Keystone launching school safety app | | |
|
7th graders visit Rockport, Coastal Bend
The 7th graders took their Outdoor Education trip to Rockport and the Coastal Bend this week.
While in Corpus the students visited the USS Lexington museum and took a tour of Corpus Christi Bay. In Rockport they learned more about the wildlife of Texas, learned to fish, participated in teambuilding exercises and took on some tough rope course challenges.
Click here for some photos from the trip.
| |
3rd grader raises money for cancer foundation and inspires others
Congratulations to third-grader Dylan, for leading a coin collection drive to raise funds for the cancer foundation Alex's Lemonade Stand.
After she heard about children who battled cancer, she decided to do something herself and spoke to homerooms in all of the Lower School grades to collect coins. Her efforts raised $2,011.17 to help cancer research.
Her efforts inspired three of her classmates -- Shreya, Aidan and Alisha -- to set up an actual lemonade stand in Phil Hardberger Park to gather donations.
Way to go!
| |
| |
|
4th grade leadership class creates new Lower School shirts
The 4th Grade leadership class has created a t-shirt for Lower School students, and it already looks like a hit.
This week, they distributed the t shirt, which features a new logo, the Baby Cobra.
This shirt is not for sale, but check our online merchandise store in the coming weeks. Shirts and other goodies featuring the Baby Cobra will soon be available.
| |
NHS members turn out for Light the Night walk
Keystone's chapter of the National Honor Society led the way and came out in force for the recent Light the Night walk.
The event, which took place last week at Hemisfair, supported the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.
With all the donations, Keystone students raised $1,786.00. Nice!
| |
| |
|
Lower Schoolers win chess tournament
Congratulations to (from left) third-grader Naman, fourth-grader Leo, third-grader Aidan and second-graders Asher and Eddie.
They won the school trophy for the Complete Chess beginners chess tournament earlier this month. The Keystone students beat four other schools to lift the trophy.
Terrific job!
| |
Lower School parents come to campus for picnic lunches
Just in front of Founders Hall, parents spread out picnic blankets to enjoy lunch with their children over the past few days.
This week, parents with children in kindergarten, 1st and 4th grades came out. The week of Oct. 17 will bring picnics for grades 2 and 3.
| |
| |
|
Keystone tech donations help students in Uganda
Last school year, many members of the Keystone community donated technology to schools in Uganda. Here’s an update on what happened to your donations:
The items went to schools that serve the Batwa people, one of the oldest surviving indigenous tribes in Africa. Their lands cover what are now several East African countries. They were kicked off their land in the early 1990s by the Ugandan government to protect the habitat of the endangered mountain gorilla.
Read more here
| |
Billy's Blog: From our Head of School | |
|
“Any institution’s alumni are key to its growth.”
-Shiv Nader
A day before performing with the San Antonio Philharmonic, internationally renowned violinist Nancy Zhou ‘11 returned to the stage where she gave her senior speech a decade ago. As she explained to an audience of students, parents, faculty and staff, the feeling of excitement and nervousness that accompanies public speaking and live performance never quite goes away.
Indeed, perhaps one of the most moving and reaffirming moments in her talk at Keystone came when a young student asked her if she still gets stage fright before performances. Her answer: “I’m nervous now!” She explained that stage fright is a real thing that should be acknowledged, but then “you have to work through it.” You could almost see the children’s shoulders relax with the understanding that even highly accomplished performers deal with anxiety when they perform.
We would like to offer a special thanks to Keystone alum Dr. Ian Thompson III ‘98, a SA Philharmonic Board member, for arranging her visit.
Read more here
| |
Important Events and Notes | |
Annual Fund parent drive moves into Week 3 | |
|
From Mrs. Villafranca:
Thanks to you, we are well on our way to a successful Annual Fund Parent Drive!
Last year, we surpassed the most in dollars raised and parent participation for Keystone’s Annual Fund at $371,370 and at 98.26% -- and are on track to match that participation and hit another milestone. So far, we have raised $111,051 and we are currently at 41.92%. If you have not made your commitment to Keystone’s Annual Fund, please do so as soon as possible. For families with children in different grades, one gift or pledge per family counts towards grade participation for each of the children.
|  | |
Successful fundraising programs like the Annual Fund allow for donations to go above and beyond the normal day-to-day operations. The Annual Fund helps to strengthen Keystone by providing necessary resources such as a new bus, enhances classroom space, supports students’ activities from providing resources for the theater department to supporting Academic World Quest National champions, funds technology improvements in each of the classrooms, defrays maintenance costs, helps to support families in need with tuition assistance, provides professional development for the faculty and staff and much more!
