Kiker Comments: June Edition 2024

June

15 - Austin ISD Marches in the Juneteenth Parade

You're invited to celebrate history, community, and unity with Austin ISD at the annual Historical Juneteenth Parade on Saturday, June 15! Austin ISD is proud to participate in this significant event, and we want YOU to join us in making it memorable. Students, staff, and community will march behind the Austin ISD Juneteenth banner along with the All-Star Band under the direction of Northeast ECHS Band Director Rory Guice. Afterward, stick around for the Juneteenth Park Festival at Rosewood and Boggy Creek Park.

Where to Meet:

• Location: Rising Star Baptist Church, 1710 E. 20th St, Austin, TX 78722
• Time: Please arrive by 9 a.m.
• Parking: Vehicles can park on the grass at the church. We will walk together to the parade entrance. A bus will bring you back to your car at the end of the parade.

Parade Details:

• Start Time: 10 a.m.
• Parade Route: Approximately 1.2 miles
• End Time: We expect to reach the end of the parade route around 11:30 a.m. You can take the bus back to the church or stay and enjoy the Juneteenth Park Festival.
• More Info: For the parade map and festival information, visit the Juneteenth website.

Transportation:

• Transportation to and from the parade is the responsibility of each participant.

What to Wear:

• Green Juneteenth T-shirts will be provided upon arrival (limited quantity, first come, first served).
• Dress appropriately for summer heat.
• Wear comfortable walking shoes.
• Bring water; additional bottled water will be available during the parade.
• Sunscreen, hats, and sunglasses are highly recommended.

Thank you, Kiker families, for your generous donations of water bottles for Allison Elementary! We met our goal - and then some! An extra special thank you goes out to YETI and the Elkins family for coordinating the donation of a new YETI water bottle for every Allison student. The Allison community is so grateful for the support!

The PTA Nomination Committee’s 2024-2025 Slate was approved at the General Membership Meeting on May 20, 2024. Thank you to all who were able to attend the meeting, and congratulations to next year’s PTA Board!

The Kiker staff and community would like to recognize the outgoing PTA board. This group of volunteers poured hours and hours of work in to special events and programs to make Kiker a great place for students to grow and learn. Highlights this year include spirit days, TCBY and Torchy's Nights, Monster Mash, Art Night, 'Love, Kiker,' staff luncheons and other staff treats, maintenance of the Comet Creek, spirit sales, bulletin board decorations, Reflections art program, staff coffee lounge, Maker's Lab, Kiker Clean Up days, and of course, APEX Fun Run. We couldn't do it without you and organizing all the volunteers to make everything run smoothly on campus.

Thank you for a great 2023-2024.

Click Here to view GT projects from across AISD that were selected for the GT Showcase.

GT students were invited to submit a virtual student project (individual, partner, or group) that connected with the 2024 theme: Faster, Higher, Stronger-Together. We received hundreds of student submissions from across the district, and we are excited to share the chosen GT student projects with you. While not every campus is represented below, every campus supports GT students and their accomplishments throughout the year.

Make sure your child is reading every day this summer! The public library is a great place to take your child in the summertime. There is so much to see and do to get your child inspired. They even have a summer reading challenge HERE.

The 5 Book Dive program encourages students to read any five books that they choose during the summer. The website provides lists of books which have been curated by AISD librarians to engage and encourage students to read; the new lists for Summer 2024 are now available on the website. (These lists are not presented as nor intended to be “required” reading; the selection of summer reading material is up to individual students and their parents/guardians.)

Program information and resources are available at https://sites.google.com/austinisd.org/5-book-dive/. The website provides:

• Lists of recommended books for summer reading by level: PK-2 English, PK-2 Spanish, 3-5 English, 3-5 Spanish, Middle School, and High School.

• Printable bookmarks which can serve as reading logs.

• Campuses may choose to recognize students who bring their summer reading logs to school in the fall; some simple and low/no-cost suggestions for doing this are available on the website.

• Some local bookstores are also offering incentives; see the website for details.

• Additional resources for students, parents, and educators.

Buford’s Summer 2024 schedule is shown below; these locations are summer school sites, but ALL students are welcome to come and get books from Buford; it is not limited to summer school students or students enrolled at that campus. Books for all ages from babies to teens are available.

Monarch Butterfly Book Series: Discover, Learn, Soar

June is Pride Month. Our books this month highlight and celebrate the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, and 2 Spirit (LGBTQIA2S+) communities. This month commemorates the anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, when LGBTQ activists fought against oppressive groups and laws. If you are interested in learning more we encourage you to visit the following sites for information and literature about Pride Month and how to discuss with your kiddos: Teaching Stonewall, The Human Rights Campaign, Rainbow Parenting.

The books listed below can be found at the Kiker Library, Austin Public Library, and online through AISD MackinVIA audio app. Read Alouds can also be found on YouTube or at the Austin Public Library.

Austin AISD will march in the Austin PRIDE Parade on August 10th at 8:00PM.

