5 named National Merit Commended Scholars |
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Congratulations to the five seniors named as Commended Scholars in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. They are among 34,000 receiving this recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation, out of the 1.6 million eligible students who took the PSAT in 2019.
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5th grader wins national poetry contest |
Congratulations to Caroline, a 5th grader who won first prize in the May 2020 Cricket League poetry competition.
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9th grader published in local literary magazine |
Congratulations to ninth-grader Amélie Davidson. Her poem “Stardust” was published in the August issue of local literary magazine Voices de la Luna.
The poem was inspired by Amélie’s eighth-grade trip to Yellowstone.
Visit the website to pick up a copy of the magazine and read her poem.
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The student-run news outlet, the Keynote, will go live next Friday, Oct. 2.
Looking forward to seeing what this year's staff produces.
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Message for Keystone alumni, parents and grandparents
Would you like to create a legacy at Keystone School? How about honoring a friend or family member for years to come? Join us for an information session on Wednesday, October 28 from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CST to learn how you can benefit through creative, flexible estate and planned giving options.
When you make a charitable gift through your estate, you are often able to make a bigger impact than you ever thought possible. Presenters include Keystone’s Head of School Mr. Billy Handmaker, Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy John Benage, and Legacy Circle Member Class of ’67 Carolyn Brown Langenkamp. Please register for the Zoom meeting at avillafranca@keystoneschool.org.
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Billy's Blog - From our Head of School |
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“There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.”
Homer
All too often, when I ask children at morning drop-off how they’re doing, they respond, “I’m tired.” Sometimes, it’s because they were up late studying for a test or finishing an essay, but just as frequently, they will say “I just couldn’t sleep last night.” As we know, there can be a variety of reasons for tossing and turning during the night. An April 16 Harvard Gazette article called “Insomnia in a Pandemic” states “Even in normal times, approximately 30 percent to 35 percent of the population experiences acute, or short-term, insomnia.”
Like so much else in our lives, though, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered our sleep patterns. According to a Help Guide blog, our current situation may be harming sleep in the following ways:
- Increasing stress and anxiety
- Disrupting our daily schedules
- Creating feelings of isolation
- Forcing us to spend even more times in front of screens
- Consuming more alcohol
- Promoting unpleasant dreams.
While these trends may be affecting the sleep patterns of adults, some can be just as significant for children. So, what to do?
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Due to the pandemic, college representatives are visiting Keystone virtually. Here are the visits for this week:
Tues., Sept 29
Seton Hall University (NJ), 8 a.m. *before school visit
Hillsdale College (MI), 1st Period
Texas State University, 4th Period
The University of Texas, Austin, 6th Period
Grinnell College (IA), 8th Period
Wed., Sept 30:
Berry College (GA), 8 a.m. *before school visit
Charleston Southern University (SC), 1st Period
Amherst College (MA), 6th Period
Clemson University (SC), 7th Period
Thurs., Oct 1:
IE University, Spain, 8AM *before school visit
Oberlin College (OH), 2nd Period
Tulane University (LA), 3rd Period
Northwestern University (IL), 4th Period
Brandeis University (MA), 5th Period
College of the Holy Cross (MA), 6th Period
Fri., Oct 2:
Kettering University (MI), 8 a.m. *before school visit
Macalester College (MN), 6th Period
College visits to Keystone are intended for students only. Links for the visits are accessible through Naviance 15 minutes prior to the visit. Please see Ms. Christiansen for assistance.
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Important events and notes |
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Lower School Distribution Day - October 2
Families with children in Lower School who are attending classes remotely during the Oct. 5-30 rotation may pick up supplies from 4-5:30 on Friday, Oct. 2.
Drive up in front of the school on Craig Place and a staff member will have the supplies ready.
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Paying for College/Financial Aid Night - October 7
From Ms. Christiansen: Christina Pikla, Director of Financial Aid at Trinity University, will be our guest speaker during this event on Zoom that runs from 7-8:30 p.m. Upper School families will receive details by email.
The program will include an overview of financial aid, both merit and need-based aid, the application process for aid, advice for our families, and time for Q&A.
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Back to School events coming soon |
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Back to School Nights are coming virtually in early October. Here's the schedule:
Lower School - Oct. 5: The Lower School event begins at 5:30 p.m. with welcoming remarks from Mr. Handmaker. Parents will then attend grade level presentations and then specials presentation. Lower School parents should watch their emails for Zoom links specific to their children's grade level.
Middle School - Oct. 6: The Middle School event runs from 5:30-7 p.m. During this event, parents will attend each of their child's classes in a shortened school schedule format to get an overview of each course, meet the teachers, and see the classroom environment. Mr. Handmaker will also give a brief address. Middle School parents will receive an email with more details.
Upper School - Oct. 8: The Upper School parent event runs from 5:30-7 p.m., and includes a presentation from Mr. Handmaker. Upper School parents should keep an eye out for student specific schedules and Zoom information from Head of Upper School Mr. Spedding.
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Paying for College/Financial Aid Night - October 7
From Ms. Christiansen: Christina Pikla, Director of Financial Aid at Trinity University, will be our guest speaker during this event on Zoom that runs from 7-8:30 p.m. on Oct. 7. Upper School families will receive details by email.
The program will include an overview of financial aid, both merit and need-based aid, the application process for aid, advice for our families, and time for Q&A.
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College admissions expert shares insights - Oct. 14 |
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Parents -- want to learn more about the college admissions process? Author and higher education expert Jeffrey Selingo discusses his most recent book "Who Gets in and Why" in a Zoom seminar on October 14 at 7pm.
Keystone parents are invited to this event courtesy of Parish Episcopal School in Dallas and others that are fellow members of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest.
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Hot lunches now available |
Cafeteria procedures may have changed, but hot lunch is still available.
Now it's packaged in to-go containers and students eat either in their classrooms or outside.
For more information, including how to load your account go to:
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Virtual book fair coming Oct. 5-16 |
This year's book fair will be virtual, and offer books appropriate for Lower, Middle and Upper School students.
We will host a Junior Library Guild virtual book fair from October 5-16. Order online and books will be delivered directly to families.
Proceeds from the book sale help fund Keystone's subscription to Junior Library Guild physical books and the book streaming service, jlg Digital.
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Please update your information on RenWeb/FACTS
It's always important to keep your personal information updated on RenWeb/FACTS, but it's especially crucial this year. When we send out alerts and information, we send to the family contacts, email addresses and cell phones that we have on file.
Please take a moment to review your information and make sure it's accurate.
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Keystone community responding to pandemic
Members of the Keystone community are living out the school's pillars of Community Involvement and Responsible Leadership by launching or supporting fundraisers to help organizations involved in the pandemic. We'll include them on the Keystone website at: https://www.keystoneschool.org/covid-19. Click on the "fundraising efforts" tab.
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Sasha Rohret '08 featured in U of Chicago videos |
The University of Chicago's Archeology department has produced some educational videos geared at students from 5-12 years old and feature Sasha Rohret '08. She's a PhD candidate at U of C in Egyptian Archaeology, Near Eastern Languages & Civilization.
Here are the videos:
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Support Keystone while you shop |
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If you're purchasing items from Amazon, please consider supporting Keystone with your purchases and use AmazonSmile. Just designate Keystone as the beneficiary and a portion of your purchases will go to the school.
Make sure to install the Smilematic browser extension. It works with Firefox, Chrome and Safari and automatically redirects users to AmazonSmile when they visit Amazon. Here's the tool: https://couponfollow.com/smilematic.
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We want to hear from you! |
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Follow Keystone on social media |
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