BB 12-19-25

BRADFORD BULLETIN

VOLUME XVIII, ISSUE 22

Dec 19, 2025

FROM THE OFFICE

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Bradford Spirit Day: Be sure to listen to the Zipcast on Monday, 1/05 to find out when our Bradford Spirit Day is! Students can wear their house t-shirts or new Bradford Archer gear with black athletic pants to school instead of their uniform. We want to show our spirit and support our Archer basketball teams who will have games that afternoon. ….but you have to listen to Zipcast to find out what day it will be!
Still have not signed up for Zipcast yet? Please use this link to subscribe!
Admissions and Enrollment Notes:
- Applications for new students are open! If you have other children you want to enroll at Bradford, please complete an application ASAP!
- Students returning for 26/27 school year:
  - Mark your calendars to complete an application for the NC Opportunity Scholarship in February.
  - We will send instructions in February for how to set up your new account in our new system. There is nothing you need to do right now.
  - Students who will be in Kindergarten, 7th grade or 12th grade for the 26/27 school year are required to get updated immunizations. Please schedule a doctor’s appointment and then upload the new record to TADS or send it directly to the office. This will be due before the first day of school. Plan ahead!
- Students who will not be returning for the 26/27 school year:
  - Submit a letter in writing to the office no later than February 15th.
  - Notices that come after February 15th are subject to a $500 contract opt-out fee.

LOWER SCHOOL IMPORTANT NOTES:

FROM MRS. MITCHELL:

Classical and Christian, part 3: the rhetoric stage. The Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines rhetoric as “the art of speaking with propriety, elegance and force”. By high school, students at classical, Christian schools have many opportunities to put well constructed thoughts into papers and presentations. Rhetoric students could prepare the Advent devotionals for the family or youth group, deciding on the pertinent scriptures and historical events that lead up to and communicate the beauty and mystery of the incarnation in a way that is compelling. One might even try to write a children’s book. At this level of maturity, parents can present counter worldviews and challenge the beliefs such as Jesus’s claim in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” in order to promote skills relevant to sharing one’s faith with others. Students may want to compile a list of Advent rhythms that they want to carry forward to their future families.
Merry Christmas from the Lower School staff!

UPCOMING

NEXT WEEK: Merry Christmas! Enjoy your break!

IN THE NEAR FUTURE:

Week of 1/5: IST week: 9th – Technology, 10th-11th Economics, 12th Senior Thesis
1/7: Home basketball games: 2:45 and 4:00 at the MACC
Th 1/8: Coffee and Conversation with Mr. Johnston at Traveling Addiction
1/9: Basketball games @ GCA (Lamb’s Chapel, 3539 Alamance Rd, Burlington)
1/13 – 1/16 – 8th Grade Interviews
1/15: RESCHEDULED 7th – 12th Christmas Concert, upper school campus
M 1/19: MLK day – no school
F 1/23: Spelling Bee 4th – 8th
Week of 2/2: Senior Thesis Pre-panels
Wed 2/4: CLT10 for 9th – 10th grades
Thurs 2/5: Coffee and Conversation
Fri 2/13: Teacher workday – no school
Sun, 2/15: Opt-out deadline for families not returning to Bradford for the 26/27 school year
Mon, 2/16: Presidents Day – no school
Thurs, 2/19: CLT for 12th, 7pm 5th – 6th Patriotic Program
Thurs 2/26: Upper School Career Day
Thurs, 3/5: Coffee and Conversation
Mon 3/9 – Thurs 3/19: SENIOR TRIP TO ROME
Wed 3/11: Soccer Tournament lower school
Fri, 3/13: Last day of Q3. Report cards
Week of 3/16: SPRING BREAK

FROM THE TEACHER’S DESK

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Transitional Kindergarten (Mrs. Grubb and Mrs. Weber)

TK students enjoyed a week of Christmas fun! We are so proud of their hard work on the TK nativity program. Thank you all for coming. Students enjoyed lots of fun Christmas games and activities. They were treated to a movie with popcorn and m&m’s. Students enjoyed a fun Christmas celebration and exchanged gifts on Thursday. We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Lower School Art (Mrs. Knight)

3rd & 4th

Students completed their Christmas projects and were able to wrap them (following Mrs Knight’s gift-wrapping tutorial). I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, keeping in mind that Jesus is our greatest treasure.

