We are excited to be welcoming back all new and returning students to Keystone Elementary School on Tuesday, September 5th! It is our mission to help each child, staff, and community member feel welcomed, respected, included, and seen as a valued part of the Keystone family. We, at Keystone, are committed to providing support, guidance, and opportunities that the students need to be successful lifelong learners.

There are a few things that we would like you to know before we start this fantastic new school year:

1. You are important!
2. You are capable of anything you set your mind to!
3. You do not need to be the best at everything; you just need to try your best!
4. This is going to be a fantastic school year because you are here!
5. We are excited to see all that you will achieve and accomplish this school year!

We wish you a happy and successful first day of school! We know you are going to make the most of this year and we can’t wait to see all that you achieve!

Respectfully,

Mr. Wilicki, Principal

Mrs. Smith-Herman, Assistant Principal

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

September 4th- Labor Day

Tuesday, September 5th, 2023

September 6th, 2023- 6:00-7:00pm

For parent(s)/guardian(s) of children in kindergarten, second, and fourth grade

September 7th, 2023- 6:00-7:00pm

For parent(s)/guardian(s) of children in first, third, and fifth grade

September 13th, 2023 at 1:15pm

September 14th, 2023

Retakes- November 3rd, 2023

September 16th-17th

Assembly- September 18th

September- 19th, 20th, & 21st

September 25th, 2023- No School/Offices Open

*FREE MEALS to continue for the 2022-2023 school year!*

Infinite Campus Parent Portal Login Instructions- First Time Instructions

Please visit https://www.bristoltwpsd.org/parents/parent_portal_instructions.

Infinite Campus Parent Portal Login

If you already have an account please visit https://bristolpa.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/bristol.jsp.

*If you already have created an Infinite Campus Parent Portal account and are having trouble signing in please contact the school secretary; Mrs. Donna Meehan - donna.meehan@bristoltwpsd.org.

How to Update Parent/Guardian Contact Information in Parent Portal

Parents/Guardians – Please verify the accuracy of your email addresses and phone numbers for each upcoming school year on the parent portal.

1. Log on to the Infinite Campus Portal (If you are having trouble logging in, please contact your child’s school.)
2. Select “More” on the right side of the menu bar.
3. Select “Family Information.”
4. Click the “Update” button for each of the PARENTS/GUARDIANS ONLY and edit the phone numbers and/or email address fields.
5. Click the blue “Update” button to save changes.
6. Please DO NOT update any student information.

Pay your 2023-2024 tech fee here

• Click on school store

• Click Shop

• Add the technology fee to cart

If you're not able to log into the parent portal please email Icampus.Portal@bristoltwpsd.org.

Ways to Beat Back-to-School Jitters

Check in with your own emotions

Transitions can be just as difficult for parents as they are for kids. Children often take their cues from their parents. If, like many parents, you feel stressed and anxious about the new school year, your kids are likely to internalize feelings of worry or uncertainty. Be sure to talk openly with your spouse, a friend or family member to work through your own concerns. The more you prepare yourself for the transition, the better able you will be to prepare your child.

Help your child label feelings

“How are you feeling about going back to school?” might sound like a simple question, but it’s an important conversation starter for your child. To help kids bring their emotions to the surface, it helps to check in regularly and ask questions that open the door to talking about feelings.

Try these questions as conversation starters to address the many emotions that occur during the back to school transition:

• What are you excited about for this school year?
• Is there anything you’re worried about?
• How will you feel if your friends aren’t in your class?
• What might be frustrating at school?
• What do you think will be the happiest time of your day?
• Is there anything that might make you sad when you’re at school?

Take time to listen to and process how your child answers a question and talk it through before you move on. Many kids feel the need to put a positive spin on school to please parents and teachers, but the truth is that it’s perfectly natural to experience ups and downs on any given day. Acknowledge that trying something new can be fun, but can also be a little scary. The more we teach kids to talk about their feelings, the better able they are to manage their emotions.

