BB 02-27-26

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 30

Feb 27, 2026

 

FROM THE OFFICE

IMPORTANT NOTES:  

  • Knucklehead BBQ Meal-to-go:  Take a night off of cooking next weekend and order a meal-to-go!  You can pick it up Friday afternoon and enjoy an evening playing board games or watching a fun movie together as a family.     ORDER HERE!  Orders are due by Tuesday!
  • Soccer Tournament Parent Volunteer opportunities:  We’d love to have a few more parent volunteers for the Soccer Tournament for 1st – 6th graders on Wed, 3/11.  SIGN UP HERE

LOWER SCHOOL IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • FROM MRS. MITCHELL:  In keeping with our shared commitment to arete, Mr. Johnston spoke in Forum about the Olympic gold medal hockey player, Jaccob Slavin.  Arete translates as excellence or virtue. Slavin’s testimony is that he desires to do all for the glory of God.   Pointing students to modern day examples of athletes who stand up in public to point past their accomplishments to God, who is the giver of all good giftings, is an opportunity we don’t want to miss.  We pray that our young men aspire to this kind of boldness.

 

UPPER SCHOOL IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • FROM DR. SMITH: We completed our eighth grade interviews this week. We have a fine group of eighth graders, and it was a true delight to hear them answer questions and discuss with us and their parents their thoughts about themselves, their high school years and life beyond it. Those interviews always remind me that parents and teachers are involved in one long process as we seek to bring a child from infancy to adulthood. Sadly, today many people in American culture have little to any ideal of what an “adult” ought to be, or if they do, it generally does not match what Scripture teaches. But when your view of human life matches God’s word, then you not only embrace God’s ideal for it, but also learn that only by God’s word and Spirit applied by God over time can a person reach that ideal. May the Lord give us a right understanding of what this means for our children and ourselves as we seek to participate in the process of becoming the people he would have us be.  

UPCOMING

NEXT WEEK:

  • Tues, 3/3:  
    • 3:30 – HOME – Varsity Girls soccer game at MACC
    • 5:30 – Final Senior Trip meeting
  • Thurs, 3/5:  Coffee and Conversation
  • Fri 3/6:  
    • 1:00 –  5th Grade Wax Museum at Upper school campus
    • 5:00 – AWAY – Varsity Girls Soccer game at Community Baptist Christian School

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

  • Mon 3/9 – Thurs 3/19:  SENIOR TRIP TO ROME 
  • Wed 3/11:  Soccer Tournament lower school
  • Thurs, 3/12:  7pm – Upper School Performing Arts Night 
  • Fri, 3/13: 
    • Last day of Q3.  
    • 4th grade Field trip to Old Salem
  • Week of 3/16:  SPRING BREAK
  • Wed, 3/25:  3rd grade field trip to Animal Park
  • Fri, 3/27:  Quo Vadis?  Event for 4th grade students and their parents to visit the Upper School
  • Fri, 4/3 – Mon, 4/6:  Easter break, no school
  • Week of April 13:  Senior Thesis Adjudication begins
  • Mon 4/20 – Tues 4/21:  11th grade trip to Colonial Williamsburg
  • Thurs, 4/23:  Bradford Night for K – 1st grades

FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

 

Transitional Kindergarten  (Mrs. Grubb and Mrs. Weber)

TK students enjoyed a great week filled with new concepts. Students worked on a progressive art project during centers. They were each tasked to draw an animal, then draw a setting for the animal, and then tell a story about the animal. We attached the animal to the setting and the story on the back. We will send these home in a few weeks! In math this week students focused on numbers 0-20 by ordering number cards, playing the missing number game, and playing Bingo. Students also practiced finding numbers on a number line and then identifying numbers before, after, and in between. Our letters of the week were X and Y. We will finish out the capital letters of the week with letter Z next week. Students will bring home green writing books that we have been working on since the 1st quarter of school. A few of our centers included: listening to a story and then re-telling it accurately, using descriptive words to describe various items, acting out various action verbs, and stretching out words to listen to final sounds. We read about a parable Jesus told about the prodigal son and learned that we are like the son running away from God and He is like dad welcoming us back with open arms. Next week, students will begin learning a new Bible verse. Mrs. Bennington has continued working with TK on “I Belong to Jesus.” You may have seen a few pictures from various activities throughout the week. Many of these themed activities happen from 7:40-8:00 am! This is an enriching time for the students where each student practices his/her name and plays various activities with concepts we have been working on in class. This week students played games like : a brushing teeth game with letters, used beginning sound clip cards, counted and sorted words with various syllables as well as many more. We have found this to be a great way to start our days in TK!

