Thank you to all the parents and guardians who joined us at Back-to-School night last night. We hope you enjoyed getting a chance to meet your children’s teacher(s), exploring the school, and chatting with support staff and our community partners. We look forward to all the fun experiences we have planned for the students this year.

Bradford PTA’s membership drive kicked off last week, and the grade in the lead for week 1 is….KINDERGARTEN! As a reminder, the grade with the highest membership representation on September 24th will win an extra recess and popsicle party. Don’t forget to sign up today.

Join us for the first Bradford PTA Meeting of the year!

When: Thursday, September 24 at 6:30 PM

Where: Bradford Music Room

Come meet the 2026–2027 board in person, hear quick updates on PTA projects, vote on the budget, and share your goals for our school community. Whether this is your first meeting ever or your umpteenth, you are welcome. It’s just one hour, and the easiest way to get plugged in!

Running Club is back. Signup opens today, and the Fall session begins next week. Running club is a before-school activity that focuses on fun and fitness! Led by Mr. Acuna, students learn good running technique, and engage in track and field activities in a fun environment.

• • Grades K-2: Tuesdays Sept. 22 – Nov. 17th
  • Grades 3-5: Wednesdays Sept. 23 – Nov. 18th
  • TIME: 8 AM – 8:40 AM
  • LOCATION: Bradford School Field (on rainy days, they move to the gym)
  • Signup here.

It’s almost Fall Ya’ll! That means it’s time for fresh, delicious pancakes flipped and served onsite. There will be lots of food and fun to entertain the whole family, so mark your calendars for Saturday, September 26th in the courtyard. (Rain location will be in the gymnasium)

We highly encourage everyone to purchase your pancakes in advance. We will also accept day-of payment, via Venmo.

• $10 for regular or gluten free pancakes.
• Includes 2 pancakes, fruit, pastries and a drink (orange juice or coffee).

During the Fall Festival, the Green Team welcomes families to help plant bulbs around Bradford’s property. Volunteers will provide families with bulbs and hand shovels so children can place bulbs in pre-dug holes and cover them with soil. Come Spring they will be able to see the fruits of their work all over the grounds!

The 5th Grade Committee will be onsite selling pumpkins and decorating kits, as well as mystery bags to fundraise for their end-of-year activities.

As with every event, it wouldn’t be successful without the help of volunteers. Please consider signing up to help with setting up, serving pancakes, prepping for bulb planting or helping round out the Book Fair!

A note on our general community event schedule. It has been decided to move our Family Movie night to the Spring to give our field a bit more time to grow.

Bradford will once again participate in Presby Iris Gardens Aglow. The event will take place on Friday, October 16, 2026 from 6:00–9:00 PM. As part of our preparation, pumpkins will be delivered to Bradford, and students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will paint them on Wednesday, October 14th. Mrs. Fausto needs both supplies and parent volunteers for this event: Sign up to donate and volunteer here. The grade schedule is below:

• • 5th Grade: 9:00 – 9:40 AM
  • 4th Grade: 9:40 – 10:20 AM
  • 3rd Grade: 10:20 – 11:20AM

With the new changes in bus eligibility, the school is seeing an increase in kids being dropped off via car. To help staff keep the car line moving and ensure student safety, we are again asking for volunteer help. The PTA is seeking two volunteers each morning from 8:40 – 8:50am to help open car doors and direct traffic to move down College Ave. If you’ve got 10 minutes in the morning, please sign up for a shift here.

📚 Community Read Finale: Heather McGhee & Michelle Alexander
Tuesday, October 13 | 7:00 PM
First Congregational Church of Montclair
40 S. Fullerton Avenue

Join The Sum of Us author Heather McGhee in conversation with Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow.  PTAC has about 4 free copies of the book to whoever is interested. Please contact me or Linda if you would like a copy.
Register for the event here.

Can’t attend in person? A recording will be posted to the library’s YouTube channel.

And if you missed “A Deep Dive into the Desegregation of Montclair’s Public Pools,” you can watch the panel discussion here.

Upcoming Events & Reminders

• 9/17 at 6:30PM: SATP Meeting
• 9/21 – School Closed (Yom Kippur)
• 9/22 – 9/25: Book Fair (In School)
• 9/24 at 6:30PM: Bradford PTA General Meeting
• 9/26 at 10AM: Bradford Fall Festival (Bradford Courtyard)

Subscribe to the Bradford PTA calendar here so you don’t miss any special dates!

Thanks for reading,

Your Bradford PTA Squad