If you're traveling this holiday weekend
Dear Families,

Easter weekend is coming up and we would like to take a few moments to review our policies for families who are traveling. We also have other long weekends in April, so please keep these policies in mind if you’re considering any travel plans next month.

Right now, the CDC is recommending that people delay traveling whenever possible.

If you are traveling, here are some of the updated guidelines from the CDC:
  • If you are eligible, please get fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Please wait 2 weeks after getting your second vaccine dose to travel—it takes time for your body to build protection after any vaccination.
  • Please get tested with a viral test 1-3 days before you travel. Please keep a copy of your test results with you during travel in case you are asked for them. Do NOT travel if you test positive.
  • Please check travel restrictions before you go.
  • Please do not travel if you test positive. Please isolate yourself immediately, and follow public health recommendations.
  • Please get tested again with a viral test 3-5 days after flying commercially and stay home and self-quarantine for a full 7 days after travel, even if your test is negative. If you don’t get tested, please stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.
  • If you are traveling internationally, please know that all travelers are required to show a negative test for COVID-19 before being allowed back into the country. This includes people who have received a vaccine or have tested positive for antibodies.
  • If you’re driving and are able to avoid contact with other people on your trip, and based on CDC guidelines, we would ask you to please contact the Nurses’ office to discuss your trip, so we can discuss whether getting tested is appropriate for your family.

Reminders for travel in general from the CDC: 
  • Please avoid crowds and stay at least 6 feet/2 meters (about 2 arm lengths) from anyone who did not travel with you. It’s important to do this everywhere — both indoors and outdoors. 
  • Please wear a mask over your nose and mouth when in public settings. Masks are required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations.
  • If there are people in the household who did not travel with you, please wear a mask and ask everyone in the household to wear masks in shared spaces inside your home for 14 days after travel.
  • Please wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
  • Please avoid being around people who are at increased risk for severe illness.
  • Please watch your health and beware of COVID-like symptoms. 

If you received the vaccine, it’s still important for you to continue wearing a mask, and maintain physical distancing. This is because we still don’t know how well the vaccines protect against new COVID variants and how well the vaccines keep people
from spreading the disease.

Overall, the Keystone community has responded admirably over the past year to COVID. As a result, we have seen an extremely low rate of infection in our community, and up to now, there’s been no transmission within our school. We have about a month and a half left of this school year. Let’s continue the great work we have done up to now, so we can keep everyone in our community safe and healthy. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Nurse Penny or Nurse Monica. 
 
We wish you a restful, healthy, and safe holiday.

With hope,
Billy

Billy Handmaker
Head of School

Monica Gutierrez, RN
School Nurse

Penny Moyer, LVN
School Nurse
Little School hosts Middle School Field Day
This time last year, middle schoolers couldn't have an in-person Field Day, so this year's event was extra sweet.

It took place behind the Little School, just a quick walk from the main campus.

Students in fifth and sixth grades had their events in the morning, while seventh and eighth graders did theirs after lunch.
Four juniors qualify for state tennis tournament
Congratulations to our tennis team, especially the four juniors who qualified for the upcoming state tournament.

Our players competed in the TAPPS 3A District Tennis Tournament at the HEB Municipal Tennis Center in Kerrville.
5th/6th graders take Outdoor Education field trips
Instead of an overnight Outdoor Education trip, our 5th and 6th graders had a chance to use San Pedro Springs Park as the backdrop for a one-day outdoor education outing.

The 5th graders went last Friday, while the 6th graders went on Monday.
Fourth-grader’s poem featured on Briscoe Museum website 
Congratulations to fourth-grader Pia, who now has a poem that's featured on the website of the Briscoe Western Art Museum.

Her poem won the youth category of the museum's Ekphrastic Poetry Contest for National Poetry Month 2021.
David Howk ' 17 visits with 4th Grade Leadership
David Howk ' 17, who will graduate from Texas A&M this summer, visited with 4th Grade Leadership.

He is a Keystone lifer and shared thoughts about conservation and sustainability.
Little School students hop on the bus
This week, the students at the Little School had a chance to board a bus and take a short ride around their campus.

Of course they sang "The Wheels on the Bus."
A personal note from Mr. Handmaker

Dear Parents, 

Ever since we returned from Spring Break, you may have noticed that my face is very red and looks like an extremely bad sunburn. At drop-off, one child said, to his mom’s chagrin, “my mom wanted me to ask what is wrong with your face?” I have received many similar questions from other students and families. 

I want to thank you for your concern and tell you what’s going on. I recently went to a dermatologist, who diagnosed and treated some precancerous lesions. As part of that treatment, I have to apply a medication that irritates my skin and turns it red.

I’m also sharing this information in hopes that we all learn from my previous mistakes. My skin damage stemmed, in part, from a lifetime of cycling, hiking and playing sports with a baseball cap rather than a full-brimmed hat, and intermittent use of sunscreen. 

As we move into spring and summer, please have children wear hats and apply sunscreen so they don’t experience sunburn and skin damage. We don’t want our children to have to do this kind of treatment one day in the future.

Wishing you and your children good health,

Billy
Order your dinners now!
Instead of an in-person gala, our Spring Fundraiser this year invites you to support Keystone with a great dinner at home! Special thanks to Keystone parents Chad and Kate Carey, owners of Barbaro, for this wonderful partnership.

Follow these three simple steps:

Step 1: Click here for the order form and select your choice of:

  • Vegetarian Eggplant Bolognese lasagna with kale salad, focaccia, and dessert 
  • Porchetta over creamy polenta with kale salad, focaccia, and dessert
  • Choice of two pizzas, kale salad, and dessert. 

Add a bottle of wine (red, white or rosé) for $10
 
Decide what time and day you want to pick up your order. Place your order by April 6.

Step 2: Pick up your order from Barbaro

Step 3: Take your order home and enjoy!
Billy's Blog - From our Head of School
“There is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.” Amanda Gorman

What a wonderful surprise to return to my office after a series of meetings and find a poem by 6th grader Nidhi on my desk! I felt both honored that she would share it with me and awed that a student this young would produce such a beautiful piece of work. I was so impressed with the poem that with her permission, I am sharing “We Will Rise” below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. 
Registration open for Keystone summer camps
Registration for Camp Cobra is full and accepting names for a waitlist. A few spots are open for Camp Hollywood and for the online math enrichment for rising 5th and 6th graders.

Click on the flier below to register.
Important events and notes
Spring Book Fair - April 19-May 2
From Mrs. Denny:

The Keystone Online Spring Book Fair opens April 19 and runs through May 2. You’ll find books for all ages, K through 12th grade, and the books ship directly to you, the purchaser. The library earns rewards toward book purchases for our shelves, so support our growing K-12 library with your book fair orders. Have a great summer of reading!
Keystone gear available at Vivroux Sports
Get your Keystone gear with a quick visit to Vivroux Sports.

On their retail floor, they have:

  • White and Black Adidas hats
  • White Comfort Color t-shirts in all sizes adult and youth
  • Adidas grey and white t-shirts some youth and adult sizes
  • Cardinal and black full and 1/4 zip Adidas jackets in select adult sizes
  • And a few Adidas black polos

Vivroux Sports is open 10am-5pm Monday-Friday, at 2222 Breezewood, just off New Braunfels Ave. north of the McNay Museum.
Plan your hot lunch schedule


For more information, including how to load your account go to:
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.
Follow Keystone on social media