Kiker Comments: May 9, 2023

A Joint Newsletter from the Bernice Kiker Admin Team and PTA

Calendar of Events

May

9 - Spirit Night at TCBY 3:15 - 8:00 pm

11 - 3rd Grade Vocab Parade

12 - All Library Books Due

23 - PTA Meeting and Principal Coffee Talk

24 - Senior Walk

25 - Last Day for Students

2023-2024 School Year

August

9 - Class Placement Announcements via Email

10 - Meet the Teacher Event 3:30-5:30

14 - First Day of School

Doors Open at 7:15; Instruction Begins at 7:40.

How to Report a Student Absence

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.

Safety Patrol-THIRD GRADERS Can Join For the Month of May

For the month of May, 3rd graders can join safety patrol and get ready to be our leaders for next year!

We are encouraging 3rd, 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

Last Tuesday Bluesday of the year is TONIGHT!

Join us tonight at TCBY for our last Tuesday-Bluesday of the 22-23’ school year! Come enjoy some froyo at our local TCBY between 3:15 and 8:00pm and the Kiker PTA will receive 20% of proceeds.

We Love Our Kiker Teachers

Call for Campus Advisory Council Members

Kiker's Campus Advisory Council (CAC) is a committee of teachers, administration, parents, business and community representatives, and other campus staff. The mission of CACs is to promote excellence in education for all students through broad-based representation. Kiker’s CAC is in need of new members for the upcoming school year.

CACs provide valuable input to principals, who ultimately have decision-making responsibility for their campuses. Specific functions of CACs include providing review and comment on:

· Campus Educational Program

· Campus Performance

· Campus Improvement Plan

· Campus Staff Development Plan

· Campus-Level Waiver Requests to the State

· Campus Budget

Deadline for applications is Friday, May 19, 2022

Applications can be found here. Email applications to KikerCAC@gmail.com by May 19, 2023. Kiker's CAC meets the first Monday of each month at 3:30pm.

Email Marissa Streyle & Carolyn McKaskle at KikerCAC@gmail.com with any questions.

We still have two positions available for our PTA Board!

VP Fundraising - Love local businesses and want to get them to team up with us for our Spirit Nights?!? Love coffee and supporting our hard working teachers, admins and staff at school?!? This position includes coordinating agreements with restaurants or other family friendly locations to give back a portion of sales to Kiker for planned spirit nights. Along with that, this position also includes coordinating the monthly coffee sponsorships that are purchased at the beginning of the school year.
Volunteer Coordinator - Do you love SignUp Genius and coordinating volunteer opportunities for PTA events throughout the year? Do you have a knack for helping get families more involved at school? We are looking for one more person to round out this very important two person team!

GIFT CARD COLLECTION

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4FACAB29A7F49-kiker

Help Kiker PTA send our teachers and staff out for summer with a big thank you! We are collecting gift cards for a fun end of the year giveaway. Gift cards can be for any amount $10+, and for any place you think a staff member would enjoy! We have a lot of gift cards to collect, so we'd prefer multiple gift cards in smaller denominations than one large gift card. This is a great opportunity to give a gift card that may have been sitting unused for awhile. Please drop gift cards off in the front office anytime before May 15th.

Register for the 2023-2024 School Year

Help Us Reach our Registration Goals - We are at 71.39% - Our Goal is 80% by 5/12

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, and upload your documents.

Enrollment landing page: https://www.austinisd.org/enroll
Important dates and deadlines: https://www.austinisd.org/transfer/dates-deadlines
For questions, please contact Let’s Talk https://www.austinisd.org/letstalk and click on “Student Services: Enrollment, Records, & Transfers."

The Kiker Library presents: Camp Read S’More! (5th Grade only) - Note Date Change

5th Graders: Have you ever wondered what it would be like to SLEEP in the library? Well now your STUFFIE can find out! The Kiker Library presents: Camp Read S’more, a weekend STUFFED with library fun, just for 5th Grade stuffies! Students may drop off ONE stuffie (no accessories) for camp Friday, May 12th, in the library. Stuffie Pick-Up will be on Monday, May 15th. Which of your stuffies will YOU send to camp? Pick one and we’ll see you at Drop-Off next Friday!

Brick Paver Sale

While most of us probably won’t receive a Hollywood Star, we can be memorialized in the best place of all - our school! For just $40, you can purchase a custom brick paver to celebrate a student, honor a teacher or staff member, or gift to a graduating 5th grader! Pavers will be installed around the granite star at the entrance to Kiker. Purchase through the online Spirit Store (link below) now through Friday May 19! https://kikerpta.membershiptoolkit.com/store/product/PAVER2023

ALL AISD Devices to be Turned in:

ALL students will turn in their Austin ISD Everyone:1 devices including Chromebooks, iPads, hotspots, chargers, and/or case or bag to their campus (regardless of condition or age) by May 25. Teachers will notify students and families the date their devices will be turned in.

Student Summer Device Needs

Everyone:1 will manage and facilitate all student device summer requests. Parents or guardians may complete an OPT-IN form via their Parent Portal account or at the school campus to request the pick-up of a device from the Technology Department. Families do not need to request a device for summer programs, with the exception of Garza Online classes.

Devices will be available for pick-up at Gus Garcia YMLA or at the Austin ISD Central Office on:

Friday May 26, from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm

Tuesday May 30 through Friday June 2, from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm.

During device pickups, fee schedule forms and accountability acknowledgments will also be provided.

Devices must be returned to the home campus at the start of the fall 2023 school year.

For any devices found over the summer, students and families should call the Austin ISD Help Desk at 512-414-8324.

Spread the Word to Graduating Seniors Who Attended Kiker

Free Summer Meals

Children need nutritious meals to learn, grow and thrive — even when school is out. With the Summer Meal Programs, children and teens ages 18 and younger, and enrolled students with disabilities up to 21 years old can continue to eat healthy throughout the summer at no cost at any participating meal site.

https://www.austinisd.org/nutrition-food-services/meal-programs/summer

SEL and CP&I Symposium on June 15, 2023

Don't miss the ninth annual SEL and CP&I Symposium on June 15, 2023 from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. The 2023 SEL and CP&I Symposium: “Connected on Purpose” will be in-person at Doss Elementary School.

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. Join us for a collective learning experience!

Together, we will take a deeper dive into this important work by:

Hearing from keynote speaker Tamisha Williams who is a dynamic facilitator, transformational coach, and equity practitioner with over 10 years of experience in the field of education. Through the use of visuals and storytelling, she inspires educators to deepen their equity and racial-literacy skills. Tamisha focuses on wellness and curates affirming spaces for People of Color and LGBTQ+ community members.
Participating in a variety of relevant and interactive sessions hosted by district teachers and staff.
Engaging in sessions led by community partners and equity leaders, who are sure to inspire!

Family and Community Members: Register at tinyurl.com/sel-cpi-symposium2023

We look forward to engaging in a day of learning with you!