BB 01-30-26

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 26

Jan 30, 2026

 

FROM THE OFFICE

IMPORTANT NOTES:  

  • Bowling Night at Buffaloe Lanes:  February 6th from 4:00 – 10:00 pm, bring friends and family to enjoy an afternoon of bowling.  Fat Man’s BBQ will also be there so you can grab dinner too!  **Be sure to mention Bradford Academy so 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: 
  • Parents, K – 4th grade packets will be coming home again, as this seems the wisest plan to keep students accountable for their educational journey in the midst of the unusual NC weather patterns.  Thank you in advance for supporting your children to the best of your ability as your schedules allow.  

UPPER SCHOOL IMPORTANT NOTES:

  FROM DR. SMITH:
  • Parents be sure and communicate with your son and/or daughter regarding their work during these shortened and sometimes missed days. Teachers are working hard to stay on schedule regarding the content of classes. Extra homework cannot be avoided during these unusual days. Thanks for partnering with us in it all.

UPCOMING

NEXT WEEK:

  • 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  and Fat Man’s BBQ – Senior trip fundraiser

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

  • 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)

With an unexpected short week due to winter weather, the TK students were still able to pack much learning into a few days. It was wonderful to hear about the fun that was had playing in the snow/ice this week. Students enjoyed fun, winter themed morning activities. We continue to inch closer and closer to 100 days in TK. 5 day students counted to 94 today! In math, we graphed our shoes by type and learned about cubes which led into learning and playing games with dice. We discussed how many games have dice to use. This is a great time to incorporate board games into your family if you have not done so already. Our letters of the week were R and K. We will continue to focus on these letters next week as well. There are only a few more letters of the week to cover! We will pick back up with centers next week. We read about Jesus calming the storm this week and continue to talk about how we can trust Him in all things. Next week we will read about Jesus feeding 5000 people. 

Lower School Art (Mrs. Knight)

3rd & 4th
  • Third graders missed art class on Tuesday this week due to the weather. Fourth graders learned about Winslow Homer, the artist of the quarter. Mrs. Knight has heard rave reviews of the cheerful snowman art projects on display. The timing for these was perfect!

Lower School P.E.  (Mrs. Bennington)

K-4th
  • Students did not have P.E. this week due to school being delayed as a result of the weather. 

Lower School Music (Mrs. Bennington)

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

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)

This Week:

Our kindergarten scholars had a short but eventful week! In math, we reviewed the placement of objects, including shapes. We also learned how to use active listening skills when drawing/coloring shapes on a picture. In phonics, we introduced a new spelling list with the words: “six, seven, eight, nine, and ten”, and our new reader, “The Rig Ran On.” On Friday, the students celebrated 100 days of school by dressing up as cowboys and cowgirls. The day was filled with exciting western activities, a special snack, and a campfire singalong! Praise God in his faithfulness in bringing us thus far. We hope that you have a restful weekend!

Memory Work:

Romans 11:33-36 and review

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

This Week: 
  • Even with only a few short days, the students learned how to use patterns to count and order numbers to 120. We finished Squanto’s story in which the students learned of the bravery and resilience of this man who was a wonderful friend to the pilgrims. The students also learned some gardening tricks such as “feeding” the soil with fish (now we buy bone meal) and the 3 sisters method of planting corn for beans to crawl up and squash to shade the soil. We revisited a couple of readers from the beginning of the year. The students learned capital letters E, L, I, and J. Of course, the highlight of the week was Rodeo Roundup! We celebrated the 100th day of school just a bit early with some boot kickin’ fun. There was a whole mess of adorable cowboys and cowgirls in Bradford! The kids enjoyed the shooting range, barnyard toss and other games along with a campfire sing-a-long and special “trail mix” snack. They also got to visit with Jelly Bean, a sweet miniature horse that makes an annual appearance for the 100th day of school!
  • Please be certain to have your child complete the small packet of work sent home in case of school being out on Monday and Tuesday due to weather. You will also find a 100 day packet of fun worksheets that is not required to be turned in.
Memory Work:
  • Philippians   4:19-20
Upcoming:      
  • Friday February 13th – Teacher Workday. No School for students.

