BB 02-06-26

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 27

Feb 6, 2026

FROM THE OFFICE

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Bowling Night at Buffaloe Lanes: Today! 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! This is not a drop-off event. **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 ** Hot lunches also support the annual Senior Trip.

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: At our staff meeting I asked if the lower school has a “working culture”. Teachers happily reported that students did an admirable job with the studies sent home over the past two storms. While we recognize that favorable conditions rarely come (as stated here previously), we appreciate all the support from our parents to keep learning on track and moving forward. We’re always grateful to be able to step back into the routine after disruptions; into the habits of the classroom, the habits of the transition times, the habits of play time. We are committed to making the most of the time entrusted to us. We also loved hearing about all the snowmen that were built!

UPPER SCHOOL IMPORTANT NOTES:

FROM DR. SMITH: It has been a hectic week, again, as we have navigated snow and ice. Thank you for your flexibility and encouragement. Teachers have reported that students are doing quite an admirable job of keeping up with their studies. Through it all we are more acutely reminded of our Triune God’s sovereignty over his creation, and therefore every detail of our lives. How good it is to be able to rest in His perfect sovereignty and know that he orders all things for his glory and the eternal good of his covenant people.

UPCOMING

NEXT WEEK:

Tues, 2/10: Senior Trip Meeting, 5:30
Fri 2/13: Teacher workday – no school

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

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
^NEW Fri 3/6; 1:00 5th Grade Wax Museum
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
Thurs, 4/2: USED UNIFORM SALE

FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Grubb and Mrs. Weber)

We packed in several new concepts and new memory work in the short week we had in TK! Students began learning a new Bible verse (Proverbs 17:17) and a new nursery rhyme (Jack & Jill) this week. In math we focused on hands-on lessons and we will have new worksheets to go along with lessons next week. Students learned to count by 10’s this week and were introduced to dimes. Students practiced counting dimes up to 50 cents matching the number of dimes to a price. See if your child can count by 10’s for you! Our letter of the week was A and we also continued focusing on R and K. Next week our letters will be M and N. We are nearing the end of capital letters of the week and will transition to lowercase letters during the 4th quarter. We were able to have centers on Wednesday. Students played a game using dice and pennies, played a rhyming game, and searched for letters and items that begin with target sounds. We read this week about Jesus feeding many with only five loaves of bread and two fish. Proverbs 17:17 tells us that “a friend loves at all times.” We will continue focusing on love and friendship as we recite this verse.

Lower School Art (Mrs. Knight)

3rd

Third graders missed art once again due to the snow!

4th

Fourth graders continued to learn about the life of Winslow Homer. We read a book called Breaking Waves: Winslow Homer Paints the Sea. We began to sketch out what will become a seascape painting next week, Lord willing.

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 the first two verses of and learning the third and fourth verses of , “I Belong To Jesus”. Students also reviewed several other songs that we have worked on this year.

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)

This Week:

Our kindergarten scholars had a great time in the snow this past weekend! Although the week was short, we still spent valuable time learning. In math, we learned how to break apart the numbers 1-9 and reviewed how different objects/shapes can be positioned. In phonics, we spent more time on our reader, The Rig Ran On, and reviewed the spelling words zero to ten. The students have grown so much in their ability to read! Please continue encouraging them to two-finger track and to double tap when they observe an end mark. We will be introducing new phonograms next week, so please continue to review the ones we have learned so far.

Memory Work:

Romans 11:33-36 and review

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

This Week:

Thank you for helping your students complete their packets over the snow days these last two weeks. This really helps the kids stay on track! In reading this week, the kids are reading about a young man’s bravery during a hunting expedition. They have fun howling when the dogs do in the book. In math the students compared numbers using greater than, less than, or equal to. They positioned and ordered numbers from least to greatest, and used reasoning to solve problems. In history, we are reading about young Sarah Noble who must keep her courage up as she goes deep in the woods with her father. The students are learning more uppercase letters this week in cursive. In science, we studied the woodpecker with a funny name – Yellow Bellied Sapsucker. We are looking forward to warmer and drier weather next week!