Lower School P.E. (Mrs. Bennington)

K-4th

Students did a great job in P.E. this week following directions and working as a team. Students have made a lot of progress in P.E. this semester and I am looking forward to a fun second half of the year. I hope that everyone has a blessed and restful Christmas and New Year.

Lower School Music (Mrs. Bennington)

K-4th

Students have done a great job in music this semester. Improvements have been made in matching pitches and singing well together. I am looking forward to seeing how much more these students can grow in music during the second half of the year. I hope that everyone has a blessed and restful Christmas and New Year.

Kindergarten (Mrs. Rivera and Miss Burdeshaw)

This Week:

Our young scholars have officially finished their second quarter in kindergarten! We cannot believe that we are already halfway through the school year! In math, we discussed how to identify and compare three-dimensional shapes. We learned about cylinders, spheres, cubes, rectangular prisms, and cones. In phonics, we continued our reader, “To the Rim of the Map,” and reviewed the phonograms: ee, er, or, and oo. In history, we shared the story of Jesus’ birth and the hope that he’s brought to the world! In art and science, we finished our Mr. Gallon Man project. We hope you have a wonderful and restful Christmas break! See you in 2026!

Memory Work: 1 Corinthians 14:40 and review

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

This Week:

What a full and fun final week of first grade before heading into the Christmas break! The students took a “beginning of the year” test as a review in math. Additionally, they had the opportunity to play some fun math games and complete Christmas themed math worksheets. We read, and read, and read some more for history. We read the true story of a 10 year old boy helping his community during the blizzard of 1978 in New England, read a book about Jesus’s birth (The Nativity), and finished up a book about Pilgrims. We also read many other books, including The Legend of The Candy Cane, The Christmas Tree Parable, Frosty The Snowman, Sneezy The Snowman, and many more! Of course we read the account of Jesus’s birth in several of the gospels and talked about it many different ways. The students read a story about Frog & Toad’s Christmas Eve with the moral being that friendship and one’s PRESENCE is the best present of all! The students used writing, grammar, and art times to make cards and address envelopes. They also got to pick names from a bucket of the names of the students in the other 1st grade class. They colored a present, cut it out, and “snuck” into the other class to leave it as a surprise on the desk of the student whose name they drew. We had Christmas themed grammar, writing, and spelling worksheets. The students reviewed all the spelling words they have learned via class spelling bees, playing sparkle, and / or making sentences. There were a couple surprise snowball battles this week as well. On Friday, there was a school wide celebration of Jesus’s birth with the singing of carols, a gift exchange, and a huge snack that was eaten while Mr. Johnston read a Christmas story that he wrote! We wish each of you a very Merry Christmas filled with the love of Jesus and a renewed awe of His birth. May you have a blessed New Year celebration as you reflect on how the Lord has worked in your life over the last year!

Memory Work: Psalm 1

Psalm 1

Upcoming:

Christmas Break! We’ll See you January 5th of next year!

2nd Grade (Miss Verroi & Mrs. Eng)

This Week:

What a great last week of the second quarter of second grade! We have continued our daily advent activities as well as finishing up on a few grammar and math assignments. It is amazing to look back and see all the students have learned. Their progress in grammar is very dramatic. The first few weeks of school the sentence we classified was “Boy sat”. Now this week the sentence the students have classified is “The young students screamed with delight at the splendid costumes for the parade.” Now that is some serious progress! Well done 2nd grade students. One key to continued progress is to frequently review information learned in the past. Please continue to review all subjects. We hope the students will enjoy the Winter Reading Challenge and we look forward to learning of their adventures through books. Have a wonderful Christmas celebration of Christ’s birth.

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

This Week

We finished strong this last week of the second quarter! In math, students learned how to use the order of operations in order to evaluate a given mathematical expression with multiple operations. We also continued reviewing division with 6’s , 7’s and 8’s. We used our arts skills this week to create beautiful art for family and friends. In forum, we reviewed the birth of Jesus Christ, and the time period and circumstances in which he was born. The Old Testament foreshadows the coming of Christ. Many waited for the Messiah to come as an earthly king, who would crush their oppressors, despite overwhelming biblical prophecy to the contrary. Jesus was born in a humble way, because he would be a servant to all, even to the point of dying on the cross. Jesus came so that we may have life! May the God of hope fill you with peace and joy this holiday season!