2nd Grade (Miss Verroi & Mrs. Eng)

This Week: 

After a few fun snowy days at home, the students returned to class ready to focus on learning.  Due to the short week, we focused on math, spelling, history and Latin.  In math the students continue to add to their multiplication facts knowledge.  This week we are working on the x2 facts, but please continue to review the x7 as some of the students are struggling to memorize those.  We have spent much time in class reviewing the new spelling list to help make up for the days they didn’t have the new list.  The Hyksos Invasion of Egypt is always a favorite of the students, and we spent extra forum time discussing this interesting time during the 2nd Intermediate Period.  The new set of Latin words include cibus (food), aqua (water), cena (dinner), edo (I eat) and bibo (I drink). Grammar and our new book Encyclopedia Brown will be moved to next week. We will work to learn the new memory verse this week and next.   It was so much fun to hear of the fun the students had in the snow. Snow truly does make winter special for the children.  

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

This Week

We finished another great week in third grade! From democracy and the idea of citizenship to the layout of our cities and roadways, students continue to discover the effect the Greeks and Romans had on our modern day lives.  In order to travel across their vast empire, the Romans built paved roads much like our system of highways. Government and commerce were carried out in Roman Forums similar to our town squares. They built aqueducts to bring fresh water into the cities, and underground sewers to carry away the waste. We can see the influence of Roman architecture here in our own cities through the use of columns and domes crafted into buildings and structures like the White House and Jefferson Memorial. In math, students continued to work with fractions to find the  whole.  We continued working with  the imperfect tense verb endings in Latin. This tied in nicely with grammar as we studied the three simple verb tenses, past, present, and future, and stressed the importance of being consistent in our use of tense when we write. 

Upcoming:
  • Psalm 19: 9-10

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

This Week

What a week it has been—with two snow days and three delayed starts! Thank you for your continued support at home. We would also like to acknowledge how proud we are of our students for demonstrating their ability to work and learn independently during this unusual schedule.

Our time in class has been focused primarily on Math, as we continue working through equivalent fractions and expressing fractions in their lowest terms. In Writing, we have enjoyed reading and listening as students shared their Burlington Writers Competition submissions aloud. They have done an excellent job crafting their stories and thoughtfully implementing suggestions from their peers.

As it looks to be another cold weekend, we pray that your families remain warm and safe. Lord willing, we will return to our usual schedule next week. If not, please look out for an email with work that can be completed at home.

Have a wonderful weekend!

LOGIC SCHOOL

Mrs. Bennington

5th-6th Band
  • Fifth grade students did a great job this week reviewing  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 did a great job on their dynamic tests on 3.26, 3.27 or 3.30 today in class. 

Mrs. Johnston

5th – 8th Choir
  • Choirs worked on developing their sight-reading skills and rhythm skills. We spent time learning each other’s parts to the hymn Low, in the Grave He Lay.

Miss Pugsley 

5th-8th Girls’ PE
  • Girls’ PE was an indoor study hall this week.

5th Grade (Mrs. LaTour and Miss Johnston) 

This Week
  •  ​​This week, 5th graders wrapped up The Witch of Blackbird Pond, reflecting on Kit’s journey and the themes of courage, belonging, and standing up for what is right. In math, we are nearing the end of Chapter 8 and continuing our work with multiplying fractions. In history, students studied the First Continental Congress and are diving into the causes of the American Revolution. Despite a few snow days, students stayed engaged and made the most of our time together!
Memory Work: 

Philippians 2:7-8

Mrs. Knight

5th Art
  • Despite the weather-related cancellations, fifth graders still had one shortened art time to work on their posters. Their sketching and historical information are almost complete; several have started painting. 

6th Grade (Mrs. McDorman and Miss Pugsley)

6th Reading and Literature
  • We have continued our reading of Eric Liddell. The students submitted summary papers which they worked on Monday and Tuesday.
6th Grammar and Writing
  • We have started work on this quarter’s History Research Papers! We have been discussing how to make structured outlines, discern helpful information, and how to skim.
6th Bible
  • We are continuing our study of the gospels.
6th History
  • We are studying the Age of Industry. 
6th Science
  • Due to time constraints this week, we have taken a short break in Science.
6th Logic
  • This week in Logic, we studied Equivocation. When a word or phrase changes meaning partway through an argument, we call that equivocation! The students had fun thinking through all the different ways this could happen. For example “My parents say I’m not responsible, but it seems like whenever something breaks I am responsible!”

Mrs. Crotts

6th Math
  • We completed the review for Chapter 8 and will plan to take the Chapter 8 test Tuesday, February 3.  Students also took a cumulative review of vocabulary covering Chapters 1-8.  6th graders will work with brownies to drive home facts about fractions.

