Comet Connections
Kiker Elementary Newsletter
September 10, 2024
Message from the Principal
Kiker Families and Caretakers,
It has been great enjoying some of these cooler temperatures! If you are sending your kids with any jackets, please be sure to also label them in case they are taken on and off
🥤If your student has forgotten an item, please fill out a sticker and place the item on the blue shelf outside of the front door. We will deliver/or call for a student pick up at 9:00 and 11:00. Of course, glasses and hearing aids will be delivered right away.
🍕Parents coming for lunch. Please remember that you must have an ID to sign in and let your student's teacher know you will be joining for lunch so they can send their student to meet their parent in the office at lunchtime.
🚗We are working on our systems in the AM car rider line with the goal of moving you through "circle drive" as efficiently and safe as possible. We appreciate your help in moving all the way forward whenever possible.
⚠️Please use the crosswalks to walk and drop your students off safely.
⏰Reminders:
Doors Open: 7:15AM
Tardies Start @ 7:41AM
Thank you for your continued support,
Mrs. Abrams, M.Ed.
Principal
Upcoming Dates/Events
September 10: 2nd & 3rd Grade Back to School Night (5:30-6:30)
September 11: 4th & 5th Grade Back to School Night (5:30-6:30)
September 26: Fall Picture Day!
October 3: Student Holiday/ No School
October 3: Student Holiday/No School
October 14: Parent Conference Day/No School
While I have only been at Kiker for less than two months I have already heard countless stories from many of you about staff members at our school who have had a positive, and sometimes life changing impact on your child. If that's the case...we want to share your story and AISD has a platform to do just that!
Download Today!
Click HERE to learn about all the updates you can receive with the NEW district app!
From AISD:
Austin ISD is excited to announce the launch of the Austin ISD Mobile App-the one place to get real-time district news, individual campus notifications, parent and student resources, district calendars and much more.
The app will allow all AISD students, staff and families to receive notifications from the district and campuses for which they wish to subscribe. Other helpful tools include COVID-19 Screen and Go, an efficient self-screening process for users to complete before coming into contact with others or before leaving home for work or school. The screening feature is available to students, staff and visitors. The app also allows for quick access and links to:
Parent Cloud
Parent Self Serve
WheresTheBus
School Café
School Directory
AISD holds a variety of sessions to share information and connect families of students who receive Special Education and 504 services. Click the title above to learn more!
Throughout the month of September our students in Kinder - 5th Grade will be completing a MAP Growth Assessment. This will be completed two additional times throughout the school year. While the teachers will utilize this data as one point of information to guide small group time, we work to ensure that the students are simply asked to do their best.
If you'd like to read a little more about the MAP Growth assessment, you can find some of those details at the link below:
Gifted and Talented Nominations
The Gifted and Talented (GT) referral window is now open and will remain open until October 7. To learn more about GT services and to submit a referral, click here for the English link. Additional languages can be found here.
Book of the Month Club!
It's Back!! The Kiker Book of the Month Club is up and running!
Kiker Elementary collaborates with outside vendors to bring a variety of experiences to our after school program. They are all individual businesses. For that reason, specific questions about clubs, schedules, etc. should be directed towards them before contacting Kiker staff as they will have the most detailed information. You can click on the title or the graphic to the right to find out all of the details!
*A link to this document will also stay in "Popular Links" at the end of this newsletter throughout the year.
News/Information/Updates
⏰School Arrival/Dismissal
Doors Open - 7:15AM
Tardy Marked - 7:41AM
Dismissal Begins - 3:10PM
🥪Lunch Information
All of our families are welcome to join their student for lunch. Due to our cafeteria capacity we kindly ask you to eat outside at any of the available picnic tables at the front of the school.
Would you like to see the menu or put money into your child's lunch account? Visit SchoolCafe.Com. If you are a new student to Kiker, your account will take up to 48 hours to activate. Please continue to check the system and let us know if you are still having issues. You can also send cash with your child until the accounts are up and running if you prefer.
Submitting An Absence Note
Please visit the Austin ISD website's Attendance FAQs or contact the Kiker front office if you have additional questions.
- You will need your student's first and last name, student ID#, date of absence(s), reason for absence and parent/guardian name to ensure proper documentation.
- If one note covers MULTIPLE DATES, please make sure documentation specifies date range. You're not required to fill out the form multiple times.
- This form can be used to submit documentation note or picture of a note with appropriate information, signature, etc.
- Please allow 72 hours (3 business days) for attendance to be corrected. Thank you!
Counselor's Corner
PTA Membership Drive
PTA Membership Drive
PTA Membership Drive
Congrats to our current leaderboard classes! The competition is on fire as memberships continued to roll in over the weekend. Have you signed up yet? Make sure you do before the Sept 15th deadline. PTA is tons of fun and does tons of good for our school!