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

This Week

What an exciting and festive week it has been in our fourth-grade class! As we eagerly anticipate the upcoming break, we have been busy learning and celebrating together. In History, we continued our study of the Crusades, learning about their historical context and impact on both Europe and the Middle East. In Math, we introduced factors and factor pairs, learning that two factors are multiplied together to produce a product. We had the joy of serving the TK class by assisting with their Nativity play, giving students a meaningful opportunity to practice serving others with humility and kindness. Students also demonstrated wonderful creativity and thoughtfulness as they worked in groups to write their own Christmas haiku—traditional Japanese poems with three lines following a 5–7–5 syllable pattern. In addition, students made beautiful Christmas ornaments, solved the Polar Express escape room, and enjoyed hearing the original story of Saint Nicholas and his heart to bless those in need. We reflected on how Saint Nicholas gave generously and in secret, following Jesus’ teaching to “give in secret.” This reminded us that our giving flows from the greatest gift we have received in Christ—a gift of hope, love, and joy. Wishing everyone a blessed and joyful Christmas season!

LOGIC SCHOOL

Mrs. Bennington

5th-6th Band

Fifth and Sixth Grade students did an Amazing job at their Christmas Concert this week. I was so proud of each and every one of them. Students have worked so hard this semester and improvements have been made in reading and playing various notes and rhythms. Students are playing well alone and together. 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 as we start the second semester. I am looking forward to seeing how much more these students can grow in band during the second half of the year. I hope that everyone has a blessed and restful Christmas and New Year.

7th-8th Band

I hope and pray that all of you are doing well and recovering from all of the illness that hit the upper campus. I am so very proud of all of you and greatly appreciate how hard you have worked this semester. Major improvements have been made in your individual and group playing. 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 as we start the second semester and to especially practice before we come back to school so that we will be ready for our Christmas concert in January! I will be sending home info about the rescheduled concert as soon as the details are finalized. I am looking forward to seeing how much more these students can grow in band during the second half of the year. I hope that everyone has a blessed and restful Christmas and New Year.

Mrs. Johnston

5th – 8th Choir

5th & 6th Choirs – Wonderful job in the concert this week! Your hard work paid off and you did a splendid job! Enjoy your holiday break and we will see you in January!
7th/8th Choir – I hope and pray that you recover well from this plague that struck the school. Please do not neglect your music over break! I will be in touch with details regarding our rescheduled concert as those details are finalized. Merry Christmas to all!

Miss Pugsley

5th-8th Girls’ PE

We played basketball this week! Students practiced dribbling, participated in knockout, and finally played a short game.

5th Grade (Mrs. LaTour and Miss Johnston)

This Week

This week in 5th grade was rather short! But we had two full days to finish the quarter well! We are half way through chapter 7 in math, subtracting fractions! Our book, Voyage to Freedom, will be finished over break! We finished our study of galaxies and our solar system and students tested on that Monday and Tuesday! We are excited to see them again in January and we hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Mrs. Knight

5th Art

Students completed their Christmas projects and were able to wrap them (following Mrs Knight’s gift-wrapping tutorial). I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, keeping in mind that Jesus is our greatest treasure.

6th Grade (Mrs. McDorman and Miss Pugsley)

6th Reading and Literature

Despite an unexpectedly short week due to illness, we were able to practice our Christmas Carol play several times. Students remained highly engaged and acted out their roles with enthusiasm and growing confidence. We plan to perform in front of 5th grade when we return after the holidays!

6th Grammar and Writing

Students polished their writing pieces and ended the quarter by completing a first-person personal narrative essay.

6th Bible

We continued our reading in the gospel of Luke.

6th History

This week, we began a study of Christmas history. Why do we celebrate Christmas? How did early and medieval Christians think about Christmas? What traditions have we taken from medieval Christians?

6th Science

Because we finished the unit last week, we did not work on Science this week. We instead used the time to review Logic.

6th Logic

This week we prepared for the Unit 2 Logic test, which we will now be taking next quarter! I have been impressed with the student’s grasp of the fallacies we’ve been studying so far.

