Seniors announce decisions on College Day |
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One of the highlights of the Keystone experience happens in early May, when seniors parade around campus in their college shirts and declare decisions. After years of studying and work, the end of high school draws near.
This year's 32 seniors:
- Submitted 367 college applications
- Were admitted to nearly 90 unique institutions (some of these institutions admitted multiple KS students)
- Are enrolling at 19 different schools across the country, in 13 different states, districts or countries, with about 60% of seniors going abroad
- Were awarded a preliminary figure of $7.2 million in merit scholarships or need-based grants -- and counting
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Lower School Spring Fling returns to campus |
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The Lower School musical show, Spring Fling, returned to campus, with parents filling the stands in the Gym, while watching and recording the songs. This year, students in 3rd and 4th Grades performed.
Mr. Gonzales played keyboard and led the songs, while former Keystone teacher Ms. Jackie came back to teach the students some choreography to go with the songs.
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10th grader wins state golf title |
Congratulations to 10th grader Joshlyn for winning Keystone's latest state championship.
She placed first in golf in the TAPPS 3A division.
In late April, the team of (bottom photo from left) Alysa, Quincy, Abby, Faith and Joshlyn participated in the district golf tournament in Kerrville at Comanche Trace Golf Club.
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Middle schoolers win stock market contest |
Congratulations to the winners of a multi-school stock and budget challenge that included more than 200 students and faculty members from a couple of schools in the area.
This week, organizer Jose Molina of St. Mary's Hall (left in the photo) came to present gift cards to the winners:
Dr. LeBlanc - $225 (monthly and overall winner)
Ryan, 7th Grade - $225 (monthly and overall winner, second from left)
Sebastian, 8th Grade - $300 (placed in both stock and budget challenge, middle)
Austin, 8th Grade - $100 (second from right)
Inaayat, 8th Grade - $100 (right)
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10th grader places in poetry contest |
Congratulations to 10th grader Joanna for earning an Honorable Mention in Voices de la Luna poetry contest.
The judges in the contest, affiliated with a quarterly literary and arts magazine, selected five winners among the 150 entries.
Well done!
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Girls on the Run finishes with 5K race |
The Keystone chapter of Girls on the Run celebrated their culminating event last weekend during a citywide 5K race.
The organization runs a program designed to build confidence, kindness, and decision-making skills to girls in 3rd-5th grade by creatively integrating running.
Each school chapter creates a "community impact project," and the Keystone team decided to sell fun school supplies to raise funds for the University Children’s Hospital. In only two days of selling school supplies, they raised over $780 which will go toward improving the hospital experience for children who are sick.
The program will continue next year, and Mrs. Golando is in the process of adding Let Us Run, a running and social-emotional education program for boys in the 3rd through 8th grades, to Keystone Aftercare for the 2022-2023 school year.
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Second graders' play is out of this world |
Congratulations to the second graders on a fun and successful play, Patterns in the Sky. It teaches about the sun, moon, and stars
This year, Mrs. Trivizo's class and Mrs. Cook's class each delivered a performance.
Great job!
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Kindergarten visits Witte Museum |
This week, the kindergarteners visited the Witte Museum. For many of them, it was their first field trip ever.
Here's looking forward to many more education trips in the future.
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Billy's Blog - From our Head of School |
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“People are really listening and want to consume all of the content that is there and available. There’s a level of dedication that comes from podcast listeners that you don’t otherwise find. And now the numbers prove it. Podcasts aren’t a bubble, they’re a boom—and that boom is only getting louder.”
- Miranda Katz
The people on my evening walk route must have thought me even stranger than usual as I strolled through our neighborhood with a big grin on my face. Little did they know that I was listening to a fascinating conversation between two Keystone seniors discussing a variety of topics ranging from their research into possible cures for autoimmune diseases to how to make empanadas. From an academic perspective, the conversation intrigued me; as an educator, I beamed with pride and felt truly blessed to know these inspiring young people.
Last summer, Keystone Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications Edmund Tijerina approached me with an idea. He had taken a podcasting workshop on his own to learn more about them, and pitched creating one for Keystone that would be called Cobra Radio. Having been an avid podcast listener for over a decade, I wholeheartedly supported the idea. I could think of few, if any, better ways to convey the intellectual ferment that separates Keystone from other schools.
