BB 03-07-25

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XVII, ISSUE 32

MAR 07, 2025

 

FROM THE OFFICE

FOR ALL: 
  • IMMUNIZATIONS:  REQUIREMENT – All students in rising Kindergarten, 7th grade and 12th grade are required to receive and submit updated immunizations.  These must be on file prior to the first day of the 25/26 school year.
  • Used Uniform Sale:  Please note the next sale will be on Monday, April 7th.  This is a great time to buy for next year!  We have a large quantity of TK sized clothing!
  • PLYMOUTH:  It’s your turn to bring in extra supplies!  We have an adjusted list for you:  tissues (3 boxes per kid), paper towels (3 rolls per kid), and Bandaids (knee and regular size).
LOWER SCHOOL- IMPORTANT NOTES:
  • 4/8:  NEW DATE for 3rd grade trip to Morehead Planetarium
HOT LUNCH on Thursdays: 
  • The weekly menu locks at midnight on Sunday night – so be sure to place your orders and check out in time. Once your account is set up, it should be easy for the rest of the year! ORDER HERE  
FROM MRS. MITCHELL:  

Proverbs 29:17 provides encouraging parenting wisdom:  “Correct your son, and he will give you rest; Yes, he will give delight to your soul.” Parenting is hard work, correction can require steely resolve and, yes, we make mistakes. Take heart. Growth is always possible in the Lord.  An easily accessible parenting book (ie. the chapters are short), which has come across our path this year is called, 8 Errors Parents Make and How to Avoid Them.   If you need fresh support as we leave the doldrums of the winter months, pick up a copy (or choose from our parenting shelf in the office library) and ask the Lord to direct your steps as you read.  We are so thankful to partner with you.  We want to encourage your hearts.  We see fruit from your work and do our best to pass these stories along to you!

UPCOMING
NEXT WEEK:
  • Week of March 9th:  Senior trip!  
  • Wed, 3/12:  
    • 2nd grade to Animal Park
  • Fri, 3/14: 
    •  Reading day, Pi Day, end of 3rd quarter
    • Report cards released on EDUCATE
  • Week of March 17th – SPRING BREAK!
FOURTH QUARTER:  
  • Sweaters are no longer required with the dress uniform.
  • Wed, 3/26:  8th and 11th grade Medieval Day
  • Fri, 3/28:  Quo Vadis?  4th grade to visit upper school
  • Tues, 4/1 – Wed, 4/2:  8th and 9th Colonial Williamsburg
  • Thurs, 4/3:  
    • Coffee and Conversation with Mr. Johnston
    • 4th grade – field trip to Old Salem
  • Week of April 7th:  Senior Thesis Adjudication
  • NEW  Mon, 4/7:  Used Uniform Sale
  • NEW DATE Tues, 4/8:   – 3rd grade Field trip to Morehead Planetarium
  • Thurs, 4/10:  
    • 12th grade: CLT
    • NEW DATE  11th grade: CLT
  • Tues, 4/15:  
    • Final day to RENEW NCOS
    • 10th grade: CLT10
  • Fri, 4/18:  Good Friday – no school
  • Mon, 4/21:  Easter Monday – no school
  • Thurs, 4/24:  3rd – 4th, Bradford Night 2.0, 6:30 pm
  • Thurs, 5/1:  Coffee and Conversation with Mr. Johnston
  • Fri, 5/2:  Teacher Appreciation Day
  • Mon, 5/5:
    • 3rd – 7th grade CLT – standardized testing
  • Tues, 5/6:
    • 3rd – 6th grade CLT – standardized testing
    • 8th grade CLT – standardized testing
  • Thurs, 5/8:  Tentative Bradford Games (for upper school students)
  • Fri, 5/9:  Teacher workday
  • Thurs, 5/22:  
    • TK last day of school
    • Spring Fine Arts Program:  Upper school
  • Mon, 5/26:  Memorial Day – no school
  • Wed, 5/28:
    • K – 4th grades:  Verse Bee – times TBA
    • 11th – 12th grades:  Gala at the White House on Washington
  • Thurs, 5/29:
    • 10:00 – Baccalaureate (upper school)
  • Fri, 5/30:  Last day of school!
    • Kindergarten certificate ceremony
    • All students dismissed at 12:00 pm
    • Graduation, 7pm

 

FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK

 

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

 

Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Grubb and Mrs. Weber)

Tk students enjoyed a great week with the highlight being Dr. Seuss Day! On Thursday, students had a great time dressing up as a Dr. Seuss character, eating a themed snack, reading Dr. Seuss books, and playing several Dr. Seuss themed games. Thank you parents for donating supplies and volunteering to help. We couldn’t make days like this happen without you. TK students also wrapped up our letters of the week with Z being our last letter. Students enjoyed making the “Z” sound! Students completed their green writing books that were started in the first quarter. Students were very excited to bring these books home to show you the work they have completed. Next week we will begin lowercase letters as well as review capital letters. In math, we learned how to follow a recipe and talked about the words, empty, full and half-full. See if your child can tell you what color water we made when mixing blue and yellow together! We reviewed ordering numbers 0-20 and playing Bingo in centers. We read this week about the parable of the lost son and talked about what we can learn from this story Jesus told. Students also began learning Acts 20:35. 

 

Lower School P.E. (Mrs. Bennington)

K – 4th
  •  Students did a great job this week working on various line dances and hand-eye coordination activities. 

Lower School Music (Mrs. Bennington)

K-4th 
  • Students did a great job this week learning the first verse of, “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today”. Students especially enjoyed singing the “Alleluia” sections. Third and fourth grade students also worked on pieces for their Bradford Night performance in April. 

 

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)

This Week
  •   Our kindergarten students have just finished their second to last week of the third quarter!
      In math, we learned how to add two-digit numbers without regrouping  by using dimes and pennies and
      how to identify doubles plus one facts. In phonics, we reviewed the reader, “The Big Din,” and introduced
      a new ten word spelling list. In history, we continued our discussion on the Feudal System and the
     medieval time period. In art, we worked on finishing up our Justinian the Great mosaics, which are very
     colorful! In science, we started a new section on mammals. The students had the opportunity to start
     making their very own mammal books, which feature four different animals and a fun fact of each one.

 We are very excited to celebrate the end of the quarter next week with two special events. On Thursday
 we will have a book filled reading day, and on Friday, we will have our Dr. Seuss Day.
                  

Memory Work:   
  •  Proverbs 14:34 and review

 

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

This Week
  • This week, our students have continued to grow in wisdom and understanding as we seek to glorify God in all we do. In Math, we explored the beauty of order by identifying and creating congruent shapes. Students also practiced adding two-digit numbers with regrouping, using money to strengthen their understanding of place value, and completing one hundred addition fact sheets to build fluency. In Reading, we read Serving in the Shadow of Death, which led to meaningful discussions about sacrificial love and serving others with humility. As Christ calls us in John 15:12, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” We reflected on how we can follow His example, even in small ways, by loving and serving those around us. In Grammar, we have been practicing identifying nouns, pronouns, proper nouns, and common nouns, reinforcing the structure and beauty of language. In Art, the students enjoyed expressing God’s handiwork through drawing sunsets, marveling at the beauty of His creation. In History, we continued reading Sarah Endeavors to Keep Up Her Courage, learning about perseverance and faith in challenging times. It has been a joy to watch the students grow in knowledge and character. Thank you for your continued support as we walk this journey together!

2nd Grade (Mrs. Hedgecock & Mrs. Eng)

This Week
  •  As the third quarter is nearing an end, we have worked diligently this week to finish a few projects.  The story of the Israelites Exodus from Egypt is such a demonstration of God’s amazing power.  We have followed the Israelites for 430 years from the time Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt to when the Israelites departed from Egypt.  From the seventy who came to Egypt they grew to 600,000 men, plus women and children, during their time in Egypt.  Our Science Journals look great as the students finish their seven animal hunts. We look forward to seeing the students’ Animal Habitat projects next week.  The students work diligently each week to learn new spelling words and have now learned 780 words since starting the spelling program last year.  After Forum we start each day with math.  We strive to give the students a very solid foundation in math facts and concepts.  We review the same skills over and over and over again so that they become automatic. This week we learned to solve larger-smaller difference problems and how to find the area of a rectangle using skills we have learned earlier in the year.  

