Dear Keystone Families and Staff,

Welcome to February! As we step into a new month, we are excited for all the opportunities and activities ahead, as we continue to embrace learning, growth, and community spirit.

Happy National School Counseling Week! 🎉✨ This week, we recognize and appreciate the incredible dedication of our school counselors who support students academically, socially, and emotionally. Their guidance, compassion, and commitment make a lasting impact on the lives of so many. Many thanks to Ms. Surdo, Mr. G, and Mrs. Como for their unwavering commitment to student success. You are all appreciated and valued more than you know!

Please be aware that this month the students have two days that they will off from school; February 12th (staff professional development) and February 17th (Presidents' Day).

Congratulations to fifth grader, Adriana Ciro, from Mrs. Loeffler/Mrs. Foreman's class, who is currently in the lead for raising the most money so far for the Read For the House program. The goal is for Keystone to raise $2,500. We can do it!

The class that has the most participants will win a special prize for their class. The class that raising the most money for Read for the House will also win a special prize. Please make sure to register at RMHCphilly.org/read .

Also, this Tuesday, our PTO is hosting a Skate Night. You do not need the flyer to reserve your spot. You can write the needed information on a piece of paper & send it in with your payment. Money will be accepted on Monday AND Tuesday. Please see flyer below for more information.

Thank you everyone for being a valued part of our school community—let’s make February a month of learning, growth, and success!

Respectfully,

Mrs. Smith-Herman & Mr. Wilicki

Smencils will be sold.

Pretzels $1

(Money needs to be turned in by Thursday to get a pretzel on Fridays.)

Wear Keystone Paw Shirt

You will reach out to your friends and family who are supporting your reading efforts and collect their donations. You can feel good knowing every dollar you raised will help families in need!

February 4th, 2025

February 10th- February 24th

*more information to come in upcoming weeks

February 12th

February 17th

Read as much as you can throughout the month and keep track of how many minutes you read using the calendar we provide.

March 6th

6:00-7:00pm

Please RSVP- see flyer below

At Keystone Elementary School

March 13th

March 24-28th

Evening Conferences- Monday, March 24th

April 1st

April 21-25 ELA

April 28-May 2- Math, Science, Make-ups

Wednesday, May 14th, with a rain date of Thursday, May 15th.

May 14th at 7 pm

June 5th- Kindergarten/First- AM

June 5th- 2nd/3rd- PM

June 6th- 4th/5th- AM

Rain Dates- June 9th and 10th

Friday, June 13th

Tuesday, June 17th

After the Student Council successfully reached their $800 fundraising goal, Mr. Wilicki had the honor of spending the day dressed as a teddy bear. Mrs. Smith-Herman also joined in on the fun. Together, they made their way through the halls, stopping by classrooms and attending the SWPBIS assemblies—dressed as bears.

All the fun was for a great cause, as the funds raised will be donated to the Women's Animal Center in Bensalem. Many thanks to Ms. Bryson- and the Student Council!

The following staff members received a positive staff acknowledgement and recognition shout-outs from other staff members this week;

Children are welcome to bring cards for all their classmates on February 14th. To make distribution easier, we kindly ask that the cards be addressed as "To My Friend" rather than with individual names. For safety reasons, we ask that no candy or food be sent in due to various food allergies. However, non-food items like pencils, stickers, or other small items are always appreciated. Thank you for your understanding and for helping to keep all our learners safe.

Click the link below to order.

Remember all students that raise at least $1 will receive a certificate, RMHC Philly button, a free cookie from Famous 4th Street Cookie Company certificate, and a free water ice certificate from Rita's water ice- all coming from the Ronald McDonald House Charity.

The class that has the most participants will win a special prize for their class. The class that raising the most money for Read for the House will also win a special prize.

Please make sure to register at RMHCphilly.org/read .

Please click below to access the parent packet and more information about the Read for the House reading fundraiser.

