BB 01-23-26

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 25

Jan 23, 2026

 

FROM THE OFFICE

IMPORTANT NOTES:  

  • HOME Basketball Games today!  All teams will play, starting at 3:30.  We will recognize our Seniors as well!  Concessions will be offered and there will be a pizza meal deal starting around 4:30.  $6 for pizza, drink and cookie, or $2 per pizza slice! Let’s pack out the gym!
  • Bowling Night at Buffaloe Lanes:  February 6th from 4:00 – 10:00 pm, bring friends and family to enjoy an afternoon of bowling.  A portion of the profits will go towards the Senior’s trip to Rome!  
  • Hot lunch:  ** Click here to order **
  • Admissions and Enrollment Notes:
    • Applications for new students are open!  If you have other children you want to enroll at Bradford, please complete an application ASAP!
    • Students returning for 26/27 school year:  
      • For rising Kindergarten students or any student who has not received the NC Opportunity Scholarship:  Mark your calendars to complete an application in February.
      • FACTS:  We are beginning the transition from TADS and Educate to FACTS.  Updates and instructions will be sent in emails dedicated to that topic.  
      • Updated Immunization Record Requirement:  Students who will be in Kindergarten, 7th grade or 12th grade for the 26/27 school year are required to get updated immunizations.  Please schedule a doctor’s appointment.  You can upload them to TADS or send them to the office.  This will be due before the first day of school.  Plan ahead!
    • Students who will not be returning for the 26/27 school year:
      • Submit a letter in writing to the office no later than February 15th.
      • Notices that come after February 15th are subject to a $500 contract opt-out fee.

LOWER SCHOOL IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • FROM MRS. MITCHELL:  I appreciate the resilience we witness in so many of our students and staff when the schedule changes due to inclement weather or other factors.  The Lower School will be sending home some classwork, meant to keep learning moving forward during the upcoming break in the schedule.  It should be either review, independent work or with some younger students, 20-30 minutes a day of supervised work.  We realize that, due to many factors, this will be easier for some families than for others, but we hope that our well-taught study routines will grease the wheels for learning even when things are difficult.  C.S. Lewis summarizes this so beautifully in the following quote:  “The only people who achieve much are those who want knowledge so badly that they seek it while the conditions are still unfavorable. Favorable conditions never come.”  

UPPER SCHOOL IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • FROM DR. SMITH: Eighth grade interviews got underway this week and we look forward to their continuing over the next couple of weeks. We are also excited about the SPELLING BEE (!) on Friday the 23rd during the afternoon hours in the FBC sanctuary.  
  • HOME BASKETBALL GAMES & SENIOR NIGHT RECOGNITION TONIGHT! Bradford Academy is hosting Haw River Christian Academy this afternoon and evening at the MACC. Admission is $5/adult, and $3/non-Bradford students. Children under six and Bradford students attend free. Concessions will be available at the games. Start times for the games are as follows:
    • MS Girls – 3:30 pm
    • JV Boys – 4:30 pm
    • Varsity Girls – 5:45 pm
    • Varsity Boys – 7:00 pm
    • Senior Night Recognition following the end of the game

UPCOMING

NEXT WEEK:

  • Mon 1/26:  Varsity Basketball games – away
  • Wed 1/28:  4:00 – JV Boys Basketball game – HOME
  • Fri, 1/30:
    • 100th Day Rodeo Roundup – K – 1st grades
    • Basketball games – AWAY at Haw River Christian starting at 4:00

 

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

  • Wed 2/4:  
    • 8:00 CLT10 for 9th
    • 10:15 CLT10 for 10th
  • Thurs 2/5: Coffee and Conversation
  • Fri, 2/6:  Bowling at Buffaloe Lanes – Fundraiser for Senior Trip
  • Fri 2/13:  Teacher workday – no school
  • Sun, 2/15:  Opt-out deadline for families not returning to Bradford for the 26/27 school year
  • Mon, 2/16:  Presidents Day – no school
  • Thurs, 2/19:  
    • 8:00 CLT for 11th
    • 10:15 CLT for 12th 
  • Thurs 2/26:  Upper School Career Day
  • Thurs, 3/5:  Coffee and Conversation
  • Mon 3/9 – Thurs 3/19:  SENIOR TRIP TO ROME 
  • Wed 3/11:  Soccer Tournament lower school
  • Thurs, 3/12:  Upper School Performing Arts Night
  • Fri, 3/13:  Last day of Q3.  Report cards
  • Week of 3/16:  SPRING BREAK

FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Transitional Kindergarten  (Mrs. Grubb and Mrs. Weber)

TK students enjoyed many indoor activities this week due to the frigid weather! Thankfully, students did make it outside to enjoy the sunshine despite the cold. Kindergarten screenings are underway and will take several weeks to complete. In math, students created a shape matrix and played the missing shape game. They also learned about weight and used a balance to compare the weight of items. We also introduced geoboards. Students were able to explore the geoboards and geobands and made shapes. Our letter of the week was B. A few of our centers this week included: sorting real and make-believe books, writing letters & numbers using chalkboards, building letters with wood pieces, making tongue twisters, and finding letters and pictures that start with target letters in a book. We read 2 Bible stories this week and discussed how to pray and the Sermon on the Mount. We learned we can fully trust in the Lord to care for us. Next week we will read about Jesus calming the storm. Mrs. Bennington began teaching students the hymn, Come thou Fount. 

Lower School Art (Mrs. Knight)

3rd & 4th
  • Students completed their mixed media snowman project this week just in time for the winter weather. After careful sketching, shading, and coloring, we cut out the snowman and mounted it on dark blue paper and painted snowflakes all around it. They turned out so lovely and are on display for everyone to see. 

Lower School P.E.  (Mrs. Bennington)

K-4th
  • Students did a great job in P.E. this week following directions, working as a team, and working on soccer skills/drills.  

Lower School Music (Mrs. Bennington)

K-4th
  • Students worked hard this week reviewing the first two verses of, “Lo In The Grave He Lay”. Students also started working on the third verse. Students continued  listening to some of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9. Third and fourth grade students worked on recorder exercise utilizing the notes G, A, and B. 

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)

This Week: 

Our kindergarten scholars had a great, albeit, shorter week of learning! In math, we learned how to identify the terms: inside, outside, beside, in front of, below, next to, left, right, and in between. In phonics, we introduced four new phonograms: ou, ow, oy, and oi. We also kept reviewing our reader, Pepin the Not Big, and our number word spelling list. In art, we learned about the concept of perspective, specifically how to draw a horizon line. The students enjoyed drawing a picture of a landscape/cityscape. In science, we continued our unit on the planets and space.  It is amazing how vast our own galaxy is, let alone the universe! Our God is an amazing creator. We pray you stay safe and warm this icy weekend!

Memory Work: 

Romans 11:33-36 and review

1st Grade (Mrs. Cantaffa & Mrs. Smith)

This Week: 
  • We packed a lot of learning and a lot of fun into our four day week in first grade. In math, the students learned to decompose two-digit numbers, count, read, and write numbers to 120, and how to write a two digit number in expanded form. In art, the students learned six different ways to shade with a pencil. Frog and Toad took us down a hill on a sled ride this week in reading. The kids were thrilled to start learning their upper case letters in cursive this week. We travelled to England with Squanto this week in history. In grammar, the students have begun learning about pronouns this week. We are sending home a packet of work for the kids to do over the icey weekend as we expect school to be closed on Monday and Tuesday. Please have your child complete the packets, practice fact cards daily, and read a book daily. Go through the papers in their red folders and practice sentence writing or math problems that you notice they are struggling with. Be sure to encourage them on all their hard work you will find in the folders! Have fun snuggling,reading, and playing games during the storm! We pray your storm experience is warm and cozy!
Memory Work:  
  • Psalm 1:1-6
Upcoming:      
  • 100 Day Rodeo Round up! Friday January 30, 2026.

