.
Science
  • Simple machines test; Students used their knowledge of simple machines to identify the mechanical advantage on Hess dump trucks and loaders that were part of a grant that was awarded to Bradford last year.
Latin
  • Chapter 30 – Compound words; this is the last full new chapter of material that we will cover this year.  We will continue with a thorough review.
Music
  • This week we began class with prayer, and the students recited last week’s weekly praise verse to receive a prize at the end of the day! Then, we spent some time coloring and drawing as we listened to the patriotic music of our quarterly composer, John Phillip Sousa. Our history of hymns was about our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and our music theory lesson was about key signatures. Finally, we warmed up our voices and practiced the music for the Patriotic Program!

 

Art
  • Students chose a symbol for the Trinity or the chi-rho symbol of Constantine and are creating a mosaic with it.
P.E.
  • This week we worked on running at different paces.
Memory Work:
  • Review of Matt. 6:25-27 and 1 Thess. 4:9-12

 

4th Grade (Mrs. Hamilton)

Language Arts
  • Reading: We completed the first of four books of King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table. We also began reading the account of the life and work of John Calvin–This Was John Calvin.
  • Writing: Students continued working on the first drafts of their fantastic stories, focusing on the elements of a story, including descriptive language and dramatic dialogue.
  • Poetry (final unit): After reading several sonnets of Shakespeare and selections from other poets, students wrote their own poems while being inspired by the beauty around them.  
Math
  • Students learned to multiply decimal numbers by 10, 100, and 1000, as well as by using zeros as placeholders; students also learned to find the least common multiple of two numbers, and to complete scale drawings.
History
  • John Calvin and the Institutes–students learned that the Reformation did not stop with Martin Luther, but rather, just began. This week, they learned about John Calvin, his labors in Geneva, Switzerland, and his writings systematically organizing the Christian doctrines.
Science
  • At long last, students began building their medieval machines in four teams.
Latin
  • Students completed their review of the three verb conjugation; they also greatly enjoyed working with Latin imperatives by playing Simonus/Simona dicat. Students also had a great opportunity of translating in small groups a passage from Libellus.
Music
  • This week we began class with prayer, and the students recited last week’s weekly praise verse to receive a prize at the end of the day! Then, we got out our recorders and practiced, “My Country ‘Tis Of Thee,” together. Next, we warmed up our voices and practiced singing the music for the Patriotic Program. Our history of hymns was about our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and our music theory lesson was about key signatures. Finally, we spent some time coloring/drawing as we listened to the patriotic music of our quarterly composer, John Phillip Sousa.

 

Art
  • We continued working on our watercolor landscapes this week.

 

P.E.
  • This week we worked on running at different paces.
Memory Work:
  • Magna Carta speech for the Patriotic Program
  • Psalm 139: 1-6

 

5th Grade (Ms. Windes)

Language Arts
  • Reading: We discussed the themes of identity, worthiness, and the power of words as we watch Johnny face the truth that his hand is irreparably damaged and all that he has been preparing himself for and planning to accomplish is no longer possible. Johnny also meets a new character, Rab, who offers Johnny a friendship without pity but with honesty and understanding.
  • Writing: Students continue to work on their research papers, this week writing their second and third body paragraphs.
  • Grammar:  The class has been reviewing capitalization rules and punctuation rules.
Math
  • We learned about using proportions to solve percent problems, two step equations, and finding the area of complex shapes.
History
  • This week we studied the Lewis and Clark expedition, learning about its leaders, their goals, and the outcome of this venture.
Science:
  • Introduction to Electricity (static and current).
Latin
  • We reviewed vocabulary from the past four chapters and also practiced translating sentences; students continue to improve in their
Music
  • This week we began class with prayer, and some of the students recited last week’s weekly praise verse to receive a prize at the end of the day! Then, we spent some time coloring/drawing as we listened to the patriotic music of our quarterly composer, John Phillip Sousa. Our history of hymns was about our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and our music theory lesson was about key signatures. Finally, we warmed up our voices and practiced the music for the Patriotic Program, as well as the music for the Day of Prayer Service that we performed for this past Thursday!
Art
  • We continue working with acrylics, practicing to begin our final project of copying sections of a masterpiece!
P.E.
  • This week we worked on running at different paces and we had a 200 meter relay race.

