We hope everyone had an awesome first week of school! We are extremely appreciative of everyone's patience, flexibility, and support as we worked on establishing routines and procedures, especially during the arrival and dismissal process.

During this week and following weeks, students will be taking various benchmark assessments. These assessments will allow our teachers to better understand the strengths and needs of all their learners and create learning paths that support the best learning opportunities for our students. We strongly believe in making data informed decisions and use research based practices to drive our instructional practices.

We at Keystone strive to create a safe, welcoming environment for all students and staff members, while encouraging a climate built on mutual respect and understanding. We are dedicated to developing a place where students can learn and teachers can teach. This is why, next week, our learners will attend an assembly on the School-wide Positive Behavior Support Program. In addition to, they will rotate to different stations in the building where they will learn the expectations in each area of the school.

Our belief is that strong relationships are the key to that success. Your feedback, ideas, and involvement are always encouraged and welcomed! Thank you for your support and dedication in making sure each our learners have the best learning experiences possible! We value and appreciate you!

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 13th, 2023 at 1:15pm

September 14th, 2023

Retakes- November 3rd, 2023

September 16th-17th

Assembly- September 18th

Stations- September19th, 20th, & 21st

September 25th, 2023- No School/Offices Open

September 26th

October 4th- 1:15pm dismissal

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

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

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.

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

Keystone has been awarded a grant for this school year for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables!

The three main goals of the FFVP are to;

• expand the variety of fruits and vegetables our students experience
• increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables
• to make a difference in children's diets to impact their present and future health.

Program Details:

Scheduling -Students will be sampling the produce 3 days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday). This program is scheduled to begin on September 19th.

Distribution -Students will receive Smart Partners pre-packs bags of samples

Sampling - Every month, Smart Partners will send nutritional education sheets. These sheets are meant to complement the program and provide information to the students about the foods they are trying.

Allow your child to see your friendships. There’s a saying that “attitudes are caught, not taught.” Children can also “catch” how to relate to others from the friendships they observe. For young children, this might mean watching the adults around them interact. As children develop, they learn what to do (and not do) from the friendships they observe. As we see in the “Friendship” episode, as kids grow, they begin to identify the qualities they like in a friend and seek out friends with these characteristics and behaviors. Caregivers play an important role in helping children understand appropriate and supportive behavior in friendships by modeling our own healthy friendships. For example, perhaps you’ve made a meal for a friend who’s going through a hard time. Showing your child how you care for your own friends is a chance for you to talk about how they can apply the same attitudes of goodwill in their own relationships.

Help your child to understand that there are many ways to be a friend. Not all children will interact with one another in the same way — and that’s OK! In the “Friendship” episode, sisters Naura and Aanya talk about making new friends with children who were new to their school with the help of a “buddy bench.” A buddy bench is a place where children looking for a friend can sit and other children can invite and include them in their play. Helping children understand that there’s no one “right way” to make or be a friend can help them invite and include others who may interact differently than them. Some children may be hesitant to engage with their peers, while others may be excited to meet new people and interact.

While there is no “right way” to be a friend, there are wrong ways to be a friend. Children in the episode talk about what they look for in friends. Ask your child to list what makes a good friend. This can help them make good choices and approach others with kindness and care. Teaching children to approach others with empathy and compassion can help them to interact with all types of children — and make all types of friends!

Support your child when friendships are hard. As parents, it can be difficult to see our children unhappy or hurt because of social situations. Maybe you remember a time when you were your child’s age and you had similar difficulties making or keeping friends. Sharing these stories with your child can show them that challenges in friendships are normal — and that you can be a support during hard times.

Teach your child that disagreeing with a friend doesn’t mean a friendship is over. Discuss how they can respectfully disagree with others without being hurtful or harmful. If your child has a tough argument with a friend, offer to talk about the issue together and listen to understand what has happened. Talking through what happened can help children navigate tricky friend situations in the future.

Information above was shared from the pbs.org website;

https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/three-ways-to-help-your-child-build-better-friendships

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), for the begining of the school year.

Christina Brautigan-Espenshade, mother of kindergartner Sophia Brautigan-Espenshade and Aunt of second grader Adrian Davis, submitted a photo from the first day of school, as well as one that represents the social skill of the week; managing emotions.

Ms. Brautigan-Espenshade commented, "In this photo, cousins Adrian and Sophia arrived to school together and Sophia was upset when we wanted to take a photo. As you can see, Adrian is holding her hand to help Sophia manage her emotions and calmly talking to her. This would be a good example of this weeks social skill tip."

Thank you the Brautigan-Espenshade for allowing us the opportunity to showcase Adrian and Sophia. This example not only displays the social skill of managing emotions, but also that of compassion, patience, understanding, friendship, and kindness. What an excellent example of what Keystone values, teaches, and models.

Social Skill of the Week: Friendship

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: making friends, recognizing good friend characteristics, being a good friend

Ms. Cooke and Ms. Ramos

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.

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

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.

The following parents were winners from our SWPBIS raffle at Back to School Night;

Katy Schultz (Harrison Schultz,2nd grade)

Angelica Davila (Isabella Davila, 1st grade)

Congratulations!

What is SWPBIS?

School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (SWPBIS) is a systems approach to discipline that emphasizes prevention, instruction on social and life skills, and data-based decision-making to both reduce problem behavior and improve academic performance. It is designed to be proactive and support success for ALL students.

Using the most current best practices, strategic teams are trained to positively impact behavior at three key behavioral tiers: Universal or primary (whole school); Secondary (individual child or group of at-risk children); and Tertiary or intensive (children with complex needs and behaviors that severely impact the child, school and/or community functioning).

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.