Please help us by donating now or making a pledge today at https://www.keystoneschool.org/donate/
If you prefer, you can make your pledge today and you have until May 31, 2022 (the end of Keystone’s fiscal year) to complete your gift. Do it knowing every dollar counts to help support our children at Keystone and the faculty and staff. Keep in mind, that the Annual Fund is separate from the Food and Drink Festival in March that also helps to support the general fund through ticket sales and sponsorships.
Please remember, if you would like to discuss additional opportunities to support Keystone and its mission, please contact me.
Adriana Villafranca
Director of Development and Alumni Relations
| |
PTO General Meeting - Oct. 17
From Keystone's PTO:
Please join us for the first PTO General Meeting of the school year on Monday, October 17 at 7:00 pm via Zoom.
The meeting will include a welcome from Head of School, Billy Handmaker, PTO updates, and guest speaker Dr. Erica Shapiro, Keystone Counselor.
Mr. Handmaker will also give a brief overview on campus security and various measures the school is taking to help keep our community safe.
President-elect Sumiti Green will detail where our community can find more information about the PTO via our webpage and discuss the pilot programs of our Virtual Bulletin Board: Help Wanted/Jobs Wanted, Volunteer Opportunities and Shadowing Opportunities.
Keystone's new Athletic Director, D'Andre Montgomery, will talk about the athletic highlights so far and upcoming new developments.
Dr. Shapiro will present "Building Empathy in Children: How and Why It Matters". The presentation will be followed by Q&A.
Parents will receive an email with a link to the meeting.
| | |
|
Student Council holding spaghetti sale - Oct. 21
It's time for the annual Spaghetti Lunch!
Each plate comes with spaghetti, carrots and ranch, garlic bread and lemonade. Plates cost $6, and proceeds help with the Upper School Fall Ball. Orders will be billed through RenWeb. A La Carte, salad bar and milk will be available for purchase through Cafeteria Services.
Download the spaghetti sale form here, or scan the QR code.
| |
Little School Admissions Open House - Nov. 6
Dear Keystone Families,
Our Little School Admissions Open House is on Sunday, November 6, from 2-4pm. At this event, you will be able to tour campus, meet teachers, current parents, and administrators, and hear about our accelerated program.
If you are interested in the 2023-2024 school year, children must be three years old AND potty-trained by the time school starts in August 2023.
Please RSVP here by Tuesday, November 1. The address to the Little School is 117 Valero Street. We look forward to seeing you!
If you have any questions, contact Director of Enrollment Management Andrea Banks.
| |
Save the Date - Feb. 3 - Spurs Keystone Night | |
|
Save the date: This year's Keystone Night at a Spurs game is Friday, Feb. 3, 2023 at the AT&T Center.
Come out and watch the Spurs take on the Philadelphia 76ers.
We'll share ticketing information when it becomes available.
| |
|
|
Monday, Oct. 17
2nd Period: Texas A&M- San Antonio - Virtual
4th Period: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (MA) - In-person
6th Period: Austin College (TX) - In-person
Tuesday, Oct. 18
4th Period: University of Oklahoma - In-person
6th Period: Emory University (GA) - Virtual
7th Period: University of Connecticut - In-person
Wednesday, Oct. 19
3rd Period: Washington University of St. Louis (MO) - In-person
5th Period: Grinnell College (IA) - In-person
8th Period: Trinity University (TX) - In-person
Thursday, Oct. 20
6th Period: Louisiana State University - In-person
Friday, Oct. 21
2nd Period: United States Naval Academy (MD) - In-person
3rd Period: Southwestern University (TX) - In-person
6th Period: St John’s College (NM) - Virtual
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.
| |
Cobra Radio podcast features alum Nia Clements '18 | | |
|
|
The next episode of Cobra Radio features Nia Clement '18. She talks about how she developed a cancer treatment for a Science Fair project, why she decided against an entrepreneurship track in college and how a note in the Keystone Communiqué led to a life-changing experience.
It goes live on Tuesday, Oct. 18.
Find this episode and subscribe on:
Spotify
Apple Podcasts
Google Podcasts
If you're searching for it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Google Podcasts, type in "Cobra Radio" and "Keystone".
| | |
Get your Keystone gear now | |
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 shopping with Amazon, please use AmazonSmile | |
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! | |
Follow Keystone on social media | | | | | |
