Keystone Newsletter #13
Dear Keystone Families,
I hope you are having a fantastic weekend! It is hard to believe that November is coming to a close this week and that December is right around the corner!
We have added some additional upcoming events to our "Important Dates to Remember" section of the newsletter. We have some fun and exciting events taking place at Keystone in December! We are honored to be hosting the Truman Band. They will be playing for our learners and staff in the lobby as students arrive, on December 20th.
The holiday shop will run from December 4th to December 12th. Most of the classes will be visiting the holiday shop on their scheduled library day with the exception of the students who will have library on December 6th. This is an early dismissal day, so no classes will be scheduled to visit the shop during this day. Those classes will shop on Monday, December 11th.
Please look out for messages from classroom teachers in regards to first trimester conferences. Conferences will take place from December 13th- December 19th. The students will have a 1:15pm dismissal on those days.
Have a fantastic week!
Respectfully,
Mrs. Smith-Herman
Important Dates to Remember
✏️Every Tuesday✏️
Smencil Sales ($1.25 each)
🥨Every Thursday🥨
Pre-Order Pretzels
👕Every Friday👕
Wear Paw Shirts
🥩Texas Roadhouse Fundraiser🥗
November 28th- 4:00-10:00pm
PTO Meeting
November 30th- 4:30pm
Looking Ahead
End of 1st Trimester (K-5)
December 6th
Early Dismissal/ PM Professional Development for Staff- 1:15pm
Wednesday, December 6th
Reindeer Pops for Sale
December 12th- 15th
🍬Candy Cane Sales🍭
December 18th-22nd
50 cents each
🍎Elementary Conferences- (1:15 dismissal for students)✏️
December 13th-19th
Night Conferences will be held on December 14th
🎺Truman Band Plays at Keystone🎻
December 20th- During Morning Arrival until 10am
🎵Winter Concert🎵
December 20th at 7:00pm
Pajama Day
December 22nd
$1 to participate
Early Dismissal- 1:15pm
December 22nd
❄️Winter Break⛄
December 23rd- January 1st
PSSA Testing at Keystone Elementary School
ELA- April 22nd, 24th, and 26th- Grades 3, 4, 5
Math- April 30th and May 1st- Grades 3, 4, 5
Science- May 2nd and May 3rd- Grade 4 Only
👕Field Day⚽
Thursday, June 6th- AM- K/1
Thursday, June 6th- PM- 2/3
Friday, June 7th- AM- 4/5
Rain Dates: June 10th and/or 11th
Texas Roadhouse Fundraiser
Talking Points
Bristol Township School District TalkingPoints is a messenger tool that allows teachers to connect and communicate with parents and families across any language. Teachers can communicate with parents via text messaging or via a phone or internet-connected device in their native language.
The following video was created for our district as well; https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WFqE5ynppOz6PZa2-A7JTHoBKild3zid/view
Truman Breakfast with Santa and Holiday Bazaar- December 9th, 2023
Girl Scouts
Hour of Code
Keystone Elementary is planning for the Hour of Code!
Organized by Laurie Gallagher, Instructional Coach
For the second year, in December, Keystone students will have some opportunities to explore coding and robotics. As you can see-- we are On The Map!!
Students at intermediate levels (3-5) will log in to CODE.org for one of the Hour of Code challenges (so far, Dance Party seems to be the favorite). After completing the Challenge, they will get certificates-- and the opportunity to help in primary grade classes, introducing Code.org. Select 5th Graders will also be our "Robotic Ambassadors" and bring Dash robots into classrooms to apply block coding. We plan on working on this from December 4th through the 20th.
Snack and Birthday Celebration Policy
To ensure the safety and well being of our students, as per the District Wellness Policy, no outside foods may be brought in by students for classroom parties or birthday celebrations. Shared snacks are not permitted in district schools.
If you would like to send something in to celebrate your child's birthday or for a classroom party, you may send in non food items such as stickers, pencils, play dough etc.
Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program
Fresh fruits an vegetables are sampled at school on Tuesdays, Wednesday, and Fridays.