Mrs. Crotts

6th Math

Merry Christmas!

“Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him…let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD…” Psalm 98

Mrs. Wright

6th Latin

The 6th grade Latin students all met at the beginning of the week to finish up their studies of Capitulum V. Gaudete in Domino! Christus est natus!

Mrs. Palmer

6th Art

We worked on Christmas inspired oil pastel drawings this week. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. May we remember the eternal hope we have in His birth, sacrifice and resurrection!

Dr. Wright

7th Omnibus

Students finished preparing for their paper presentations and timeline test, and we began our study of 1 Samuel. First drafts of Burlington Writers’ Context narratives were submitted. We look forward to continuing next year.

Mrs. Frueh

7th Science

Students completed work on the rough draft of their soil lab report. When we return in January, we will polish these for final drafts (due January 22nd). I pray that you all enjoy a restful Christmas break.

7th Pre-Algebra

Due to widespread sickness, we did not move into new concepts in math class this week. Instead, the students spent time putting the finishing touches on their soil lab report rough drafts.

Mrs. Palmer

7th Art

We worked on Christmas inspired oil pastel drawings this week. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. May we remember the eternal hope we have in His birth, sacrifice and resurrection!

Mrs. Wright

7th Latin

The few 7th grade Latin students that were at school this week were amazing! They met with me to answer any remaining questions and then took their Capitulum V pensa. I hope the rest of the class is resting and feeling much better. Gaudete in Domino! Christus est natus!

7th Logic

The few 7th grade Logic students that were at school this week were able to take the chapter 3 test. I hope the rest of the class is resting and feeling much better. Merry Christmas to all!

Dr. Wright

8th Omnibus

Students finished preparing for their paper presentations, and we nearly finished Tolkien’s Fellowship of the Ring. First drafts of Burlington Writers’ Context narratives were submitted. We look forward to continuing next year.

Mrs. Wright

8th Latin

The 8th grade Latin class spent the day reviewing their test and making corrections. Students who needed to re-take a portion of the pensa did that as well. Otherwise, the remaining classes were cancelled due to sickness. I hope everyone is feeling much better and has a wonderful Christmas break.

Mrs. Frueh

8th Science

We continued our study of Newton’s three laws of motion with a closer look at Newton’s Second and Third laws. These laws govern not only the motion of objects here on earth, but also the motion of all objects in the universe. We practiced using Newton’s Second Law (Force = Mass x Acceleration) to calculate the action and reaction forces between objects (Newton’s Third Law). Ask your student how a knowledge of Newton’s Second and Third laws affects the design of the mousetrap cars they’ll be building in January.

8th Algebra I

After completing our first semester Algebra final last week, we used class time this week to continue studying Newton’s Laws of Motion. The students were able to use their knowledge of algebra to rearrange Newton’s Second Law (F = ma) in order to solve for a different unknown variable (acceleration or mass).

Mrs. Palmer

8th Art

We worked on Christmas inspired oil pastel drawings this week. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas. May we remember the eternal hope we have in His birth, sacrifice and resurrection!

Mr. Crotts

8th Logic

We completed our work last week in order to prepare for choral and band concerts. It seems the Lord had other plans! (James 4:15) Get well, enjoy your family, and give “thanks to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Cor. 9:15)

RHETORIC SCHOOL

From the COLLEGE COUNSELING Office:

9th-12th: Merry Christmas!

“Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him…let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD…” Psalm 98

Mrs. Palmer

9th Spanish

We spent time reviewing this week for an upcoming test – which has now been rescheduled to January. Feliz Navidad! May we remember the eternal hope we have in His birth, sacrifice and resurrection!

Coach Johnston

9th History

My prayers are with those who have been or are still sick! I’ve really struggled as well. Thankful that whether healthy or sick, that hasn’t changed the primary reason to celebrate this season. The Son of God was born and named Jesus – for He shall save His people from their sins!

Ms. Oldham

9th Rhetoric I

Due to sickness, we did not have class this week. But I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and I will see you in January!

Dr. Byrd

9th Bible Survey

We were able to read Proverbs 15 and then students read for their book report due to sickness. Have a Merry Christmas.

