BB 12-05-25

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 20

Dec 5, 2025

 

FROM THE OFFICE

IMPORTANT NOTES:  

  • HOT LUNCH:  You can continue supporting the Seniors’ fundraising efforts for their trip to  Rome by ordering hot lunches!  Order HOT LUNCH by Sunday night for the following Thursday!  
  • Bradford Archer Store:  Need ideas for Christmas?  Get Archer gear!  Bradford Archer Store  
  • Archer Spirit Day:  Bradford students can show their Archer spirit by wearing house shirts or new Archer gear to school instead of their uniform.  We have set aside a day in January…be sure to listen to Monday’s Zipcast for details!  

 

LOWER SCHOOL IMPORTANT NOTES:

  • FROM MRS. MITCHELL:  Classical and Christian…these words roll off our tongues on a daily basis.  Have you considered how the stages/tools of classical education provide a robust template for understanding and communicating the Christian, gospel message of Jesus Christ coming as our Savior?  Consider the grammar stage/tools.  In the grammar stage, students learn the structure of the biblical text through songs and chants.  Through repetitive study of history cards  they delve into true stories and gain “pegs” on which to hang scriptural truths that correspond to the people and events studied.  Memorizing Christmas hymns underscores this information.  This foundation of facts and familiarity is the starting point needed to trace God’s hand of redemption throughout the biblical narrative.  Building in small pockets of family time  to enjoy the Advent prophecies, hymns, and gospel stories of Jesus’ birth during the month of December firms up this foundation and makes deposits towards future discipleship.  
  • Lower School Christmas Party SignUpGenius – We still need 18 contributions, if you are able to help!

UPCOMING

NEXT WEEK:

  • Tues, 12/9:  5:30 pm – Senior Trip Meeting at upper school campus
  • Fri, 12/12:  5:00 / 6:30 pm – AWAY varsity basketball games

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

  • Tues, 12/16:  7:00 pm –  5th / 6th grade Christmas Concert
  • Wed, 12/17:  8:00 TK Nativity Play, coffee and donuts reception for parents
  • Thurs, 12/18:
    • 1:45 – Alumni Panel (upper school)
    • 7:00 pm – 7th – 12th grade Christmas Concert at Mebane Presbyterian Church
  • Fri, 12/19:  Last day of Q2, Christmas celebration.  NOON dismissal for all students

 

FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK

 

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Transitional Kindergarten  (Mrs. Grubb and Mrs. Weber)

TK students were eager to return to school this week after Thanksgiving break. Our main focus of the week was reading and learning about the story of Jesus’s birth and the reason for celebrating Christmas. Students learned a new Bible verse, Luke 2:11 and continued practicing Christmas carols in preparation for our upcoming performance. TK students were excited to learn and begin practicing the program that they will present for you on 12/17. While our focus this week was on Mary & Joseph and the birth of Jesus, next week we will focus on the shepherds. Our letters of the week were C and O. Students practiced identifying the letters and sounds as well as practiced writing these letters in various ways. In math this week, we introduced pennies! Students learned how to identify a penny, learned what it’s worth, and practiced counting with pennies. A few of our centers this week included: a journal entry about what we did over Thanksgiving break, telling a story using a sequence, an introduction to word families and putting word parts together. We look forward to making rice krispy treats in the kitchen next week. 

Lower School Art (Mrs. Knight)

3rd & 4th
  • Third and fourth graders learned more about the art of Johannes Vermeer and worked on a Christmas surprise.

Lower School P.E.  (Mrs. Bennington)

K-4th
  • Kindergarten through third grade students did a great job in P.E. this week playing coordination relays and Christmas Bingo. Third and Fourth grade students did a great job running the Bradford 5K. 

Lower School Music (Mrs. Bennington)

K-4th
  • Students did not have music this week due to school being closed. 