Memory Work:

Philippians 4:19-20

Upcoming:

Teacher Workday Friday February 13 – No School For Kids
Monday February 16 – President’s Day Holiday – No School

2nd Grade (Miss Verroi & Mrs. Eng)

This Week:

Thanks to the hard work the students did on our snow days we were able to continue with our weekly schedule despite missing two days for snow. The Early New Kingdom is such an exciting time in Egyptian history. Hatshepsut was the first female pharaoh and possibly the one who found Moses in the basket in the Nile. Amenhotep II is believed to have ruled during the Exodus of the Israelites. The 18th dynasty was very long and prosperous for Egypt and many artifacts have been found that help bring this period to life. We are finishing our math chapter on adding three-digit numbers. The manipulatives have helped the students understand the concept of regrouping. The memorization of the multiplication facts is coming along nicely, but most of the students can use extra review of the x 7s. The students have learned a great deal in grammar this year and now is the time of the year when they can put it all to good use. They know the proper use of capitalization and punctuation. They have learned six parts of speech – noun, verb, adverb, adjective, pronoun and preposition. They have learned subject pronouns and possessive pronouns. Subject-verb agreement is a developing skill. The many homonyms in our English language keep things interesting. These skills are now being used to write their own paragraphs, answer questions in the reading packets and in dictation. The struggles they are having now are preparing them well for future writing assignments. We appreciate the diligence of each of the students as they do hard things.

Upcoming:

Animal and Habitat Projects due Wednesday, February 18th.

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

This Week

We accomplished a lot during another short week! Students continued their study of Roman architecture and its influence on modern-day life. In Latin, we began translating passages and answering questions in Latin that pair with our history timeline in our Libellus books. Ask your student to define syntax and explain how it differs between Latin and English! In math, students reviewed subtraction principles, properties of addition and multiplication, division facts, order of operations, and fractions in preparation for our cumulative test. In science, students learned about the phases of the moon and received a calendar to track the moon’s phases as it orbits the Earth. We even learned a new song to help us memorize them! This week, students were assigned a planet to research and present to their classmates. There are lots of exciting things happening in third grade!

Upcoming:

Planet Projects Due 3/10
Moon Observation Calendars

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

Thank you, parents, for supporting your children in their homework at home, as we yet again try to keep the learning happening through snow days and delayed starts. If not for their diligence– and yours– we would find ourselves quite behind. Back in the classroom this week, we focused on math and making sure we practiced chanting our new Latin declension and vocabulary. Our students have had a lot of practice in using direct quotations– in grammar lessons and in their stories. Students were well-prepared to share their knowledge of Marco Polo’s travels in their first ever essay-style history test on Friday. This is truly an advanced skill and a hint of new levels of scholarship and mastery.

Upcoming:

Periodic Table of Elements Project– instructions to be sent home next week

LOGIC SCHOOL

Mrs. Bennington

5th-6th Band

Fifth grade students did a great job this week reviewing their Concert Bb scale and arpeggio. Some students took their test on their concert Bb scale and arpeggio on Thursday and the remaining students will take their test this Tuesday 2/10.

Sixth grade students did a great job reviewing material. Percussionists continued working on rudiments and had a test on 2.3 to demonstrate their ability to play flams. Percussionists did well on their test. Woodwind and Brass students started their tests on their Concert Bb scale, arpeggio, and scale in thirds on Thursday and the remaining students will take their test this Tuesday 2/10.

7th-8th Band

Seventh and Eighth grade students did a great job reviewing material in their method book this week. They focused on making good sounds, playing together, and playing dynamics. Big improvements are being made.

Mrs. Johnston

5th – 8th Choir

5th-8th Choirs began learning I Belong to Jesus. We discussed the meaning within the song, especially noting what it means when the author says, “I am not my own.” We also spent time working on rhythms and sight-reading exercises and identifying intervals by ear.

Miss Pugsley

5th-8th Girls’ PE

This week, we had an indoor study hall.

5th Grade (Mrs. LaTour and Miss Johnston)

This Week

We are eagerly looking forward to having a normal, full week! However, the students have done well in adjusting to the different schedules. This week we learned about prisms and began learning about sound. In grammar we learned about regular and irregular verbs and talked about how they changed in each tense. In history we began learning about the start of the Revolutionary War! We will spend two weeks on this card. We began reading about George Washington’s role in the French and Indian in our new book, Duel in the Wilderness. We hope everyone enjoyed a warm and restful weekend!

Memory Work:

Phil. 2: 9-11

Upcoming:

Wax Museum Presentations- 03/06: 1-3 pm

Mrs. Knight

5th Art

Students continued to sketch and paint their SAR posters during their shortened art time.

