Kiker Comments: November 1, 2022

November

1- Book Fair 7:20-4:15

1- First Day of Candy Collection For Candy Buy Back

2 -Book Fair 7:20-5:00

3- Book Fair 7:20-4:00

3 - Human Sexuality & Responsibility Parent/Guardian Orientation: 6 PM in Cafeteria

4 - Human Sexuality & Responsibility OPT IN Permission Letters Sent to Parents/Guardians

4 - Book Fair Take Down

4 - Art Fundraiser Starts - See Below

6 - Daylight Savings Time - Fall Back 1 Hour

7 - New Deadline for Reflections Entries

8 - Student Holiday, Staff PD Day

9 - Bus Roll Call Day - Expect Slight Delays

9 - Double Dave's Spirit Night - 10% of all sales, in person or take out

9 - Last Day to Send in Candy for Candy Buy Back

11- Veterans Day Assembly 9:00 am

15 - Final Call for Art Fundraiser Orders

17 - Third Grade Musical, 6:30 pm

18 - Flu Clinic 3:30-5:30; See Below

21 - 25 No School, Thanksgiving Break

28 - DEI Committee Meeting 6:00 in the Library

December

21 - Last Day for Students, End of 2nd Nine Week Grading Period

January

9 - Staff Development, Student Holiday

10 - First Day Back for Students After Break

Please help our students and teachers start the day off right by being on time for school. We are seeing a large trend in students arriving late and it interrupts the flow of our morning instruction. Our teachers greatly appreciate your effort to arrive by 7:35 so students are in their classrooms by 7:40.

Please look for your child's Kiker Art Fundraiser order form to be sent home on Friday, November 4th. This brochure has your child's artwork featured, their ordering code, and instructions for placing orders online. If families lose their brochures, please get in touch with Ms. Swint at danielle.swint@austinisd.org for assistance.

The sale, benefitting the Kiker Art Department, will begin Friday, November 4th, and end Tuesday, November 16th.

Orders placed during the 4th -15th dates will arrive before the winter break, and orders placed after the 15th will ship out after the winter break.

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!

There has been an abundance of Strep and Flu running through Austin ISD. If your child says that they aren’t feeling well, be sure to take their temperature before sending them to school.

Also be aware that the policy for AISD is that a child must be fever free for 24 hours without a fever reducing medication before sending them back to school.

However, many doctors are currently recommending that they be fever free for 48 hours in order to be sure that students are no longer contagious.

Please help us keep our Kiker kids healthy and well by adhering to the recommendations.

Sincerely,

Your School Murse,

LTC Tarren Kingsley, RN

The Book Fair is happening NOW!

Tuesday, Nov. 1: 7:20-4:15

Wednesday, Nov. 2: 7:20-5:00

Thursday, Nov. 3: 7:20-4:00

No cash to send with your kid for the fair? No problem with eWallet!

Set up an eWallet for your child to make shopping seamless with no cash needed on book fair days. You can also share your eWallet with family and friends to drop some money on your kiddo at the fair!

Donate to your child’s teacher:

Find the eWallet for your child’s teacher HERE. You are welcome to donate Scholastic dollars to your teacher to shop the fair or pick up one of their wish list items while at the in-person fair.

DONATE TO OUR SISTER SCHOOL- Allison Elementary:

We love to give back to the community here at Kiker, so what better way to do so then to donate Scholastic dollars to Allison Elementary so that they can enjoy the benefits of the book fair as well. Donate to Allison Elementary HERE. If we raise $750, everyone gets a PJ day the last day before winter break.

Be sure to visit the Kiker Ofrenda.

Looking for something to do with the whole family this weekend? Attend the Texas Book Festival, Nov. 5-6th. Meet authors, hear stories, soak it up. More info on the festival and which authors are attending can be found here: https://www.texasbookfestival.org/2022-schedule/

The Texas Education Agency requires school districts to conduct a roll call of all eligible students riding buses at least twice during the school year. We will conduct roll calls on November 9 and February 15.

When the roll calls are conducted, there may be delays in bus arrival and departure times across the district as drivers confirm students’ names and addresses. For example, there is additional time needed to confirm information with some of the youngest elementary students. These delays can, in turn, affect the middle and high school routes.

Drop off your unwanted Halloween candy to the Kiker front office by November 9! Becher and Gil Orthodontics will pay Kiker $1.00 for each pound of candy we collect! They will send all of the candy to the troops overseas AND you will fight cavities (win-win)!

A group of parents, caregivers, and staff are in the process of forming a Diversity and Inclusion Committee at Kiker. All are welcome to join! The first meeting was held on Oct. 24 at 6 pm in the Kiker library. Our next meeting will be on Monday, November 28. If you'd like more information or want to be involved, please email Kristin Finan at kristinfinan@yahoo.com.

Dr. Mays, our Interim Superintendent, is challenging our school community to read one million minutes this school year. The reading challenge is open now and runs through April 30, 2023, across all AISD campuses. Students will log their minutes read on this Google form, so you might want to bookmark it or record by going to the Library Blend Course and clicking on the Million Minutes icon.

For ease, you might want to record in the form once a week by adding up your child's minutes read at home on a weekly basis. All reading counts!

Interested in how we're doing compared to other schools? Check us out HERE.