If you are interested in volunteering for field trips and school events please view the information below in regards to the items needed to obtain your volunteer badge. Once you obtain all your clearances please email them to the following email address; personnel@bristoltwpsd.org .

Curriculum 2024-2025 Presentation - Bristol Townships School District students use learning materials and resources to learn in all content areas: ELA, writing, math, science, social studies, and STEAM. Our curriculum is research-based, and aligns with the Pennsylvania Department of Educational Standards.

DEVELOPING A MATHEMATICAL MINDSET Developing a Mathematical Mindset Presentation - Explains the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset, and how parents/guardians can support a growth mindset at home.

WIT & WISDOM READING Wit & Wisdom Curriculum - A comprehensive K–8 English language arts curriculum crafted to help students build the knowledge and skills they need to be successful readers.

LIBRARY NEWS
Library News Presentation - Explains changes to the elementary library program, including information about what students will learn in the library and how the search feature works.

MTSS Handbook - A guide for all educators, administrators and staff to help support students improve in academic, behavior, and attendance areas.

MTSS Brochure - A quick introduction to our approach to supporting all students learning needs.

MTSS Podcast -Explains how MTSS supports all learners.

Transportation Office Contact Information

Hours of operation:
5:30 AM to 5:30 PM

Phone Number is 267-599-2390

Transportation Coordinator: Traci Williams, traci.williams@bristoltwpsd.org. 267-599-2370
Transportation Secretary: Annie Bulla, annie.bulla@bristoltwpsd.org. 267-599-2370
STA Terminal Manager: Devon Padilla, dpadilla@ridesta.com
AM Dispatch: Joyel Ryan, jryan@ridesta.com
PM Dispatch: Gabrielle Musnuff, gmusnuff@ridesta.com
BTSD Transportation Email address: transportation@bristoltwpsd.org

Read the letter from the Superintendent here.

Please consider joining the Keystone News Network for awesome videos of school wide events!

This month is all about Perseverance. One way to think about Perseverance is “pushing yourself through challenges and obstacles.” We all experience challenges in our lives. We all have moments when we feel like we can’t do it or that we want to give up on a big task. It is important to develop tools that help us work through those challenges in order to grow in those moments instead of giving up. How might you practice Perseverance as a family this month? Perseverance is 1 of 3 traits we will focus on throughout the year that helps students Be Strong. Throughout the school, students will be developing skills like focusing, organizing, and goal-setting.

Pursuit #1

Consistency is hard. Have each person in the family commit to 1 thing they will do each day this week. Maybe it is flossing, drinking a certain amount of water, getting to bed at a certain time, limiting screen time, or exercising. Create a place where each person can tally their progress and see who can keep their streak going the longest!

Pursuit #2

We have all demonstrated Perseverance in our lives. Many of us have seen people practice Perseverance in ways that have inspired us. Stories are powerful tools for connecting as a family. Protect time this week to share stories about Perseverance with each other (you can use the story prompts to get started). At the end of the conversation, think of 1 way you can practice Perseverance this week.

Story Prompts:

● A time I (or someone else) showed Perseverance was _____.

● An act of Perseverance that changed/challenged me was _____.

Keystone Families,

We invite you to have a chance to be featured in our weekly newsletters, yearbook, and possibly on our school and district's social media pages! We would love to showcase your family or child(ren) participating in any outside-of-school events or activities.

Please submit a photo along with a brief summary that captures the essence of the event or activity. Whether it's a memorable vacation, a thrilling sporting event, or a cherished hobby, we want to celebrate these moments with our school community.

Please make sure to include your child(ren)'s names and grade level.

Please send all submissions to KeystoneNewsletter@bristoltwpsd.org for a chance to be selected for our Keystone Family Spotlight!

• Reminder, when your child is absent a written excuse note is required.
• For the first 10 absences the note may be from the parent.
• It can be in an email to the school secretary who handles attendance, at heather.saeger@bristoltwpsd.org
• If your child misses more than 10 days of school, then we only accept a medical note.
• Please email or send in the note within 10 days of their return to school, this is a PA State Law.