6th Grade (Mrs. McDorman and Miss Pugsley)

6th Reading and Literature

Eric Liddell was a Scottish Olympic runner and Christian missionary who is remembered for honoring God by refusing to race on Sunday and later serving sacrificially in China. Students will continue practicing summary writing by identifying the main ideas and key events from his biography.

6th Grammar and Writing

Moving forward in this short week, students will continue progress on their research papers by reviewing sources, writing bibliography cards, and preparing for notetaking on note cards. Our focus will be on careful source evaluation and organizing information clearly before drafting begins.

6th History

The Battle of Little Bighorn was a major conflict in 1876 in which a coalition of Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors defeated U.S. Army troops led by General George Custer. It became a turning point in the Indian Wars and intensified the U.S. government’s efforts to control Native American lands in the West.

Mrs. Crotts

6th Math

Students took the Chapter 8 test. They also had brownies which they had to eat in fractional proportions!

Mrs. Wright

6th Latin

Both 6th grade classes prepared and took the Capitulum VI Pensa (test) this week. Ms. Pugsley’s class worked on their practice test and final exercises before taking the pensa on Friday. Mrs. McDorman’s class is a little ahead due to snow days and was able to return on Wednesday and take the Pensa that day. This meant that this class also moved on to Capitulum VII together on Thursday translating an hilarious section of the text while, as usual, learning new vocabulary and grammar along the way.

Mrs. Palmer

6th Art

We continued to work on our Homer inspired watercolor paintings this week. Students are hard at work trying to obtain the correct water to paint ratio and are aiming to use the medium correctly.

Dr. Wright

7th Omnibus

7th graders have jumped into the history of Athens, meeting Socrates and Plato, and beginning to read and grapple with their ideas in The Death of Socrates. Burlington Writers’ narratives have been submitted. We continue to work through 1 Samuel.

Mrs. Frueh

7th Science

This week, we started learning about volcanoes and how they are classified by structure. We discussed how the type of volcano determines not only the shape of the mountain, but also the type of danger that is faced by communities living near that volcano.

7th Pre-Algebra

The students continued to work hard this week practicing the steps needed to calculate the volume and surface area of right circular cylinders, as well as other complex shapes that include curves. This involved synthesizing formulas and knowledge from multiple areas. The students have learned five separate formulas needed to solve these problems and are now practicing how to discern when to use which formula.

Mrs. Palmer

7th Art

We continued to work on our Homer inspired watercolor paintings this week. Students are hard at work trying to obtain the correct water to paint ratio and are aiming to use the medium correctly.

Mrs. Wright

7th Latin

The 7th grade Latin class prepared and took the Capitulum VI Pensa (test) this week. The class then moved on to Capitulum VII together on Friday translating an hilarious section of the text while, as usual, learning new vocabulary and grammar along the way.

Dr. Wright

8th Omnibus

Students are learning about Charlemagne and the Carolingian renaissance under Alcuin. Burlington Writers’ narratives have been submitted. We are reading Tolkien’s The Two Towers, and have begun significantly growing the students’ vocabulary with terms from that work.

Mrs. Wright

8th Latin

The 8th grade Latin class worked through and reviewed the Practice Pensa and then finished the week by taking the graded Capitulum VI Pensa (test).

Mrs. Frueh

8th Science

Work on the Mousetrap Cars has shifted from making prototypes to polishing final designs. Due to the weather impacts on class time, we’ve moved the final run of cars to next week. The weather delays have given the students a true taste of the hurdles faced by designers engaged in the Engineering Design Process.

8th Algebra I

We started a new unit on solving systems of equations with graphing. Next week, we’ll learn how to solve them with substitution and elimination. We used our learning to solve some real-world problems described using systems of equations. Ask your student how equation systems can be used to choose the best ride-share service or to find the breaking-even point between profit and loss.

Mrs. Palmer

8th Art

Students finished up their small study Homer inspired oil pastel drawing. We then progressed on to our final oil pastel drawing which is a cross-curricular project based off of Lord of the Rings.

Mr. Crotts

8th Logic

We are ending our second major unit of study – standard categorical statements and their relationship to the others.

RHETORIC SCHOOL

From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:

9th-12th:

9th and 10th graders took the CLT 10 (Classic Learning Test for 10th grade) today. It is interesting to hear the 10th graders remark that they felt much more confident this year than last when they first took the CLT 10.
9th-12th graders are challenged with a Scholarship Hunt between now and April 1. The student who discovers the most legitimate scholarships and information will receive a t-shirt celebrating America’s 250th birthday!

