4 Upper Schoolers named African American Recognition Program Scholars |
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Congratulations to seniors Gabrielle, Matthew, Zofia and junior Jasmine. These four Upper School students have been named African American Recognition Program Scholars.
These African American students have achieved a GPA of at least 3.5 and excelled on standardized tests.
Great job!
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A note about the Sept. 11 anniversary |
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Dear Families,
With the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 this weekend, we wanted to take a moment and pause to reflect on the day and how it changed this country and the entire world.
One suggestion: Visit the 9/11 Museum online and watch a webinar that focuses on first-person accounts of the attacks and their aftermath. Here's a link: 911memorial.org/webinar.
Middle School classes watched the webinar and discussed it, report social studies teachers Mrs. Rardon and Mrs. Sadosky. The presentation is recommended for young people in grades 3-12, and the website includes questions divided by age range. Mrs. Sadosky, who teaches 7th and 8th graders, asks her students to talk about that day with people who were living in the United States during the time of the attacks.
In the Upper School, History Teacher Dr. Armentrout is asking students to pay attention to what they hear over the weekend on news broadcasts, conversations, and other discussions in terms of what the meaning of the day is so they can "discuss how it is being woven into our understanding of the United States."
"It's quite complicated and still quite recent," Dr. Armentrout noted, "and so they are witnessing an anniversary in which meaning is being actively made in American culture and politics."
For students of all ages, this weekend could offer valuable lessons.
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American Heart Association honors 8th grader |
Congratulations to 8th grader Anna, who led a team that raised $8,000 for the American Heart Association through its Teen of Impact campaign.
Through the campaign, Anna and her team raised the funds in only 8 weeks.
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6th graders named Student Ambassadors for Mayor's Fitness Council |
Congratulations to sixth-graders Ria and Sharvari. They were chosen to serve on the Mayor's Fitness Council as Student Ambassadors.
During their term from 2021-2022, they will represent the Fitness Council by promoting and encouraging healthy living here at Keystone, and will create a health-related service project either on campus or with a broader community.
Looking forward to see how their work unfolds over the year.
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Little School teacher swims with sharks |
Little School teacher Erin Ochoa spent part of the Labor Day holiday cage diving with sharks at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
We're talking real sharks -- not the TV show about entrepreneurs and investors.
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Two reminders to help keep all of our children -- and our community -- safe:
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Please remember to wear masks correctly, covering both the nose and face. Especially for unvaccinated young children, this is crucially important. If the mask slips, please make sure your child wears a mask that fits properly. Here is an infographic from Johns Hopkins University with more details.
- Please provide our nurses with proof of your child's vaccination. Right now, we know there are more students who have been vaccinated than we have documentation. This information about the level of vaccination will help us tailor our response -- especially when to send classes into quarantine -- if we see positive cases on campus.
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7th/8th grade soccer team starts season with a home win |
Congratulations to the 7th/8th grade soccer team, which started the season with a home win over Shepherd of the Hills.
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Billy's Blog - From our Head of School |
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“The library is inhabited by spirits that come out of the pages at night.”
Isabel Allende
Among the many wonderful visions around Keystone is that of students cradling a book or an electronic reading device as they walk from class to class. Similarly, I thoroughly enjoy observing a child deeply absorbed in their reading while they wait to be picked up at the end of the day or during a free moment. Whether the student is a three-year old captivated by the story their teacher reads aloud or they’re in high school debating the finer points of a piece of literature, the sights and sounds of children engaged in the world of books offers solace and inspiration in these frenetic times.
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Here are the visits from college representatives for this week:
Monday, Sept 13
1st Period: Bates College (ME) - Virtual
2nd Period: Bennington College (VT) - Virtual
3rd Period: Denison University (OH) - In person
4th Period: University of Southern California (USC) - Virtual
6th Period: 12th Brown Bag Interview Session
7th Period: Vanderbilt University (TN) - Virtual
8th Period: University of Rochester (NY) - In-person
Tuesday, Sept 14
1st Period: Colby College (ME) - Virtual
5th Period: Barry University (FL) - In-person
6th Period: Bryant University (RI) - Virtual
Wednesday, Sept 15
1st Period: Johns Hopkins University (MD) - Virtual
2nd Period: Oberlin College (OH) - In person
Thursday, Sept 16
2nd Period: Utica College (NY) - Virtual
3rd Period: Northeastern University (MA) - Virtual
6th Period: Hillsdale College (MI)- In-person
Friday, Sept 17
2nd Period: Skidmore College (NY)- In-person
3rd Period: Salve Regina University (RI)- In-person
4th Period: Stevens Institute of Technology (NJ)- Virtual
6th Period: Kansas City Art Institute- In-person
College visits to Keystone are intended for students only. Links for the virtual 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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How you can help Afghan refugees |
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Several Keystone families are helping refugees from Afghanistan and school administrators are asking other families who are interested in helping to take items directly to Catholic Charities, at 202 W. French Pl.
New arrivals to this country are in need of items such as family clothing, toys, books, toiletries, HEB gift cards, and the like.
For more information, visit:
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PTO General Meeting - Sept. 14th
From the Keystone PTO: Parents are invited to attend the PTO General Meeting on Tuesday, September 14th at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Parents will receive an email with a link to the meeting.
The meeting will include an introduction from Head of School, Billy Handmaker, PTO updates, and guest speaker Dr. Erica Shapiro, Keystone Counselor.
Dr. Shapiro will present “Making the Most of An Opportunity: Society's Mental Health Awakening.” In her talk, she will discuss the importance of the current societal awareness of mental health and self-care through several recent cultural examples/events and encourage normalizing discussions with your children and selves around mental health and wellbeing.
She will also be discussing the importance of "good stress" and how to differentiate between this and red flags that might signal stress is having a negative effect.The presentation will be followed by Q&A.
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11th Grade Parent meeting - Sept. 15th
From Ms Christiansen:
Family members are invited to an 11th Grade Parent College Meeting on Sept 15 from 12:00-1:00pm. We’ll talk about standardized testing, college visits, and some important dates for the year. Zoom details will be shared by email.
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NHS walking in Light the Night event Oct. 9 |
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From National Honor Society sponsor Mr. Lindsay:
Keystone’s National Honor Society is walking and fundraising to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night event! The funds we raise are needed to help find better treatments and cures for blood cancers so patients can live better, longer lives. When you support LLS, you not only advance the most pioneering cancer research of our time, you accelerate promising treatments that save lives.
Cancer impacts all of us, but because of events like Light The Night we can make a difference. The event takes placer Oct. 9.
Thank you, in advance, for your donation and support!
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Keystone online store now open |
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We are working with Follett, which provides fanwear and other merchandise to colleges, universities and K-12 schools. Place your orders with Follett, and your merchandise will ship directly to your house.
To celebrate the grand opening, Follett is offering 25% off T-shirts until Sept. 30.
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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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