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About Us

A Community of Learners Empowered Through Experience

Bradford Elementary School is located in the foothills of the Green Mountains along the picturesque Connecticut River Valley in Bradford, VT.  Our 58 staff and 240 PK-6 students are a learner-centered community working together to support student growth academically, socially and emotionally.  We believe that meaningful experiences empower young learners.  Experiential learning deepens understanding of content knowledge and applied skills.  Eight of our fifteen classrooms spend a portion of one day every week in outdoor classrooms, in all weather.  A vibrant Unified Arts program integrates art, music, technology and even P.E. into literacy, mathematics, science, and humanities.

Bradford Elementary School is part of the Oxbow Unified Union School District (OUUSD). The other schools in our district are Newbury Elementary School, Oxbow High School, and Riverbend Career and Technical Center.  The four schools work closely and share a single budget.  Newbury and Bradford, especially, collaborate and coordinate programs as we jointly prepare students to enter middle school at Oxbow High School. 

We’re governed by the policies of OUUSD, with building-based procedures and protocols that implement district policy.  Our school district is part of Orange East Supervisory Union (OESU).  The other schools in OESU are Blue Mountain Union, Thetford, and Waits River Valley.  Our supervisory union covers the diverse towns of Ryegate, Wells River, Groton, Newbury, Bradford, Corinth, Topsham and Thetford.

 

 

 
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BES Learning Principles

BES believes that effective teaching and meaningful experiences empower young learners.  This list of learning principles represent the experiences that we strive to offer to each of our students.

  • Hands-on learning opportunities that are meaningful and engaging lead students to develop a deeper understanding of how to apply skills and knowledge to real world situations.
  • Personalized and self-directed learning opportunities that honor students’ interests and strengths provide choice and independence, leading to students’ ownership of their learning.
  • Real and relevant learning opportunities harness students' interests and life experiences to spark curiosity and foster engagement in the learning process.
  • Perseverance develops by learning to take risks in a variety of challenging situations.
  • Fluid and transferrable application of skills and knowledge is likely to occur when students engage in interdisciplinary learning opportunities.
  • Collaboration fosters compassion, respect, and a sense of belonging to the greater community. As a result, students learn to consider and appreciate different perspectives as they reflect on their own learning.