Lower School Art (Mrs. Knight)

3rd
  • Art students are putting finishing touches on their Roman aqueduct sketches. They listened and followed directions on mounting their projects this week. 
4th
  • Fourth graders are finishing up their Silk Road-inspired mosaics. 

Lower School P.E.  (Mrs. Bennington)

K-4th
  • Students worked on soccer skills, drills, and scrimmages in P.E. this week. 

Lower School Music (Mrs. Bennington)

K-4th
  • Students did a great job working on “I Belong to Jesus” and “It is Well With My Soul”. Third and Fourth grade did a great job learning three note songs, including “Mary Had A Little Lamb” on their recorders.  

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)

This Week:

Our kindergarten scholars had a fantastic week in math learning how to write addition sentences, identifying addition patterns, and using a ten frame to help them learn sums to ten. Daily review of their math facts will help them build essential foundations for higher level mathematics. In science, we continued our study of the phases of the moon. During the month of March, students will be recording the various phases of the moon as they track the lunar cycle for a month. Be sure to look up to the heavens tonight to see a rare “parade” of planets featuring Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune aligned along the ecliptic in the southwestern sky shortly after sunset, Our students are looking forward to our new reader, Ben and His Pen. This book introduces them to Benjamin Franklin, who was a highly regarded statesman during America’s struggle for independence from England. In 2026, our nation celebrates its semiquincentennial, a historic milestone in American history.

Memory Work: Proverbs 14:34 and review

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

This Week: 
  • In math this week, students used different strategies to add three addends, wrote and used equations to solve addition word problems, and reviewed the material from chapter 8 for the test. They finished their first workbook and started the new one in chapter 9, learning to make 10 to subtract from numbers greater than 10. In history, we finished the exciting true story of The Matchlock Gun and started learning about Benjamin Franklin. The students finished learning all their upper case letters this week and will have a contest next week competing for the neatest cursive writing. We read The Queen of The Sea in reading, getting a chance to learn about “dropping the e and adding ing”. There were plenty of  opportunities to practice the soft c as well. The kids learned about how Queen Elizabeth was brave and willing to fight for England. They also learned that, even though Spain had the bigger ships and larger fleet, England beat them with speed and cunning. If Spain had won, history would have looked a lot different under Catholic rule. God is always working out His plans. In Science, we started learning about the rainbow. The students  practiced blending in art.
Memory Work:  
  • Psalm 67:1-7
Upcoming:      
  • Wednesday March 11 – Soccer tournament
  • Thursday March 12 – Dr. Seuss Day
  • Friday March 13 – Reading Day
  • Friday March 13th – End of Quarter 3
  • March 16th – March 20th – Spring Break

2nd Grade (Miss Verroi & Mrs. Eng)

This Week: 

We are thankful for each of your children and the opportunity to share this year with them.  We marvel at how far they have come since August.  We don’t talk about spelling as much, but we continue to add words to our knowledge using our think-to-spell technique.  We want the students to think, not just memorize the words. From the words the students have learned since the beginning of the curriculum they know 70% of all the words we read and write! We are now working to increase their ability to add suffixes to words.  After learning a few rules, they will be able to start using suffixes correctly in their writing.  Editing has also become a focus in class – not only on our own writing but also with paragraphs from Daily Paragraph Editing.  It is a very valuable skill that will take them far in life.  Our study of Latin continues, and the students know 90+ words and phrases.  As we learn new vocabulary words the students are exposed to derivatives to lay a foundation for increasing their vocabulary throughout the years.  All of these language art skills work together to lay a solid foundation for future writing assignments and projects.  

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

This Week

In the Gospel of John, Jesus is introduced as the Word, who was with God in the beginning and through Whom creation happened. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” We also learned about why Jesus is called the Word; he is the personification of all the prophecies contained within the Old Testament. This week, we read how God revealed His rescue plan for humanity through the humble birth of His only Son, Jesus Christ, who would later serve a blameless and perfect sacrifice for all who trust in Him.  We read the Gospel accounts of Christ’s birth in Luke and Matthew and expressed our gratitude for His love for us! In Latin, we reviewed vocabulary, and parsed, labeled, and translated four different types of sentence patterns! Students are growing in leaps and bounds in their ability to write and translate Latin! In writing, students put the finishing touches on their reference summaries on the Brothers Grimm. We finished the week reading Detectives in Togas. This mystery set in Ancient Rome, builds on students’ understanding of the times while adding to the mystery each week! Students can’t wait to find out who the culprit is! Spoiler: they’ll never guess who it is! 

