The Week Ahead Weekly Updates and Communication for Parents
School Closed Wednesday 12th March for Staff PD
Psalm 1 v 3
Growing Lives that Bear Fruit
Quick Stop Notices
Parking reminder
Once again, our neighbours are becoming agitated by careless parking and unkind comments from some of our parents. They are trying to get resident only parking zones set up, liaising with police and the council who have encouraged them to photograph offending cars. Last week I had several complaints from residents of Primrose Lane.
Please be mindful of our neighbours as you drop off and pick up. If you are challenged, be apologetic and try to work with people.
Planning for September 2025
Thanks to everyone who has been praying for our school this term. There will be a court case between April 1st and 3rd, when the government will be challenged about their decisions, and we still have hope about the outcome.
Thanks also to those who have shared our social media posts about admissions. We have had a very positive response and a number of new families applying for our school. This is encouraging for us at a time of uncertainty.
We are currently working our way through a waiting list of families requesting places for September 2025. We have waiting lists for current Years 5,6,7 and 8, and interest in primary classes.
It would help our planning greatly if you could let us know your intentions for September
It would be really helpful to know what your current thinking is. This will allow us to plan staffing, building use, and to know whether we can proceed with those families on the waiting list.
This is not a binding decision, but it will help with our planning. There is a two month notice period if you plan to leave and wish to receive a refund of any deposit held.
Missed a Week Ahead?
Go to our Parent Zone page to view the archive.
Next Week ➡️
Week commencing 11th March 2025
Monday
15:30 - 16:30: Study Club
Tuesday
15:30 - 16:30 - Middle School Drama rehearsals
15:30 - 16:30: Study Club
Wednesday
ALL DAY: Staff PD - School Closed to Student
Thursday
15:30 - 16:30: Study Club
Friday
Lunch menu from February 24th 2025
- Monday - Pasta Bolognese. GF option available
- Tuesday - Jacket Potato. Cheese, Beans, Tuna toppings
- Wednesday - Wraps - chicken or halloumi. Pudding
- Thursday - Spanish Chicken with rice. Veggie option available [NEW]
- Friday - Chip / fish finger butty
If you do not see this menu when ordering, please email help@bxs.org.uk before ordering, thank you.
Please order before 9:00 Monday
Lunch Menu
(click)
From Feb 24th 2025
- Monday - Pasta Bolognese. GF option available
- Tuesday - Jacket Potato. Cheese, Beans, Tuna toppings
- Wednesday - Wraps - chicken or halloumi. Pudding
- Thursday - Spanish Chicken with rice. Veggie option available [NEW]
- Friday - Chip / fish finger butty
If you do not see this menu when ordering, please email help@bxs.org.uk before ordering, thank you.
Please order before 9:00 Monday
IMPORTANT LUNCH ORDER UPDATE - PLEASE READ
With v.1.2425.8l of the Parent Portal, you can now edit or cancel your lunch options any time before 9:00 each Monday. To update the Parent Portal, sign out and on the login screen, refresh the page until you see v.1.2425.8l at the bottom, then sign back in.
To change your order, select or deselect a lunch menu itme, then click the blue 'Change lunch order' button. To cancel a lunch order, simply click the red 'Cencel lunch order' button.
Dates for your diary
Dates for your diary
March
- 12th - Staff PD, School closed to students
- 18th - The Tempest @ SBSJ- 3,4,5,6 and Acorns
- 26th - Spr2 PC issued
- 31 - 1st (April) - Parents Evenings
April
- 4th - School closes for Easter @ 12:00
⭐ Stars and Students of the Week ⭐
Love Class
Middle
Alyssa (Y5) for: Excellent ideas in Science
Ruth (Y6) for: Works really hard, kind to everyone, asks great questions
Semmy (Y7) for: Focussing during time in SST and using it well
Noah (Y8) for: Very helpful, reliable to do jobs. Excellent Shakespeare ambassador
Jude (Y11) for: A mostly blue mock report
🧑🏻🎓 Classroom News 📰
WORLD BOOK DAY!!!