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)

This Week:

Our kindergarten scholars have been excited about the cold, frosty weather this week! As we transition to winter time, it is important to be all bundled up. In math, we learned how to compare two-dimensional shapes, how to identify and make shape patterns,  how to make shapes from other shapes, and how to find a pattern. In phonics, we continued our reader “Bad Meg,” and reviewed the multi-letter phonograms, ch, sh, th, and wh. In history, we discussed Alexander the Great, who was the king of Macedon in 336 BC.  He was known for being a great military leader and diplomat. In art and science, we introduced our unit on measurement. Mr. Gallon Man is helping the students learn how many cups, pints, and quarts make up a gallon. As we draw nearer to Christmas break, we pray that the students remember the reason for the season– the birth of Jesus!

Memory Work:

Isaiah 9:6-7 and review

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

This Week: 
  • The students learned about measuring this week. They used paperclips, unifix cubes, an inch ruler, and made their own “unit” rulers.  In reading the book Lexi’s Hope, the students learned that they can be taught many things from the adults in their life, but only God can make them wise. We continued the journey with the Pilgrims as they went from Amsterdam to Leiden in Holland and then on to “the new world” in search of a place where they would be free to worship God in the way they felt they should. They also were wanting a place with less negative cultural influence on their children and a place with good land to farm.  The students continue to practice learning to connect letters by tracing and writing their phonograms. In grammar, the students are continuing to learn the rules of writing. They have learned that we capitalize pronouns referring to God, the word “I” is always capitalized, days of the week always start with an uppercase letter, and words naming specific people and places (proper nouns) are capitalized. The students have been doing a great job at memorizing their phone number and address.
Memory Work:  
  • Psalm 1 (1-6)
Upcoming:      
  • Friday, December 19th -Christmas party & Half day
  • Christmas Break Dec 19th – Mon Jan 5th

2nd Grade (Miss Verroi & Mrs. Eng)

This Week: 

The season of Advent is truly a delightful time of year!  It is a privilege to share it with your children.  We have started a 3-week study of Joseph and marvel at how God was in control of his life during some very challenging circumstances.  We hope that even from a young age our students will remember this when it is needed in their lives. Our Bible Verse and the life of Joseph help us understand the importance of our reputation and the importance of making good choices to have a good reputation.  Grammar has been a bit challenging as we study subject-verb agreement.  Often the students can hear the correct way to write the subject and verb, and now we are working to learn  rules that they can rely on as they write their own sentences.  The States of Matter Sound Off has been a fun way to get a foundation in chemistry, and the hands-on experiments have helped the students experience life as a scientist.  

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

This Week

Students launched into writing using the Story Sequence Outline. We are discovering key story elements such as plot, character, setting, conflict, climax, and resolution. These tools will help your students when they submit their own stories to the Burlington Writers Club contest in the next few months. In math, students used their understanding of multiplication to develop division concepts. The inverse relationship between multiplication and division are the foundations on which students will build their division facts. This week in Latin, we learned two types of sentence patterns: sentence pattern A and B. Learning another language helps broaden our understanding of our own language and gives us a bigger picture of the world around us.  In history, we discovered that battles can be won or lost in the hearts and minds of men long before they are fought on the battlefield. If not for Sparta and Athens boldly standing up to King Darius and the Persian army, the world as we know it would be very different! The students agreed that the Battle of Thermopylae was epic with the mighty men of Sparta pushing back against the vast army of Xerxes. We ended the week by reenacting our own version of the Persian Wars and by running a 5K!

Upcoming Memory Work:

Review Quarter 1 verses

Upcoming:
  • Last Day of the Quarter December 19, 2025

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

This Week

This week in History, we learned about William the Conqueror and the Battle of Hastings in 1066, an event that changed English history. Students explored how William claimed the English throne and how his victory shaped the culture and government of England. In Grammar, we practiced identifying sentence fragments and run-on sentences, and explored ways to correct them by adding missing subjects or predicates, or by using conjunctions and semicolons to create clear compound sentences. In Math, our focus was on divisibility rules for 2, 3, 5, and 10. Students learned helpful strategies for determining quickly whether a number can be evenly divided—for example, a number is divisible by 3 if the sum of its digits is divisible by 3. During our Forum time, we had meaningful discussions about biblical prophecies concerning the coming Messiah and how these were fulfilled in the birth of Jesus Christ. We also reflected on His second coming, for which we eagerly await. Additionally, we talked about the importance of receiving during this season. While we enjoy giving, Christmas is first about receiving the gracious gift of Jesus Christ. As we learn to receive Him, we grow into joyful givers. We encourage you to continue these rich conversations at home with your family.