Upcoming:
  • Planet Posters Due 3/10

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

This Week

We had another full and productive week in fourth grade. In church history, students learned about John Wycliffe and John Huss and the important role they played in challenging practices within the Church. We talked about the risks they took and why their efforts mattered in the bigger picture of history. In math, we continued working with fractions and began multiplying fractions by whole numbers. Students are growing in both their understanding and their confidence as they practice this new skill. For writing, we officially began our three-point persuasive essay. This week, students chose their topics and have been working hard to brainstorm strong points to support their arguments. It has been great to see their ideas start to take shape. In Latin, we continued studying demonstrative pronouns in all three genders. They have especially enjoyed reading and translating Ego Polyphemus. Science took us into the study of chemical compounds, with a focus on crystals and their structure. It was a solid week of steady learning and growth across all subjects.

Upcoming

3/13 – Old Salem Field Trip

 

LOGIC SCHOOL

Mrs. Bennington

5th-6th Band
  • Fifth grade students did a great job this week learning their Concert Bb scale in thirds. Students did well on showcasing their ability to play this scale on their test this past Tuesday. Students also did well completing Unit 1 in their book. 
  • Sixth grade students did a great job this week consistently putting together rhythm with beat in their book exercises. Students also did a great job playing songs and rhythms incorporating eighth notes. 
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 continuing to be  made. 

Mrs. Johnston

5th – 8th Choir
  • Choirs began learning It is Well, discussing both the meaning behind the words and the story of Horatio Spafford who wrote it. We also continued working through rhythm and pitch worksheets.

Miss Pugsley 

5th-8th Girls’ PE
  • The girls played basketball and ran a mile. 

5th Grade (Mrs. LaTour and Miss Johnston) 

This Week
  • The students adjusted well to being back in school for a full five days- first time in a while! We started our next book, Johnny Tremain and learned about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. We finished the math unit on dividing fractions and took the test on Friday. The students continue to work hard on their wax museum memorizations! We hope everyone is able to come out and see what they have been working so hard on for so long. Have a blessed weekend! 
Memory Work: 

Wax Museum Practice

Upcoming: 
  • 03/06 – Wax Museum. Note: When you arrive, you will start in the room that corresponds with your last name and work from there. There will be signs with more information when you arrive.

Mrs. Knight

5th Art
  • Art students are beginning to put their final touches on their SAR Revolutionary War posters. Several are already complete. Mrs. Knight is arranging for the judges to come see the projects. Several will be chosen to be displayed at Alamance Arts where they will be judged at the county level. 

6th Grade (Mrs. McDorman and Miss Pugsley)

6th Reading and Literature
  • This week, we are continuing our reading of The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.
6th Grammar and Writing
  • The students created their first draft outlines and review subject-verb agreement.
6th Bible
  • We are finishing our reading of the gospels and beginning a new Bible curriculum (Rose Guide to the Gospels), which will be exploring how the gospels compare and contrast. Next quarter, the students will be writing a persuasive paper on this topic.
6th History
  • The students studied President Theordore Roosevelt. 
6th Science
  • This week in Science we had our Cell Theory quiz and we’ve begun studying the many organelles inside the cell. The students have begun their Cell Model projects, working as partners.
6th Logic
  • We talked about Part to Whole fallacies.

Mrs. Crotts

6th Math
  • Students completed Chapter 9 lessons and Chapter 9 Review.  They also completed study of Chapter 9 vocabulary.  Additionally, they built basic polygons and 3-D “buildings” outlined with specific polygons out of popsicle sticks and glue!

Mrs. Wright

6th Latin
  • 6th grade Latin classes have continued their study of Capitulum VII and mastering the use of the Latin indirect object.  Mrs. McDorman’s class took their pensa (test) this week.  Ms. Pugsley’s class finished all the material and will take the pensa next week.

Mrs. Palmer

6th Art
  • We wrapped up Winslow Homer inspired watercolor paintings this week. Students also worked on a watercolor still life. We will soon be moving on to a new project and new medium.  

Dr. Wright

7th Omnibus
  • 7th graders are developing their persuasive essay form by considering arguments for and against school uniforms.  We took an in-depth look at David and Goliath, and continue to consider how themes from 1 and 2 Samuel intersect, compare, and contrast with the reflection of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.  