Good luck, Kiker Readers! Let's show this city how much we read over at Kiker.

In Austin ISD, staff can be recognized with a RAVE award - Recognizing All Valuable Employees. Anyone can submit a RAVE award to any staff member, just use the link at the bottom of this S'more to send a positive note to a staff member.

The October Recipients Were:

Edward Swan

Pooja Mulgaonker X 2

Paige Hariharan

Abbey Raymond

Ashley Cross

Laura Davis

Kiker Elementary will be hosting a Staff & Student Fall Flu Clinic on Friday, November 18, 3:30pm - 5:30pm. All Austin ISD staff and students with insurance can receive a Flu shot at the Fall Flu Clinic at no cost. The cost for flu shots is $40 without insurance.

Appointments will be taken from 3:30pm - 5:30pm, walk-ins will be accepted whenever possible. Sign up for your flu shot by clicking here: FLU SHOT REGISTRATION

If you are unable to attend Kiker's Flu Clinic, please help us fight the Flu and get your Flu shot with one of these local resources found here: https://www.austinisd.org/student-health/flu-clinics

Flu Clinic Reminders:

• Please double check the reminder email you receive the day prior to our event for your exact arrival time for your appointment.

• (Some appointments may vary by a few minutes to aid in social distancing).

• Please bring your insurance card and photo ID

• Remember to wear a short sleeve shirt

• Please come at your allotted time to help with social distancing

• Please wear a mask or face covering for your entire visit.

• We will conduct a touchless-thermometer temperature check prior to vaccine administration

• You must have a temp of 100.4 or less at the time of service

Contact health@austinisd.org for any questions

We're accepting submissions for dance choreography, film, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts. This is open to K to 5th grade. The entry requirement is that Parents/Grandparents be a current PTA member. Email kikerptaarts at gmail if you have any questions about entering your little artist.

RULES : https://www.txpta.org/reflections

ENTRY FORM: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1LIHUrw2i1UvWMr6Wf7-l3C5KwPYiUKMwfVgzvipTjcs/viewform?edit_requested=true

It’s My Park Day, 11/5: The Austin Parks Foundation is organizing a large volunteer event on Saturday, 11/5, which will take place at various outdoor areas across the city including at some AISD schools. Volunteer projects may include gardening, trash pick-up, tree mulching, and more, depending on the priorities set by the project leader. Please click the link to view the AISD schools participating in It’s My Park Day, and to register to volunteer at a school. This could make a great team building activity!

Through a district and city-wide effort called Dance Across Austin, free and reduced-price dance classes are available for all school-age students in November and December. Please spread the word!

Lannaya Drum & Dance: Intro to West African Dance Basics (Nov. 3 - Dec. 15) — This class is open to beginners of all ages. It focuses on dance movement and vocabulary. Parents are encouraged to attend with their kids.

• When: 4:30-5:30 p.m. Thursdays, Nov. 3 - Dec. 15. No class Nov. 24.

• Where: Carver Museum & Cultural Center, 1165 Angelina St.

• Registration: The series of six classes is $30 ($5 per class). Scholarships are available. Please register and pay for the series via Eventbrite before classes begin.

B*TRU Arts: Boombox Hero (Nov. 9 - Dec. 21) — This class for all school-aged children focuses on the fundamentals of Hip Hop dance and philosophy.

• When: 6-7 p.m. Wednesdays, Nov. 9 - Dec. 21. No class Nov. 23.

• Where: South Austin Recreation Center, 1100 Cumberland Rd.

• Registration: The series of six classes is $30 ($5 per class). Scholarships are available. Please register and pay for the series via Eventbrite before classes begin.

Blue Lapis Light: Aerial Silks (Nov. 14 - Dec. 19) — This class focuses on silks technique, strength, and communication through movement. Best for teens (secondary students).

• When: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Mondays, Nov. 14 - Dec. 19. No class Nov. 21.

• Where: South Austin Recreation Center, 1100 Cumberland Rd.

• Registration: The series of five classes is free and has limited capacity. Registration via Eventbrite is required to reserve a spot.

Questions? For more information about the classes, including scholarships, contact Lydia Nelson (lydia.nelson@austinisd.org) or MINDPOP Program Associate Julia Vunderink (julia.vunderink@mindpop.org).

In the event that your child will be missing school, please follow these steps:

1) Email both your child's teacher and Ms. Amy McGovern, our registrar. Amy.mcgovern@austinisd.org

2) Please include your child's first and last name

3) Please provide the reason for the absence so we can code it correctly in our attendance system.

November

25 - Candance Cotten

25 - Suzanne Hoelzel

25 - Danielle Swint

The Babysitting Connection has a non profit arm, BC Gives Back one of their missions is to provide free childcare so families can vote. We never want childcare to be a hurdle. See below for more information.

Register here https://babysittingconnection.com/bc-gives-back

New Sessions Starting Soon! Sign up today using the links in the calendar.

Steam Works Lego Powered Robotics, Oct. 31-Dec. 12

Sticky Fingers, Nov. 2-Dec. 14

Track & Field by ATX Ballers, Oct. 31-Dec.12

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

Cory Matheny - Principal

Alma Chapa Moore - Assistant Principal

Kelly Zilem - 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