Kindergarten - Second Grade Book List

Mama and Mommy and Me in the Middle: Nina LaCour (Author), Kaylani Juanita (Illustrator)

Worm Loves Worm: J.J Austrian (Author), Mike Curato (Illustrator)

Julián is a Mermaid: Jessica Love (Author)

Sparkle Boy: Newman (Author), Maria Mola (Illustrator)

Reflection Questions:

1. Families come in all shapes and sizes. Can you think of different kinds of families? What does your family structure look like? How do you think it would feel to have a different family structure? What makes a family strong and loving?

2. These books illustrate characters who are empowered to be true to themselves. Rules of how someone “should” be, look, or how someone “should” love can lead to isolation (feeling alone) and shame (feeling “bad”). These social rules are limiting because they are often based only on one set of beliefs and are not inclusive to everyone's various beliefs/customs/cultures. What rules did the character of your book stand up against? How did the character of your book embrace who they are?

3. Watch this clip with your grown-up and discuss what PRIDE means to you.

Third - Fifth Grade Book List

When Aiden Became a Brother: Kyle Lukoff (Author), Kaylani Juanita (Illustrator)

Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and The Rainbow Flag: Rob Sanders (Author), Steven Salerno (Illustrator)

Jamie: L D Lapinski (Author)

Reflection Questions:

1. Pride: The Story of Harvey Milk and The Rainbow Flag discusses the symbolic importance of the PRIDE Flag. Speak with your grownup about what the various colors mean. Why do you think that it’s important for people to have a symbol that represents who they are? How has this flag changed over the years to include more and more people?

2. Are there ways that you (or someone you know) act outside social “expectations” or “norms”? How do you think it feels when someone tells you that what you are doing is “wrong” because society says you “shouldn't do it”. (i.e “Boys” dont like pink, “Girls” don’t like trucks).

3. In Jamie, the main character is non-binary: they don’t identify as a “boy” or a “girl”. A person who is non-binary may feel they are both, neither, or somewhere in-between and often use gender neutral pronouns (they/them). What pronouns do you identify with? Have a discussion with your grown-up about how you can support and be an ally to others who identify differently than you.

Track Progress: Students who read every month will be acknowledged and celebrated at the end of the semester and year. To track your student’s progress please complete this form.

Want more?! Here are some additional books to read:

Angus All Aglow: Heather Smith (Author), Alice Carter (Illustrator)

Butterfly Child: Marc Majewski (Author)

Love is Love: Michael Genhart (Author), Ken Min (Illustrator)

Riley Reynolds Series: Jay Albee (Author)

Kiker does not tolerate racism, hate speech, or acts of discrimination. It takes all of us working together to eradicate hate, and we thank you for helping us work to ensure that ALL students and staff are safe to showcase and celebrate their identities without fear of discrimination.

Join us for a collective learning experience! The SEL and CP&I Symposium brings educators, community leaders, and families together to share their creativity, experiences and promising practices around social and emotional learning and cultural proficiency and inclusiveness.

Reserve a Spot / Tickets @: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-sel-and-cpi-symposium-collective-growth-rooted-in-sharing-brilliance-tickets-867744024737

June

3 - Carol Markwalter

7 - Christine Johnson

7 - Amanda Kerley

26 - Jennifer Blake

28 - Maria Cuchillo

28 - Jackie Mylius

30 - Emmy Hunt

July

8 - Lisa Youngblood

12 - Dani Dinderman

13 - Stephanie Toman

17 - Camille Hudson

25 - Julie Bown -Anderson

26 - Ginny Monger

28 - Shawn Whitehouse

AISD Summer Open Feeding (Community) Sites - Dates and Times Vary by Campus

• The schools listed below are open feeding sites, meaning they must welcome any children younger than 19 or enrolled students with disabilities up to 21 years old during designated meal service times.
  
  

• Elementary Schools: Allison, Andrews, Blazier Primary, Blanton, Campbell, Casey, Dawson, Govalle, Guerrero-Thompson, Hart, Houston, Joslin, Kocurek, McBee, Menchaca, Norman-Sims, Ortega, Overton, Padron, Pecan Springs, Pickle, Pillow, Sanchez, Uphaus ECC, Widen, Wooldridge

• Middle Schools: Bedichek, Burnet, Dobie, Lively, Mendez, Webb

• High Schools: Akins ECHS, Crockett ECHS, LBJ ECHS, Navarro ECHS, Northeast ECHS, Travis ECHS

Other Campuses: Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders

How community feeding works: Children in the community enjoy free summer meals regardless of household income and without any registration or identification. Children do not have to be enrolled in AISD to receive free summer meals. Summer meals are served in the cafeteria and must be enjoyed on campus during the designated service times.

KSAC Registration 2024 - Google Forms

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mItTaUDx1uNroVpWi_SxAeDYxeArXZV4A_BjKrc6Iq4/edit?usp=sharing

or

Kiker Summer Art Classes

Watch this video all about Kiker Art Camp: https://youtu.be/Y2RXmgKU4Bs

Thank you for supporting Kiker Summer Art Classes!

CLICK HERE FOR ALL Bowie High School Summer Camps

ATX Ballers: https://www.atxballers.com/holidaycamps

Community Arts: Power of Me Summer Camp: https://www.communityarttherapy.com/items

https://bit.ly/aisdtechexpectations (Updated 8.10.2023)

Device Care and Tips: https://bit.ly/AISDdevicecare

Be Safe, Be Responsible, Be Respectful.

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
Twitter: @KikerComets