Mrs. Frueh

7th Science
  • We have started our long-anticipated unit on astronomy. We focused this week on building a broad understanding of astronomical history, from the thoughts of Plato and Aristotle to the writings of Copernicus and Galileo. We worked together to build a timeline of the 16th and 17th centuries that would help us to understand how such a radical revolution in thought could come about with the movement from a geocentric model of the universe to a heliocentric model. We discussed how many revolutionary thoughts and endeavours occurred within 50 years of the publication of Copernicus’ heliocentric theory including Columbus’ voyage, the Protestant Reformation, the groundbreaking art of daVinci and Michelangelo, and the innovative writing of William Shakespeare. 
7th Pre-Algebra
  • This week the students have been laying a strong foundation for next year’s algebra course. We practiced graphing linear equations using x/y function tables and applying the properties of equality to equations in order to isolate an unknown. 

Mrs. Palmer 

7th Art
  • We wrapped up Winslow Homer inspired watercolor paintings this week. Students also worked on a watercolor landscape. We will soon be moving on to a new project and new medium.  

Mrs. Wright

7th Latin
  • 7th grade Latin classes have continued their study of Capitulum VII and mastering the use of the Latin indirect object.  They took their pensa (test) at the end of this week.
7th Logic
  •  7th grade Logic class had a fun day Tuesday identifying fallacies from movie clips from which they are familiar!  Thursday they spent the day in further review.  They will have a test over chapter 4 material next Tuesday.

Dr. Wright

8th Omnibus 
  • Students have begun preparation for Medieval Day by creating their own personal coat of arms.  We had our major history test on Charlemagne and Alcuin, finished our memorization quizzes on Exodus 20:1-17 (the Ten Commandments) and soon will begin studying the Song of Roland.  We also continue reading Tolkien’s The Two Towers, with accompanying weekly vocabulary terms.  

Mrs. Wright

8th Latin
  • 8th grade Latin classes have continued their study of Capitulum VII and mastering the use of the Latin indirect object.  They finished all the material this week and will take the pensa (test) next week.

Mrs. Frueh

8th Science
  • We dove deep into the anatomy of the atom this week, studying the difference between protons, neutrons, and electrons, as well as the quarks that make up the nuclear particles. We talked about how these particles determine the identity of an element and where it is located on the periodic table.
8th Algebra I
  • We wrapped up Unit 8 (Systems of Equations) with a unit exam and started our next unit, Unit 9 (Exponent Rules). We started by practicing writing numbers in exponential form, expanded form, and standard form. 

Mrs. Palmer 

8th Art
  • Students wrapped up their Lord of the Rings oil pastel drawings this week. They have worked hard to use the medium well and attempted many techniques with the medium.  

Mr. Crotts

8th Logic
  • We are continuing to master the art of syllogisms – arguments with two premises, three terms, and a conclusion.

RHETORIC SCHOOL

From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:

9th-12th: 

The high schoolers had the privilege of hearing from a variety of professionals who kindly volunteered their time for Career Day.  We heard from a scientist, a nurse, an economics professor, a Spanish professor, a kindergarten teacher, an engineer/politician, a software manager, a logic teacher/insurance specialist, a fireman, and a minister!

Seniors and Juniors: 
  • CLT results are in!  If you earned an 81 or higher you are on track to receive college scholarship money at most schools!  Some colleges offer this repeatedly over the 4 years in attendance.  You may also take the test individually on your own to attempt a higher score in the spring and summer.  The CLT mimics the material and style of education students are accustomed to at Bradford compared to the SAT.  Seniors may still take the ACT and SAT into the summer.
  • Other ways to curb the cost of college: In addition to sharing CLT, SAT, and ACT scores with colleges, students will be able to take CLEP tests after high school graduation.  These tests cost $70 each compared to college classes that range from $500-$1200 and, when passed, allow students to “clep” out of non-major classes.  These can equal an entire semester!

Mrs. Palmer 

9th Spanish 
  • Students reviewed vocabulary, continued to work with irregular verbs and also listened to the target language in a native accent. We also took a vocabulary quiz this week. 

Coach Johnston

9th History
  • Students completed an overview of the Reconstruction Era. We’ll begin considering some of the major changes of modernity in Europe and America.

Ms. Oldham

9th Rhetoric I
  • The students have been divided into teams to debate the death penalty. They have been tasked to research both their position and the other team’s position in order to accurately understand the full scope of the argument. 

Dr. Byrd 

9th Bible Survey 

  • This week we are working our way through the post-exilic books of Ezra, Haggai, and Zechariah.
  • Bible Memory for next Wednesday is Zeph. 3:17
  • Book report is also due on Wednesday. 

Mrs. Frueh

9th Biology
  • We moved on this week from mitosis to meiosis. As we discussed the intricacies of cell division and the detailed regulation of the cell cycle, we were reminded once again of the omniscience and omnipotence of Almighty God! Both mitosis and meiosis are highly complex, meticulously regulated, and continuous processes, essential for life. Each process involves precisely aligning and separating duplicated chromosomes using hundreds of proteins working in concert with each other to ensure that the cell is dividing correctly and each reflects the beauty and order of our perfect Creator.