Upcoming  Memory Work:

1 Corinthians 13:11-13

LOGIC SCHOOL

Mrs. Bennington

5th-6th Band
  • Fifth grade students worked hard this week on their concert music. A lot of progress is being made and we are looking forward to showing all of their hard work at our Christmas Concert on Tuesday, December 16th. Please encourage your students to continue practicing their music at home. 
  • Sixth grade students did a great job this week with their concert music. Students had fun learning individual parts and then putting parts together. This is an exciting group to work with. A lot of progress is being made and we are looking forward to showing all of their hard work at our Christmas Concert on Tuesday, December 16th. Please  continue to encourage your child to practice at home. 
7th-8th Band
  • Seventh and eighth grade students did a great job working on the pieces, “Canon for Christmas” and “Beyond the Bell Carol”.  Students are making really good progress. This group of students has a lot of potential and at-home practice is helping each student have more confidence in their playing. Please continue to encourage your child to practice at home. 

Mrs. Johnston

5th – 8th Choir
  • The choirs have been working hard to prepare for the upcoming Christmas concerts. We are working towards memorization of all the pieces and are almost there. This week we began working with piano accompaniment and students made a smooth transition. This is a great sign of understanding and knowing the music. Keep practicing at home! The hard work is paying off.

Miss Pugsley 

5th-8th Girls’ PE
  • We had an indoor day Monday because of the cold weather. On Wednesday, we ran a mile  together in an Indian Run. The girls were supportive and kind. Everyone worked very hard, and both classes were able to improve their overall performance! 

5th Grade (Mrs. LaTour and Miss Johnston) 

This Week
  • This week in 5th grade, we wrapped up Chapter 6 in math. The students have done a great job learning how to add mixed-number fractions! In reading, we are nearing the end of our novel, Voyage to Freedom. The students have been fully engaged as we follow the young Pilgrims on their challenging journey across the ocean. They’ve enjoyed discussing the characters’ struggles, the historical context, and the faith and perseverance it took to make such a voyage. We have also begun drafting our speeches for the Wax Museum we’ll be presenting in a few months. It has been so exciting to hear their early drafts and watch them dive into the lives of important historical figures. Their enthusiasm and curiosity are shining through already! In history, we learned about the First Great Awakening and discussed Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, noting the powerful ways the Lord used them in the colonies. The students had thoughtful observations about their preaching, their impact, and how revival shaped early American life.

Memory Work: Colossians 3:22-23

Mrs. Knight

5th Art
  • This week students reviewed information about and took a quiz on Vermeer, the artist of the quarter. We are working diligently on a Christmas surprise. 

6th Grade (Mrs. McDorman and Miss Pugsley)

6th Reading and Literature
  • We explored the great generals of the Civil War, examined their strategies and leadership, and learned about the key moments that brought the war to a close.
6th Grammar and Writing
  • Students strengthened their understanding of sentence structure and parts of speech through interactive games, learned to correctly use comparative and superlative forms and avoid double negatives, and applied their skills by crafting detailed descriptive paragraphs.
6th Bible
  • We compared the different Gospel accounts to see how each reveals the coming of Christ, preparing our hearts to celebrate His birth as we approach the Christmas season.
6th History
  • We explored the great generals of the Civil War, examined their strategies and leadership, and learned about the key moments that brought the war to a close.
6th Science
  • We re-capped the material we have been learning this quarter in preparation for the Unit 2 Test. We talked about how the amazing structure of bacterial cells points to an intelligent Creator. The simplest life forms on earth are really not simple at all!
6th Logic
  • We have been reviewing and discussing the eight fallacies we have learned so far. Ms. Pugsley’s class completed a quiz and Mrs. McDorman’s class will do so next week! Happy snow day!