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Important events and notes |
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2022-2023 school calendar released |
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The calendar with major dates for the 2022-2023 school year is now available. The printable calendar includes the beginning and end of school, and days when school is not in session.
Upper School families: Exams are scheduled Dec. 12-16.
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Yearbook deadline extended |
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Don't miss your chance to order the yearbook! Purchase a yearbook at https://yearbookforever.com/ for $72.25. The deadline to reserve a yearbook has been extended to May 13.
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Chief Science Officer collecting tech items for school in Uganda |
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If you have used and working laptops, cell phones and/or iPads, please consider donating them to a school in Uganda.
One of Keystone's Chief Science Officers, eighth-grader Ariana, is hosting a tech drive to collect these tech items for students in Batwa Community School in Uganda. Schools in Uganda are primarily taught by missionaries from Europe; however, because of the pandemic, missionaries were unable to travel to teach. Furthermore, despite having an internet connection, students are unable to access online lessons because of the lack of electronic devices.
The collection will start on May 5th until May 25th. Students can bring devices to Mrs. Antuna's room in North Hall room 103. Click here or on the flier above for more information.
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NHS collecting items for Battered Women's & Children's Shelter |
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Keystone's chapter of the National Honor Society is holding a supply drive for the Battered Women & Children's Shelter from May 2-13. Boxes are posted around campus.
The shelter needs items such as baby formula, wipes, pull-ups and children's pajamas.
NHS thanks you for your support!
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K-6 parents' book tasting - May 18 |
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Librarian Mrs. Vilagi invites parents of rising K-6 students to come to the Library on May 18, at 8:30 a.m. for a book tasting. This is an event that allows parents to skim various books for a few minutes and get a sense of them, to help decide on which ones to select for summer reading. |
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Virtual Bulletin Board launches |
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Keystone and its PTO are working together to launch a virtual bulletin board to connect parents and students with various opportunities. We have three main projects:
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Help Wanted/Jobs Wanted Project connects parents who are looking to hire students for tasks such as babysitting and tutoring.
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Volunteering Opportunities connects parents who have volunteer opportunities with students who are seeking them.
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Shadowing Opportunities connects parents who are willing to host students for opportunities to shadow them in their jobs to learn more about career fields.
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PTO Elections - May 2-13
Officer elections will take place May 2-13. Get to know the parents who are volunteering their time to serve on the board by reading their bios here.
Current Keystone parents will receive via email a link to a ballot with a slate of officers early next week.
Please take time to read through the bios and vote!
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PTO General Meeting – May 10
Parents are invited to attend the PTO General Meeting on Tuesday, May 10th at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. Parents will receive an email with a link to the meeting.
The meeting will include an update from Head of School, Billy Handmaker, PTO updates, and guest speaker Dr. Erica Shapiro, Keystone Counselor.
Dr. Shapiro will present “Not Just COVID-19: How the Pandemic Unmasked the Mental Health Reality of American Youth” In her talk, she will discuss some of the newest data emerging regarding the pandemic and youth mental health, what that means as we move ever closer to post-pandemic life, as well as important information and steps to take to prioritize health and wellbeing in our children. The presentation will be followed by Q&A.
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Cobra Radio episode features senior Matthew |
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The upcoming episode of Cobra Radio features a visit with senior Matthew. This interview conducted by senior Shreya -- co-editor of The Keynote -- features a wide ranging conversation between two outstanding students.
Find this episode and subscribe on:
If you're searching for it on Apple Podcasts, type in "Cobra Radio" and "Keystone".
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Sign up now for Summer at Keystone programs |
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Registration is filling up for Summer progams at Keystone. Here are the offerings:
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Camp Cobra - Basketball/volleyball camp, for rising 3rd-8th graders - Camp filled
- Camp Hollywood - Film production camp, for rising 3rd-8th graders
- Sensational Science/Infinite Fun-Irrational Experience - Math and Science fun, for rising 5th-6th graders
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Little School Art and Science - for ages 3-8 at the Little School - Camp filled
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Cat Class - for rising 10th-12th graders, who have taken 9th grade Biology - Now open to Class of 2022
- Writing Workshop - for rising 6th through 9th grade students
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Get your Keystone gear now |
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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.
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Support Keystone while you shop |
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If you're shopping with Amazon, please use AmazonSmile |
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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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