Kiker Comments April 12, 2022

• Upcoming Events
• This Week's Top News: Book Fair and Art Night
• Registration for 2022-23 and Optional Parent/Guardian Input
• Attendance
• Optional Parent/Guardian Input for 2022-23
• Lifetouch Class Pictures
• Student Council Movie Night
• Senior Walk
• CAC Applications are Open
• PTA News - Art Night, Family Dance, Help Needed / Board Openings
• April Staff Birthdays
• AISD News: Student and Family Surveys
• Around the Community - LASA Kids Dance Clinic, Scouts Open Pinewood Derby
• Summer Camps
• After School Care for 2022-23
• Repeated Information (from previous newsletters)
• Safety Patrol
• HSR Curriculum Information Night for the 2022-23 School Year
• Culture Celebrations
• Covid Testing Hub Information
• Early Pick Up Reminders
  
• Gorzycki Information for Current 5th Graders
• Lunch Menu
• All the Links to Everything You Need

April

12-14 - Book Fair

13 - Food Truck Night for the Book Fair 5-7 pm

15 - Student Holiday - Staff Development

19 - Class Picture Day

20 - Information Session regarding Updates to AISD's Human Sexuality and Responsibility Curriculum

21- Art Night and PTA General Membership Meeting 5:45 pm - 7:45 pm

22- Student Council Sponsored Movie Night

25 - College and Career Week (more info to come)

26 - Taco Tuesday Bluesday - Spirit Day and Torchy's Night

May

6 - Kiker Family Dance 6:00 pm on the Blacktop

10 - 3-5 STAAR Math

11 - 3-5 STAAR Reading

12 - 5th STAAR Science and Make ups for 3rd/ 4th (Math/Reading Tests)

13 - STAAR Make up day

17 - 2nd Grade Market Day

19 - Field Day

19 - Evening Kiker Keynotes Show

20 - 8:30 am Kiker Keynotes Show for Students

20 - 9:30 5th Grade End of Year Pool Party

24 - Taco Tuesday Bluesday - Spirit Day and Torchy's Night

27 - 5th Grade Commencement Ceremony

THE BOOK FAIR IS HAPPENING NOW! We have a huge selection of books and novelty gifts! Cash and credit cards gladly accepted at the fair. The fair is open all day for students all day everyday beginning at 7:20am. Public remaining shopping hours are as follows:

Tuesday: 3:15-4:30

Wednesday: 4:00-7:00pm FOOD TRUCK NIGHT

Thursday: 3:15-4:30

Food Truck Night happens tomorrow, Wednesday, April 13th from 4:00-7:00, with book fair shopping and eats provided by P. Terry's and Jim Jim's Italian Ices. For P. Terry's burgers you can purchase with cash or Venmo (cash preferred, if possible). Help us let P Terry's know an idea of how many meals to prepare and reserve your dinners here, or please join us last minute, too! Want to volunteer at Food Truck Night? We are still in need of book fair cashier volunteers and food ticket volunteers for a fun and easy shopping experience - sign up here!

Thank you so much for supporting the Kiker Library. 🙂

The Kiker Art Department is excited to announce that a school-wide student art show is coming soon! The art show will be available for the public to view during PTA's Art Night event on April 21 from 5:45 - 7:45 pm. Please join the fun and enjoy the student artwork!

Our goal is to have 80% or more of our families registered by April 29. We need your help!

ALL returning families, current grades PK through 5th grade, should register their students for the 2022-2023 school year by logging in to their AISD Portal account under the student registration icon. The online registration system is available only through the AISD Portal at portal.austinisd.org. Please update any information that has changed.

If you will not be returning to Bernice Kiker Elementary in 2022-2023 please contact Amy McGovern at amy.mcgovern@austinisd.org.

Please complete your registration as soon as possible as we will begin class placement soon.

Please send all attendance notes to the front office or email to amy.mcgovern@austinisd.org.