Mrs. Crotts

6th Math
  • Math students fought hard to “wake up” from the days off of Thanksgiving Break!  They reviewed Chapter 6 material and took the Chapter 6 test.  We ventured into Chapter 7 at the week’s end.  (To note: we have been listening to Handel’s Messiah while working!)

Mrs. Wright

6th Latin
  • This week we continue working through Cap. V, and I want to highlight how hard your student is working on their Latin exercises. Every exercise begins in Latin, so they must translate the sentence and understand what the blank requires. They also have to analyze the grammar, choose the correct chart, determine the right case, and know (or deduce) the gender and number of each word. If any step is missed, the answer will be incorrect!  Your student is not only translating several pages of Latin each chapter but also doing all this mental work to understand, apply, and master the material. Would you ask them to read some Latin to you?  Celebrate their progress—they’ve earned it!

Mrs. Palmer

6th Art
  • We began working on a winter themed oil pastel drawing this week. Students are focusing on color matching, blending and accurately using the medium.

Dr. Wright

7th Omnibus
  •  7th graders are working hard on their Burlington Writers’ Club stories.  We have been learning the difference between comedic and tragic narrative form, and experimenting with what components each form uses.  We have begun reading the tragedy of Oedipus Rex.  Students continue generally to learn the major historical events of the 1,000 years before Christ, both in Greek and Biblical history.  Greek cultural research papers have been returned with my comments, and second drafts will be due soon.  Students will also be delivering presentations (with costumes and props) of their paper’s research topic Dec. 17.  

Mrs. Frueh

7th Science
  •  The students have jumped into their Soil Lab Reports with enthusiasm. This will be their first opportunity to write a formal lab report, a skill that would be essential to any research position. This week was spent organizing and analyzing data. This stage of the lab process has allowed them to practice calculating averages, create organized data tables electronically and then turn their data tables into graphs. Rough drafts are due December 16th.
7th Pre-Algebra
  •  This week we practiced more arithmetic calculations with percentages, decimals, and mixed numbers. The students are beginning to recognize the value of improper fractions in algebraic calculations, especially when solving for an unknown by multiplying by a reciprocal. 
  • Due to the inclement weather, our cumulative test will take place on Monday.

Mrs. Palmer 

7th Art
  • We began working on a winter themed oil pastel drawing this week. Students are focusing on color matching, blending and accurately using the medium.

Mrs. Wright

7th Latin
  • This week we continue working through Cap. V, and I want to highlight how hard your student is working on their Latin exercises. Every exercise begins in Latin, so they must translate the sentence and understand what the blank requires. They also have to analyze the grammar, choose the correct chart, determine the right case, and know (or deduce) the gender and number of each word. If any step is missed, the answer will be incorrect!  Your student is not only translating several pages of Latin each chapter but also doing all this mental work to understand, apply, and master the material. Would you ask them to read some Latin to you? Celebrate their progress—they’ve earned it!  
7th Logic
  • This week the 7th grade Logic class discussed the Irrelevant Goals and Functions Fallacy and Irrelevant Thesis Fallacy.  These two fallacies are so closely related, so we focused on understanding each one individually, then compared and contrasted the two.   

Dr. Wright

8th Omnibus 
  • 8th graders are working hard on their Burlington Writers’ Club stories.  We have been learning from John Damascene, whose 8th century works established whether it was good to portray Jesus in art.  Students had their own in-class debate on this topic.  We continue reading and discussing Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring.   Biographical research papers have been returned with my comments. 

Mrs. Wright

8th Latin
  • This week we continue working through Cap. V, and I want to highlight how hard your student is working on their Latin exercises. Every exercise begins in Latin, so they must translate the sentence and understand what the blank requires. They also have to analyze the grammar, choose the correct chart, determine the right case, and know (or deduce) the gender and number of each word. If any step is missed, the answer will be incorrect!  Your student is not only translating several pages of Latin each chapter but also doing all this mental work to understand, apply, and master the material. Would you ask them to read some Latin to you? Celebrate their progress—they’ve earned it!

