Kiker Comments: March 28, 2023

March

1-31 GT Showcase Submissions

31 - Cesar Chavez/Dolores Huerta Day - No School

April

3 - CAC Meeting, Library 3:30

3 - 14 - Window for Kindergarten Map Growth Fluency Screeners

5 - Early Learning Registration Day (for rising PreK4 and rising Kindergarten families)

7 - No School Day

14 - Field Day

15 - AISD Career Fair - Help Recruit Future Kiker Teachers and Staff

18 - STAAR Testing - Language Arts - 3rd, 4th, 5th

19 - STAAR Testing - Language Arts make up day

20 - PTA STEAM / Art Night

21 - Student Council Movie Night (not a drop off event)

25 - STAAR Testing - Science - 5th grade only

26 - STAAR Testing - Science - make up day

May

1 - CAC Meeting, Library 3:30

2 - STAAR Testing - Math - 3rd, 4th, 5th

3 - STAAR Testing - Math - make up day

11 - 3rd Grade Vocab Parade

23 - PTA Meeting and Principal Coffee Talk

24- Senior Walk afternoon time TBD

25 - Last Day for Students

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.

Thank you all for joining us at International Night! We hope you enjoyed the incredible performances, delicious food, and the thoughtful, informative country displays. Special shout-out to organizers, volunteers and our performers for sharing their talents and cultures with us. We learned so much from our community, and we hope to carry their stories forward as we continue to celebrate the diversity and beauty that make our Kiker campus shine.

ALL CURRENT STUDENTS, Kindergarten through 5th grade, RETURNING TO AISD FOR THE 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR MUST COMPLETE ONLINE REGISTRATION in your Parent Portal. We will begin class placements for next year soon and your student will need to be registered.

If you will not be returning to AISD please notify Amy McGovern at amy.mcgovern@austinisd.org

Pre-K and Kindergarten registration is open as well...please use the link below. Set up your Parent Portal, complete online registration, upload your documents and join us for Early Learning Day on April 5th during one of these scheduled times: 8:30-10:00am or 4:00-6:00 pm.

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 contact Let’s Talk https://www.austinisd.org/letstalk and click on “Student Services: Enrollment, Records, & Transfers."

The 2023 GT Student Showcase Theme is "Find the Good" which comes from a Jesse Owens quote:

"Find the good. It's all around you. Find it, showcase it and you'll start believing in it."

Please share this information with your teachers and families to ensure GT and TE students have an opportunity to participate if they choose to do so. While we encourage the projects are completed at school a student may also submit a project they complete at home.

Note: We will only accept ONE link for each project submission. If students have multiple links, they need to find a way to organize/collect them into one link... for example they can create a Google Slide Deck or website and include all their links.

Austin ISD GT Student Showcase Website

AISD Student, Staff, and Family climate surveys will go live on Monday, March 20th. The survey window will remain open through Friday, April 14th. Surveys will be available online and can easily be accessed by computer, phone, and screen readers.

Survey note:

The questions have a range of 5 choices. Please be aware, the two 'positive' scores are joined together to create the 'positive' percentage. The middle as well as the three 'negative' scores are all joined together to create the 'negative' percentage. All neutral responses will count in the 'negative' score category for our campus.

Families, community members, and staff are invited to attend the upcoming Power Hour learning opportunities hosted by the Austin ISD Special Education Department.

Dan St. Romain, a national education consultant with roots in special education support and development, will be presenting virtually on goal setting and positive behavior supports. These are two different sessions in February and March, which are repeated with lunchtime and evening virtual offerings. Interpretation services will be provided. Please share information with families and with staff.

Date: March 30, 2023

Time: 12-1 pm, 6-7 pm

Zoom link: Zoom Link

Topic and Flyer: Avoiding Power Struggles

• English / Spanish Flyers

RSVP Link: RSVP Link

We are thrilled to announce the opening of our new Maker’s Lab featuring a wide variety of STEM tools and materials! This new lab is a special project taken on by PTA this year, and is designed to help our Comets reach new heights by enriching their learning through hands-on learning and experimentation. Special thanks to the volunteers who painted and organized this incredible space; your efforts will benefit our school for years to come!

To increase Pre-K and kindergarten enrollment and support families with registration, elementary campuses will host a districtwide Early Learning Day on April 5. Please save this date and share with your families and spread the word in the community.