2nd Grade (Miss Verroi & Mrs. Eng)

This Week:    
  • Despite the short week, second graders have delighted in learning new Latin words, going on animal hunts, studying place value and writing a two-point snowy day paragraph.  Our history lesson was on the sixth ruler of Babylon – Hammurabi.  It was interesting to see how his 282 laws were carved in stone and amazing to know that a stele was discovered in 1901 and can be viewed at a museum in Paris. If you are ever in Washington DC, you can see his image in the Capitol Building by the House of Representatives and also in the courtroom of the U.S. Supreme Court. It was a thrill to get to the end of Mr. Popper’s Penguins and learn that Mr. Popper went with Admiral Drake and the twelve penguins to the North Pole to start a colony of penguins.  The reading level is a bit challenging, but so many wonderful lessons have been learned as we read through this book together. The week ended with the excitement of snow and getting to actually do what they wrote about in their snowy day paragraph.  
Upcoming:      
  • Animal and Habitat Projects Due February 18   

3rd Grade (Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Meredith)

This Week
  • Daniel prophesied that the Israelites would one day be ruled by foreign leaders due to their disobedience and idolatry. One such man fulfilled this prophecy when he conquered many nations and most importantly, the Persian Empire. This week, students learned about the military genius of Alexander the Great. Under the instruction of Aristotle, Alexander became one of the greatest military and political leaders ever known.  Alexander desired to rule the entire world and went from nation-to-nation conquering all whom he encountered. Thus, earning the name “the Great.” His life, however, was cut short when he suddenly died at the age of 32. In the absence of a plan for succession, fighting erupted. Alexander’s vast empire disintegrated.  Alexander the Great successfully unified much of the known world creating a common language, Greek, and a shared culture. This unification helped spread the gospel throughout the world. In math, we learned about  fractions and how you can represent a fraction in equal parts both in different  shapes as well as on a number line. In Latin, we continued working with the imperfect tense, and they are gradually getting more proficient at parsing those verbs and nouns in order to translate. In grammar, we focused on action and linking verbs, and discussed the difference between an action and a state of being, another challenging concept.  Students have worked hard to carefully craft their stories and poems for the Burlington Writers Club. Those who have already submitted their work were excited to share them with their classmates.
Upcoming Memory Work:
  • Psalm 19: 7-8

4th Grade (Mrs. Graham and Mrs. Rankin) 

Week 3 Thomas Aquinas

This week in fourth grade we discussed the impact Thomas Aquinas had on the Church. Thomas Aquinas was a famous philosopher and theologian from the 13th century. We learned how his writings, particularly Summa Theologica, helped present Christian revelation in a clear and systematic way. In math, our hard work in factors and multiples was put to good use, as we learned many ways to find equivalent fractions. We worked on editing our stories as we continue to polish and refine our writing. We look forward to submitting those to the Burlington Writer’s Club next week, and we’re excited to see how everyone does. Chemistry– through our study of solids, liquids, and gases–  came to life in an experiment involving soda, pop rocks, and a balloon! Finally, we ended the week with the school spelling bee. All the students did an outstanding job, and we are grateful for their hard work and dedication. We continue to have deep discussions about wisdom– in Mrs. Rankin’s class through Proverbs, and in Mrs. Graham’s class in Ecclesiastes– and your children are continuing to grow in their ability to discuss the deep truths they experience in Scripture, and to apply it to their lives. We shared a lot of excitement about the upcoming snow, and we’ll be praying for safety and fun for all. 

Upcoming  Memory Work: 

Matthew 5:10-18

LOGIC SCHOOL

Mrs. Bennington

5th-6th Band
  • Fifth grade students did a great job this week working on their Concert Bb scale and arpeggio. Students will have a test on this material the next day that we have school depending on the weather. 
  • Sixth grade students did a great job reviewing material. Percussionists started learning rudiments and will have a test on 2.3 to demonstrate their ability to play flams. Woodwind and Brass students will have a test on their Concert Bb scale, arpeggio, and scale in thirds. Students will have these tests the next day that we have school depending on the weather. 
7th-8th Band
  • Seventh and Eighth grade students did a great job reviewing material this week. They focused on making good sounds, playing together, and playing dynamics. Students will have a test on 3.30 to showcase their ability to play dynamics the next day that we have school depending on the weather. 