Mrs. Frueh

8th Science
  • We have jumped this week into the world of Isaac Newton. After studying his life, his faith, and his various writings, we have started discussing his monumental contributions to physics: the three laws of motion and his universal law of gravitation. While Newton’s discoveries are truly awe-inspiring, he was left most in awe of the Creator who dictated all these laws at the outset of creation. In Newton’s own words: “Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done … When I look at the solar system, I see this did not happen by chance…”
8th Algebra I
  • Since we’ve completed our First Semester coursework, we spent time this week reviewing in preparation for the mid-term we’ll take next week on December 12th.

Mrs. Palmer 

8th Art
  • We began working on a winter themed oil pastel drawing this week. Students are focusing on color matching, blending and accurately using the medium.

Mr. Crotts

8th Logic
  • Our class looked at consistency and disagreement between statements. Statements are sentences that are either true or false. Real disagreement between statements exists when both statements cannot be true at the same time. Differences of opinion between two individuals does not equal disagreement, as each is entitled to their viewpoint. Disagreement often arises when different definitions for terms are used.

RHETORIC SCHOOL

From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:

9th-12th:

The Annual Alumni Panel will be Thursday, December 18 from 1:45 PM-2:30 PM.  We will be privileged to hear from Bradford graduates share about life at college and how their years at Bradford prepared them for life after high school–academically, vocationally and spiritually.

Seniors:  

I visited with seniors briefly to check on their progress in elective classes and encourage them to take  at least one dual enrollment class and one elective offered at Bradford this spring.

Juniors: 

As this first semester squeals to a fast halt, juniors need to keep their heads up!  Next semester is right around the corner.  Juniors need to take the ACT to continue preparation for college admissions and also to be eligible to receive the NC Opportunity Scholarship.  Juniors should sign up to take the SAT this spring. Juniors can still sign up to take dual enrollment classes with ACC and other colleges to meet high school graduation requirements and earn potential college credit.

Mrs. Palmer 

9th Spanish 
  • We learned new vocabulary this week. We also worked through conjugations of the irregular verbs “tener” and “venir.” Students practiced using these new verbs and applying them in context. 

Coach Johnston

9th History
  • Students completed their test on the American Revolution, and we are now moving forward to cover the French Revolution. Key questions include: how were these revolutions similar and different?

Ms. Oldham

9th Rhetoric I
  •  Students completed their outlines and began writing their research papers. 

Dr. Byrd 

9th Bible Survey 

  • This week we finished our study of the Psalms. We finished learning how Jesus knew the Psalms, fulfilled the Psalms, used them. We have begun the Wisdom Literature and the book of Job. 
  • Students are also reading for the Book Analysis Project. 

Mrs. Frueh

9th Biology
  • We started our new unit this week on cellular biology. We discussed the structure of each cell organelle and how each organelle’s structure is uniquely designed to carry out its assigned function in the cell. Our study reinforced a lesson learned in our study of Kingdom Monera: There is no such thing as a simple cell. The more we learn about cells, the more we realize that the only way the cells could come into existence is through the perfect design of an omnipotent, omniscient Creator.
  • Due to the inclement weather, our cell organelle quiz will take place on Wednesday, December 10th.

Mrs. Frueh

9th Geometry
  • We wrapped up our unit on quadrilaterals this week by learning the various ways that we can prove the identity of special parallelograms: rectangles, rhombuses, and trapezoids. The students are starting to recognize the importance of the building blocks of polygons, which are always triangles. Our triangle proofs from Unit 4 are proving handy in analyzing quadrilaterals.

Mrs. Crotts

9th Literature
  • Students completed author research presentations and then we had great participation in the discussions of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.  Students concluded the week by writing an in-class essay on one of these topics: 1) expound on the books original title, “First Impressions” and the current title, “Pride and Prejudice”–which characters had pride and how did it form prejudice and influence relationships in the story; contrast two of the marriages in the book (Lydia and Wickam, Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, or Jane Bennet and Mr. Bingley); or discuss whether it was reasonable or absurd for women not to be allowed to own property for the most part in England during Austen’s day and defend your stance from the book, from biographical information about Austen and her era and from the Bible.