The students in grades K-5 had the opportunity to sample savoy cabbage this week!
Many thanks to the students and staff in room A208 and A112 for providing the delivery of the fresh fruits and vegetables to the classrooms at Keystone Elementary School. You are doing a fantastic job! Thanks!
November Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Calendar
Social Emotional Learning Tip of the Week
Kindness Tree Craft
Reading Corner
Title 1 Teachers
Mrs. Stacy Cooke
stacy.cooke@bristoltwpsd.org
Mrs. Aimee Ramos
aimee.ramos@bristoltwpsd.org
What is Title I?
Title I is a project funded by the federal government under the Every Child Succeeds Act. The purpose of this Act is to provide all children with fair and equitable opportunity to succeed and close achievement gaps. Money is allocated by the federal government and distributed by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to the Bristol Township School. District.
Title I funding is based on a complex formula. These funds are allocated to the states who in turn allocate a portion of that money to the individual school districts within each state. The school district’s share is based on the economic need within a school area, that is, by the number of low income families living there. In our district the number of free and reduced lunch students is used to determine the economic need of a particular school.
Title 1 Family Engagement Policy School Year: 2023-2024
TITLE I SCHOOL SCHOOL WIDE PROGRAM – PARENT – STUDENT COMPACT
Pennsylvania State Testing
The Pennsylvania System of School Assessments
Bristol Township School District students will be taking the Pennsylvania System of State Assessments, also known as the PSSAs, in the spring. What are the PSSAs used for and why should your child participate in the assessment?
What are the PSSAs used for?
The Every Student Succeeds Act or ESSA, requires students to take state tests in reading and math every year in third through eighth grade and once in high school. In Pennsylvania, students in third through eighth grade take the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) in English language arts and math. Students in fourth and eighth grade also take a test in science. High school students take end-of-course tests known as the Keystone Exams in Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, English, Biology/Chemistry, U.S. History, World History, Civics and Government.
Why should my child take the PSSAs?
The PSSAs focus on grade level material aligned to the state standards. It gives parents, teachers, and school district leaders information to make decisions that affect student achievements.
- Parents and students see how well their student performed at grade level
- Teachers make informed decisions regarding instruction.
- District Leaders can make decisions about student learning and achievement.
- State leaders can determine which schools require more resources and/or additional funding.
Spring 2024 PSSA Testing Window
English Language Arts- April 22-26th- Grades 3-8
Mathematics, Science, and Makeups- April 29th-May 3rd- Grades 3-8
Keystone Elementary Testing Dates:
ELA- April 22nd, 24th, and 26th- Grades 3, 4, 5
Math- April 30th and May 1st- Grades 3, 4, 5
Science- May 2nd and May 3rd- Grade 4 Only
Coming Soon! Keystone Staff Member Spotlight
Helpful Links and Resources
Report Form for Complaints of Harassment/Bullying/Cyber-Bullying
Mr. Pierce- Anti-Bullying Climate Specialist
Email: steve.pierce@bristoltwpsd.org.
Breakfast and Lunch Menu- November
Breakfast and Lunch Menus- December
We encourage each student and staff member to wear their Keystone Paw Shirts every Friday.
Support Keystone's SWPBIS program by purchasing a soft pretzel. Each soft pretzel will cost $1 each. Students will be asked to preorder their pretzel each Thursday, for a pretzel delivery to take place on Fridays.
Office Staff
School Principal: Mr. Mark Wilicki
Email: mark.wilicki@bristoltwpsd.org
Assistant Principal: Crystal Smith-Herman
Email: crystal.smith-herman@bristoltwpsd.org
Special Education Supervisor: Jessica Kelch
Email: jessica.kelch@bristoltwpsd.org
Principal's Secretary: Mrs. Marianne Mensinger
Email: marianne.mensinger@bristoltwpsd.org
Assistant Principal's Secretary: Mrs. Donna Meehan
Email: donna.meehan@bristoltwpsd.org
School phone: 267-599-2470
School fax: 215-788-1041