Kiker Comments January 5, 2022

• Upcoming Events
• Attendance Notes
• Kiker Keynotes Choir
• New Staff
• Drop Off and Pick Up Reminders
• PTA News
• Meet the Staff
• December Staff Birthdays
• Repeated Information (from previous newsletters)
• Covid Topics
• After School Programs
• All the Links to Everything You Need
• Lunch Menu

January 2022

3 - Winter Break

4- Professional Development Day, Staff Only

5 - First Day Back for Students

17 - Staff and Student Holiday in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day

February

1 - Lockdown Drill

4 - NAEP Testing for Select 4th graders

21 - Parent Teacher Conference Day - No School for Students

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

4th and 5th Grade Kiker Keynotes *Postponed*

Kiker Keynotes will be postponed until further notice. Please keep a look out in the Kiker Comments for further information. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Machado.

Thank you for supporting our choir.

Tiffany Cortez-Machado

tiffany.cortez-machado@austinisd.org

Jenny Bock - 1st grade: Jenny Bock grew up in Round Rock and graduated from UT Austin with a master's degree in education. This will be her tenth year as a teacher. She has taught grades 3-5 and worked as a reading specialist. Jenny has walked the Kiker halls for many years as a parent and as a substitute teacher. In her spare time she enjoys going on RV trips with her family, cooking, reading, and birdwatching.

Dani Dinderman - Teaching Assistant: Dani is excited to be a new addition to Kiker Elementary. She graduated in December with a degree in ESL Elementary Education from Texas State University. When not at school, Dani enjoys reading, catching up of ner favorite tv shows, and spending time with her dog.

Lucy Rodriquez - Head Custodian starting January 14 joining us from Gorzycki Middle School.

Please follow these procedures to help us run our drop off and pick up more efficiently. We appreciate your help.

• Please refrain from parking in the staff lot on Dahlgreen. This is for buses and staff only.
• To the greatest extent possible, stay in your car if you are in the drop off circle drive. Staff are available to help your child exit the car. When parents/caregivers exit the car, it can cause significant delays in our line. If you need additional time to exit, please consider parking on LaCrosse and walking up.
• Use crosswalks any time you are crossing the street. Little eyes are watching and learning by example.
• When turning from LaCrosse into the circle drive, alternate one car from the eastbound side, one car from the westbound side.

Stay Informed, Talk Over Coffee

The PTA invites you to our first Principal’s Coffee Talk for 2022 on Thursday, January 13 at 8:00 am. This is a virtual event. Please check this space in next week’s Kiker Comments for the Zoom link.

Welcome New Students

We are so happy to have our virtual students back on the Kiker campus. We invite all families to join the PTA. You can do that here!

Come Hang Out in the Teacher Workroom!

Come help in the teacher workroom and make copies, laminate, and set up classroom projects. Sign up below and attend a training session this Friday at 9:00 am.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409094badaf2da3f85-spring

Thank you to everyone who submitted a grant application. Several projects are already in the works, including new playground balls and storage ready for the first recess of 2022! See below for a list of the projects we are so excited to fund! Look for these improvements, programs, and new equipment at our school very soon.

Each week will will feature a few staff members.

1- Danilo Bigornia

9 - Stephanie Toman

16 - Marcelina Ibanez

21 - Kaitlynn Perch Youins

22 - Jan Squyres

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.

AISD recently updated its Covid protocol again for close contact unvaccinated students. Instead of automatically quarantining for 10 days, there are now three options for unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people who are in close contact to a positive COVID case.

Now that many of our students are vaccinated, there are another set of procedures.

Please report any positive cases or direct exposures for your students to a member of the administration team. We will gather the information and provide you the information based on the newly updated protocols.

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?

Register now for...

Mighty Kids Chess Club

Coding for Kids

Wicked Workshop Youth Architecture Program

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