It is time to begin the lengthy process of placing each student into classes for the 2022-23 school year. Balancing classes for 775+ students is a huge task that is not taken lightly. We strive to create the greatest mix of students for each classroom based on many factors, including, but not limited to the following: academic needs, social and emotional skills, required special services, and diversity. While parent input is a valued piece of the puzzle, creating balanced classes also requires input from teachers, administrators, and counselors.

If you would like to provide information to be considered during the placement process, please complete the following form by April 22. The Googleform will no longer accept responses at 4:00 on 4/22.

CLICK HERE

If you choose to complete the form, please note the following:

• Completion of the form is optional—it is NOT required.
• Please do not request a specific teacher. Information should focus on your child and not on a specific teacher.
• These forms are valid for one year. Similar forms completed previously are not part of this year’s process.
• We respectfully request that you refrain from requesting placement with friends. Each child’s individual needs will be considered.
• Children are not placed with teachers based the teacher selected for an older sibling. Each child is unique and must be placed accordingly.
• Please do not ask any staff member to recommend a teacher or to arrange placement with a teacher.
• This form does not replace the registration process. You will still need to register your student. We cannot place children unless they are registered. If you have questions regarding this, please contact the Amy McGovern at 512-414-2584.
• Final placement will not be complete and classroom assignments will not go home until ­­­­­­­a few days prior to the start of classes due to students enrolling and withdrawing throughout the summer.

As always, let us know if you have any questions/concerns.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!

All Kiker Families are invited.

Student Council presents Movie Night! Doors open Friday, April 22 at 6:00 pm. Lilo & Stitch will start at 6:30 pm in the Kiker cafeteria. Admission is $2 per person-cash only. Concessions will be available for $1 per item. Bring your own blanket and/or small chair. Bring the entire family!

Proceeds from the movie night support the student council and fund their service project/gift to the campus for the end of the year.

Kiker's Campus Advisory Council is a committee of teachers, administration, parents, business and community representatives, and other campus staff. The mission of CACs is to promote excellence in education for all students through broad-based representation. Kiker’s CAC is in need of new members for the upcoming school year.

CACs provide valuable input to principals, who ultimately have decision-making responsibility for their campuses. Specific functions of CACs include providing review and comment on:

· Campus Educational Program

· Campus Performance

· Campus Improvement Plan

· Campus Staff Development Plan

· Campus-Level Waiver Requests to the State

· Campus Budget

Deadline for applications is Thursday, April 28, 2022.

Applications can be found here.

Email applications to KikerCAC@gmail.com by April 28, 2022. Kiker's CAC meets the first Monday of each month at 3:30pm. Email Katy Heisterman & Christina Haschke at KikerCAC@gmail.com with any questions.

We are so excited we can gather in-person again for this event! We’ll be joined by more than 15 amazing local artists who will perform, demonstrate, and lead hands-on opportunities.

Look for:

• Balance Dance Studio

• Typewriter Rodeo

• The Art Garage

• Life Ki Do Martial Arts

• Snapology

• And more!

Watch the PTA Facebook page for announcements about other special guest artists.

We are thrilled to host an outdoor dance party on Friday, May 6 from 6 to 8 pm for all of our Kiker Comets and their families. We will be dancing the night away with a live DJ on the blacktop! We hope you will join us for dancing, food, games and lots of fun!

Register here!

We are hosting our spring luncheon for all the teachers, administrators, and staff tomorrow, April 13th. We would love a few extra items to spoil the staff and show our appreciation for all they do to make Kiker so amazing every single day. Thank you for helping to make this a special event! Sign up to help here!

We are looking for volunteers to serve in the 2022-2023 school year for the PTA Executive Board and a variety of committees. Whether you're new to Kiker or have been around for a while, don't hesitate to check in with us. Chances are we have a position to fit your skillset and time availability! Contact us today at KikerPTAnomcom@gmail.com to learn more.

