Week commencing 20th March 2023
The Week Ahead
Growing lives that bear fruit
Quick Stop Notices
- IMPORTANT: Please log on to the BCS Parent Portal to read and accept the school’s Acceptable Use Policy and update your child’s Medical record for this year. Make sure you’re logging into version 1.166
- Mrs March’s Monday lunch club will be on Tuesdays until Easter.
- School is closed to pupils on Thursday 23rd March for our staff PD day.
Liverpool to Leeds Enduro Epic
This Easter, five lads and their dads will set out from Liverpool to ride the whole length of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. Josiah Lush (Year 7) and his younger brother Isaac (Year 5), aka the ‘Lush Lads’, along with their friends Armin and John, will be giving up the comforts of a warm dry home and heading out for a four day 127 mile epic, weaving their way through the cities and countryside of north-west England, camping along the way. But why all the effort?
The lads and dads all attend Sunbridge Road Mission (SRM) that has, for over 130 years, served in the city of Bradford. There have been lots of change in that time, but the heart of the church hasn’t changed – it’s about sharing the love of Jesus. SRM is a diverse multicultural church family from across all walks of life – and it’s growing!
Although the heart of the church hasn’t changed, what has changed is the church building. Originally six back-to-back cottages knocked through to form a building, you can imagine that space is now running short and the building itself is getting tired with more than a few cracks appearing in the plasterwork and plently of TLC and repair frequently required!
SRM is praying and planning for a brand new building that will provide a welcoming, practical and accessible space to be a blessing to those the church serves for generations to come. This is the Making Space initiative (https://youtu.be/9KUHFWUz84k) – and that’s why the Lush Lads, Armin and John need your help…
How you can help:
- Firstly we’d love you to pray for the lads and their dads. Biking the whole length of the canal is a massive undertaking, especially for the boys, and we’d ask for safety in all the practice rides and for the big bike ride itself. With all the snow falling and the current cold weather, having warmer conditions would make a big difference – so we’d appreciate your prayers for that too. It’s also a great opportunity to share with others why we are doing what we are doing and for opportunities to share more about Jesus.
- Secondly, for those who are able, the boys would really appreciate and be encouraged by any sponsorship. All funds will go to the Making Space initiative at SRM. The boys’ JustGiving page, with some further info and updates, can be found at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/speedyjosiah
- Thirdly, join in part of the journey: whether at the beginning, middle or end, the boys would love some extra company on the trip. The last day (Sat 15 April) will cover Skipton through to Leeds and there may be a stop off at Saltaire. By this time the boys will be pretty wiped out, so having others join in would be a great morale boost.
More details and updates to follow on the JustGiving page.
Thank you!
Josiah, Isaac and Matt
Next Week
| Tuesday |
| Mrs March’s Lunch Club |
| Thursday |
| Staff PD day – school closed to pupils. |
Dates for your Diary
31st March – School closes at 12:45pm for the Easter break.
Lunches – not available Thursday 23rd March
Please order lunches before 9am on Monday
Latest version v1.166 – Parent Portal help
Stars and Students of the Week
Primary School Stars of the Week
| Love Class |
| Nahya for being more independent and being able to put her own coat on. Nina for great rhyming in phonics and encouraging others. Lucy for amazing learning in Maths about 3D shapes. |
| Peace Class |
| Yarna for writing a super letter to the giant in English Jessica for always working super hard in phonics. |
| Kindness Class |
| Emily for great writing skills and applying all her knowledge into her writing. Yoyo for great behaviour on the trip to Crystal Gardens Primary School. Silver Award Imani Leah Gold Award Theo |
Middle School Students of the Week
| Nathan (Y5) for enthusiasm for learning |
| Peter (Y7) for progress and attention to written work. |
Upper School Students of the Week
| Bryony (Y9) for great team-work in Paired Programming, and supporting others on the Paris trip |
| Anna (Y9) for supporting others on the Paris trip |
| Jessica (Y10) for positive attitude & great progress in Maths |
| Isaac (Y9) for great attitude during Paris trip |
Acorn Class Student of the Week
| Brody for asking for extra work on the snow day. |
Classroom News
Y5&6 have enjoyed singing In Christ Alone as they’ve reflected on the meaning of the Cross. This week Mrs Spencer welcomed them into the classroom by playing it on her cornet.
They performed Alive by Hillsong United for their music assessment … you can find it on this link- https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qEvEVALLjNQ you may have heard them singing it at home!
The Upper School trip to Paris went very well despite some poor weather and strikes which meant certain major attractions were closed. We visited the Musee d’Orsay, The Egouts de Paris (Sewers!), The Sacre Coeur and Montmartre, The Arc de Triomphe and the Champs Elysees. We had a boat trip on the Seine and visited the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. Our students were well behaved and supportive of one another. They benefitted from experiencing one of Europe’s greatest cities but mostly just enjoyed being together away from home. Thanks to the staff team who did a fantastic job: Mrs Pickles, Miss Hutcheson, Mrs Wells Wells and Mrs Tierney.
This week Year 3s and 4s had a trip to visit Crystal Gardens Primary. This is part of our project we have been involved in called the Linking Project which is a fantastic initiative designed to link schools in different areas or communities and to foster new friendships. The project focuses on thinking about our own identity; ‘who am I’, ‘who are we’ as a community, thinking about different backgrounds, different likes and dislikes but also lots that is common to us all. Two schools who have been linked together then share those experiences with each other. The children have already enjoyed sending and receiving their identity flags, poems, pieces of work and an online call. They were very excited but a little nervous to finally meet their new friends. Crystal Gardens Primary hosted our class wonderfully, making us feel so welcome, and any nerves soon disappeared as the children enjoyed playing games together and building a team tower in mixed groups. All the children were fantastic and it was lovely to see them all playing together.
Helpful links
Fund Raising
It’s free to sign up to and start supporting us with Give as you Live. Send our unique campaign links to friends and family so they can support us for free too!
Regular campaign link – https://www.giveasyoulive.com/charity/bradford-christian-school
Unfortunately, AmazonSmile has been cancelled. You do not have to do anything if you are signed up to donate to BCS. Thank you to everyone who did sign up! In two years we gained over £50! Not bad from 0.05% donations from supporter’s online shopping purchases!
Headteacher’s Message
Our mission
To provide a holistic Christian education for all and to inspire discipleship.
Our Vision
To be a Christian community in which everyone grows in character, faith, knowledge, understanding and wisdom.
Teenagers can get a bad press at times, in the news, in social media, and amongst those who are no longer teenagers.
However, Mrs March and I have been encouraged by a group of our year 9 and 10 students, who have been meeting to plan a week of student led Easter assemblies and devotions. They are keen to talk about their journeys of faith within our school community. They have such a lot to share, and are currently planning a series of events for the last week of term.
I have asked these students to talk to their families, their church communities, their youth leaders and pastors about the week, and to request prayer. I am asking our school community to do the same – it would be wonderful if you could join us praying. It isn’t easy to declare faith publicly.