BB 03-28-25

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XVII, ISSUE 34

MAR 28, 2025

 

FROM THE OFFICE

FOR ALL: 
  • YEARBOOK ORDERS:  DUE BY MON 3/31!!  See the link in your email to order!
  • Used Uniform Sale:  Use this link to reserve your spot to shop!
    • Mon, April 7th, 11:45 – 5:00 pm
    • Most items are just $5.
    • NEW THIS YEAR:  Fill a plastic grocery bag for just $15 from 3:00 – 5:00 pm.  (Excludes specially marked items.)
    • Payment methods:  credit card, cash or check
  • Coming Soon! Spring Soccer Club:  4th – 5th graders are invited to train and play on Wednesday afternoons.  More info will be sent in the near future.
    • Offered by Coach Nathaniel Johnston (nathanieljohnston@bradfordacademy.org)
    • 3:15 – 4:30 pm
    • at the Walker Fields on 2nd St. 
    • 6 weeks – April 8th – May 14th
    • Fee: $20 
    • Parents will need to provide transportation
  • 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 with the school prior to the first day of the 25/26 school year.  Please schedule appointments and submit the records via TADS.
LOWER SCHOOL- IMPORTANT NOTES:
  • Archer Crew:  Parents, if you pick up your Archer at 2:45, please consider joining the Archer Crew on Fridays.  This dedicated team of parents helps to reset the building for Sunday services.  Many hands make light work of the furniture resetting, vacuuming, and bathroom tidying.  Reach out to emitchell@bradfordacademy.org to sign on for one week of the month or for several weeks.  We are thankful for the many parents who blessed our community this year and we want to add more to the team to be ready for next school year.
UPPER  SCHOOL- IMPORTANT NOTES:
  • 5th Grade:  Field trip to Monticello – Complete this permission slip and purchase tickets no later than April 10th.  (The link to purchase tickets is in the permission slip.)
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:  

This week 4th graders learned that the term “Renaissance Man” (one who was well versed in many areas) comes from the example of men who were classically trained and skilled in areas as diverse as sculpture, music, architecture, engineering, and inventions.  Our dedicated teachers are committed to engaging your children in the exciting adventure of broadly educating themselves and the results are rewarding.  Just this week we learned that two 3rd grade gentlemen placed 1st & 3rd for their poetry in the Burlington Writers Club contest,  a 4th grade young lady placed first in the school’s Pi digit recitation contest, correctly reciting 193 of these random digits, and a 5th grade gentleman took 2nd place in the Sons of the American Revolution Poster Contest!  Colossians 3:23-24 encourages right thinking about these accomplishments:  “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” 

UPCOMING
NEXT WEEK:
  • 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
  • Fri, 4/4: AWAY Varsity Girls soccer game @ Cape Fear Christian at 4:00PM

 

UPCOMING:
  • Week of April 7th:  Senior Thesis Adjudication
  • Mon, 4/7:  Used Uniform Sale – Sign up HERE
  • Tues, 4/8:   – 3rd grade Field trip to Morehead Planetarium
  • Thurs, 4/10:  
    • 12th grade: CLT
    • 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
    • Varsity Girls Soccer Conference Tournament semi-final
  • Fri, 5/2:  Teacher Appreciation Day
    • Varsity Girls Soccer Conference Tournament championship game
  • 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:  Bradford Games (for upper school students)
  • Fri, 5/9:  Teacher workday
  • NEW Fri, 5/16: Career Afternoon. 12:30-2:30 PM 
  • NEW  Tues, 5/20:  
    • 5:45 – Band meeting for Rising 5th grade students – lower school auditorium
    • 7:00 – Sports Award Ceremony – lower school pavilion
  • 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 spring-filled week! Our theme this week was spring and we had many spring related activities and games. We began new math concepts this week like covering various designs using pattern blocks, using dimes to pay for items to $1.00, and comparing length. We reviewed capital letters G, C, and E and introduced the lower case version of each letter. A few of our centers this week included: 2 journal entries, making mosaic flowers, measuring flowers, creating sentences, reading comprehension and matching capital and lowercase letters. We read in the Jesus Storybook Bible about the woman who anointed Jesus with her treasured perfume and how the Pharisees were very angry about this. We discussed how Jesus looks at our heart on the inside vs. what we do on the outside. Our story next week will teach us about Jesus being a servant king. 