Create an emotions check-in board

The first few weeks of school can be great fun for little ones, but they can also be exhausting and a bit stressful. One way to make sure the whole family works through these big feelings together is to create an emotions check in board. Using a large poster board, create several pockets (construction paper and tape will do the job) to represent a variety of feelings (happy, worried, excited, proud, frustrated, sad). Decorate one popsicle stick for each family member and ask each person to place their stick in the pocket that best describes how they feel throughout the day. Do this in the morning, after school, and before bed. In using frequent check ins, you get your family in the habit of exploring emotions and talking about triggers.

School can be an exciting experience for young learners. With a little preparation and a lot of family support, your child will work through this big transition.

Information above was shared from the pbs.org website; https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/five-ways-to-beat-back-to-school-jitters

Please feel free to visit https://www.pbs.org/parents/back-to-school to obtain more helpful tips and ideas to support the social emotional well being of your child(ren), as they transition back to school.

Social Skill of the Week: Identifying Feelings/Emotions

Keystone Families, we would love to include you in our weekly newsletters! Each week we will share a weekly Social Emotional Tip of the Week. We would love to receive a photo of your child(ren) practicing or applying the social skill of the week, along with a brief summary of the activity. Please send all submissions to KeystoneNewsletter@bristoltwpsd.org for a chance to be selected for our Keystone Family Spotlight!

Skill of the Week: Handling first day/week jitters, managing emotions, emotions check ins, labeling feelings

Additionally, please feel free to email all "First Day of School" photos!

We enjoyed welcoming our new kindergarteners to Keystone, as they attended kindergarten orientation in August. Students and families had the opportunity to visit with their teachers, go through the cafeteria line to get breakfast, and had the ability to practice getting on, getting off, and sitting safely, on the bus.

The Motus Wildlife Tracking System (Motus) is an international collaborative research network that uses coordinated automated radio telemetry to facilitate research and education on the ecology and conservation of migratory animals.

Keystone because of its proximity to the Delaware River Water Shed, has now become one of only two sights in Bucks County which has a MOTUS Tower. The tower will enable anyone with internet service and an interest to be able to track any tagged wildlife that passes through our area.

Anti-Bullying Policy

The Bristol Township School Board Policy #249 sets forth the District’s commitment to providing all students and employees with the right to a safe and civil educational environment, free from harassment or bullying. The District recognizes that bullying interferes with the learning process and may present an obstacle to the academic, vocational, and social/ emotional development of students.

What is Bullying?

Bullying shall be defined as an intentional and unwelcome electronic (cyber), written, verbal, or physical act, or series of acts that has these characteristics:

• Physical – includes hitting, kicking, spitting, pushing and taking personal belongings.
• Verbal – includes taunting, malicious teasing, name-calling, and making threatening statements or gestures.
• Psychological or Relational – includes spreading malicious rumors, and engaging in social isolations or intimidation.
• Cyberbullying – includes any form of verbal or psychological bullying that may occur on the Internet through social media. Cyberbullying includes but is not limited to the following misuses of technology: harassing, teasing, intimidating, threatening, or terrorizing another student by sending or posting inappropriate or derogatory e-mail messages, instant messages, text messages, digital pictures or images, or website postings including any social networking accounts.

It is directed at another student or group of students that is reasonably perceived as being motivated either by any actual or perceived characteristic, such as race; color; intellect; religion; ancestry; national origin; gender; sexual orientation; gender identity and expression; or a mental, physical, or sensory disability.

It has the intent to coerce, intimidate, harass, and otherwise cause emotional distress. It is severe, persistent, or pervasive. It has the effect of:

• Substantially interfering with a student’s education;
• Substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school; or
• Creating a threatening environment.

It occurs in a “school setting.” School setting shall mean in the school, on school grounds, in school vehicles, at a designated bus stop, or during any activity sponsored, supervised, or sanctioned by the school and/or District.

The District reserves the right to investigate acts of bullying that occur outside the school setting if those acts meet the requirements of the characteristics as delineated above.

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.

Starting next week, our newsletter will spotlight different Keystone staff members.