A message about Keystone's mask policy |
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Dear Parents,
We hope you’re well, and you’re looking forward to a well-deserved Thanksgiving Holiday.
As you may have heard, many schools plan to go mask-optional after the Thanksgiving holiday or early in 2022 due to the lower level of COVID infection in the community and the access to vaccines for children 5 years old and above.
In last week’s Safety Committee meeting, we discussed whether we should go totally mask optional soon. We decided to maintain our current policy of universal indoor masking and mask optional outdoors for now.
We can revisit this decision in 2022, but currently, we’re staying the course.
We made this decision for the following reasons:
- Although the majority of students above age 12 who are eligible for the vaccine have received it, we still have students who have not been vaccinated for a variety of reasons. 91% of Upper School students and 60% of Middle School students 12 years old and above have provided proof of vaccination at this point. We hear anecdotally that many young children aged 5 and above are getting vaccinated, but it’s too early to know what those numbers will be.
- Several studies have predicted that this could be a particularly bad year for other respiratory illnesses such as the flu, RSV, and rhinovirus; we want to give people plenty of time to receive the COVID vaccine to reduce the threat of that disease and comorbidity.
- Colder weather may force more people indoors during the next few months than at other times of the year.
With the vaccine becoming more widespread, we may finally be seeing the light at the end of the COVID tunnel. However, we’re not there yet, and we don’t want to act precipitously.
As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask any of us.
Wishing you a healthy and happy Thanksgiving.
With gratitude and hope,
Billy Handmaker
Head of School
Penny Moyer, LVN
Monica Gutierrez, RN
School Nurses
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Varsity volleyball wins Area Champs, competing for spot in state tournament |
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Our varsity volleyball team keeps rolling! They dominated Austin Hill Country in three straight sets - 25-5, 25-14, 25-10 earning the title of Area Champs!
The next match will be the regional playoff round on November 12th at 6 p.m., against Tomball Rosehill Christian at Columbus High School, a neutral site.
The winner of this match will advance to the state semifinals near Waco on November 18th.
Let's go Cobras!
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Parents bring Diwali celebration to campus |
Several Keystone families graciously shared their time and organized a special celebration of Diwali on campus in the Quad.
The event focused mostly on Middle and Upper School students, and included henna tattoos, art activities, and explanations of the Festival of Lights that’s a major holiday for Hindus and Sikhs. It also included plenty of samosas and gulab jamun, the delicious syrup-soaked fried dough balls.
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Keystone alumni from years ranging from the late 60’s to just this year in May gathered via Zoom to hear about the growth, changes and developments at the school.
One even said she wished she could attend Keystone now!
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Little School students collect donations for Food Bank |
At the Little School, students begin learning about some of Keystone's core values of ethical growth and community involvement in their Helping Hands units.
Right now, the pre-kindgarten students are using their Helping Hands to collect food for the San Antonio Food Bank.
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Keystone dad shares Veterans Day lessons with Little School |
In honor of Veterans Day this week, Keystone dad and Army veteran Capt. Cooney visited the Little School.
Capt. Cooney delivered a presentation to the young ones explaining a bit about the history of Veterans Day, how the different branches of the military work, and a bit about his own military career.
The young ones thanked him for his visit and his service to the country. So do Keystone grownups.
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Video of A Midsummer Night's Dream now up |
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If you weren't able to catch the Upper School production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" in person, take some time to watch the video. The students did a great job.
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Billy's Blog - From our Head of School |
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“Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone”
Joni Mitchell
Driving home two weeks ago on Friday night, October 29, I felt suffused with gratitude. A day of Halloween festivities capped off by the 7/8th Grade play reminded us yet again how much we had missed since March 2020 and how good it felt to return to some form of normal. Even though all of the events contained some new COVID-related protocol, we held traditional celebrations in person which in of itself seemed huge after the past year and a half.
Greeting parents on campus to observe the Little and Lower School Halloween parades reaffirmed the importance of these gatherings to the Keystone community. The children’s excitement to march in their costumes was matched by the pride and joy of parents seeing them in person rather than via Zoom. The rest of the day included festivities in every division from games and partaking of shaved ice to the high school cake decorating and filmmaking competitions. Finally, seeing the Middle School play in the Theater rather than on a screen provided the coup de grace for an incredible day.
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Important events and notes |
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Please mark your calendars for Friday, November 19 -- it's an early dismissal day on both campuses, and there will be no aftercare.
Main Campus: Please make sure to pick up your children early that day. Kindergarten and First Grade begin pick up at 11:45 a.m. One important note: Parking in the La Fonda lot is not allowed that day, so parents need to stay in their cars in the pick up line.
Little School: Carpool line begins at 11:45 a.m. The Little School will not have lunch or Aftercare/EDP that day.
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From Ms. Christiansen:
San Antonio Private & Independent School College Fair
Date: Thursday, Nov 18
Time: 7:00-8:30pm
Location: Antonian College Prep High School, 6425 West Ave, San Antonio, 78213
Who: open to all 9-12 students & families
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College Night for Juniors - Dec. 1 |
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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.
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La Fonda on Main takeout fundraiser - Dec. 3-4 |
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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, toreados, mexican rice (quart), charra 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.
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Gingerbread workshop returns to campus on Dec. 11 |
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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 more information.
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Alumni Basketball Game - Dec. 17 |
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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!
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Hold the Date: Keystone Food and Drink Festival |
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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!
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Reminder: Current Keystone families have priority admissions for new Little School applicants |
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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
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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.
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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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