Mrs. Frueh

9th Biology

The students continued to study the intricacies of the cell. Due to sickness, class time this week was spent on studying related vocabulary and reviewing key concepts. The Module 6 exam will take place when we return to class in January.

Mrs. Frueh

9th Geometry

We continued with our mini unit on transformations. This week, we learned how to graph reflections in the coordinate plane. This skill has many practical applications in the fields of graphic design, video-game programming, and architecture. Due to sickness, we will conclude work on this unit in January.

Mrs. Crotts

9th Literature

Merry Christmas!

Mrs. Fairchild

9th – 11th Art Foundations

We were hoping to complete our mini mock trial, but we will be pushing it back to January along with their top secret experiment. We hope to be able to fully fill you in on all of the fun details in January.

Mrs. Bennington

9th-11th Band

I hope and pray that all of you are doing well and recovering from all of the illness that hit the upper campus. I am so very proud of all of you and greatly appreciate how hard you have worked this semester. Major improvements have been made in your individual and group playing. 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 as we start the second semester and to especially practice before we come back to school so that we will be ready for our Christmas concert in January! I will be sending home info about the rescheduled concert as soon as the details are finalized. I am looking forward to seeing how much more these students can grow in band during the second half of the year. I hope that everyone has a blessed and restful Christmas and New Year.

Mrs. Johnston

9th-11th Chorus & Bradford Chorale

I hope and pray that you recover well from this plague that struck the school. Please do not neglect your music over break! I will be in touch with details regarding our rescheduled concert as those details are finalized. Merry Christmas to all!

Dr. James

10th Chemistry

The second quarter concluded this week with 10 of 12 students out of class due to illness. I wish everyone a swift and complete recovery.
Have a merry Christmas. We will resume in January.

Mrs. Palmer

10th Spanish

We spent time reviewing this week for an upcoming test – which has now been rescheduled to January. Feliz Navidad! May we remember the eternal hope we have in His birth, sacrifice and resurrection!

Mrs. Byrd

10th Algebra II

We concluded our unit on Complex Numbers this week with one topic remaining. We will take up the Quadratic Formula once we return after break.

Mrs. Crotts

10th Literature

Merry Christmas!

Miss Oldham

10th Rhetoric II

Due to sickness, we did not have class this week. But I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and I will see you in January!

Coach Johnston

10th History

My prayers are with those who have been or are still sick! I’ve really struggled as well. Thankful that whether healthy or sick, that hasn’t changed the primary reason to celebrate this season. The Son of God was born and named Jesus – for He shall save His people from their sins!

Dr. Smith

10th Historical Theology

Due to sickness, we were prevented from moving forward with our learning on the doctrine of salvation, but we hope to pick it up at the beginning of the third quarter. Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

11th Precalculus

We reviewed our knowledge of special triangles from Geometry class and used them to find missing sides of triangles. We also introduced the Unit Circle and practiced using it to find trig functions of various angles. After our break we will learn how the Unit Circle is constructed of special triangles. This will help us easily figure a trig ratio even when we don’t have a Unit Circle available.

Miss Oldham

11th Literature

Due to sickness, we did not have class this week. But I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and I will see you in January!

Mrs. Wright

11th NT Greek

The NT Greek class took the cumulative exam on Monday morning and thankfully all were present to take this exam! All other classes were cancelled due to sickness. I hope that each of you have a wonderful Christmas break!

Dr. Smith

11th-12th Apologetics

We concluded our semester in the midst of learning about naturalism and its relationship to some of the other ideologies that have controlled the thinking of people in the West over the past 170 years such as Marxism, Darwinianism, and Nihilism. We will begin third quarter by continuing to discuss these matters. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Coach Johnston

12th History

My prayers are with those who have been or are still sick! I’ve really struggled as well. Thankful that whether healthy or sick, that hasn’t changed the primary reason to celebrate this season. The Son of God was born and named Jesus – for He shall save His people from their sins!

Ms. Oldham

12th Literature

Due to sickness, we did not have class this week. But I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and I will see you in January!

12th Rhetoric III

Due to sickness, we did not have class this week. But I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and I will see you in January!

Mrs. Byrd

12th Calculus

We completed a Unit 5 test this week. After our break we will take up the topic of optimization and learn how to use derivatives to find the optimal (max or min) amount of various quantities.