Kiker Comments November 9, 2021

• Thank You
• Upcoming Events
• Attendance Notes
• Kiker is an SEL Seed Model Campus
• PTA News: Veterans Day Wall of Honor & Yearbook
• Announcements
• Library Update
• Original Art
• Health Office - Vision and Hearing Screenings, Acanthosis Nigricans Screenings
• Coats for Kids
• AISD News - COVID Testing Hubs, Dual Language, Family Academy
• 5th Grade Family News
• November Staff Birthdays
  
• Get to Know the Staff
• Repeated Information (from previous newsletters)
• Quarantine and Ill Person Requirements for Return
• After School Programs
• All the Links to Everything You Need

November

5 - 16 Original Art Orders

16 - Drills - Hold, Shelter, Evacuation

22 - 26 - No School, Thanksgiving Break

December

17 - Last Day with Students before Winter Break

January 2022

3 - Winter Break

4- PD Day, Staff Only

5 - First Day Back for Students

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

We were selected as an SEL Seed Model Campus for identifying goals and objectives that reflect a growth mindset and promote on-going action research driven by campus data.

Two more days to include your Veteran on our Wall of Honor

Honor a Veteran in your life by adding them to our Wall of Honor.

Just turn in a turn in a piece of red, white, or blue paper (any size) with the following information:

• Title: <Student’s name/family name> honors <Veteran’s name>

• Photo of Veteran

• Date of birth and date of death (if deceased)

• Any other information you would like to add

OR any artwork thanking all veterans! (Here is a link to a coloring sheet on our Facebook page.)

Drop off your submission at the front office by Wednesday, November 10.

We earned it together, now let's spend it together! PTA Members (including staff, parents, and community members) are invited to apply for PTA funds for projects, services, and ideas benefitting the Kiker community. Please submit your grant applications through this form by December 10. Grant applications will be ranked as a high, medium, or low priority based on the considerations described in the application, then voted on by the PTA Executive Board at its December 12 meeting. Funding decisions will be communicated to applicants on or before December 14, 2021. Requested items or services must align with the Kiker PTA mission "To make every child's potential a reality." Every effort is made by Kiker PTA to be fair and equitable when considering grant applications. While the PTA would like to honor all requests for funds, we give preference to funding requests that will impact as many Kiker students, families and faculty as possible, with consideration given to those that provide a longer-term benefit.

Kiker Yearbook Sale

Buy your yearbook between November 1 – November 14 to get the lowest price of the year!

Go to Jostens.com to order today.

Email questions to kikercometsyearbook@gmail.com

Thank you so much to everyone for supporting the Kiker Library and attending the Jungle Book Fair last week. If you still would like to make purchases and get those holiday gifts done early this year, you can still shop the online Kiker Book Fair until Nov. 10th @ www.scholastic.com/bf/kiker

Thanks again!

Ashley Cross, Librarian

The sale, benefitting the Kiker Art Department, will run through this week and end Tuesday, November 16th. Orders placed during the 5th -16th dates will arrive before the winter break. Orders after the 16th may not make it back before the holidays, but they will ship out later.

Please celebrate your child's creativity! They are great young artists that put a lot of hard work into their art. Thank you and enjoy! Don't hesitate to get in touch with Ms. Swint at danielle.swint@austinisd.org with questions regarding the art fundraiser.

On going: Screenings for Acanthosis Nigricans for 1st, 3rd, and 5th Graders

On going: Vision and hearing screenings for Pre-K 4, Kindergarten, Grades 1, 3, and 5, and any new student to Austin ISD.

Coats for Kids, sponsored by the Junior League of Austin in collaboration with Austin ISD, is so excited to provide winter coats to students across the district! Along with Jack Brown Cleaners, KVET and KVUE, The Junior League of Austin will provide more than 30,000 coats to Central Texas children.

To receive a coat, AISD students who qualify for free and reduced-price lunch services can register by filling out this form in English or Spanish. No documentation is needed.

The form will close on Friday, Nov. 12. Please remember that families need to complete one form per child.

Coats will be delivered to AISD campuses before Winter Break.

Starting Nov. 1, students and staff will have access to a free rapid antigen testing program through a new partnership with Concentric by Ginkgo. Kiker is a hub and has Concentric Staff on site in Portable 6B daily. (FYI - there is no classroom on the 6A side of the portable.). The direct line to schedule is 512-841-7857.

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.

Yes, but: Only students with completed consent forms can get a test. Consent form via QR code above.

• This is an opt-in program, so no one will participate if they don’t want to.