Mrs. Johnston

5th – 8th Choir
  • 5th-8th choirs began back to ear and rhythm training exercises. We practiced sight singing from the hymnal and rhythm/pitch worksheets.

Miss Pugsley 

5th-8th Girls’ PE
  • This week we had indoor PE. It was chilly and muddy all day!

5th Grade (Mrs. LaTour and Miss Johnston) 

This Week
  • The students had a great week! In grammar we learned about the indirect object and the objective, subjective and possessive cases. They continued to work on their wax museum speeches and finish typing their stories for the Burlington Writer’s Club competition. In math, we looked at multiplying fractions and drawing models to represent those fractions. We learned about waves and light in science class and discussed how what we’ve learned points to an orderly Creator. While we started a new list of words in spelling class, we still looked forward to cheering our classmates on at the school spelling bee on Friday!
Memory Work:
  •  Philippians 2:5-6

Mrs. Knight

5th Art
  • Fifth graders completed their sketching on their SAR posters and began to color them using paint markers. They’ve done a wonderful job of determining the key details to include on the poster along with an illustration that epitomizes each  Revolutionary War event. 

6th Grade (Mrs. McDorman and Miss Pugsley)

6th Reading and Literature
  • We continued practicing summary writing as we read more about the life of Eric Liddell. Students worked to capture key details clearly and concisely in their own words.
6th Grammar and Writing
  • Students finalized their creative writing pieces for submission to the Burlington Writer’s Contest. They revised and polished their work to prepare it for entry.
6th Bible
  • We began our study of the Gospel of Luke. Students started reading and discussing its themes and structure.
6th History
  • Students reviewed key events of the post–Civil War era and debated whether Reconstruction policies were fair and effective in restoring a nation torn apart.
6th Science
  • This week was slightly compressed with the Spelling Bee and Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Tuesday, we reviewed what the students have been studying since quarter one and helped refresh some concepts from earlier lessons.
6th Logic
  • This week in Logic, we paused our study of fallacies to hold another debate. The students debated the pros and cons of Booker T. Washington’s and WEB DuBois’s plans for black empowerment after the end of the Civil War. This tied into our study of the Reconstruction Era in History. The students practiced developing arguments, articulating themselves clearly, and considering the consequences of different ideas. I was excited to see how the students presented good arguments for ideas they didn’t personally agree with! 

Mrs. Crotts

6th Math
  • Students completed Chapter 8 (multiplying and dividing fractions and in algebraic expressions) this week.  They are scheduled to take a chapter test Tuesday, January 27.

Mrs. Wright

6th Latin
  • This week the students continued their study of Capitulum VI.  The focus shifted to  mastering the active vs. passive verb both in translation and in writing sentences in Latin with these changes in voice.  The week also included time re-translating the chapter in pairs.  

Mrs. Palmer

6th Art
  • Students took a quiz on their artist of the quarter, Winslow Homer, this week. We also began working with watercolor by using various techniques. Our main aim was to focus on proper use of the medium and we will continue to do so throughout this project.

Mrs. Frueh

7th Science
  • This week, we looked at where on Earth’s surface earthquakes are most likely to occur and what causes them. We also learned about the three different types of seismic waves produced by earthquakes and how they are used by geologists to infer the composition of Earth’s interior layers.
7th Pre-Algebra
  •  We continued our new semester with lessons on adding and subtracting multiple signed numbers, as well as finding square roots and cubic roots. As you may have noticed during homework time, the second half of our math curriculum can be quite challenging, but not beyond what our students can handle. It does take time and discipline to think through multi-step problems, but this is all part of the process of learning to think critically and to apply logic to arrive at the correct solution. Continue encouraging your student to be diligent in their daily work, aiming for excellence and mastery, not just completion of the task.

Mrs. Palmer 

7th Art
  • Students took a quiz on their artist of the quarter, Winslow Homer, this week. We also began working with watercolor by using various techniques. Our main aim was to focus on proper use of the medium and we will continue to do so throughout this project.

