Happy GrandFriends Day!
This message went out to Lower School families for GrandFriends Day, and we wanted to share it with the rest of the Keystone community:

Dear Parents and GrandFriends,

We are celebrating GrandFriends Day virtually with a pair of videos. One is our special video event. The other highlights musical performances from students in kindergarten, first and second grades.

We hope they give you a sense of the outstanding work your grandchildren are doing here at Keystone.

Thank you for your support and sharing your children and grandchildren with us. Have a safe, restful and wonderful break and have a happy Thanksgiving.

GrandFriends Day Video: https://youtu.be/QXY1b5XaH0A

Musical Performances: https://youtu.be/Dfs4o9qMOrw
Varsity Volleyball ends season as Area Champs
Congratulations to Keystone’s Varsity Volleyball team, which ended the season as Area Champs.

The season ended Nov. 12 against Rosehill Christian in the Regional playoffs.

“Although this was not the outcome we were expecting, I am very proud of these girls,” Coach Calderon said in a message to the school community. “It was truly a team effort and beautiful to watch. This is a very special and talented group of young ladies, and I am going to miss watching them play. These girls love to compete, and made practices fun.”

7th graders promote American colonies
Students in Mrs. Sadosky’s seventh grade history class took over the Quad for a morning this week to deliver presentations about early American colonies.

They divided into groups, which each focused on a colony and explained to visitors why they should move to their colony.

4th graders learn about topography
It's wonderful when students can learn about a topic from a professional in the field, and the 4th graders got a special treat when Keystone parent Mrs. Urbis explained about topography and contour lines.

She explained that learning about contour lines when she was younger inspired her to ultimately become a geologist.

Spanish classes learn about lotería with game creator
Of course, the game of lotería has been around for generations and is a favorite in Mexico, and recently Señora Greenfield ’s Spanish 1 class got to meet with photographer Tracey Maurer, writer and creator of Lotería de Comida.

This version is a take on the classic bingo-like game that features San Antonio and Mexican cooking.

Kindergarten students meet with 4th Grade buddies
It's great to see another Keystone tradition return after a pandemic-caused hiatus.

Kinder and 4th grade buddies met for the first time this year, and the little ones shared their Writer's Workshop stories. 
New issue of Keynote is out
The latest issue of The Keynote is online. Click here or on the flyer to read it. Congratulations to co-editors Aleena and Shreya, and to the publication staff.
Order dinner to go, support Keystone
Join us on December 3rd and 4th for a curbside dinner with La Fonda! Help support the Keystone Annual Fund with a great dinner at home!

We have worked with the La Fonda team to create a take home dinner for 4, to be picked up at the restaurant curbside. The choices are as follows:

  • Tex-Mex Enchiladas: cheese enchiladas (12), mexican rice (quart) refried beans (quart), flour tortillas (12), house salsa.
  • Street Tacos: chicken tinga, bistek, mexican rice (quart), refried black beans (quart), homemade corn tortillas (12).
  • Fajita Feast: oak-grilled prime beef and chicken fajitas (1 lb each), peppers and onions, chiles toreados, Mexican rice (quart), charro beans (quart), flour tortillas (12).
  • Vegan Fajita Feast: oak-grilled vegetable fajitas, white rice (quart), whole black beans (quart), homemade corn tortillas (12).

All meals are served with salsa, guacamole, chile con queso, chips, and dessert.


Orders must be received by 3pm on Nov. 30.
Billy's Blog - From our Head of School
“I can no other answer make, but, thanks, And thanks, and ever thanks.”
--William Shakespeare

“When you arise in the morning, give thanks for the food and for the joy of living.”
--Tecumseh

As we leave for the Thanksgiving break, I want to wish everyone a joyful and meaningful holiday. I hope you have time with family and friends, a chance to rest and restore, and of course, the opportunity to enjoy good food.

In some ways, Thanksgiving forces us to set aside time to reflect and express gratitude for the blessings in our lives. In a perfect world, we would do this daily, but life can get pretty busy; in the frenzy of rushing to work, driving our children to extracurricular activities, making meals, and taking care of the other chores in our lives, we can neglect to say “thank you.” It’s perfectly understandable. Fortunately, Thanksgiving reminds us to slow down and recognize all the things for which we can be grateful.

Important events and notes
Book Fair Wrap up
From Librarian Mrs. Vilagi:

Our new library hosted a VERY successful first book fair, total sales were just under $12,000...a Keystone book fair record! Our profit will be used to buy new books and a few comfy chairs for the library.

Thank you, teachers, for bringing your students to create wish lists and for encouraging and allowing them to shop during the school day. It was great to welcome students from all divisions into the library!

And thank you to parents for supporting your students in their love of reading.

I'm in the planning stages for a spring book fair. More information to come later.
College Night for Juniors - Dec. 1
From Ms. Christiansen:

Juniors and their family members are invited to attend Junior College Night on Dec. 1 at 6:30pm. This event will take place via Zoom.

Details shared from Ms. Christiansen by email.
Gingerbread workshop returns to campus on Dec. 11
Keystone's annual Gingerbread Workshops returns to campus this year!

It's taking place from 9-10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11. Click here or on the flyer for to purchase your kit.
Alumni Basketball Game - Dec. 17
Calling all Keystone Alumni!

The Annual Alumni Basketball Game is back on this year, and we can’t wait to play! Scheduled for Friday December 17, the game will be held from 5:30pm to 7:30pm, with a social on campus afterword from 7:30pm-9:00pm.

Please register at the link below to both play and spectate. We are looking forward to seeing you!

Hold the Date: Keystone Food and Drink Festival
We are excited to announce this year’s spring fundraiser, the new Keystone Food and Drink Festival. The funds raised through the Food and Drink Festival will support Keystone’s general operating budget that provides vital funding for our students, faculty, and campus. 

This event will be held on the evening of Friday, March 25, 2022, so be sure to mark your calendars!
Reminder: Current Keystone families have priority admissions for new Little School applicants
From Mrs. Banks:

Dear Keystone Families,

I hope you are all doing well!

I wanted to bring to your attention that applications for the Little School are now open! Please note that we have priority admissions for new Little School applicants only, and we give decisions in December. If you have a child that will turn three years old by August 1, 2022, please submit an application as soon as possible so we can schedule your child for a play date. If you have any questions at all please do let me know!

All my best,
Andrea Banks
Director of Enrollment Management
Keystone online store now open
Snag your Keystone swag at our new online store: KeystoneSchoolStore.com.

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.
Support Keystone while you shop
If you're getting school supplies or adding to your home office from either Office Max or Office Depot, please mention Keystone. As part of the Give Back to Schools program, the stores give 5% of the purchase price of qualifying school supplies in credits to Keystone for office supplies. Be sure to include the school's ID number when you make your purchase. Keystone's school number is: 70100727.
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.
We want to hear from you!
If you have news to share about the students, alumni, faculty or staff at Keystone School, please send it to: etijerina@keystoneschool.org.
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