We hope everyone had a wonderful first week of October! Our staff last week was busy analyzing data from the iReady assessments (1st-5th grade) and Acadience Testing (K) results in order to create the most optimal learning opportunities for our learners.

This month is quite full of awesome events and activities for our learners. Please make sure to check out the "Important Dates to Remember Section" of the newsletter! In addition, please take a look at the National Bullying Prevention Poster Contest posted in the newsletter as well. We are looking forward to seeing all the awesome submissions!

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

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

All month

October 13th and 16th- No School/Offices Open

Wednesday, October 18th- 6:00-8:00pm

Rain Date: Wednesday, October 25th

October 19th

Support Breast Cancer Awareness Month by wearing PINK on

Friday, October 20th.

October 23rd-27th

October 26th- 4:30pm

Wednesday, November 1st

Tuesday, November 7th

November 6th-November 14th

November 9th- 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

Complementary Paw shirts have been ordered for every student at Keystone! Thank you Ms. Schweiker for organizing and ordering the shirts!

The Online Keystone Spirit Wear store is now live. Here is the link for you to start to browse and shop; https://keystone-elementary-fall-2023-ols-335.itemorder.com/shop/home/. The store closes on October 27th. This fundraiser helps to support Keystone's SWPBIS Behavior program. Thank you for your support!

Thank you to everyone that signed up to be a part of The Keystone Student Council! Here are the results of our elections:

Executive Board Members

President: Mia McGovern

Vice President: Alexis Prickett

Secretary: Camilla Victoria Chavez Duran

Treasurer: Sky Ramos

4th Grade Representatives

Avery Mundham

Musa Kica

Mariano Carreno Corona

Sophia Sassani

Harper Lee Hicks

Turan Iqbal

Jordyn Jenkins

5th Grade Representatives

Aubree Rein

Madelyn Epp

Skyleigh Rivera

Mya Adams

Annalise Geist

Sophia Romer

Aleah Mohammed

Yousef Chaibe

Congratulations to our 2023-2024 Student Council!

SAVE 10% off your fall fun tickets at Shady Brook Farm and help Keystone raise money for positive behavior initiatives and SWPBIS!

Direct Website Link: https://shadybrookfarm.com/discount/23KEY?redirect=%2Fcollections%2F2023-fallfest-ticket-only

CODE: 23KEY

Friends,

We have exciting news about early education opportunities in Bucks County – and we need your help sharing it!

Have you heard of our Pre-K Counts program? It provides quality early education to 3- and 4-year-old children at no cost to eligible families.

We're thrilled to announce that PA's Office of Child Development & Early Learning just awarded us an unprecedented $4.49 million to expand Pre-K Counts!

That means 450 children county-wide will benefit from free, high-quality Pre-K – a 44% increase from the 2022-23 school year.

Due to this increase, we're now accepting additional applications for the 2023-24 school year – but we need to fill them quickly. We have slots available in Bensalem, Bristol, Churchville, Doylestown, Holland, Langhorne, Kintnersville, Morrisville, Penndel, Southampton, and Quakertown.

We could really use your help spreading the word about this amazing opportunity.

Could you or someone you know benefit from free Pre-K? Visit www.uwbucks.org/prekhelp or share this news with your friends, coworkers, or anyone else in your network.

When families can access affordable early education and care, kids get on a path to academic success, parents get to work, and our entire community benefits.

Sincerely,

Marissa Christie

President & CEO

United Way of Bucks County

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 sample navels, celery, and pineapples, 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!

Miss Rausch's Kindergarten class made Fall scarecrows that will be on display in our Student of the Month showcase. They did an amazing job on them ! If you are in the building make sure to check them out!

Steve Pierce will be the Anti-Bullying/School Climate Specialist at Keystone. Pierce comes to Keystone from Armstrong, where he was a Technology Teacher and highly involved in the school’s Positive Behavior Intervention and Support program. Pierce earned his Bachelor’s of Science at Temple and a Master’s in School Counseling from Gwynedd Mercy University.

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.

At this time, Mr. Pierce has not started in this role as of yet. We will keep our Keystone families informed once he officially begins.

Everyone has times in their life when they feel sad. Whether the sadness is caused by a short term setback or a long term change, adults and children alike need a way to find a little hope and joy when things seem bleak.

Daniel Tiger sings the song "It’s Okay To Feel Sad Sometimes." Music is one thing that can help people feel better. Talk with your child about other things they can do to feel better. Make a list and then create a You'll Feel Better Again Jar with your ideas.

Materials

• Can or jar
• Paper
• Pencils
  

• Crayons
  

• Markers
  

• Popsicle sticks and decorative craft supplies (optional)

Directions

1. Talk with your child about their feelings. Then, create a jar filled with activities to do that help you feel better. Watch the Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood video "It’s Okay To Feel Sad Sometimes" to get some ideas.

2. Ask your child to share "feel better" ideas with you. You and your child can choose to draw or write the idea out on paper or popsicle sticks. We liked to do a combination. Here are some ideas you and your child might consider using:

• Stuffed animal show
• Blow bubbles
• Write a letter or draw a picture for a pen pal
• Sing songs
• Video call a friend
• Hug It Out
• Take deep breaths
• Yoga
• Today I was happy when (make a gratitude card)

3.Let your child have fun decorating the jar the ideas will be placed in. You can write out “Feel Better Jar” or any other name you choose.

4. Put the You'll Feel Better Again Jar in an easily accessible place that your child can safely reach.

5. Whenever your child starts to feel sad, suggest picking out a feel better popsicle stick or paper from the jar. Remind your child that he can use the jar anytime they want.

6. The activity may be just what your child needs at the moment to turn things around. It may help your child talk about the activity or how they are feeling. Continue adding new "feel better" ideas to the jar and encouraging your child to explore their feelings.

We hope you had fun together! Snap a photo of you and your child doing the activity and share it with us KeystoneNewsletter@bristoltwpsd.org. We’d love to see how it turned out!

https://www.pbs.org/parents/crafts-and-experiments/youll-feel-better-again-jar

Social Skill of the Week: managing emotions, creating a "You'll Feel Better Again " jar

Keystone Families, we would love to include you in our weekly newsletters!

Snap a photo of you and your child doing the activity listed in the Social Emotional Learning Tip of the Week of the week and share it with us KeystoneNewsletter@bristoltwpsd.org. We’d love to see how it turned out!

This fall, all three elementary schools will be hosting fun Family Engagement Nights to foster and promote family participation in our Title I programs. Please see the schedule below for the date of your child’s school’s Family Night. Each school will host a night of fun activities and games. Families will also have the opportunity to attend information sessions about curriculum, Title I programs, PSSA’s, assessments, iCampus, and technology.

Brookwood will hold its annual Family Night on Wednesday, October 4, 2023, from 5:45-7:00.

Keystone will hold its annual Family Night on November 9th, 2023, from 6:00-7:00 pm.

Mill Creek will hold its annual Family Night on Thursday, October 26th, 2023, from 6:00-7:00 p.m.

All students and their families are invited.

Please be on the lookout for more detailed information from your child’s school. If you would like to know more about our Title I programs, please refer to the 2023-2024 Elementary Handbook.

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.