Mrs. Bennington

9th-11th Band 
  •  Students did a great job working on the pieces, “Canon for Christmas”,  “Beyond the Bell Carol”, “Auld Lang Syne”, “Sleigh Ride”, and “All Is Calm”.  Students are making really good progress. This group of students has a lot of potential and at home practice is helping each student have more confidence in their playing. Please continue to encourage your child to practice at home. 

Mrs. Johnston

9th-11th Chorus 
  • 9th-11th Chorus worked to finish learning our last piece. We had fun learning how to sing with a swing feel, imitating a jazz band with the different parts. We are working towards memorization and are looking forward to performing in just a couple weeks at the Christmas concert.
  • Bradford Chorale and 9th-11th Chorus continued to work on memorization and putting the music learned to piano accompaniment.

Dr. James

10th Chemistry
  • This week the students learned how to calculate oxidation numbers for atoms in various molecules, and they were introduced to chemical nomenclature. 
  • Next week we will discuss how chemical equations are written and balanced, and we will discuss information that is communicated through them.

Mrs. Palmer 

10th Spanish
  •  We learned new vocabulary this week. We also learned how to use “por” and “para” in Spanish. These two small words can change meaning based on context so we spent time practicing with these. 

Mrs. Byrd

10th Algebra II
  • Students completed their quadratic functions and sports project this week.  We also began studying complex numbers.  We learned that they exist in a perpendicular dimension to the real number line and began learning operations with complex numbers.

Mrs. Crotts

10th Literature
  • Students completed edits to their author research paper rough drafts and turned in final drafts!  It is encouraging to see richer vocabulary and smoother transitions demonstrated in their writing compared to last year.  Students will complete a psalm writing by next week.  Also, the class began to read Shakespearse’s The Merchant of Venice.

Miss Oldham

10th Rhetoric II
  • Students delivered their final speech of the quarter.  

Coach Johnston

10th History
  • Students completed a quiz on ancient Sparta while also continuing to work through Thucydides’ Peloponnesian War material. We will focus on Athens next before testing on both key city states at the end of the semester.

Dr. Smith

10th Historical Theology 
  • Students are learning about the most relevant issues surrounding the church’s formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity in the first few centuries of her life. In particular, we are addressing how foundational the doctrine of the Trinity is to all human knowledge and how both the Old Testament text and the Graeco-Roman culture in which the church grew were related to the development of the church’s pastor-theologians formulating the doctrine of God.

Mrs. Byrd

11th Precalculus
  • We wrapped up our study of exponential and log functions.  Next we will begin considering some basics of trigonometry.

Miss Oldham

11th Literature
  •  Students continued with Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. 

Mrs. Wright

11th NT Greek
  • The Greek students wrapped up the chapter on the Greek demonstrative pronouns and moved into the study of the Greek relative pronoun.  As said in previous bulletins, this is a difficult language course and continued, consistent study of vocabulary is needed and required in order to succeed.  Parents, you can support your students by staying curious and regularly checking in with them about how they organize their study routine and how often they review their vocabulary.

Mr. Webster

11th History
  •  This week we discussed the introduction of the works of Aristotle in the west and how they transformed and shaped medieval thought. 

Dr. Smith

11th-12th Apologetics
  • We have begun reading and discussing James Sire’s book The Universe Next Door. We are currently working through the tenets of both Christian theism and non-Christian deism. 

Coach Johnston

12th History
  • Students completed their presentations on the key figures of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. Students are now reviewing for an important European geography quiz.

Ms. Oldham

12th Literature
  •   Students finished “The Importance of Being Earnest” and have written their independent book essay. 
12th Rhetoric III
  •  Seniors turned in drafts before Thanksgiving break. We have spoken about how these will be revised in IST in January, so the seniors will not have to worry about their theses until then. 

Mrs. Byrd

12th Calculus
  • We are midway through our study of the analytical applications of differentiation.  Topics this week included the first derivative test, determining absolute extrema, concavity, and the second derivative test.