Kiker Comments: December 20, 2022

December

21 - Dress up day: pajamas

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

12 (through 1/20) First Grade Fluency Screeners

16 - MLK Jr Day, No School

20 - Tentative Scheduled Lockdown Drill

24 - Class Picture Day

25 - Tentative Fire Drill (weather dependent)

27 - 5th Grade to Gorzycki Middle School

February

6 - CAC Meeting

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.

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.

Please arrive before 2:30 for an early pickup. The front office staff is preparing for dismissal beginning at 2:30 and it is very challenging to get students out of class between 2:30 and 3:00.

Be sure to bring your Driver License with you to the front office for an early pickup.

This will be the same during end of the semester holiday parties. If the class party allows guests, and you plan to take your child home before the official end of the day, please be prepared to sign your child out in the office. Our preference is for students to stay and dismissal as normal if possible.

Thank you.

Please honor the no parking zones. It is a safety issue, and we need everyone's help. Please do not park (or drop off) in the no parking zone on La Crosse right at the entry to the circle drive. Each time someone parks there, it limits the visibility of those that are entering the circle drive and puts our staff, students, and families at risk.

It is better to be late than to put others' safety at risk!

This past Saturday we had 12 Keynotes represent Kiker Elementary in the AISD All-City Choir.

These 12 students auditioned, practiced on their own, and got to sing with about 400 other 5th and 6thgraders from across the district. Please join me in congratulating them on a job well done!

With many Austin ISD students living in food-insecure households, access to healthy food may be challenging when the district is closed. Families can use the community resources below to find free meals in their area while Austin ISD offices and schools are closed for the winter break:

• Central Texas Food Bank

• United Way for Greater Austin - ConnectATX

Texas Health and Human Services - Call 2-1-1 or (877) 541-7905 to speak to a live operator.

Looking for a new activity to do with family and friends over winter break? Want to extend learning at home? The Creative Learning Initiative has adapted two arts-based Creative Teaching strategies used in classrooms — Model Making and Soundtrack — for our community members to use for fun, engaging conversations. Click this link for these activities in Arabic, Burmese, English, Kinyarwanda, Mandarin, Pashto, Spanish, Swahili, and Vietnamese.

• The Online Registration and Transfer Request portals will open on January 9, 2023 for the 2023-24 school year.

• New families will be able to continue registering online for the current school year throughout the spring semester. It will not be necessary to complete paper packets as in prior years.

• Additional information related to enrollment, registration, and transfers is listed below.

Important links to share with families regarding enrollment, registration, and transfers:

1. Enrollment landing page: https://www.austinisd.org/enroll

2. Important dates and deadlines: https://www.austinisd.org/transfer/dates-deadlines

3. For questions, please direct families to Let’s Talk https://www.austinisd.org/letstalk

and click on “Student Services: Enrollment, Records, & Transfers”

Note: The online registration for the 22-23 school year and the 23-24 school year will be open concurrently starting January 9th (new this year). Families enrolling in the current school year will not have to complete paper registration packets. In addition, out of district families will be able to register online.

Every two years Kiker hosts International Night (last one was 2019), a proud celebration of all the nationalities, countries and cultures represented in our Kiker family. The event starts at morning assembly with special greetings and a parade of nations, and culminates with a big night of food, entertainment and a tour of nations. International Night is so very special because our community comes together to make it happen. We are working towards forming a committee and we need 10-12 people onboard to help us make it a successful night! If you are interested or need more info please fill out the form below with your name and email and we will contact you. For more questions please reach out to Prerna Kedia @ prernakedia17@gmail.com - Thank you!

https://forms.gle/unaH5zyiAAgEw7MD7

2023 Yearbook On Sale Now! Don't miss out, order your yearbook today! jostensyearbooks.com

Kiker PTA would like to thank Brave Care, our Coffee Lounge Sponsor for the month of December. Offering both Primary Care and Urgent Care options, Brave Care is excellent healthcare for kids located just steps away from Kiker Elementary. Visit https://bravecare.com/locations/austin/circle-c to quickly schedule your child's visit.

If your student is applying to a middle school using the common app, here are the directions. Students do NOT need to complete the common app if you are in the Kiker attendance zone and plan to attend Gorzycki Middle School. As a neighborhood school, students do not need to apply. If you are attending Kiker on a transfer, you will need to apply for a new transfer for middle school if you hope to attend Gorzycki.

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 may 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.

December

4 - Amy McGovern

4 - Swati Nallanthighal

10 - Neethu Kalesh

13 - Alma Chapa Moore

16 - Jenny Badell

18 - Jessica Boone

22 - Edward Swan

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