 

Lower School P.E. (Mrs. Bennington)

K – 4th
  •  Students did a great job this week working on various Tag Games and Kickball drills/ skills. 

Lower School Music (Mrs. Bennington)

K-4th 
  • Students did a great job this week working on the first two verses of , “Christ The Lord Is Risen Today”. Third and fourth grade students also worked on pieces for their Bradford Night on April 24, 2025. 

 

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)

This Week
  • Our kindergarten scholars were excited to be back in the classroom after spring break! We spent the week learning several new things and are in awe that it is already the fourth quarter. The students have definitely grown so much since the beginning of the school year! In math, we learned how to add two-digit numbers without regrouping, how to identify how many more on a graph, how to identify and make congruent shapes, how to count by large collections, and how to group by 10’s.  In phonics, we reviewed the reader “Ben and His Pen,” and introduced a new spelling word list. In history, we discussed the Renaissance and the Italian sculptor and painter, Michelangelo. In art, we introduced our artist of the quarter, Mary Cassatt. She was an American Impressionist painter who lived much of her life in France and worked with some other prominent artists in the late 1800s. The students had the opportunity to color a picture of one of her paintings, “Girl Arranging Her Hair.” In science, we continued our section on mammals by enjoying a fun outdoor scavenger hunt! The students were thrilled to learn so many different facts about various land and sea mammals. As we draw nearer to the end of the school year, we pray that our young scholars finish well!
                      
Memory Work:   
  •  Matthew 6:9-13 and review

 

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

This Week
  • We had a great first week back from Spring Break! The students jumped right back into their learning with enthusiasm and hard work. This week in math, we explored identifying similar and same shapes, worked with Venn diagrams, practiced subtracting 0 and 1, and tackled adding three two-digit numbers. In reading, our reading selection was The Bright Night, a story about Anne Bradstreet, America’s first published poet. The students enjoyed learning about her life and perseverance in writing. In handwriting and grammar, the students took an exciting step forward by learning how to write short papers, practicing both structure and clarity in their writing. In art, the students used watercolors to paint a sunset, building on a familiar drawing they had previously learned. In science our bird of the month is the Eastern Bluebird! The students discovered that this small, vibrant bird is known for its cheerful song and its role in helping control insect populations. For history we continued reading The Courage of Sarah Noble, following Sarah’s journey as she shows bravery and trust while adjusting to life in a new settlement. The students enjoy discussing her character and the challenges she faces. As we dive back into our studies, we are reminded of Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” We are encouraging the students to give their best effort in all that they do, knowing that their work is an opportunity to glorify God.
Memory Work:  
  • Psalm 67:1-2 
 

 

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

This Week
  •    We enjoyed hearing of your family’s adventures over spring break!  It is amazing to think that we are starting the fourth quarter and also amazing how much the students have learned this year.  We have many more adventures this year and will work to finish strong.  In history we are still in the New Kingdom of Egypt and learned about Pharaoh Amenhotep IV and his attempt to have the Egyptians worship only one god.  This has led to discussions of monotheism and how as Christians we worship one God.  Our new book in the Totally True Adventures! Series is The Curse of King Tut’s Mummy by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld. After working together on many books this year, for this book the students will read and answer the comprehension questions independently.  The comprehension questions are a way for the students to use all the grammar skills they have learned this year.  The students are becoming more confident in division as they realize it is simply the opposite of the multiplication facts they have already learned.  They are doing well learning to compare fractions and subtracting three-digit numbers.  To take advantage of this wonderful spring season, the students are writing a 3-point paragraph entitled “Signs of Spring”.  In science we will focus on Earth Science and God’s amazing creation of this earth we live on.  

