Extra, Extra Prep

 

We would love to offer you TWO extra hours of prep this trimester! Extra, Extra Prep will be available the week of May 13-17 and May 20-24. We hope this will help you tackle some of your EOY tasks (postcards, grade level welcome letter, class list spreadsheet, performance goals, etc.)

Please note:

       ·        This is optional. You are not required to take an extra prep.

       ·        This is for salary staff, however, if an hourly staff needs additional time, please see your dean.

       ·        We will do our very best to make sure that you get your prep(s), however, if too many people call off on a particular day, we may need to reschedule your extra prep.

       ·        It’s our desire to do this at least once a trimester as long as subs are available and are thrilled that we are able to do this TWICE this trimester.

 

If you are a salary staff member and would like to have an extra hour of prep, please follow the steps below.

     1.    Click on this sign-up sheet by 3:45 on May 1.

     2.    Choose your extra prep(s) by selecting the May 13-17 OR May 20-24 tab on the bottom. 

     3.    Pick one OR two time slots.

     4.    You may select both time slots on the same day, week, or different days, different weeks. There are no rules for scheduling.

     5.    Prepare lesson plans for a sub.

The finalized schedule will be emailed Friday, May 3. We love doing these EXTRA, EXTRA things for you!

Bereavement Policy

It saddens me that so many of you have been experiencing loss recently. My heart goes out to each of you. To assist you with the process, please note NHA’s bereavement policy here. While I know that grief is not measured by specific relationships or time, something important to note is only the following qualify under bereavement:

    ·      Spouse/domestic partner

    ·      Child/stepchild

    ·      Parent/stepparent

    ·      Mother-in-law/father-in-law

    ·      Sibling/in-law

    ·      Grandparent/in-law

    ·      Grandchild

    ·      Relative residing in household

    ·      Aunt or uncle

    ·      Niece or nephew

Lastly, the leadership team does not give final approval for bereavement. You need to submit this paperwork with your dean’s signature to NHA for approval. Let us know if you need anything during these difficult times. We are here for you.  

Compassion Bingo

 

It’s time to turn in your completed bingo cards. If you completed a row (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) of compassion activities you will receive one raffle ticket or if you completed the entire board, you get 5 raffle tickets. Please turn those in by 8 AM on Monday, April 29. I will be drawing 6 winners during Friday’s assembly. You can only win once.

Don’t forget the prize is a $50 gift card to either SpaFinder, Fandango, Dicks, Barnes & Nobles, Starbucks, or Amazon (your choice).

Thank you for spreading compassion throughout our school and strengthening our school’s culture. You are the reason that Keystone is a great place! 

ABCDE Goals-Behaviors

 

Thank you to everyone for continuing to support one of our school goals, “Teachers will ensure all students receive at least one positive behavior (affirmation) in MyNHA per trimester.”

We are halfway through Trimester 3, so I hope that you have recognized at least half of your students. As you know, once the trimester ends, you cannot go back to add a behavior and with this being the last trimester of the school year, you cannot make it up later. There are approximately 60 school days in each trimester, I hope that you are able to find something positive at least one of those days. Thank you for modeling and leading positive reciprocity. What you give is what you get!

Recess Supplies

 

The PTO is providing us with funds to purchase a few recess items/supplies to last us until the end of the school year. Please speak with your homeroom students and fill out this form by Wednesday, May 1. I will use this as my shopping list.

ABCDE Goals-Attendance

 

Congratulations to Ms. Robinson’s class for spelling the word ATTENDANCE.

Affirmations

 

Ellen, Andria, and Cindy for allowing me to put you on the spot and being vulnerable and transparent.   

Stacey Reed, Tameka, Robyn, and Alex for spending countless hours diving into data to make informed decisions.

Lisa for assisting me with counting. Your efforts support Staff Appreciation Week.

Steve, Tracy, Alex, Emily, Xavier, and Diane for spending your evening dancing the night away with our middle school students.   

Tracy for sharing your Excel wisdom with me.

Stacey Ramirez for once again going above and beyond to support our enrollment efforts. Thank you for using your creative talents to enhance our postcards.   

Tracy and Xavier for sharing your musical talents with our band students. I love how you spent your time having fun with our students. Great relational capacity!

Stephanie and Stacey Ramirez for making sure my children get to eat while I am in meetings. I truly do appreciate it. More than you know.

Stacey Reed for making my morning brighter…once again!

Andria, Mario, Cindy, and Ellen for organizing, setting up, and running the book fair. You made dreams come true.

Amanda for persevering with ordering NJHS supplies.

Danielle for providing an extra post for social media. Thanks for highlighting great things that you are doing in your classroom.

John for checking in on me. That really meant a lot.

Nikki for just being a sweetheart. Thank you for buying me lunch “just because.” Your thoughtfulness overwhelmed me. 

Andria and Tameka for assisting with M-STEP testing environments. Thank you for devoting your time to support our students.   

Happy Birthday

 

There is a special gift in the mailboxes of all the people who celebrate their birthdays in May!