April

8 - Eileen Vasquez

9 - Kelly Meyer

15 - Georgea Siow

27 - Cynthia Gilliland

28 - Barbara Schaefer

The window for all three Austin ISD Climate Surveys (staff, student, and family) has been extended to Thursday, April 14, 2022. We believe this additional time will assist us in reaching our response goals across all three surveys (80% student response rate, 70% staff response rate, and 20,000 unique family responses across AISD).

https://surveys.panoramaed.com/austinisd/family/surveys?language=en

The Annual AISD Summer Theatre Series will be offered in-person this year at the AISD Performing Arts Center. Please share information with teachers and students.

Students of all experience levels are welcome to shine on stage during the free Summer Theatre Series program. Current 5th through 12th graders in Austin ISD are invited to try out for the program’s summer series.

The program dates are: June 6, 2022 through July 25, 2022. The Summer Theatre Series will feature The Addams Family musical production, Alice in Wonderland black box studio production, and the new Summer Theatre Series Rising Stars program—a one-week educational theatre camp that offers workshops in acting, dance, and voice.

Students interested in participating must register by April 13, 2022 and video auditions need to be submitted by April 15, 2022.

Link to registration, audition, rehearsal, and performance information: https://www.austinisd.org/arts

https://forms.gle/w6zNXbPYaPTziAaa9

This year we are encouraging 4th and 5th grade students to sign up for safety patrol for a two week block of time during the school year. Thank you for being a campus leader!

Students will drop backpack off in the front foyer/vestibule, sign in, grab a vest, and head out front. We need help waving cars to the front of the line, opening doors, and welcoming each child with a warm greeting or sending students off at the end of the day.

SIgn Up Genius Link

How To Video - This is the Training Video for Safety Patrol

Did you know that our campus announcements and videos highlight significant cultural events around the world? As a campus that celebrates the cultural diversity we have in our community, we love to feature how our Comets celebrate and what these events look like in real life.

Is there a special event for your culture coming up in the next month or two? Would you be willing to share how your family celebrates?

Please reach out to Cory Matheny if your family would be interested in putting together a 1-3 minute video to talk about any of these events (or others that we may have accidentally missed- list source: Nationaltoday.com) coming up in April or May:

Ramadan

Passover

Easter

Earth Day

Eid

Cinco de Mayo

Memorial Day

Kiker is a testing hub on site in Portable 6B daily. (FYI - there is no classroom on the 6A side of the portable.). The direct line is 512-841-7857, appointments are not accepted. This is a first come, first served process or, until they run out of tests for the day.

Why it matters: Research shows that the more people get tested, the safer everyone is from the spread of COVID-19. You’ll be able to access rapid antigen or PCR tests (when available) at 11 sites across Austin.

• Students and staff can get a test at will for any reason, whether you’ve been exposed or are just looking for peace of mind.
• Sites include: Travis, Northeast Akins, Norman-Sims, Pillow, Kiker, Eastside, Cunningham, Navarro, Blazier, McCallum .

• Testing will run 8 a.m. -2 p.m. Monday-Friday.

If you are picking your kid(s) up for an appointment it is helpful to notify the teacher in advance, including the approximate time you will be arriving. It helps things go smoother if students are ready to go and prepared with belongings if they are at recess or essential areas. We don't pull students out of class until the parent/guardian arrives, but we are happy to help get backpacks ready in advance.

Thank you.

Learn about Tiger Camp

Register with this link

At AISD Food Service, our top priority is to ensure all students have access to healthy, tasty meals. The country is dealing with a nationwide food service worker shortage, directly impacting AISD; we currently have over 100 open positions, in addition to managing COVID-19 protocols. Because of this, changes in school meal operations and menus may occur. Please note, any menu changes will not be reflected on www.SchoolCafe.com or on printed menus.

Cory Matheny - Principal

Alma Chapa Moore - Assistant Principal

Kelly Meyer - Assistant Principal

Email: cory.matheny@austinisd.org
Website: https://kikerelementary.org/
Location: 5913 La Crosse Avenue, Austin, TX, USA
Phone: 512-414-2584
Facebook: facebook.com/CMathenyPrincipal
Twitter: @KikerComets