 

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

This Week
  • After a restful spring break, students were ready to get back to work, so we hit the ground running! As we began our dive into persuasive writing, students struggled to come up with solid reasons for why everyone should have a pet or play sports. It was exciting to see them work through that process.  Watch out parents, you might be adding a tiger or a python to your family! In Latin, students enjoyed learning our new chant for Latin prepositions and began using them to add more detail to our Latin sentences. Most importantly, this week we continued our comparison of the four gospels focusing particularly on Christ’s ministry. We unpacked what it means to be poor in spirit and uncovered how great our need is for a savior. Although many Jews believed that the Messiah would save them from the Roman occupations, we can look back with a clearer understanding that Christ, the Messiah, saved us from a greater oppressor, our own sins. Our final quarter is off to a great start, and we look forward to building upon all they have learned thus far! 
  • Rescheduled Field Trip: Morehead Planetarium – 4/8

 

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

This Week
  •  We began the fourth quarter with an introduction to the Renaissance, a transformative period in European history spanning from the 14th to the 17th centuries. This era was marked by a flourishing of art, science, and intellectual exploration. Students were able to connect this study to our artist of the quarter from the beginning of the year. In math, we focused on understanding fractional parts of whole groups and honed our problem-solving skills through multi-step word problems. We delved into the works of Ted Kooser, our poet of the quarter, analyzing three of his evocative poems: The Screech Owl, Granddaddy Long Legs, and The Cancer Patient. Through discussion and close reading, we explored the themes, imagery, and emotional depth that Kooser conveys. In science, we explored the world of polymers—materials made up of long chains of molecules—and examined the properties of acids and bases and their various applications. But the highlight of the week was our two afternoons spent at the upper campus. We participated in Medieval Day, where we immersed ourselves in the history of knights, castles, and medieval society. Additionally, we took part in Quo Vadis, designed to help students transition to the upper campus by giving them a preview of what to expect in the coming year. It was a wonderful week of taking time to give God thanks for the many blessings we enjoy everyday.
Upcoming:  
  • 4/3 Old Salem Field Trip
  • 4/22 Element Projects Due
  • 4/24 Bradford Night

LOGIC SCHOOL

 

Mrs. Bennington

5th-10th Band
  • Students had a great week sight reading music for the concert. Students found some music easy and some music challenging. It was nice for students to have the opportunity to take all of the concepts that they have learned so far  this year and apply them to various pieces of music. 

Mrs. Johnston

5th – 8th Chorus, Bradford Chorale

We had a fun week continuing to sight-read concert music. We have been challenged with music that has many moving parts and musical conversations. It has been fun to pull out those individual parts to learn and then see how they fit together.  This quarter will be an adventure!

 

5th Grade (Mrs. LaTour and Miss Johnston) 

This Week
  • This week has been a wonderful start to quarter 4! We have learned about the constitutional convention and we have dug deeper into the preamble to the Constitution that we quote each day, making sure we can define the big terms within it! Our writing has aligned very well with our history curriculum as we have been writing about the founding fathers. This week was Thomas Jefferson! This is even more fitting as we prepare and discuss our April field trip to Monticello! We have started a new chapter in math where we have been multiplying decimal numbers by powers of ten and the students are picking up on it well! We are nearing the end of Johnny Tremain and are very excited to dive deep into our next and final book of the year in two short weeks, Treasure Island! 
Memory Work:  
  • 1 Samuel 2:1-2

6th Grade (Miss Stevenson)

6th Reading and Literature
  • We are continuing to work through Corrie ten Boom’s The Hiding Place.
6th Grammar and Writing
  • Students began their fourth and final essay in The Lost Tools of Writing book. This is a minor compare/contrast assignment that will lead us nicely into our major compare/contrast essay about the four gospels which we will begin on Monday, April 7.
6th Bible
  • This week was a bit of a hodge-podge in Bible reading. We spent one day finishing up the book of Esther which we started on Reading Day. That same day we finished reading the book of Acts. The second day we began reading the Revelation. 
6th History
  •  We have spent the past two weeks learning about World War One. 
6th Science
  • Our 3D Cell Project Presentations were this week!! It is always one of my favorite days of the year. It was fun to see the students’ different personalities and creative styles come out in how they chose to design their cells.
6th Logic
  • This week we took a brief look at the fallacy of an appeal to pity.
6th Latin
  • In Latin this week we had the opportunity to review the difference between direct and indirect objects. We also began looking at the new vocabulary for our upcoming chapter. 

Mrs. Crotts

6th Math
  • Students eagerly worked through ratios.  They seemed to understand ratios and equivalent ratios and the different methods presented in chapter 10 so far.

Mrs. Palmer 

6th Art
  • This week students learned about their fourth quarter artist of the quarter, Mary Cassatt.  We talked about her life, her art and how Cassatt impacted the Impressionist art movement.  Students will have an art history quiz next week. 

