It is hard to believe that November is right around the corner. The past two months the staff has been busy looking at the data and arranging instructional groups as we prepare for what we believe will be a successful year.

We are looking forward to seeing our Keystone Families during the Costume Parade on Tuesday, October 31st. Please revisit the costume newsletter for additional information, if you have not already done so.

Please continue to review the "Important Dates" section of the newsletter each week. As new events and activities get added, we continue to revise that section to include them.

As always, if you ever need anything please don't hesitate to reach out! Have a marvelous week!

Respectfully,

Mr. Wilicki, Principal

Mrs. Smith-Herman, Assistant Principal

Wednesday, November 1st

Friday, November 3rd

Tuesday, November 7th

November 6th-November 14th

November 8th- Nighttime Book Fair

November 9th, 2023, from 6:00-7:00 pm,

Wednesday, November 22nd

November 23rd & 24th

November 30th- 4:30pm

December 6th

Wednesday, December 6th

English Language Arts-

April 22-26th- Grades 3-8

Mathematics, Science, and Makeups

April 29th-May 3rd- Grades 3-8

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

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.

First pretzel delivery date will be Friday, November 10th, with a pre-order to take place on November 9th.

Cali was so excited to bring her pumpkin in this week!!

We think Reid Logan made an awesome representation of Mr. Wilicki! Great job!

Next week, look out for more pictures of the awesome pumpkins that were decorated.

Kindergarten

• Elias Bracero

• Laila Chaibe

1st Grade

• Lesley Joseph

• Ariana Williams

2nd Grade

• Michael Linitia-Ramsher

• Melany Castro-Salinas

3rd Grade

• John Long

• Daphne Saba

4th Grade

• Jayden Hibbs

• Quinn Mallon

5th Grade

• Joshua Griffin

• Alana Gunderman

To end our science unit on bats we transformed our classroom into a bat cave. Students brought in flashlights and we learned in the same environment that bats enjoy. We learned the meaning of echolocation, nocturnal . We also learned about bats' habitat and the kids really loved to learn how the pups found their mom . We followed up with this by doing a scent activity. students had to walk around the room and use their noses to find the "mom" in the group!

The children really enjoyed participating in our bat day activities. We have been learning about bats all week and as a culminating activity, we transformed our classroom into a bat cave for the day. They enjoyed using flashlights to read and playing bat games such as, "Pup finds mama". They had to pretend to be bats and use their sense of smell to find their mama. We learned about echolocation, why bats are mammals, and what it means to be nocturnal! We had so much fun!

Bat Cave Day!

Paw shirts will be given to the students on Monday, October 30th!

We ask that students wear their paw shirts every Friday to show their school pride!

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 fruits an vegetables are sampled at school on Tuesdays, Wednesday, and Fridays.

The students in grades K-5 had the opportunity to grey squash, green kohlrabi, and seckle pears 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!

When you are helping your child think through a conflict with a peer or family member, empower them to come up with solutions. First, have them describe the problem — identifying the source of conflict is an important step. Then ask open-ended questions such as "What could we do to make the situation better?"; "What would be a fair solution?"; "What's one thing you could do to help your friend feel better?" Enlist their imagination: "If you could wave a magic wand and fix this problem, what would it look like?" If children can imagine an outcome, they can begin to take steps to reach that goal.

https://www.pbs.org/parents/learn-grow/age-8/social-skills/social-problem-solving

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.

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

Coming soon, our newsletter will spotlight different Keystone staff members.

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