Mrs. Wright

7th Latin
  •   This week the students continued their study of Capitulum VI.  The focus shifted to  mastering the active vs. passive verb both in translation and in writing sentences in Latin with these changes in voice.  The week also included time re-translating the chapter in pairs.  

  

7th Logic
  • This week in Logic, the 7th grade students were introduced to two new fallacies under the category of presumption.  

Mrs. Wright

8th Latin
  • This week the students continued their study of Capitulum VI.  The focus shifted to  mastering the active vs. passive verb both in translation and in writing sentences in Latin with these changes in voice.  The week also included time re-translating the chapter in pairs.  

Mrs. Frueh

8th Science
  • We wrapped up our unit on Newton’s laws of motion and forces. Students should be studying diligently for the unit test that will take place next Wednesday, weather permitting. They should also be working on perfecting their designs for their mousetrap cars, troubleshooting and redesigning based on observations made from their prototypes.
8th Algebra I
  • We finished our unit on graphing inequalities, ending the week with a cumulative unit exam.

Mrs. Palmer 

8th Art
  • Students took a quiz on their artist of the quarter, Winslow Homer, this week. We also began working with oil pastel by using various techniques. Our main aim will be to use the medium properly within a cross-curricular assignment connected to Lord of the Rings. 

Mr. Crotts

8th Logic
  • We are studying the relationship between categorial statements that are universal, particular, affirmative, and negative.

RHETORIC SCHOOL

 

From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:

9th-12th:

Seniors:  

  • I will begin brief individual meetings on Mondays and Fridays at the end of Forum to inquire about what is next—updates to college and scholarship applications, acceptance, and possible internship and job opportunities.
  • CLT (Classic Learning Test) is scheduled for Wednesday, February 19 at 8 AM!  Students may access cltexam.com for practice tests.

Juniors:

  • I will begin brief individual meetings on Mondays and Fridays at the end of Forum to review each students’ graduation requirement worksheet and also inquire about interests and possible internships and job opportunities as well as plans for electives for next year. 
  • Students completed a survey about elective classes for next year. 
  • CLT (Classic Learning Test) is scheduled for Wednesday, February 19 at 10:15 AM.  Students may access cltexam.com for practice tests.

Sophomores:  

  • I will begin brief individual meetings to review each students’ graduation requirement worksheet to better assist elective class choices for next year.
  • Students completed a survey about elective classes for next year.
  • CLT (Classic Learning Test is scheduled for Tuesday, February 4 at 10:15 AM.  Students will take a practice test during literature class the week prior.

Freshman:

  • I will begin brief individual meetings to review each students’ graduation requirement worksheet to help students see the road ahead.
  • CLT (Classic Learning Test) is scheduled for Tuesday, February 4 at 8 AM!  Students will take a practice test during literature class the week prior.

Mrs. Palmer 

9th Spanish 
  • Students learned about irregular stem-changing verbs this week. We received new vocabulary and also spent time reviewing past vocabulary and grammar.

Coach Johnston

9th History
  • Students continued to study their Road to Disunion material. This week our focus was on the topics of Manifest Destiny, the Texas War of Independence (capturing heads of state really helps with winning wars), the Mexican-American War (land disputes, political vs military leaders, Scott’s policy that allowed him to successfully abandon his line of supply), the California Gold Rush, the Compromise of 1850 (including the Fugitive Slave Act and unexpected states arguing for/against state’s rights), the Kansas-Nebraska Act, increasing radicalization of America, Bleeding Kansas and John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. Next week we will consider the founding of the Republican party, the Dred Scott decision, the further splitting of American interests, a caning, a murder, secession and students will complete a close reading analysis of Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address and Stephen’s Cornerstone Speech.

Ms. Oldham

9th Rhetoric I
  •  Students learned about Deliberative Rhetoric this week. 