Dr. Wright

7th Composition 
  • Students continue to expand their vocabulary with terms from our reading.  We have also done several in-class essay reflections: one on The Aeneid and another on Christian examples in our lives
7th Omnibus – Literature, History, Bible
  • Students, together in class, are reading and discussing Plutarch’s Lives.  We are wrapping up our papers on 1-2 Samuel. 
7th Logic
  • We continue through the informal logical fallacies.  

Mrs. Frueh

7th Science
  • The students were excited to choose their astronomy project topics this week. For the next few weeks, your child should be reading diligently about their chosen topic in preparation for taking research notes. They will present their research to the class in May.
7th Pre-Algebra
  • We switched gears from algebra this week to brush up on our geometry skills. We practiced naming angles, solving for angle complements and angle supplements, and measuring angles using a protractor. Students are encouraged to keep a protractor handy for math homework in the coming weeks as we continue practicing this skill.

Mrs. Palmer 

7th Art
  • This week students learned about their fourth quarter artist of the quarter, Mary Cassatt.  We talked about her life, her art and how Cassatt impacted the Impressionist art movement.  Students will have an art history quiz next week.

Miss Johnston

7th Latin
  • We started learning about the second conjugation and perfect tense this week. The students worked on some parsing and translating as well. 

Dr. Wright

8th Omnibus 
  • History:   Medieval Day was a major success, with Princess Elise establishing her rule after King Henry’s tragic murder.   In our reading, we have touched on the church vs. state struggle in the high middle ages, particularized in Henry II’s murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket.  
  • Literature:   Students are reading and considering Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.   Dante’s Inferno is next.  Send aloe.  
  • Composition:   Students continue to build their vocabulary with terms from the Chaucer readings.  

Miss Johnston

8th Latin
  • This week we began studying the genitive case. We learned about the four main uses it has and practiced creating sentences for each of the uses. 

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
  • The students were introduced to the concept of polynomials this week. First they learned to name polynomials by their degree and their number of terms. Then they learned how to add and multiply polynomial expressions. We ended the week with a mini-test in order to review a week’s worth of new learning. 
  • Next week, we will move on to factoring polynomial expressions.

Mrs. Palmer 

8th Art
  • This week students learned about their fourth quarter artist of the quarter, Mary Cassatt.  We talked about her life, her art and how Cassatt impacted the Impressionist art movement.  Students will have an art history quiz next week.

Mr. Crotts

8th Logic
  • We have reviewed the form of a syllogism. A syllogism is an argument with two premises and a conclusion. The form includes the mood (types of standard statements) and figure (position of middle term).

RHETORIC SCHOOL

 

From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:

9th-12th: 

  • 10th & 11th grade students will begin choosing electives in the near future.  Electives are offered at Bradford as well as dual-enrollment opportunities  through  colleges such as Alamance Community College, Grove City College, Liberty University, Colorado Christian, etc.
  • Juniors who toured colleges during Spring Break have shared positives and negatives from their visits.  Students visited Thales College, Campbell University, & Liberty University.

Mrs. Palmer 

9th Spanish 
  •  Students began learning about the preterite tense.  We discussed how this tense is used as well as the endings of this tense.  Students took a vocabulary quiz and we continued to review past vocabulary and grammar. 

Mrs. Frueh

9th Geometry
  • This week we learned how to solve  for the area of regular polygons. This skill is challenging the students to use all of their trigonometry skills to solve for various dimensions of the polygons before solving for the area. We also moved on to solving for the area of sectors in circles.

Mr. Crotts

9th Logic
  • We are learning the difference between everyday decimal based (0-9) numbers and bi-nary numbers (0 & 1), which helps us learn logic in the realm of the digital world. Ask your students about their discovery of everyday electronic devices & logic!. We will learn about on, off, and digital pathways that follow principles of logic to effect desired outcomes in electronics.

Dr. and Mrs. James

9th Biology
  • This week we began an introduction to microbiology, beginning with Kingdom Protista and some common Protists and Algae.
  • Next week we will continue with microbiology, shifting focus to Kingdom Monera:  bacteria.

Mrs. Crotts

9th Literature
  • Students read Animal Farm and worked on the character sketch project due April 8.  Each student selects a character from Orwell’s book and shares research on the real-life person that the character represents.  They also have to include a visual aid such as a photo or dress as a character.  Also the class spent time creatively writing about a metaphor or simile.