Mrs. Palmer

6th Art
  • We were able to have some time this week to work on our Winslow Homer inspired watercolor paintings. We continue to focus on proper use of the medium and the correct ratio of water to paint. These will soon be displayed at upper campus!

Dr. Wright

7th Omnibus
  •  We have completed and submitted Burlington Writers’ stories – a hurried task due to the snow days, but students did very well.  We are rounding out our study of Oedipus Rex, noting how Greek city-states centralized theater.  Greek philosophers – Socrates, Plato, Aristotle – are on the horizon.  

Mrs. Frueh

7th Science
  •  We were only able to meet once this week for class, but we used class time to review what we’ve learned about earthquakes and to take our quiz on seismic waves and earthquake faults. Up next, volcanoes!
7th Pre-Algebra
  •  Despite our shortened class time, the students were able to tackle two difficult topics this week: graphing inequalities and calculating the surface area and volume of right circular cylinders. These are new and challenging concepts. If there are days off due to weather next week, the students are encouraged to take time to complete the assigned homework, and carefully check and correct their work. Should we miss class days at the beginning of next week, I will email homework answers to parents so that students may check and correct fully. Checking and correcting homework with care and detail is essential to growth in math understanding. Thank you for all that you do to help your child grow in this area.

Mrs. Palmer 

7th Art
  • We were able to have some time this week to work on our Winslow Homer inspired watercolor paintings. We continue to focus on proper use of the medium and the correct ratio of water to paint. These will soon be displayed at upper campus! 

Dr. Wright

8th Omnibus 
  • We have completed and submitted Burlington Writers’ stories – a hurried task due to the snow days, but students did very well.  We are rounding out our study of Augustine’s Confessions, with students each choosing a passage which was meaningful for them, and then rendering that passage in calligraphy.  Tolkien’s The Two Towers is on the horizon.   

Mrs. Frueh

8th Science
  • We wrapped up our study of Newton’s Laws with a test on force and motion. Students should be spending time outside of class perfecting their designs for their mousetrap cars.
8th Algebra I
  • We were able to review our graded Unit 7 tests in order to find and correct errors in thinking and logic. The students have received their copies of the Unit 8 material and can start working ahead on these concepts should we miss class time next week due to weather.

Mrs. Palmer 

8th Art
  •  We worked this week on finishing up our Winslow Homer inspired oil pastel small study drawings. Students also began working on their Lord of the Rings oil pastel scenes.

Mr. Crotts

8th Logic
  • We met for class on Thursday and worked to master the Square of Opposition – it helps us understand relationships between the four standard categorical statements in logic.

RHETORIC SCHOOL

From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:

9th-12th: 

  • During the snow days, several students completed college applications and scholarship applications. 
  • Students are tasked with a scholarship hunt; a reward (a t-shirt) is waiting for the student who researches the most legitimate scholarships and presents the details.  Scholarships are under the most unusual “rocks.”  There are rewards for people over 6’1” or for customers of certain power companies; there are scholarships given from civic groups such as the Rotary Club or the Lion’s Club…the DAR offers recognition to students deemed good citizens…
  • Career Day is coming!  This annual event is scheduled for Thursday, February 26 from 12:30-2:30.
  • Don’t forget the upcoming CLT* (Classic Learning Test):
    • Seniors 2/19 at 8 AM
    • Juniors 2/19 at 10:15 AM
    • Sophomores 2/4 at 10:15 AM
    • Freshman 2/4 at 8 AM

*CLT News–UNC-CH now recognizes CLT scores in addition to ACT & SAT scores!

Mrs. Palmer 

9th Spanish 
  • Students took a quiz on new vocabulary words. We also continued with learning about irregular stem changing verbs as well as a few irregular yo form verbs. 

Coach Johnston

9th History
  • Students continued to study America’s antebellum era, particularly focusing on the Dred Scott decision and how tension between abolitionists, free soilers and slave supporters escalated through events following the Fugitive Slave Act (1850) and Bleeding Kansas.

Ms. Oldham

9th Rhetoric I
  • Students have been working on a deliberative rhetoric essay looking at Bradford’s handbook. This has been an interesting task for them and I encourage you to speak with your student about it. 

Dr. Byrd 

9th Bible Survey 

  • We are studying the book of Lamentations and Ezekiel. 
  • Memory Verse: Jeremiah 33:2-3
  • Students are continuing to work on their book analysis project.
  • We will be setting the date for another test. 