On this day, families of rising PreK4 students and rising Kindergarteners will have the opportunity to:

• Take campus and classroom tours that highlight culture and student experience

• Complete online registration

• Complete the Pre-K screener

• Meet the principal and/or other administrative staff and teachers

Pre-K families please complete online registration now at https://www.austinisd.org/enroll and sign up for Pre-K updates.

Optional Parent/Guardian Input Form To Be Released Next Week

We will soon start the lengthy process of placing each student into classes for the 2023-24 school year. Balancing classes for 805+ students is a huge task that is not taken lightly. We strive to create the greatest mix of students for each classroom based on many factors, including, but not limited to the following: academic needs, social and emotional skills, required special services, and diversity. While parent input is a valued piece of the puzzle, creating balanced classes also requires input from teachers, administrators, and counselors.

If you choose to complete the form, please note the following:

• Completion of the form is optional—it is NOT required.
• Please do not request a specific teacher. Information should focus on your child and not on a specific teacher.
• These forms are valid for one year. Similar forms completed previously are not part of this year’s process.
• Children are not placed with teachers based the teacher selected for an older sibling. Each child is unique and must be placed accordingly.
• Please do not ask any staff member to recommend a teacher or to arrange placement with a teacher.
• This form does not replace the registration process. You will still need to register your student. We cannot place children unless they are registered. If you have questions regarding this, please contact the Amy McGovern at 512-414-2584.
• Final placement will not be complete and classroom assignments will not go home until ­­­­­­­a few days prior to the start of classes due to students enrolling and withdrawing throughout the summer.

As always, let us know if you have any questions/concerns.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding!

The Kiker Music Department is getting ready to put an amazing musical entitled “Lemonade” featuring all Kiker Kindergarteners. Mark the dates of the program down on your calendars Thursday, April 27 at 6:30pm and Friday, April 28th at 8:45 am. For the performance, If you have a student that has a speaking part, you will be receiving an email soon regarding what they need to wear. If you have a student that does not have speaking part, they need to wear a Plain White Shirt and Blue Jeans.

We are in need of some help in preparation of the play. We need various items, cutouts, and physical help. If you are available and interested in helping please click on the link HERE to sign up.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Machado. We can not wait for everyone to see this wonderful production!

High School Graduation Class of 2023 Scholarship

Do you know a graduating senior who attended Kiker? Please share this information with anyone you know who might be eligible.

Kiker Elementary PTA’s Dr. Lori Schneider Scholarship for High School Graduates honors one of Kiker's former principals who valued education and left a legacy of kindness, dignity and respect (KDR) during her 14-year tenure as principal of the school. The scholarship also celebrates high school graduates who are committed to education and who embody KDR.

Applicants must have attended Kiker Elementary School. Application window opens March 1, 2023. Please see link for more details.

https://kikerpta.membershiptoolkit.com/dr_schneider_scholarship

There is a $10 fee to help cover the cost of snacks and a Gorzycki tee shirt for your camper. You will see the link after you click “submit” on the online registration form.

CLICK HERE to register.

If the link doesn’t work, cut and paste this address: https://forms.gle/VFMwmP11jfG3oJbC8

Questions? Please contact Emily Mazac - Tiger Camp Coordinator, 6th grade ELA teacher

Emily.Mazac@austinisd.org 512-841-8681

(best way to contact me!)

For questions about these meetings, please email us at budget@austinisd.org or visit https://www.austinisd.org/budget for more information.

LASA High School is hosting their annual Dance Clinic for students Kinder-11th April 1 from 8:00am-1:30pm. The kids that join will get to perform their dance at the Spring Show, April 15 at 7pm.

Registration information: https://tinyurl.com/vdtclinic23

Paige Hariharan

Pooja Mulgaonker

Andrea Norman

Anmarie Bochey

Amy McGovern

Megan Escalante

Edward Swan

Zoey Franz

Alondra Rocha

Carolyn McKaskle

Amanda Prickett

Raven Jeffrey

Paige Hariharan

Nicole Kruszona

March

3- Kristi Samon

4 - Tiffany Cortez Machado

9 - Alondra Rocha

15 - Pooja Mulgaonker

16- Rhonda Vasquez

17- Abby Shoppa

18 - Abbey Raymond

24 - Elizabeth Billman

25 - Joanna Hamme

29 - Cory Matheny

We have been working with various businesses and clubs to get new sessions for the spring. Check out the new and updated options.

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

Here is the Camp CREW flyer! And here is the link to register!

https://thechilddevelopmentcenter.org/summer-camps/

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