Dr. Byrd 

9th Bible 
  • We have begun our study of the New Testament. We are presently in the Gospel of Matthew.
  • Memory Verse: Mark 10:45

Coach Johnston

9th History
  • Students spent two days learning about the Roaring 20s, macroeconomics, and the stock market crash. We briefly considered how some things in play were a unique situation, but other aspects reflected broader truths about human nature, which causes us to watch ourselves lest we make similar mistakes. Wednesday included a short role-play that helped students to both understand how the market grew and then collapsed. Ask your student whether they were one of the “play it safe, smart safe, risky early, risky late, or mattress” players and what ended up happening. We will go back to complete the WW1 dodgeball reenactment on Wednesday (3/31).

Coach Johnston

10th History
  • Students have jumped back into their study of the rise and fall of the Roman Republic, reading and discussing Josephus, and beginning to review for a geography quiz. Our study this week focused on the Punic Wars. The first two wars proved the biggest existential threat to Rome at that time, but Rome’s resolve and victories expanded an Italian republic into a Mediterranean empire. On Thursday, students were introduced to two of the four men who were most concerned with the changes and challenges that would impact the government and character of Rome.

Coach Johnston

9/10th PE
  • Students enjoyed another week of great weather, and this week we played two sessions of kickball. Students learned more about defensive positioning as well as learning more and more about situational tactics and awareness while running the bases.

Dr. James

10th Chemistry
  • This week we began an introduction to thermodynamics.  The students learned how to calculate the energy required to raise the temperature of solids, liquids, and gases, as well as the corresponding phase changes. 
  • Next week we will use enthalpy and entropy to calculate Gibbs free energy and determine whether or not a reaction will occur spontaneously.

Mrs. Palmer 

10th Spanish
  • Students learned the endings of the subjunctive mood.  We also began discussing how and when the subjunctive mood is used.  Students took a vocabulary quiz this week.  We continued to review past grammar and vocabulary. 

Mrs. Byrd

10th Algebra II
  • This week we learned about log properties, how to solve exponential and log equations, and had an introduction to rational functions.

Mrs. Crotts

10th Literature
  • Students learned about the author George MacDonald.  They began reading his book, Phantastes, and also watched a documentary about how MacDonald’s book influenced C.S. Lewis’ faith in God.

Miss Oldham

10th Rhetoric I
  •    Students worked on their Annotated Bibliographies. These are due April 4th. 

Dr. Smith

10th Historical Theology
  • Students began learning of some of the unintended consequences of the Protestant Reformation, and in particular those which are associated with the crisis in authority for knowing. We are looking at how the various theological positions emerging from the Reformation affirm that God is either distinct from the physical world while still acting in it, or disconnected from it (deism) or dissolved into it (pantheism). Along with these three basic theological options (the first one being the only Christian one) they are learning how the latter two are linked to Modern Biblical Criticism that gave expression to Liberal theology.

Mrs. Palmer

11th Spanish III
  • We worked on writing and speaking in the target language this week.  We continue to review past vocabulary and grammar concepts.  

Mrs. Byrd

11th Precalculus
  •  Topics for this week included Law of Cosines, Multiple Angle and Product to Sum Formulas, and an Introduction to Matrices
11th Physics
  • We’re concluding our study of waves by considering the wave and particle nature of light.  We also had an introduction to optics – how light reflects and bends.

Miss Oldham

11th Literature
  • We had Medieval Day this week! It went very well, so thank you to all who helped! 

Dr. Smith

11th NT Greek
  • Students furthered their knowledge of the imperfect verb and began learning about the aorist tense verb and its uses. In addition, they increased their vocabulary and worked on translating more from the Greek New Testament. 

Coach Johnston

12th History
  • Seniors spent this week studying the major events, opportunities, corruptions and crashes of the Roaring 20s and the Great Depression. We will conclude our study of the Interwar Period next week and move forward into a study of World War 2.

Miss Oldham

12th Literature
  • We began our journey through Yoknapatawpha County with Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying. I’m excited to discuss these books with the seniors! It is one of my favorites. 
12th Rhetoric II
  •   Seniors are in preparation mode for their defenses in April. Please be in prayer for them as they anticipate their final hurdle. 

Mrs. Byrd

12th Calculus
  • Topics for this week include using integrals in applied contexts and using integrals to find the area between curves