Mrs. Frueh

9th Biology
  • Are you who you are because of genetics or because of life experiences/how you were raised? Are we born with innate knowledge or are we born as blank slates? Is there knowledge that does NOT come from experience? Are there character traits that are innate to our DNA and immutable to the effects of nurture and environment? (ie: criminality, alcoholism, addictive behavior) Or can these things be “nurtured” out of us? These are all questions that we explored through discussion this week in our lead up to our unit on DNA and cellular reproduction. Ask your student what they learned about the connections between nature, nurture, and epigenetics.

Mrs. Frueh

9th Geometry
  • We have started our study of trigonometry (the mathematics of triangles), beginning with the Pythagorean Theorem and 30-60-90 Triangles. As the geometry concepts have increased in difficulty, so have the algebraic skills needed to tackle them. Every lesson includes six algebra review problems. The students are encouraged to approach these problems with focus and attention to detail. Careful corrections should be made when errors occur in order to build a strong foundation for future concepts.

Mrs. Crotts

9th Literature
  • Students wrote an in-class essay based on previous research sharing the Bible’s view on transcendentalism in light of Louisa May Alcott’s affiliation.

  Mrs. Bennington

9th-11th Band 
  • Students did a great job today sight reading possible selections for the March and May concerts. We had a lot of fun sight reading a wide variety of music! 

Mrs. Johnston

9th-11th Chorus (Bradford Chorale)
  • We continued to sight-read and put together music for the concert in March. We worked on developing a character’s personality and singing in the style of that character, making sure we properly pronounce words improperly at times.

Dr. James

10th Chemistry
  • The pace was slowed a bit due to the weather.  This week the students took their first test of Q3.  
  • Next week we will discuss properties of gases and gas laws. 

Mrs. Palmer 

10th Spanish
  • We spent time this past week focusing on the language learning pillars of writing and speaking. Students answered questions in the target language as well as communicated in pairs/groups. Students took a quiz on new vocabulary this week.

Mrs. Byrd

10th Algebra II
  • We began a new unit on Rational Functions this week.  We began by learning to evaluate nth roots (non square roots) of expressions.

Mrs. Crotts

10th Literature
  • Students prepared for project presentations based on Edith Hamilton’s Mythology.  They could choose 1 of 3 ideas: a dramatic tasting, writing a letter to Edith Hamilton, or an artistic rendering symbolic of the students’ favorite mythological characters and story.
  • Next, we will venture through Meditations and then Metamorphoses.

Miss Oldham

10th Rhetoric II
  •  Students delivered a speech this week. 

Coach Johnston

10th History
  • Students jumped into Macedonian history as we considered the summary stories of Phillip and Alexander the Great. We have begun reading Livy’s War with Hannibal. Students are starting to take in lessons on motivation, revenge and political machinations. 

Dr. Smith

10th Historical Theology 
  • Students continue working through the debate between Augustine and Pelagius regarding the doctrine of salvation. This debate set the stage for the Medieval and Reformation debates that have continued ever since. Needless to say, understanding this debate is crucial for understanding much of the history of Christian theology. 
11th Precalculus
  • We wrapped up our unit on basic trigonometry and are now learning to graph trig functions.  Next we will take up inverse trig functions and some real world applications of trig functions.

Miss Oldham

11th Literature
  •  Students have continued with Romeo and Juliet. 

Mr. Webster

11th History
  •  This week we went over the recovery and reform of the Roman Catholic church in the High Middle Ages, and the struggle for power between the Pope and the King. We discussed what a biblical view of the relationship between the state and the church looks like and how that applies to us today. 

Dr. Smith

11th-12th Apologetics
  • We have worked through James Sire’s treatment of nihilism and now are into his treatment of existentialism in his book The Universe Next Door.

Coach Johnston

12th History
  • Students were assigned a Civil War research assignment and began work to complete that project. If snow impacts our week next week, they will be able to continue working at home.

Ms. Oldham

12th Literature
  •   Students have continued their journey with As I Lay Dying. 
12th Rhetoric III
  •  Seniors are looking towards their pre-panels which begin next week. This is a time for the students to receive feedback from a new audience. It is a time to help them work on their delivery and get used to speaking in front of an audience. Parents are welcome to attend. 

Mrs. Byrd

12th Calculus
  • We are nearing the end of our unit on integration and accumulation functions.  Next we will learn to apply integration techniques in the context of solving differential equations.