Books, Books, Books!!
This week, our students took turns to visit Stephen White Books in Idle where there was a huge £1 per book sale on. Some of our students even made the news!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5y07yvdy9zo
Year 5/6 Art work
Georgia O' Keefe inspired Cow's/Bull's heads. Bringing two of the different elements she worked with together. Florals and animal skulls that she found in nature - which she was heavily inspired by.
Upgraded resources
In the past few weeks we have upgraded our site with a new bike stand and basketball nets.
Acorn class trip to the Royal Armouries in Leeds
Year 11 residential to Conistone
After the past 3 weeks of intense mock exams, Year11 have had a great time away relaxing in the Yorkshire Dales.
Year 10 & 11 Careers event at Elland Road, Leeds
From apprenticeships to university and college, our students have had the opportunity to think about and discuss their futures with representatives out in the feild.
👨🏻👩🏼👧🏻👦🏼PTFA💬 Parent, Teacher & Friends Association
We're excited to announce we now have an all new Parent Teacher & Friends association (PTFA)!!!
Get ready for the Easter Egg competition - more details next week.
Prizes to be won!!
If you would like to join the PTFA, email suzannewells@bxs.org.uk
Helpful Links
Fundraising
Stewardship are a Christian charity organisation who have been helping charities raise crucial funds since 1906! You can read more about them here.
If you or anyone you know feel able to give regularly to the work of Bradford Christians School, click the button below to get started and thanks you!
www.stewardship.org.uk/partners/BradfordChristianSchool
NEWS
1 NEW giver this week!
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
(Click)
£30 raised so far!
Please continue to engage with this campaign. Thank you!
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.
Recently I have been challenged about the idea of rest, and keeping the Sabbath. A work life balance can be difficult sometimes, with the need to catch up sometimes taking over everything else.
This week Year 11 received their mock exam results, and staff and parents have found themselves giving quite individualised advice to our students - to some 'work harder', for some, 'make sure you build in rest', for some, 'try not to burn out before June' and for others 'this is your opportunity to keep choices open'
God’s instructions about Sabbath are clear in Scripture: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. (Exodus 20:8-9)
Discussions about what activities are permissible during a Sabbath rest miss the big picture of God’s gracious provision for us to embrace rest. Releasing our compulsion to work seven days means that we can receive a gift that God wants to give us—Sabbath rest. Our students need this just as much as we do - a time to embrace rest.
Receiving the gift of Sabbath from God is an acknowledgment that He is sovereign and He fulfills His promises. Psalm 127:1-2 reminds us that God is in control, and we can rest in that truth:
Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.
In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.
An alternate translation of the last phrase is “for while they sleep, he provides for those he loves.” We are free to rest because the awesome God who made all things is in control.
The social scientist Arthur Brooks makes the case about addiction in his recent book, From Strength to Strength:
“One of the nastiest and most virulent addictions I have seen is workaholism. … Leaders who work crushing hours often tell me they have no choice if they want to do their jobs adequately well. But I don’t buy it. When I dig a little—in my life and the lives of others—I usually find that workaholics are caught in a vicious cycle: They become successful by working more than others—and thus more than “necessary”—but believe they have to keep up that pace to maintain their astronomical productivity. The rewards of that productivity give way to a fear of falling behind as an impetus to keep running. Soon enough, the work crowds out relationships and outside activities. With little else, work is all that is left to the workaholic, reinforcing the cycle. Workaholism feeds fear and loneliness; fear and loneliness feed workaholism.” (Excerpt from chapter 3, From Strength to Strength.)
There is humility in reframing productivity and admitting that achieving success is a fleeting goal that leaves our lives empty. Trusting that God is in control of our work and that He offers us the gift of Sabbath is not only transformational for our lives but also for those we lead in our workplaces. A healthy rhythm of work and rest can help to avoid burn-out and foster individual and community thriving.
I hope you all have a restful weekend, and those with year 11's in the house can encourage a good balance or work and rest.