This Week

 

Tuesday, April 30

    ·      Social Media Post Due to Jorvonna-7^th Grade

    ·      Staff PD 4-5 PM

Wednesday, May 1

    ·      5^th Grade Breakfast

Thursday, May 2

    ·      Purple Club

Friday, May 3

     ·       Payday Breakfast-7^th & 8^th Grade

Important Dates

 

May 6-10: Staff Appreciation Week

May 7: SLT Meeting 3:50-4:20

May 8: Perfect Attendance Rewards

May 8: Arts, Beats, & Sweets (Y5s-3^rd Grade)

May 9: Arts, Beats, & Sweets (4^th-6^th Grade)

May 10: Amanda’s Birthday

May 10: Theresa’s Birthday

May 10: IAT Meetings (K-8)

May 10: Morning Assembly Presentation Due (Asian Pacific American Month)-Layton

May 10: MS Bowling Mixer (5^th-7^th Grade) 5-7 PM

May 13: NJHS Induction Ceremony 6-7 PM

May 14: Staff Meeting

May 14: Staff Meeting Snacks-Specials

May 14: Spring Band Concert (Bethany Church) 6 PM

May 15: Dress Down $1.00 and Hat $1.00

May 17: Senior Walk Assembly

May 17: Payday Breakfast-6^th Grade

May 17: Morning Assembly Presentation Due (Asian Pacific American Month)-Walczak

May 24: Spirit Day $1.00

May 24: Morning Assembly Presentation Due (Mental Health Awareness Month)-Holowicki

May 24: Y5s-8^th ORF Benchmarking 3

May 27: No School-Memorial Day

May 28: PLC (Team) Meeting 4-5 PM

May 29: Amy’s Birthday

May 29: Robyn’s Birthday

May 31: Field Day

May 31: Payday Breakfast-Kinder  

May 31: Social Media Post Due to Jorvonna-8^th Grade

*If you have an event to add or something has been forgotten, please let me know!

Teachers and Deans Share a Special Bond

Check out our second short video. In this video staff and deans respond to the question, “How do teachers and deans share a special bond?” 

Staff Fun-Compassion Bingo

If you have the bingo pattern, airplane, on your bingo card completed by 4 PM on Monday, see me to receive an additional raffle ticket.

As a reminder, you may show compassion towards others, but majority of your bingo card should be completed by Keystone staff. Don’t forget to have your compassion recipient (colleague) sign their initials on your card and include the date. 

Professional Development

 

As you know, the leadership team used your feedback when designing our ½ day PDs. We are using our ½ day PD on Wednesday for professional development AND additional prep/planning time. You will spend half of the time with our C&I specialist exploring unit unpacking. You can use the other 1 ½ hour to prep/plan at your discretion. However, all staff must remain in the building until we launch you 3:30 PM from the gym.  See the schedule here.

We hope the additional 6 hours of prep that our half days provided this school year reaffirms that “you matter!” As you know, the leadership team loves using your feedback to make our school better!   

ABCDE Goal-Attendance

Congratulations to Ms. Walczak’s class for spelling the word HERE. 

Affirmations

 

Jen D, Monique, and Stacey Reed for providing our first EL night to our special population families. 

Megan, Falak, and Amanda for opening up your classrooms to visitors. Thank you for showcasing wonderful instruction.  

Tameka for all the hard work that you have done with M-STEP.

Robyn for creating a new behavior document that we can utilized as a leadership team.  

Alex, Stefanie, Mandy, Jessica W, Lisa, Kim B, Flo, Theresa, and Megan for hosting kinder camp AGAIN. Thank you for all your efforts with our 24-25 enrollment.  

Alex for following up with our families about enrollment decisions.  

Ja’Rayl for providing our students with more sport options this school year. I am so impressed with you consistently finding ways to engage our students athletically.  

Jen H for dealing with a difficult parent while doing a difficult job.  

Stacey Reed for being consistent with Talent Spot. Your commitment doesn’t go unnoticed and will greatly benefit us next school year.

Ja’Rayl, Emma, Jessica G, John, Ellen, Cindy, Andria, Mario, Tameka, Alex, Robyn, Stacey Reed, and Jen H for weathering the storm during dismissal. Thank you for having a positive attitude while dealing with rain, wind, and slow-moving students.

Alex for handling A LOT of student behaviors from different hallways.

Lisa for my sweet treat! It put a smile on my face.

Mandy for the certificate. It made my day.    