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 grammar, we examined rules to help us make nouns plural and reviewed verb tenses in writing. 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! 
  • Rescheduled Field Trip: Morehead Planetarium – 4/8

 

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

This Week
  •  We examined the fall of Constantinople to Mohammed II in 1453, marking the end of the Roman Empire and reshaping world history. In writing, we reviewed punctuation rules to enhance clarity in our growing body of work and completed a second persuasive essay on topics of our choice, refining our argumentative skills. In math, we practiced adding and subtracting mixed numbers, reinforcing our understanding of fractions. We investigated crystal compounds through an experiment that didn’t go as expected but provided valuable lessons in resilience: “fail fast, fail forward.” Finally, we discussed the essence of prayer, understanding it as an offering of our desires to God, submission to His will, confession of sins, and gratitude for His mercies. It was a week filled with rich learning and growth, laying a strong foundation for future knowledge, understanding,  and wisdom.

Upcoming:

  • 3/26- Medieval Day
  • 3/28- Quo Vadis
  • 4/24- Element Project Due (Details sent home in black folders.)
  • 4/3 Field Trip to Old Salem

 

LOGIC SCHOOL

 

Mrs. Bennington

5th-10th Band
  •  5th Grade Band – Students did a great job learning their Concert Bb scale this week. 
  • 6th-8th Grade Band – Students did a great job working on their Concert Bb scale and their Concert Bb chromatic scale. Students also enjoyed working on the piece, “Fury”. 
  • 9th-10th Grade Band – Students did a great job working on their Concert Bb scale and their Concert Bb chromatic scale.  Students also enjoyed working on the piece, “Fury”,  “Bach 95”, and “America”. 

Mrs. Johnston

5th – 8th Chorus, Bradford Chorale
  • 5th Chorus – We began learning I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes which helped us review 6/8 meter. The students are doing a great job, and are showing mastery of solfeggio. We also composed a song to help remember PI!
  • 6th-8th Chorus – We wrapped up learning I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes. We also spent time doing some sight-reading out of the hymnal. The students have grown strong in their understanding of solfeggio and rhythm concepts. They will be ready to receive concert music in the near future.
  • Bradford Chorale – O God Beyond All Praising sounded great this week, and we are ready to shelf that until future need. We began reading concert music and look forward to challenging ourselves with an a capella piece filled with musical suspensions and resolutions!

5th Grade (Mrs. LaTour and Miss Johnston) 

This Week
  • This was a full and fun week in 5th grade! Our 5th graders performed so well on Tuesday night during both the patriotic program and the wax museum that followed. We are so proud of them! Thank you to all of the parents who worked hard to make it even more special and fun for them with their elaborate costumes and set ups! It was a wonderful evening and we are thankful for the Lord’s kindness in allowing it to go so smoothly. Monday and Tuesday were filled with rehearsing for Tuesday’s program along with our typical Math lessons, and history/spelling introductions for the week. Wednesday was our celebration of being done with the patriotic program! This celebration was well deserved (they have been working on this since October!) Thursday and Friday were getting back into our normal routine as we dove deeper into learning about the winter at Valley Forge by completing a fun escape room activity, and worked on subtracting decimals in math! We are nearing the end of chapter 5 of Johnny Tremain and have thoroughly enjoyed our new book so far! We have one more week until spring break! We are looking ahead to a very exciting field trip in April as well! 
Memory Work:  
  • Philippians 2:12-13

 

6th Grade (Miss Stevenson)

6th Reading and Literature
  • We are continuing to work our way through The Hiding Place.
6th Grammar and Writing
  • We are working on the third essay of Lost Tools of Writing. We will be turning the outline into the essay itself on Monday.
6th Bible
  • We are continuing to read the book of Acts. We should hopefully be moving on to the book of the Revelation when we begin the fourth quarter. 
6th History
  •  This week we learned about the Wright brothers!
6th Science
  • Students took their big 3rd Quarter  Science test this week. I assigned their cell project last week which will be due Wednesday, April 2. This is a very large assignment, so please feel free to reach out with any questions about it.
6th Logic
  • This week we looked at the propaganda fallacy of Appeal to Fear. 
6th Latin
  • This week we took the National Latin Exam! This will not affect their grade, but it is an opportunity to see where they are compared with other schools in their Latin studies. 

Mrs. Crotts

6th Math
  • 6th Graders are cruising through Chapter 9 which is a review as well as introduction to graphing shapes on a graph.

Mrs. Palmer 

6th Art
  • Students worked this week on a small scale still life drawing using grayscale and graphite.  They will be aiming to use a lot of detail and accuracy in their drawings. 