 

Memory Work:

  • 1 Samuel 2:1-10

 

6th Grade (Mrs. Garrett)

New Testament Survey
  • The students continued memorizing I John and discussed John’s statement in Chapter 3, “what we will be has not yet been made known.”  
Literature
  • The class began Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place and viewed closely the setting, the family, and her neighborhood.
Math
  • The class worked through evaluating the volume, balanced equations, finding the whole group when a fraction is known, implied ratios and multiplying and dividing positive and negative numbers.  They also practiced identifying different types of parallelograms and angles.
History
  • To better understand the causes of World War 2, and some of the daily trials that soldiers went through, the class read first hand accounts from soldiers. The students also followed the movements of various troops across Europe, and learned a bit of the devastation that occurred. The students ended the week by reading the account of the American pilot who dropped candy from his airplane after the war ended to bring cheer to the children in Germany.
Science
  • Due to the field trip, the class was unable to peer into the mysteries of light this week.
Writing/Grammar
  • The students practiced writing vocabulary sentences using punctuation and capitalization rules.  They also embarked on writing their speech for the Wax Museum.
Latin
  • After reviewing 3rd and 4th conjugation future tense endings, students took their chapter 13 quiz.
Music
  • This week we began class with prayer, and some of the students recited last week’s weekly praise verse to receive a prize at the end of the day! Then, we spent some time coloring/drawing as we listened to the patriotic music of our quarterly composer, John Phillip Sousa. Our history of hymns was about our national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” and our music theory lesson was about key signatures. Finally, we warmed up our voices and practiced the music for the Patriotic Program, as well as the music for the Day of Prayer Service that we performed for this past Thursday!

 

Art
  • Due to the field trip, the students were unable to work on their plein air projects this week. Upcoming: clay tea lights.
Logic
  • What is propaganda? How does snob appeal fit into propaganda in our culture? The class was reminded how common the fallacy of snob appeal is used in every day advertising. The students looked closely at each fallacy that we have covered thus far, and took an assessment covering each.
  • Upcoming: Appeal to Tradition and Appeal ot Hi-Tech
P.E.
  • This week we worked on running at different paces and we had a 200 meter relay race.
Memory Work:
  • I John 1-3:3, When Peace Like a River, History Song from 1815.

 

LOGIC & RHETORIC SCHOOL

 

Mrs. Byrd

Physics
  • A field trip to the Harris Nuclear Energy Center was a highlight of our week.  We enjoyed an informative presentation on how nuclear energy is made, how it is managed at the Harris Plant, and how various nuclear accidents could have been avoided.  The class also got to see a simulator where interns are trained to operate the reactor. Our guide demonstrated what happens in the control room when the plant loses power or something happens with one of the safety systems.  We also visited some interesting, interactive energy displays that show various aspects of electricity generation. We left with an appreciation for the potential of nuclear energy and a respect for the care with which it is handled at the Harris facility.

 

Precalculus
  • We are learning to manipulate matrices to solve systems of equations. This opens up a new world of terms and ideas for us – things like: augmented matrices, reduced row echelon form, and Gauss-Jordan elimination. These procedures employ algorithmic approaches that are easily adapted to computer programs.  We are realizing that we can use our calculators to solve problems that took up a half page in Algebra II 🙂
Geometry
  • The class has enjoyed doing geometry art work this week as we take up our fourth quarter project.  Each student is designing two unique tiles using a translational (or rotational technique). After they tile their paper, they are creating artistic designs with their shapes similar to various pieces by M.C. Escher.

Dr. Byrd

10th Bible Survey
  • This week we learned about the gospel of John. This book particularly challenges us to believe that Jesus is the Christ and that believing we may have eternal life. Then we covered the book of Galatians. Here Paul clearly defines justification by faith. Both of these books were important to build up our souls in the truth.

Mrs. Dovan

8th Omnibus
  • We have continued in The Canterbury Tales this week, completing the tales of the Wife of Bath, the Oxford Clerk, and the Nun’s Priest.  These stories have introduced us to different caricatures of women, some virtuous and some self-obsessed.  We introduced the Proverbs 31 woman into this conversation as well, holding up these characters in light of biblical virtue and excellence.  Who knew our class of 70% boys would be discussing biblical womanhood and feminism?
    • Griselda’s unwavering submission to her husband in the name of God led to a fruitful discussion about how the knowledge of our identity in Christ frees us from self-protecting emotions.
  • In history, the students completed their presentations, and we will take a test on their reports on Monday, May 6.
  • We began Shakespeare’s Henry V this week, a nice accompaniment to our discussion of the Hundred Years War.  As expected, the students are reading their characters’ parts with enthusiasm.

