Newsletter 12 Mar 2007

This week saw us host our second Open Day of the school year. We received ten families into school, all of them seriously considering joining us with their children. As usual, a small group of our older students made excellent ambassadors showing visitors around. I have follow up meetings next week with some of the families and we will receive some older children on a week’s trial soon also. Please pray for these families as they make these decisions.

Please consider making the most of our visiting speaker Dr Wally Cox on his way through to meetings at Oxford University.

Currently we have five ex-students working with us. Sarah Brown who left school in 2003 is back with us this term. Enjoy reading what she prepared for the Open Day Event. You can read the other profiles of some of our ex-students on our website.

Finally, put a date in your diary to join us for our Easter whole school assembly on Wednesday 28th March at 9.00 – 9.30am.

Theatre visit for the family

If you or your child are inspired by theatre, (I know some of Year 6 were on their recent visit!) can I inform you that ‘Danny the Champion of the World’ is on at the Alhambra in Bradford 27th-31st March. There are family tickets available. I have seen a couple of the company’s productions and I have enjoyed them tremendously. Mr Barton

Family Ramble

As advertised, we are planning a Family Ramble at St Ives, Bingley on Sunday 25th March at 2pm. We will meet by the playground at St Ives at 2pm and enjoy a leisurely walk around the parkland of approx 2.5 miles.

On the return we will let the children play in the park, and crack open the flasks and possibly home baking! Just come prepared for the weather and light refreshments. We should be finished by around 4pm.

You can just turn up, but it would be useful if you would let the office know if you intend coming for rough numbers.

Reminder re Milk Money:

Please would parents who have not yet paid milk money pay this into the office as soon as possible. If you are unsure if you have paid or not, please check with Mrs Moffatt.

Head Lice:

Please would you check your child’s head and treat appropriately as requested in the note which was sent out last week.

The Big Clean

I thought it was very good fun cleaning out the cellars. There was lots to do and we managed to do it all in two and a half hours. At first we filled a whole skip and then tidied the two little store rooms out. We moved all the chairs that were not being used and took them all down to the cellar. At 5.30pm we all had fish and chips in the staff room. Mr Barton told us a lot of jokes and we found out who sat where in the staff room. We all had a good time.

Rachel C, Rebecca H, Rebecca L, Olivia S, Francesca S, Rowan B, Chloe S, Chloe S, Geoff Latz, Mark Stables. Mr Moon and Mr Barton said ‘Thank you for helping’. Emily C Y7

New Prefects

As Year 11 get ready to leave in 6-7 weeks time, they have started to hand the baton of the Prefect Body to next year’s students. Seven students from the current Year 10 have started their induction programme. Matt P, James G, Nathan F and Brad W have joined from the boys; Azaria S, Lauren S and Laura K have joined from the girls. A further half a dozen or so students will join from Year 10 in May when Year 11’s leave. This years reduced Prefect Body (not everyone is given the opportunity to serve in this capacity) have made it their mission to restore respect for the Prefect Body. This is the task they will ask the new Prefect Body to build upon.

Wally Cox, Professor of Education, Regents College, Virginia...

Dr Mark Pike’s friend and colleague is passing through Bradford next week. This is a unique opportunity to meet with a pioneer of Christian Education from America. We would like to host Wally for a special Parents Meeting. Why not come to school an hour early next Friday 23rd March for a coffee and the chance to hear Wally speak about how God has seen Christian Schools shape young people positively in partnership with their parents. We know this is short notice, but we thought we would grab this one-off opportunity.

Friday 23rd March 2.00pm at School

Please phone the office to let us know you are planning to come

Make Your Vote Count!

You may be aware of the phenomenon of the online petition. The last one to catch the media attention was the public opposition to proposed road charges. Currently before the government is a petition to ban faith schools because of their supposed negative effect on British society. A counter petition is also before government. You can register your support for faith schools by visiting the following site and registering your view. This is a serious attempt to control our freedom to run schools such as this. If you value what you have, record your view with the government. http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/forfaithschools/D2Ws16C6h6ygDcOQXtA3a1g

Sarah Brown writes:

Being a student at Bradford Christian School seems such a long time ago!... 4 years to be exact. When I finished at Bradford Christian School, I went to Benton Park Sixth Form where I gained 4 A levels, including Economics, English, Mathematics and Psychology. I have always loved Maths and hope to be a secondary Maths teacher, therefore after completing my A levels, I began studying Maths at the University of Chester. After a year and a half of my degree, I felt God guiding me back home to take time out and purely serve him, so I obeyed! After a month of being at home I felt a pull back to Bradford Christian School… and that’s where I am now! I work 3 days a week helping the current Mathematics teacher. Working at Bradford Christian School is the best thing that has happened to me. I am able to serve God and be a blessing to school, whilst also being blessed abundantly myself, and gaining valuable experience. I love teaching the students at Bradford Christian School as I am able to sew back into them some of the valuable things I learnt myself whilst I was a student there.

Bradford Christian School had such a huge influence on my life. It has made me who I am today. The school gave me confidence in expressing who I am, and encouraged me in my walk with God, without forcing me to follow a certain path. The fact that I was in a year of only 9 students gave me the opportunity to ask questions about Christianity, and develop my own views and beliefs. This was a significant step in my faith as I was not forced to believe a certain thing, but was simply encouraged to discover the truth for myself – which I did! The other benefits of being in a small class was that the teachers knew each individual and where we were at, and therefore were able to give us the appropriate work to stretch us and bring the best out in us educationally wise.

Dean William Ralph Inge, a theologian and writer said, ‘The aim of education is the knowledge not of fact, but of values.’ I heard this quote when I was of a young age, and have remembered it since, mainly due to the fact that I completely agree with him. Yes, education is key in growing up and being able to gain a good job. However, I think more key is the shaping of a person and instilling in them values and the truth. Bradford Christian School offers this along the necessary education. Most state schools these days are so large that the student no longer has any individuality; each student is just another number. However Bradford Christian School gives back the students their right to be an individual, whilst helping them to become develop into who they are destined to be! I truly believe that anyone can find their place in this unique school!