Dr. Wright

7th Composition 
  • Using exercises from The Lost Tools of Learning, students perfected their existing persuasive essay on moral issues drawn from Julius Caesar.   Our season of focused vocab extension has come to a close.
7th Omnibus – Literature, History, Bible
  • Students are finishing two brief summative papers on passages from 1 and 2 Samuel.   We continue to read Virgil’s Aeneid, discussing key themes and their implications.
7th Logic

We continue to study fallacies of presumption.  

Mrs. Frueh

7th Science
  • We began our study of planet Earth by looking at the Goldilocks conditions that make Earth a uniquely habitable planet in our solar system. In addition to Earth’s perfect temperature, tilt, mass, and composition, we also looked at the importance of Earth’s magnetosphere. The students learned that Earth has the strongest magnetic field by far of all the terrestrial planets in our solar system. They learned that this magnetic field is what protects us from solar radiation, but also produces the beautiful phenomenon of the aurora borealis or the Northern Lights. 
7th Pre-Algebra
  • The students are doing a great job translating their own English sentences into algebraic equations and then putting all of their algebra skills to use to solve for the unknown value. Our last exam of the third quarter will take place next Tuesday.

Mrs. Palmer 

7th Art
  • Students worked on their pen and ink animal drawings this week.  We focused on using hatching, cross hatching and stippling to create many different grayscale values (highlights and shadows).

Miss Johnston

7th Latin
  • This week we took a NLE (National Latin Exam) practice test and then worked on studying the syllabus. We are planning on taking the test on Monday!

Dr. Wright

8th Omnibus 
  • History:   Students are finishing their coats of arms in preparation for Medieval Day.   We continue to study the high middle ages, including Romanesque and Gothic architectural styles.  Students will have an open book, take home test on this section due before Spring Break.
  • Literature:  We are finishing Tolkien’s The Two Towers this week, wrapping up theme discussions.  
  • Composition:  Students are working on vocabulary expansion, as well as explanatory essays on their heraldric helms.  

Miss Johnston

8th Latin
  • This week, we finished presentations and worked on studying the NLE (National Latin Exam) syllabus. We are preparing to take the test on Tuesday!

Mrs. Frueh

8th Science
  • It has been a fun week of testing our self-propelled vehicles. For the first time, all the students chose to build mousetrap cars. This project required the students to employ the engineering design process, including building a prototype, troubleshooting, redesigning, and testing at each step in the process. I have enjoyed seeing their teamwork, diligence, and ingenuity throughout the process. Lab reports for this project will be due next week
8th Algebra I
  • The students were introduced to their next two exponent rules: The Negative Exponent Rule and The Zero Rule for Exponents. While these two rules seemed confusing at first, the students soon realized how powerful these two little rules could be in simplifying complex expressions. By using these two rules in conjunction with the Product Rule, Quotient Rule, and Power Rule, their algebraic toolboxes are becoming quite full and useful!

Mrs. Palmer 

8th Art
  • This week students wrapped up their Lord of the Rings oil pastel drawings.  We also began a small study drawing.

Mr. Crotts

8th Logic
  • We are learning how to formulate arguments (set of statements with a conclusion supported or implied by first statements) that follow the premises (two statements that are not the conclusion) and not simply arguments that have conclusions we happen to like or agree with.

RHETORIC SCHOOL

 

From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:

9th-12th: 

  • Juniors shared their lists of 3-5 colleges or universities as well as 3-5 scholarships that they are investigating.
  • Some seniors have committed to colleges; some continue to evaluate the pros and cons of attending community college and then transferring to a 4 year college in the future.  We will be praying for their wisdom and clarity.

Mrs. Palmer 

9th Spanish 
  • This week we spent time reviewing various tenses and past vocabulary.  Students also took a chapter test. 

Mrs. Frueh

9th Geometry
  • This week we wrapped up our unit on Transformations with a study of rotations. We also reviewed trigonometric ratios in preparation for our upcoming unit on calculating area.

Mr. Crotts

9th Logic
  • We have learned the steps and processes for completing truth trees.

Dr. and Mrs. James

9th Biology
  • This week we completed our introduction to cellular biology. 
  • Next week the students will take their last test of Q3, and students will finish the remaining presentations regarding symbiotic relationships.