 

11th Elective – Intro to Drama
  • This week we focused on the two dialogues, blocking movements that best express the text.

 

Mrs. Frueh

7th Grade Science:
  • The students led an excellent Harkness-style discussion based on an excerpt from Augustine’s De Genesi ad litteram (The Literal Meaning of Genesis). As a class, they were able to pose questions, analyze arguments, and draw conclusions that will guide our approach to studying geology and the age of the Earth. We are currently discussing the difference between uniformitarianism and catastrophism.
8th Grade Science:
  • This week we looked at examples of Newton’s Third Law in everyday life and also introduced our year-end project: self-propelled vehicles. As an introduction to this engineering project, we discussed the steps of the Technology Design Process. The vehicles will be propelled by balloons, rubberbands, or mousetraps. Students should begin the research and design phase this week.

 

Mr. Hamilton

7th Grammar/Comp
  • More work on research papers with teacher guidance.  Many students are greatly enjoying their first academic papers!
9th History
  • We are marching through World War II at present. Our study thus far has been a rich and invigorating exploration of this most devastating of human conflicts.
9th Literature
  • Next up is Animal Farm, Orwell’s fable about the perils of communism.
9th Theology
  • Coming soon is How Shall We Then Live, Francis Schaeffer’s study of the development of the modern world.
11th Philosophy/Apologetics
  • This week we discussed the challenge of religious pluralism.

 

Dr. James

9th/10th Biology
  • This week we concluded our introduction to evolution, including cladistics and the history of the Beagle voyage.  
  • Next week we have a test on Monday.  Then we will begin our last section, which is a study of Genesis 1 and 2 and other biblical passages pertaining to creation.

 

Mr. Miller

7th Latin
  • We continued learning about Latin numbers this week and practiced translating English numbers into Latin (Roman) numerals as well as Latin words.
8th Logic
  • This week was focused on writing valid, true categorical syllogisms by determining which premises are necessary to support a given conclusion.
10th Literature
  • As we read through Ovid’s Metamorphoses, we are encountering some great myths which give vivid depictions of certain realities experienced by humans, such as envy and narcissism.
10th History
  • The guys are practicing leading class discussion through the text of Cicero’s On Obligations in preparation for the next book of Greco-Roman philosophy (either by Lucretius or Marcus Aurelius) which they will have to present on their own.
10th Rhetoric
  • This week we discussed the exordium (introduction) of a classical oratorical composition and practiced writing it according to different staseis, or standing points, based on what you are trying to persuade your audience of.
11th Literature
  • This week we began a unit on drama by preparing to perform Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet next week.
11th History
  • This week we kicked off our student-led discussions of Calvin’s Institutes with readings from the beginning of the work on the knowledge of God, the authority of Scripture, and divine providence.
NT Greek
  • This week the students took quizzes on the noun/adjective systems and the verb system. The group finishing the year with a few new chapters also learned about  first aorist verbs.

 

Mrs. Palmer

7th Art
  • This week we began detailed studies of black and white automobiles.  Students will be working with contrast, focusing on gray scale, and being intentional with detail within these studies.
8th Art
  • This week we began detailed studies of the human face.  Students will be working on paying close attention to detail as well as striving to create good blends and color transitions.
9th Spanish
  • This week we reviewed for our Chapter 6 test.  This test, next Tuesday, will cover indirect object pronouns, preterite tense, when to use the verbs saber and conocer, and much vocabulary.

 

Mr. Palmer

7th Pre-Algebra
  • This week we continued to work on adding like terms and how to classify different triangles. We also learned how to use the distributive property.
8th Algebra I
  • This week we worked on graphing absolute values with inequalities. We also worked on adding rational equations with variables in the denominator.
7th/8th P.E.
  • This week we had a 300 meter relay race, Seventh vs Eighth Grade.
9th Intermediate Logic
  • This week we learned how to use truth trees to test the validity of an argument.

 

Mr. Davis

7th and 8th Grade Choir
  • This week the students worked on worship songs for their end-of-year-forum.
11th Grade Introduction to Church Worship
  • This week the students worked on worship for the Opening Ceremony of the Bradford Games taking place May 9th.