Keystone Newsletter #26
Dear Keystone Families,
This week is U.S School Social Worker Week! The first full week in March is dedicated to celebrating school social workers across the nation. When you see the awesome Mrs. Jody Como, please make sure to let her know how much she is appreciated!
This week is also Read Across America week. Please make sure to view the Read Across America flyer below, that details each activity that the students are encouraged to participate in this week.
Last week the fifth-graders at Mill Creek, Brookwood, and Keystone were able to attend a trip to see the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory play, that took place at Truman High School. The students seemed to have a fantastic time! They were also excited to be able to see other fifth-graders from the two other elementary schools!
Just a reminder, March 10th will be daylight savings time. Next Wednesday, March 13th, there will be an early dismissal, for staff professional development. Also, parent/teacher conferences will also be taking place March 20th- March 26th.
Be safe and be well!
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
📚Read for the House Program📚
March
Collection of Donations
National Social Worker Week
March 3rd-March 9th
Walnut Street Theater Visits Keystone for Grades 3, 4, 5
March 4, 2024
🕰️Daylight Savings Time🕰️
March 10th
Early Dismissal- 1:15pm
March 13th
Professional Development in PM for School Staff
End of 2nd Trimester
March 13th
Elementary Conferences- 1:15pm Dismissal
March 20th, 21st, 22nd, 25th, and 26th
Late Night Conferences- Wednesday, March 20th
Rock Your Socks Day- Wear Your Craziest Pair of Socks
March 21st
🌷Spring Break- No School💐
March 28th-April 1st
Looking Ahead
📚Scholastic Book Fair📚
April 15th-19th
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
🏈5th Grade Spirit Day⚽
Wednesday, May 8th, 2024
Rain Date- Thursday, May 9th, 2024
It will take place in the stadium at Truman High School.
🎵Spring Music Concert🎵
Wednesday, May 15th at 7 pm
👕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
Revised 2023-2024 District Calendar
2024-2025 District Calendar
Community Events
Keystone Staff Member Spotlight
Kim Craig
Position: 2nd Grade
Worked at Bristol Township School District Since: 18 years!
Strengths:
Being a mom to the best kid, Jackson and a wife to my supportive husband!
I have nearly 1,200 rides on the bike, over 300 runs on the tread, and approaching 75 rows!
Teaching...I sure hope so at at least!
Pets: Sadly, I just lost my 16 year black lab in August, and our 12 year old silver lab to cancer back in April. A puppy is in the Craig family future!
Hobbies: Peloton - I work out every single morning BEFORE school. It has become habitual and almost necessary to contain my sanity!
Working out - I also belong to a local gym, where I take yoga classes, among others, alongside riding my peloton bike or running on the tread!
Cooking - I love concocting my own dinners, some from recipes, but also using the things we have in the fridge or pantry!
TRAVELING - next summer I will be going to Spain before heading out west...we can't wait to explore. Did I mention this will be just my husband and I? First time leaving Jackson, our son, for 8 whole days!
Favorite Color(s): pink
Favorite Snack: apple or fruit
Favorite Sports' Team: Philadelphia Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, 76ers and all related Philly teams!
Three Fun Facts:
1. I have ran 14 half marathons, and 2 full marathons.
2. I enjoy spending my free time in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Last summer we climbed the Grand Teton! This summer we hope to climb Mount Moran or Teewinot...both in Grand Teton National Park!3. I am currently becoming yoga certified... I hope to obtain my certification come January...200 hours!
Partnership w/ Pennsylvania State Police & Bristol Township Police Department
Some activities that have taken place with the support of the Troopers and/or police;
- reading to various classes through out the building
- mentoring students
- attending SWPIS meeting
- attending recess committee meetings
- supporting students at 5th grade recess
- reaching out to community resources
- being involved in on going conversations to support the needs of the students
5th Grade Recess
This past Friday, PA Trooper Ryan Seiple and School Security, Mr. Alexis, organized a kickball game with a group of 5th grade students, during their recess time. They worked on fostering good sportsmanship, team work, following the rules of the game, positive peer interactions, and positive attitudes.
The goal to organize a game once a week, with the support of PA Trooper Ryan Seiple and School Security, while working in a reward system to continue to encourage and acknowledge good sportsmanship behavior.
Many thanks to PA Trooper Ryan Seiple and Mr. Alexis for helping to work on fostering positive peer interactions, handling disappointment and teaching them how to lose at games gracefully.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- 5th Grade Field Trip
Truman High School welcomed over 500 students from Brookwood, Keystone, and Mill Creek Elementary Schools for a sneak peek of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! The students had a chance to win their very own Wonka Chocolate Bar during the show. Afterward, the high school cast came out for a question-and-answer session with the fifth-graders.
Daylight Saving Time
Student Spotlight
By: Grayson Norris
Attendance Policy
- 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: Donna.meehan@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.
Read Across America- March 4th-8th
FABLab Summer Camp
Results from Last Poll
Thank you for all who have participating in our newsletter's weekly poll! It looks like most people's favorite month is October.
💐Something Fun!💐
What is your favorite pizza topping?
Read for The House Program
The Read for the House Program is a service-learning project for children of any age that raises funds to support Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Philadelphia Region. In addition to helping our guest families, the program promotes the value of community service and improves reading comprehension.
PROGRAM TIMELINE:
MARCH 2024: Readers reach out to their family and friends and collect their donations through their online fundraising page. They can feel good knowing every dollar they raised directly helps families in need!
Readers will earn prizes! Not only will they have the satisfaction of knowing they are helping families when they need it the most, but readers can also earn fun prizes based on their fundraising totals!
Read for The House Link- Please Click Below to Register
Order Your Yearbooks
Yearbook Ordering Link
Ordering Online Access Code Needed:
Access Code: 11702YBDeadline to Order: April 22nd, 2024
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 yellow grape tomatoes, cabbage, and red grapefruit last week.
Many thanks and gratitude to the students and staff in room A208 and A112 for continuing to providing the delivery of the fresh fruits and vegetables to the classrooms at Keystone Elementary School. You are all doing a fantastic job and we are very appreciative! Thanks!
March Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Calendar- available soon
March Stories and Videos
Women's History Month
International Woman's Day
Pi Day
Read Across America
Social Emotional Learning Tips of the Week
BTSD Opt out procedure for PSSA and Keystones
Section 4.4 of Chapter 4 of the State Board of Education regulations provides for the right of any parents or guardians to excuse their child from the state assessment if, upon inspection of the testing materials, they find the assessment to be in conflict with their religious beliefs. Please note that this is the only basis for a parent or guardian to excuse his or her child from the statewide assessments.
Parents/guardians requesting that their child be excused from the PSSA or Keystone Exam must adhere to the following procedural guidelines:
Within two weeks of the date the child is to participate in the PSSA or Keystone exams, parents/guardians must contact the Chief Academic Officer, Mrs. Amy Coleman, to arrange an appointment to review the assessment(s) by completing this survey.
Survey Link: PSSA REQUEST TO REVIEW
For more information, please visit: https://www.pacode.com/secure/data/022/chapter4/s4.4.html
Dismissal Plans
In order to maintain the safety of all our learners, we are asking that families alert teachers, in writing, for any transportation/dismissal plan changes prior to 9am 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.
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.
23-24 Weather Emergency Information
Link to Elementary Remote Learning Overview: (Click here)
For additional information please visit https://www.bristoltwpsd.org/cms/one.aspx?portalId=377235&pageId=51110003
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.
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 Menus- March
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: Justina Garofalo
Email: justina.garofalo@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