Bradford Academy – New Leadership

Dear Bradford Academy Parent and/or Guardian:

We hope that you’re having a wonderful summer and looking forward to the upcoming school year. Our first day of school is just three weeks away! We look forward to seeing the students back in the building on Tuesday, September 4, for a full day; the K-8 school day starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 4 p.m., and the 9-12 school day starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. Busing will be in full operation for all grades, and our before and after school child care will be available for students in grades K-8.

Throughout the summer, we’ve been busy planning for the new school year and restructuring to help make this Bradford Academy’s strongest year yet. After much consideration, our school board and leadership team have decided to merge the elementary and middle school programs into one K-8 program. This will allow us to better meet student and staff needs and optimize support and resources. The students will feel more secure due to the consistency of the program, and they’ll have more flexibility and familiarity with the team.

To successfully achieve our goals, we’ve expanded our leadership team to best serve our students and staff.

Here’s a look at your school’s leadership team:

Mr. Gary Stevens
Mr. Gary Stevens is the K-8 Principal
Mr. Daren McClelland
Mr. Daren McClelland is the new Dean of Students for K-8
Ms. Tiffany Dudley
Ms. Tiffany Dudley is the K-8 Vice Principal
Ms. Ileana Visea
Ms. Ileana Visea is the new High School Principal
Ms. Joi Danforth
Ms. Joi Danforth is the new Vice Principal for K-8
Mr. JP Harrold
Mr. Jon Phillip-Harrold will continue to serve as our Vice Principal for 9-12

 

School Calendar

We’re excited to present our calendar for the 2018-19 school year to families. Please make note that for the coming year, we will be introducing an early release schedule for Fridays. K-8 students will be done at 2 p.m. and grades 9-12 will be done at 1 p.m. on Fridays to allow our staff to work together and continually improve our educational program.

Early release is becoming common practice in schools across Michigan and the United States; many of the local school districts currently have an early release time. As the job of teaching has evolved, collaboration with colleagues has become of paramount importance; we need to carve out time that does not require our teachers to be out of their classrooms when students are present. During their collaboration time after early release, teachers will share information about student learning and work with one another to help improve it. We will also conduct other meetings during this time, including our Child Study process, school improvement meetings and professional development for staff.

 

We are excited to welcome the students back and we’d love to see you at some of our upcoming events:

Back to School Bash – carnival style: Friday, August 24, from 4-7 p.m.
This will be an evening of fun for you and your children. We’ll have rides, prizes, games and of course, tons of food! This is the perfect opportunity for your children to connect or reconnect with teachers, classmates and friends.

 

Orientation for ALL students and parents: Thursday, August 30. During this time, you’ll have the chance to hear from your child’s school leader about the expectations and celebrations planned for the school year. Each student will receive their spirit shirt, transportation drivers will be available to answer questions and you’ll be able to spend time with your child’s teacher.

For your convenience, you have two options to choose from:

First Session:

  • K-5 – 12-12:30 p.m.
  • 6-8 – 12:45-1:15 p.m.
  • HS – 1:30-2 p.m.

Second Session:

  • K-5 – 4-4:30 p.m.
  • 6-8 – 4:45-5:15 p.m.
  • HS – 5:30-6 p.m.

 

If at any time you have any questions, please reach out to the school directly at (248) 351-0000. We can’t wait to see you and your family at our Back to School Bash on Friday, August 24! Remember, you are welcome to invite your friends to join you for this fun night out. This is the perfect opportunity to show off your Bulldog pride.

 

Your partners in education,

Gary Stevens          Ileana Visea

K-8 Principal          High School Principal