Kiker Comments: October 25, 2022

October

24-28 Pumpkin Decoration Drop Off

28 - Boo '22 - Book Fair Opens

30 - Book Fair Student Preview and After School Shopping (3:00-4:00)

31 - Reflections Entry - EXTENDED UNTIL 11/7

31 - Dress Like A Book Character Day

November

1- Book Fair 7:20-4:15

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

7 - New Deadline for Reflections Entries

8 - NEW - Student Holiday, Staff PD Day

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

17 - Third Grade Musical, 6:30 pm

18 - Flu Clinic 3:30-5:30; More Information to Come

28 - DEI Committee Meeting 6:00 in the Library

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

Book Fair Hours:

Friday, Oct 28: Book Fair Grand Opening during Boo '22

Monday, Oct. 31: STUDENT PREVIEW DAY, Shopping from 3:00-4:00

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

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

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

Friday, Nov. 4: Book Fair takedown

*Parents may NOT pull their children from class to shop at the fair during school day hours.

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.

Student Contributions including a Kiker Ofrenda:

Thank you for sending in your students' amazing Coloring Sheets! Keep them coming and we'll be sure to display them all. We have also begun construction of our Kiker Ofrenda. An Ofrenda is the offering placed on an altar during the annual and traditionally Mexican Día de los Muertos celebration, which takes place during the Spooktacular Book Fair. We welcome Kiker families to send in a photo of a loved one who has passed that you'd like to include - please write your student's name, grade, and teacher on the back of the photo so that we can return them during the second week of November. Photos will be kept out of reach of students and can be contributed through Monday, 10/31.

We're still looking for a few volunteers for shifts during Boo '22 on Friday night. Sign up here!

Feel free to email me with any questions: ashley.cross@austinisd.org

Guidelines:

- We must be able to recognize students and see their faces.

- No weapons of any kind. It doesn't matter if they are plastic, pretend, etc. No weapons.

- Costumes must still allow students to function as a student. Students still have to sit in desks, walk through the hallways, use the restroom, and participate fully in the classroom activities.

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.

Last week Kiker celebrated Cafeteria Workers Appreciation Week. Thank you to our cafeteria workers for all their hard work!

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.

Submissions due 11/7.

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

Pre-order your food from Crepe Crazy here! https://www.bestfoodtrucks.com/lots/austin-5913-la-crosse-avenue-3b7cb28e-52f9-42a5-8e8d-337ce76dfb41

The Reflections art contest is running! 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

Austin ISD will celebrate Love Your Brain Week October 25-30th. This week is a collaborative effort between Coordinated School Health Leaders, Austin ISD Peer Assistance Leadership Members (PALS), School Nurses, and School Counselors.

Our goal is to promote healthy choices, positive activities, and encourage students to avoid drugs, tobacco and alcohol with healthy coping skills.

Parents are one of the most important factors in alcohol and drug use prevention. According to National Family Partnership, children of parents who talk to their teens regularly about drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs that those who don’t, yet only a quarter of teens report having these conversations.

We encourage you to take some time this week to talk to your child about your expectation that they avoid drugs, tobacco, and alcohol. There has been a recent rise in vaping or “e-cigarettes” amongst Central Texas teenagers, and parents are key to preventing teen smoking. This resource from the surgeon general provides some tips for parents on how to have the conversation and sample talking points.

Austin ISD is also posting a handout in every nurse’s office that includes information from the “CRAFFT” screener. We encourage you to talk about the warning signs of drug and alcohol dependence with your child. If you need some community based resources for drug and alcohol treatment, contact your primary care physician, school nurse, or school counselor.

Many accidental overdoses occur from children taking unused prescription medications.This is also a good time to check your medicine cabinet and dispose of medication properly. Local Walgreens Pharmacies have “take back” programs, so you can take your old medicines there.

Thank you for partnering with Austin ISD as we help keep our students healthy and safe, so that they can graduate college, career, and life ready!

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.

October

1- Donna Kilpatrick

1- Gini Nabers

3- Chris Bryson

4- Raven Jeffrey

5- Ashley Cross

8 - Cathy Garcia

11- Veronica Taylor

11 - Inga Zlatogorskaja

19 - Nicole Kruszona

26- Paige Hariharan

31 - Kim Reiman

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