PTA - Spirit Sales 2024-2025
Our 2024-2025 Kiker spirit shirts are on sale now in our online store. Make sure you get yours before our first School Spirit Day on Friday, Sept 6th!
Purchase this year’s shirt and shop for deals on prior years’ tees, long sleeves, sweatshirts, and hats- those are limited quantities so grab them before they’re gone! All items will be available for porch pick up. Specific details will be communicated with your order. Any questions, contact your spirit wear team at kikerspiritstore@gmail.com
PTA - Volunteer Expo
Calling all Helpers! Join us at our Volunteer Expo this Thursday, Sept 12th, during morning drop off.
There are many opportunities for parents and community members to get involved and we'd love your help! When adults volunteer, all students benefit!
Can’t attend the expo, please fill out our Interest Form HERE
National Arts in Education
It’s National Arts in Education Week! Help inspire your student’s love of the arts through these daily activities you can do as a family throughout the week. Make sure to also follow along on our PTA social media channels for more ideas!
Monday: Makers Space Brainstorming all week *see volunteer opportunity below!
Tuesday: Visit Kennedy Center for art videos
Wednesday: Reading book list correlating with theme “ Accepting Imperfection”
Thursday: Visit tinkerlab.com
Friday: 15 Family Art Activities
Makers Lab Volunteer Opportunity! We are kicking off the PTA Art Reflections Program and classes are working in the Makers Lab to come up with ideas for projects. Volunteers are needed to help students as they brainstorm and start moving forward with projects for contest entry. No artistic expertise needed. Each shift is only 1 hour, but feel free to sign up for more than 1 if you'd like!
Below is the link to the district's new volunteer management site called Voly. When you first select an opportunity, it will ask you to create a Voly account. You will need to do this before proceeding. As part of creating an account a background check will also be completed. Once you have registered, you may have to navigate back to the original link to sign up. Thank you for volunteering at our school!
Link to signup: https://austinisd.voly.org/agencies/profile.html?id=7258
2024-2025 Reflections Program
Sept 9-13 is National Arts in Education Week and we are celebrating by launching the 2024-2025 Art Reflections program. The theme this year is “Accepting Imperfection.” Please scan the QR code on the flyer, or visit the link below for more information about rules, accessible arts, and how to submit. Email us at kikerptaarts@gmail.com with any questions!
Kiker International Bulletin Board
Kiker International Bulletin Board (new)
In early March of 2020, Kiker PTA introduced a new bulletin board in the entry of the school. The purpose of the new bulletin board was to help introduce the big world to little eyes. PTA revitalized this board last year in our Kiker community and we'd love to keep it going! Please sign up for a month to create a bulletin board representing a country or culture of your choice with traditions, colors, pictures, food, etc.
Additional details can be found in the sign up genius below. Spots available September-May!
Kiker Spirit Day Winners
The first Kiker School Spirit Friday was a huge success! The campus was filled with Kiker blue and energetic students, and Cosmo made the rounds giving out hundreds of high fives. Our September classroom winners were: Hunt, Cardenas, Prickett & Raymond, Blake & Franz, Dinderman & Woodward, Jeffrey & Kang, and last-but-not-least Boone!
Mark your calendars for the next Spirit Friday on October 11th. Let’s see which classrooms win the October Spirit Pennant by showing the most Kiker pride!
September Spirit "Night" at Waterloo
Get ready for our next Spirit “Night” on September 18th at Waterloo Ice House! It's an all-day event, so whether you're dining in for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, grabbing takeout (or even ordering lunch for your teacher!!), be sure to mention you're with Kiker Elementary when placing your order to have your purchase count towards our Spirit Day sales. Tell your friends, too!
If you dine-in for dinner, be sure to wear your favorite Disney outfit, as it will also be Disney Day at Waterloo with Disney music, trivia, and giveaways! Let’s show our school spirit and enjoy some Disney fun while supporting Kiker Elementary!
PTA - Call for Volunteers - Budget & Finance Subcommittee
Use a bank account? Know how to Research? Have an hour a month to give your input? Email us!
Yearbook Ordering
Yearbook ordering is now available through Jostens. Order yours today, save 10% with the discount code, and check that item off your to-do list!
September Coffee Sponsor
A brush of thanks to Kiker's September Staff Lounge Coffee Sponsor: Ignite your child's imagination with Art + Academy! Our expert instructors are dedicated to nurturing young artists in a fun and supportive environment. Visit our website to learn more and see how we can inspire your child’s artistic journey! https://artclassesaustin.com/
Around AISD
Staff Birthdays! 🎂
Happy Birthday!
September 1 = Erin Thomas
September 8 = Zoey Franz
September 22 = Amanda Prickett
October 5 = Ashley Cross
October 11 = Veronica Taylor
October 19 = Nicole Kruszona
October 20 = Anmarie Bochey
October 23 = Patrick Kasch
October 26 = Paige Hariharan