Mrs. Frueh

9th Geometry
  • We wrapped up our Trigonometry Unit with a cumulative exam and then moved on to our next unit on calculating area. This week, we practiced calculating the areas of parallelograms. Next week, we’ll move on to triangles, trapezoids, kites, and rhombi. The students have been able to use their knowledge of trigonometry to break more complex shapes into smaller triangles and solve for unknown sides even when very little information is given.

Mrs. Crotts

9th Literature
  • 9th graders concluded the newspaper project reporting on the world and times of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.
  • They will begin reading George Orwell’s Animal Farm as we turn the corner to finish the  third quarter.  Students will present a character sketch from the work connecting the character to the real-life person represented. 

Mrs. Bennington

9th-11th Band 
  •   Students did a great job this week working on music for our concert in March. 

Mrs. Johnston

Bradford Chorale
  • The Bradford Chorale continued to work towards putting all the concert music together. We did our first full run of the songs successfully! We are looking forward to the March 12 Performing Arts Night!

Dr. James

10th Chemistry
  • This week we began our study of properties of solids, liquids, and solutions.  We also observed the progress on the crystallizations we set up on the first day of class. 
  • Next week we will conclude our discussions of solids, liquids, and solutions, and we will review for the final test of Q3. 

Mrs. Palmer 

10th Spanish
  • This week we introduced the subjunctive mood. We deciphered between the indicative, subjunctive and infinitive as well.  Students read in the target language as well as listened to a native speaker this week.  

Mrs. Byrd

10th Algebra II
  • We began a new unit on Exponential and Log Functions this week.  We began with considering various features exponential growth and decay functions and their graphs.

Mrs. Crotts

10th Literature
  • This week 10th graders wrote brief, impromptu answers to questions swirling around Ovid’s Metamorphoses’ influence on artists and writers such as Shakespeare…”what is the difference in influence vs. plagiarism,” “did all of Ovid’s collection originate with him?”
  • They also briefly researched the history of the Olympics and compared the ancient era versus the “modern” era and present day.
  • Next week’s reading of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations is due Wednesday, March 4.

Miss Oldham

10th Rhetoric II
  • Students have been working on their Teeny Tiny Theses. These will be presented in May in front of a panel of peers.  

Coach Johnston

10th History
  • Students have covered Rome’s founding stories, including its constitutional way of life. We continue to read key events from the Second Punic War from Livy.

Dr. Smith

10th Historical Theology 
  • Students are still working through understanding the character of medieval thought, which was the perceived need to harmonize faith and reason, and how this helped shape the Reformation and its debates.
11th Precalculus
  • Topics for this week included solving trig equations, using sum and difference identities, and using multiple angle and product to sum identities.

Miss Oldham

11th Literature
  •  Students have been reading Le Morte D’arthur and discussing the Arthurian Legends. 

Mrs. Wright

11th NT Greek
  • The Greek students were introduced to the future tense at the end of last week and have spent the greater part of this week identifying it in their exercises and translations.  At the end of the week they were introduced to chapter 20 Greek verbal roots.  

Mr. Webster

11th History
  •  The students performed their class play this week, and did very well! It was a joy to see what they put together after weeks of research and preparation. 

Dr. Smith

11th-12th Apologetics
  • Students are working through the history and character of what has been labeled “Postmodern” thought. In part, they are learning how the term “Postmodern” is misleading because the prefix “Post” means “after.” Such a label obscures the truth that what has been labeled “Postmodern” is more accurately understood as “Hypermodern” or “Latemodern,” because the sum of what is labeled “Postmodern” is not substantially different from what is labeled “Modern” thought. In both, Man is the measure of all things, and from this, we see that both “Modernism” and “Postmodernism” are nothing other than what the non-Christian Greeks affirmed in the 6th century B. C.

Coach Johnston

12th History
  • Students have learned about the Gilded Age this week. We have been reading and discussing our way through numerous articles and thesis defenses from the late 1890s regarding wealth, socio-economic classes, and the responsibilities we owe to one another. It has been a good time of discussion this week!

Ms. Oldham

12th Literature
  •   Students have been reading Night and will write an essay on it on Monday. 
12th Rhetoric III
  •  Seniors are meeting with mentors and finishing drafts before they leave for Rome. There is a planned work day next Friday March 6th so hopefully they will have less work to do at home. 

Mrs. Byrd

12th Calculus
  • We concluded our study of differential equations this week.  Next we will begin our final topic of the year – Applications of Integration