Dr. Byrd 

9th Bible Survey 

  • This week we finished the book of Isaiah and next week we will begin studying the book of Jeremiah who has been referred to as “the weeping prophet.” 
  • Students are reading for their book analysis project. 
  • Memory Verse: Isaiah 26:3-4

Mrs. Frueh

9th Biology
  • We wrapped up our unit on cellular biology with a cumulative unit exam. Due to attending the school spelling bee, we pushed the introduction to our new unit (DNA and Cellular Reproduction) to next week.

Mrs. Frueh

9th Geometry
  • This week, we finished our unit on proving triangles similar, ending the week with a cumulative unit exam.

Mrs. Crotts

9th Literature
  • 9th graders freshened up their typing skills by participating in a typing contest.  They are improving as a whole.  Students polished and turned in entries of poetry and fiction for the Burlington Writers’ Club.  Also, they were tasked with continuing to read Little Women and to prepare for an in-class essay next week pitting the Bible against transcendentalism.

Mrs. Bennington

9th-11th Band 
  •  Students did a great job today sight reading possible selections for the March and May concerts. These students are progressing nicely and I am excited to see what they do this semester. 

Mrs. Johnston

Bradford Chorale
  • We began reading music for our March concert.

Dr. James

10th Chemistry
  • This week we concluded our calculations involving the mole, including percent composition of compounds and stoichiometry of reactions, and reviewed for the first test of Q3.
  • Next week the students will take their first test of Q3, and we will begin our study of properties of gases. 

Mrs. Palmer 

10th Spanish
  • Students worked particularly on using the target language for pronunciation and speaking practice this week. We received new vocabulary and also spent time reviewing past vocabulary and grammar.

Mrs. Byrd

10th Algebra II
  • We are coming to the end of a unit on polynomial functions.  Topics for this week included solving polynomial functions by factoring and graphing polynomial functions.  Next week we will begin a unit on rational exponents and radical functions.

Mrs. Crotts

10th Literature
  • 10th graders polished and turned in Burlington Writers Club entries of poetry and fiction.  They were tasked with continuing to read Edith Hamilton’s Mythology and to prepare for one of three options: dramatic, artistic, or writing representing some of the mythological characters highlighted in the book.

Miss Oldham

10th Rhetoric II
  •  Students worked on their first speeches for the quarter. 

Coach Johnston

10th History
  • Students completed their test on Ancient Greek History. Students received the book that we will be reading selections from during the third quarter and after setting the background for that book, we began a brief unit on the Macedonian empire.

Dr. Smith

10th Historical Theology 
  • We are currently working on learning about the formulation of the doctrine of salvation as it was debated in the 5th century with Augustine and Pelagius being the primary men around whom the debate was engaged. Since this debate has never been fully settled among those professing the Christian faith, we are also learning about other matters that have been related to it and in some sense influenced.  
11th Precalculus
  • We reached the end of our study of trig basics.  We are beginning to consider trig functions – how they are represented graphically and how they can be used to model some real world phenomena.

Miss Oldham

11th Literature
  •  Students continued reading Romeo and Juliet as well as watched the beginning of the film. 

Mrs. Wright

11th NT Greek
  • The Greek students spent the week working with the present, active indicative verb.  They finished chapter 16.

Mr. Webster

11th History
  •  This week the students researched and wrote about missions in the Middle Ages. They identified what characterized it, how it was facilitated, and who were some of the key contributors. 

Dr. Smith

11th-12th Apologetics
  • We continued discussing philosophical naturalism and how it relates to the Christian faith and life. In particular we have discussed some of the arguments to use in response to those who take a philosophically naturalistic approach to life. Students have a quiz on Friday.

Coach Johnston

12th History
  • Students completed their French Revolution and Napoleonic War unit test.

Ms. Oldham

12th Literature
  •   Students continued to read and discuss As I Lay Dying. 
12th Rhetoric III
  •  Seniors have their pre-panels coming up, so they are working on preparing for those. Please be in prayer for the seniors as they verbally deliver their theses. 

Mrs. Byrd

12th Calculus
  • We are midway through our intro to integration.  We’ve considered the limit definition of an integral, some basic properties, and basic notation.  Next week we will move on to some basic integration rules.