Seniors & Juniors

Whenever the snow melts, I will meet with seniors briefly at the end of forum on Mondays and Fridays to discuss Graduation Requirement Worksheets and future hopes and plans.

Juniors

Juniors will take a mini class–The College Match–Tuesday, February 10, Thursday, February 12 and Tuesday, February 17 from 2:15 PM-2:45 PM in Room 306.

Mrs. Palmer

9th Spanish

Students took a vocabulary quiz this week. We also continued on with irregular yo changing verbs and irregular stem changing verbs.

Coach Johnston

9th History

Students had one abbreviated class this week due to winter weather, but we spent the hour analyzing Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address and Stephens’ Cornerstone Speech. We’ll consider some key counter arguments next week before concluding the unit. We plan to test on this unit material on Tuesday (2/17).

Ms. Oldham

9th Rhetoric I

Students listened to Senior Thesis Prepanels this week.

Dr. Byrd

9th Bible Survey

We continue to study the book of Ezekiel and are learning many wonderful truths in it.
Memory verse is postponed until next Wed.
Book Analysis Project has been postponed because of the days off from the weather.

Mrs. Frueh

9th Biology

It was an exciting week in biology. We were able to investigate DNA up close and personal when we used our knowledge of biochemistry to extract DNA from strawberries. This is a simple demonstration that can be replicated at home. Ask your student why strawberries are ideal for DNA extraction and how each ingredient in our lysis solution played a role in the extraction process.

Mrs. Frueh

9th Geometry

We have continued our study of triangles with a focus on special right triangles. First, we studied the special cases of 30-60-90 triangles and 45-45-90 triangles. Next week we will learn how to use trigonometric ratios to calculate unknown measures for any right triangle.

Mrs. Crotts

9th Literature

9th grade students completed in-class essays and concluded discussions of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women.

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

Bradford Chorale

We continued to work on our March concert music, focusing on speaking in rhythm and character rather than just reciting or reading lines.

Dr. James

10th Chemistry

This week we talked about the relationships of pressure, volume, and temperature on gases. The students were introduced to the gas laws.
Next week we will continue our study of gases, discussing diffusion/effusion, partial pressure, vapor pressure, and ideal gases.

Mrs. Palmer

10th Spanish

Students received new vocabulary this week. They also reviewed informal commands and began learning formal commands. We worked on writing in the target language this week using new vocabulary.

Mrs. Byrd

10th Algebra II

This week we’ve been learning to work with rational exponents. We’ve also been practicing doing various operations with functions including a new operation – composition. This allows for a system to vary within another dynamic system – common in real world scenarios.

Mrs. Crotts

10th Literature

10th graders wrote a paragraph about snow days and then had to summarize the paragraph in three words and then in one. They also presented projects based on Edith Hamilton’s Mythology.

Miss Oldham

10th Rhetoric II

Students delivered speeches and built snowmen.

Coach Johnston

10th History

Students had one class this week due to weather and testing. We reviewed for a quiz while also discussing the recent readings they were assigned to complete.

Dr. Smith

10th Historical Theology

Due to snow and Senior Thesis Pre-Panels, we did not meet this week.

11th Precalculus

Topics for this week included working with inverse trig functions, real world applications of trig functions, and an introduction to analytic trig where we will be solving trig equations and working with several types of identities to transform, simplify, or solve trig expressions.

Miss Oldham

11th Literature

Students learned that Romeo and Juliet died. They have a final essay over Romeo and Juliet on Wednesday.

Mrs. Wright

11th NT Greek

Even though we had snow days, the students spent the beginning of the week working on their exercises and Greek translations using contract verbs. We spent time working through their homework and remaining translations. Friday they took a multi-chapter test.

Dr. Smith

11th-12th Apologetics

We have begun reading James Sire’s treatment of Eastern Pantheistic Monism and the New Age movement. For the possibilities of an engaging conversation, ask your son or daughter about these!

Coach Johnston

12th History

We briefly considered some of the big picture issues involved in the Civil War (blockades, European influence, the Emancipation Proclamation and the election of 1864). Students reached two battles each and Friday was spent summarizing these key battles in class.

Ms. Oldham

12th Literature

Students have been giving prepanels this week. They have a project due on Monday.

12th Rhetoric III

Senior Thesis Prepanels have been going on this week. They’ve done well and are in the final stretch of their senior year. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue to work hard for the Lord.