Mrs. Crotts

9th Literature
  • 9th Graders concluded The Great Gatsby this week (reading, writing about symbolism, and the newspaper project.)  They will read George Orwell’s Animal Farm next.

Dr. Byrd 

9th Bible 
  • This week we have been studying the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. We have seen how God can use our lives for his glory. 
  • Memory Verse: Zephaniah 3:17

Coach Johnston

9th History
  • Students finished the Spanish-American and Roosevelt Corollary material and have now begun learning the overview of World War 1. Students are preparing for their final Q4 test next week.

Coach Johnston

10th History
  • Students only had one class this week but have begun a survey of the Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic while continuing to read Josephus.

Coach Johnston

9/10th PE
  • Students only had one PE class this week, but enjoyed the beautiful weather outside on Tuesday to get outside and work on some technical soccer skills and enjoy a game of soccer knock-out.

Dr. James

10th Chemistry
  • This week we completed our lessons regarding properties of liquids and solutions. 
  • Next week the students will take their final test of Q3.

Mrs. Palmer 

10th Spanish
  • Students worked on reviewing past tenses and vocabulary this week.  We also began to learn about the subjunctive mood and how it is used, as well as practiced with this mood. 

Mrs. Byrd

10th Algebra II
  • We’re working through a unit on exponential functions.  This week we  considered  both algebraic and graphical interpretations and how they can be used to model real world situations.

Mrs. Crotts

10th Literature
  • 10th Graders began learning about Ovid’s Metamorphoses this week.

Miss Oldham

10th Rhetoric I
  •   Students gave speeches this week. Next week we will be introducing their Teeny Tiny Theses for Quarter 4. 

Dr. Smith

10th Historical Theology
  • We finished our chapter on the initial work of the Protestant Reformation which addressed the fundamental differences between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism as summarized in the five “solas” of the Reformation in contrast with the Medieval penitential system. We also began a new chapter that looks at some of the differences with Protestantism regarding the doctrine of salvation.  

Mrs. Palmer

11th Spanish III
  • Students continued to learn about various situations in which they would use the subjunctive mood.  We continued to review vocabulary, past tenses and grammar concepts. 

Mrs. Byrd

11th Precalculus
  • This week we are considering some analytic trig topics including verifying trig identities and solving trig equations. 
11th Physics
  • We concluded our unit on periodic motions and began a new unit on sound and light waves.  Not only is all of our communication carried on a sound or light wave, but these waves also exhibit some unusual properties.  We will dabble a bit in quantum mechanics as we consider wave particle duality.

Miss Oldham

11th Literature
  • Students wrapped up Othello and their final paper and presentations. Medieval Day is March 26th! 

Dr. Smith

11th NT Greek
  • Students continued working on their identification and use of future verbs as well as learning more vocabulary. Students have now learned nearly 74% of the words in the Greek New Testament.

Mr. Webster

11th-12th Systematic Theology
  • This week we covered the doctrine of justification. The students will be taking their test at the beginning of next week. 
11th History
  •  This week the students took their unit test. We also started a new unit on the Black Death. 

Mrs. Fairchild

12th Art History
  • Color is beginning to take center stage!! We studied mosaics this week and took a closer look at the glass making process. This provided a wider range of beautiful colors for artists to create vibrant and glowing mosaics. The students were amazed at the artists’ ability to create such intricate work with broken fragments. They were especially surprised to learn that some of the artworks they were looking at from St. Peter’s Basilica were not oil paintings, but were actually mosaics. Artists were considered inferior if they went back and adjusted the colors to increase shadows or build contrast by painting over any glass or stone pieces. A true mosaic displayed the glass or stone in the original color and was never touched up with paint.

Miss Oldham

12th Literature
  • We spent some time reading short stories on this final week of school before they go on their senior trip. 
12th Rhetoric II
  •   Final drafts are due on Friday night! I am excited for seniors to have this off their plates for the next two weeks. Please be in prayer that they can relax during their Senior Trip and Spring Break. 

Coach Johnston

12th History
  • Students completed a very brief overview of WW1 and took their final Q3 assessment before leaving for their senior class trip. Enjoy this trip and your spring break and run the course of Q4 with excellence!

Mrs. Byrd

12th Calculus
  • This week we learned to use integrals to calculate the average value of a function and to extract velocity and position information from a function.  We also reviewed a few earlier units as we prepare for the AP and final exams.