Outside Food Snack Policy- Per the district's Wellness Policy, " No outside foods may be brought in by students for classroom parties. Shared snacks are not permitted in District schools." If you would like to send something in to celebrate their child's birthday or a classroom party, you may send in non food items such as stickers, pencils, play dough etc.

In order to maintain the safety of all our learners, we are asking that families alert teachers, in writing, (written note) for any transportation/dismissal plan changes prior to 9:00am each morning.

We do understand that emergencies may arise throughout the day that requires a change to a child's dismissal plan for that particular day. For those situations, please make sure you are alerting the office staff as soon as possible, so they can communicate the change to the teachers as soon as possible.

We thank you for your support in helping us ensure the safety and wellbeing of each of our learners.

Bullying Prevention

Bristol Township School District is committed to providing a physically safe and emotionally secure environment for all students and staff. Local school policies assist school personnel in identifying bullying, intimidation, and harassment, and provide a framework for an appropriate response that reinforces positive conduct. The district defines positive behaviors as those which evoke non-violence, cooperation, teamwork, understanding, and acceptance toward all students and staff in the learning and teaching environment. It takes a community to prevent bullying of children--stopping bullying behavior needs a team of school people, students, and families. Together we can intervene to stop bullying behaviors.

In September 2023, Bristol Township School Board of Directors approved three new elementary Anti-Bullying/School Climate Specialists. These staff members focus on putting practices and approaches in place that prevent bullying and build positive relationships for the district’s youngest students.

The main role of the Anti-Bullying/School Culture Specialists is to lead the investigation of incidents of harassment, intimidation, and bullying in each school; and to act as the primary school staff member responsible for preventing, identifying, and addressing incidents of harassment, intimidation, and bullying in the school.

They are also responsible for coordinating and strengthening the school’s policies to prevent, identify, and address harassment, intimidation, and bullying of students, and help establish a positive school culture.

Reporting Procedures

Anyone who is the victim of or has witnessed bullying please submit the incident form to the Anti-Bullying/School Climate Specialist, Steve Pierce, (steve.pierce@bristoltwpsd.org ) and building administration. Students can also report bullying to guidance counselors, teachers, or any other adult in the building.

To access the bullying form please click on the attached form below.

Social Worker
Mrs. Jody Como
jody.como@bristoltwpsd.org

Counselors

Mrs. Tammy Surdo

Grades- K, 2, 4
tammy.surdo@bristoltwpsd.org

Mr. Brian Gianfrancesco

Grades- 1, 3, 5
brian.gianfrancesco@bristoltwpsd.org

Mr. Steve Pierce

Email: steve.pierce@bristoltwpsd.org

Phone: 267-599-2481

Interventionist Teachers at Keystone

Mrs. Stacy Cooke

stacy.cooke@bristoltwpsd.org

Mrs. Aimee Ramos
aimee.ramos@bristoltwpsd.org

For more information about Title 1 please visit; https://www.bristoltwpsd.org/administration/state_and_federal_programs_/title_i .

Michele Gentilcore

Certified School Nurse 267-599-2473 or 2490

michele.genticore@bristoltwpsd.org

Jessica Williamson

Staff Nurse 267-599-2496

Nurses' fax number is 215-788-1516.

Address:

940 Tulip Ave.

Croydon, Pennsylvania 19021

School phone: 267-599-2470

School fax: 215-788-1041

School Principal: Mr. Mark Wilicki

Email: mark.wilicki@bristoltwpsd.org

Principal's Secretary: Mrs. Marianne Mensinger

Email: marianne.mensinger@bristoltwpsd.org

Assistant Principal: Mrs. Crystal Smith-Herman

Email: crystal.smith-herman@bristoltwpsd.org

Assistant Principal's Secretary: Heather Saeger

Email: heather.saeger@bristoltwpsd.org

Special Education Supervisor: Jessica Kelch

Email: jessica.kelch@bristoltwpsd.org

For additional information please click on the buttons below.