Completing the consent form takes about five minutes on a computer or smartphone.

• When completing the consent form, use this code: AISDTEST
• If you have more than one child, please complete the form for each one.

Dive deeper: For more information, visit Concentric by Ginkgo’s website, reach out to our Let’s Talk portal or send a text to 512-886-6434.

Our community partners, district leaders, and the Office of Equity invite you and your school communities to attend Community Retreat #5 on November 9th from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM. As we continue to work to identify and implement solutions to eliminate racial disparities in discipline, we will hear from Drs. Elizalde and Hawley about this past year’s work, hear updates from our six work groups, and learn about the history of Austin ISD’s student code of conduct and the implications for our work together. Please share with your school community and join us via Zoom.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/95977727740?pwd=QkplZE5HODRqWGordFZJTmNrQ3ZiUT09

Meeting ID: 959 7772 7740

Passcode: 176344

One tap mobile

+13462487799,,95977727740# US (Houston)

+12532158782,,95977727740# US (Tacoma)

Dial by your location

+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

Meeting ID: 959 7772 7740

Join by Skype for Business

https://zoom.us/skype/95977727740

Calling all current and future middle school families. Mark your calendars for our Middle School Fair on November 13. https://www.austinisd.org/calendar/events/2021/11/13/middle-school-fair

Why it matters: Our middle schools offer a bundle of diverse and innovative programs that your child can take advantage of. Programs include athletics, fine arts, dual language, STEM, tech and film, after-school clubs, and more.

This year's fair is location has been changed to Eastside Early College High School.

• You’ll learn about our programs offered across our 19 middle schools, enjoy performances from talented students, and meet with other students, families and staff from our middle schools.

Greeting from Lively Middle School!

Please join us for our in-person Prospective Parent Night, Tuesday, November 9th from 6-7:00 pm in the Lively Cafeteria to learn about our Law, Humanities and Global Studies Magnet Program and our Spanish Dual Language program.

Please also remind families that the deadline for Magnet applications is January 7th, 2022. Students applying to the Magnet program will need to register for and attend one essay testing session. These will be on the Lively campus on the following dates:

• Saturday, December 4th
• Last Names A-L 9:00-10:00 am
• Last Names M-Z 11:00 am-Noon
• Saturday, December 11th
• Last Names A-L 9:00-10:00 am
• Last Names M-Z 11:00 am-Noon

Students applying to the Magnet Program will also need to record and submit a virtual interview. All information is on our website, including a flipgrid link with a sample interview and assessment rubric.

Please find the Magnet pages of our website here with all information, thanks so much!

https://lively.austinschools.org/our-programs/magnet/enrollment



How to Apply to the Magnet Program for the 2022-2023 School Year. | Lively Middle School - Lively Middle School | Home of the Humanities and Law Magnet

Thank you for your interest in the Lively Magnet Program! Our online application is now live and at the bottom of this page. Please apply after you have read through the information. Please note there are two steps to applying-be sure you do both to receive all information. You can find detailed information on the testing process on the Admissions Testing page.

lively.austinschools.org

6 - Mindy Farmer

25 - Candace Cotten

25 - Danielle Swint

Each week we will feature a few staff members. This week we are featuring our two new counselors!

Quarantine:

Day 0 is the last date of exposure.

Day 1 is the first day without exposure.

Day 5-7 the testing can occur.

Day 8 the student can return if a negative test result is provided.

At this time, for someone who is quarantined, we can accept a rapid test OR a PCR test from any testing facility that provides a paper document or email copy of the results. At home tests are not accepted.

Symptomatic / Ill students or staff:

For a student/staff member who was symptomatic (sent home from school sick or self-reported sick), a negative PCR or a doctor's note is required to return.

Staff or students who are symptomatic may request a rapid test on campus. However, rapid tests are not available for asymptomatic individuals at this time. With 760 students and almost 100 staff members, our one nurse is not able to provide peace of mind testing while still meeting the safety needs of those currently on campus daily. Our priority is to have our nurse available for those staff and students with an immediate need in the building.

After School Enrichment

Did you know our Comets have a variety of after school activities in which to participate? This fall, after school activities will include coding, art, cooking, Spanish, and more. For a full listing, please visit the after school enrichment page on our website to learn more and see the wonderful variety of classes and programs offered!

What's New?

Young Rembrandts Holiday Drawing for Kids

Sticky Fingers - There is still time for the Fall Session!

https://kikerpta.membershiptoolkit.com/afterschoolenrichment

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