This Week

 

Monday, April 22:

     ·      Office Staff Appreciation Week

Tuesday, April 23:

     ·      Book Fair (April 23-25)

     ·      Team PLC Meeting

Wednesday, April 24:

     ·      ½ Day-Staff PD

Friday, April 26:

     ·      Spirit Day & Popcorn $1 each

     ·      Progress Reports

Important Dates

 

April 22-26: Office Staff Appreciation Week

April 22-25: Book Fair

April 23: Team PLC Meeting

April 24: ½ Day-Staff PD

April 26: Spirit Day & Popcorn $1 each

April 26: Progress Reports

April 29: Morning Assembly Presentation Due (Mental Health Awareness)-Reaume

April 30: Social Media Post Due to Jorvonna-7^th Grade

April 30: Staff PD 4-5 PM

May 1: 5^th Grade Breakfast

May 2: Purple Club

May 3: Payday Breakfast-7^th & 8^th Grade

May 6-10: Staff Appreciation Week

May 7: SLT Meeting 3:50-4:20

May 8: Perfect Attendance Rewards

May 8: Arts, Beats, & Sweets (Y5s-3^rd Grade)

May 9: Arts, Beats, & Sweets (4^th-6^th Grade)

May 10: Amanda’s Birthday

May 10: Theresa’s Birthday

May 10: IAT Meetings (K-8)

May 10: Morning Assembly Presentation Due (Asian Pacific American Month)-Layton

May 10: MS Bowling Mixer (5^th-7^th Grade) 5-7 PM

May 13: NJHS Induction Ceremony 6-7 PM

May 14: Staff Meeting

May 14: Staff Meeting Snacks-Specials

May 14: Spring Band Concert (Bethany Church) 6 PM

May 15: Dress Down $1.00 and Hat $1.00

May 17: Senior Walk Assembly

May 17: Payday Breakfast-6^th Grade

May 17: Morning Assembly Presentation Due (Asian Pacific American Month)-Walczak

May 24: Spirit Day $1.00

May 24: Morning Assembly Presentation Due (Mental Health Awareness Month)-Holowicki

May 24: Y5s-8^th ORF Benchmarking 3

May 27: No School-Memorial Day

May 28: PLC (Team) Meeting 4-5 PM

May 29: Amy’s Birthday

May 29: Robyn’s Birthday

May 31: Field Day

May 31: Payday Breakfast-Kinder  

May 31: April 30: Social Media Post Due to Jorvonna-8^th Grade

*If you have an event to add or something has been forgotten, please let me know!

Staff Fun-Compassion Bingo

If you have the bingo pattern, checkmark, on your bingo card completed by 4 PM on Monday, see me to receive an additional raffle ticket.

If you did last week’s pattern (four corners) then you would be at an advantage because you have already filled 2 of the spaces. You may show compassion towards others, but majority of your bingo card should be completed by Keystone staff. 

Don’t forget to have your compassion recipient (colleague) sign their initials on your card and include the date. 

Glint Survey

Per your vote, please do not forget to send your dean a screenshot of your completed survey (see image below). If we achieve 100% participation by 4:00 pm this Tuesday, April 16, staff can dress down the entire week of April 22.

School Goals-Best Practice

This will be our final week sharing best practices from your colleagues on ways that they live out our Core Value, “Make our school the best choice for parents and students.” I appreciate everyone’s approach to support our enrollment efforts to retain students. I am highlighting Danielle’s strategies below. 

Visitors Tuesday

 

NHA is piloting a new Classroom Framework (evaluation rubric), and they are seeking feedback from Keystone’s leadership team before they officially roll it out in the 2025-26 school year. As part of this process, they will be conducting classroom observations on Tuesday. Those who will be observed have already been contacted. Please give them a warm Keystone welcome if you see them in the hallway.   

Coffee Cart/Truck

 

MEEMIC will once again be providing us with a coffee truck/cart on Monday. Please come to the staff lounge between 7-9 AM to get a hot beverage. If you don’t have prep before 9AM, please make sure you get here early enough to get your beverage before 7:40. We don’t have anyone who can “deliver” beverages to classrooms.  

April 30 PD

 

On Tuesday, April 30, from 4-5 pm salary staff will be attending a training led by our own Jen DeMolen that will provide valuable strategies and resources from a recent training. These resources are directed towards teachers of all content areas. Through a special grant, we will be providing everyone with a $30 stipend for attending this required session. We feel confident you will find the hour valuable as we Connect WITH Content.

Affirmations

 

Sandy for helping me with the anchor charts. It means a lot to me that you just saw me and asked, “You want some help?”

Jen D for attempting to bring me a sweet treat. Thanks for thinking of me. I am going to try and do better with text messages.

Robyn for all the hard work that you have done with PSAT.

Robyn for onboarding 2 new staff members and making sure that they feel welcomed and prepared.

Jessica W for my cute gift that you got me. Thanks for the encouragement.

Emma and Jessica G for meeting with me again to make Arts, Beats, and Sweets grander than before. I love your creative ideas.

Emma and Emily for coming up with great ideas for the 2024-25 school year.

Diane and Emma for sharing a best practice with your colleagues during the staff meeting.

Stacey Reed for my morning surprise. It made my heart happy.

Tameka, Monique, Stefanie, Christina, Danielle, Kathleen, Kim J, and Kayla for attending our 3^rd-5^th grade Silent Dance. Thank you for spending the evening with our students.

Stacey Reed for seeing a need and filling a need. Thank you for assisting with setting up the gym for the 3-5 dance.

Stephanie for getting the staff lounge all set up for the board meeting. You have no idea how much of a lifesaver you were to me.

Stacey Ramirez, Tameka, Stacey Reed, and Alex for assisting me with verifying the final numbers for Family Feud.