Kiker Comments September 14, 2021

• Upcoming Events
• Attendance Notes
• Back to School Night
• AISD Events
• PTA News
• Additional Announcements
• Upcoming GT Nomination Window
• Library News
• September Staff Birthdays
  
• Get to Know the Staff
• Repeated Information (from previous newsletters)
• Quarantine and Ill Person Requirements for Return
• After School Programs
• All the Links to Everything You Need

September

13 & 14 - Back to School Nights via Zoom - See Flyer Below

13-24 - GT Nomination Window for Grades 3 - 5 - More Information Below

13 - PTA Executive Board Meeting

14 - Principal Coffee Talk at 8:00 am

14 - Lockdown Drill - Afternoon

22 - GT Information Session for Parents/Guardians via Zoom, 5:00 pm

24 - Evacuation Drill - Morning

24 - GT Nominations for Grades 3 - 5 - FIRM DEADLINE

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

Austin ISD will celebrate the National Hispanic Heritage Month with the 2021 Virtual Talent

Show “Proud to be Hispanic”. Please inform your teachers, staff and families about this

opportunity! Students can submit their videos or pictures. More than $2,000 in prizes will be

awarded in a virtual ceremony on October 27. Please print and display these flyers.

This virtual talent show allows our students to participate safely from home and with the

support of their family. Fine Arts teachers are great motivators to encourage students to

participate. Teachers and staff can also participate as honorary guests (please watch Principal

Tania Jedele’s participation last year).

What: 2021 Virtual Talent Show “Proud to be Hispanic”

Categories: Singing, Music, Dancing and Art (drawing or painting) Pictures and videos with

the highest number of positive reactions in each category will win desktop computers and gift cards!

When: Submission period from September 15 to October 15 via bit.ly/TalentoAISD21

Where: Accepted submissions will be posted on facebook.com/EducaAustin

Help us envision our AISD future! The district’s draft facility assessment reports and Educational Specification updates are ready for your feedback!

Check out our school’s reports by visiting www.austinisdplanningtogether.com and fill out the feedback form no later than Sunday, Sept. 26

Visit https://bit.ly/3DntgJ2 to learn more about how these documents fit into the district’s long-range planning process—which will help determine which improvements and new facilities are included in our next bond!

Join us as we build the foundation for our 2022 Long-range Plan and our next bond! Featuring a community panel discussing their experiences with historic inequities in the district and how we can begin to rebuild trust.

Monday, Sept. 13 - 6–8 p.m. (English with Spanish interpretation)

Register: https://bit.ly/2WOCpd8

Tuesday, Sept. 14 6–8 p.m. (Spanish with English interpretation)

Register: https://bit.ly/3zHrvE7

Saturday, Sept. 18 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m. (English with Spanish interpretation)

Register: https://bit.ly/3gWc5on

All meetings will offer small group discussions facilitated in English and Spanish. Please email karla.rivera@austinisd.org or call (512) 414-9773 to request interpretation in other languages.

Austin ISD is now accepting applications to serve on the Austin ISD Long-range Planning Committees! The LPCs will be made up of parents, community members, students and district staff who will help the district develop long-range plans and a prioritized list of recommended projects in each of these areas:

• Academics and Career & Technical Education

• Athletics

• Visual & Performing Arts

• Facilities

• Safety, Security & Resiliency

• Transportation, Food Service & Maintenance

• Technology

These plans will ultimately help determine which improvements and new facilities are included in our next bond.

Please fill out the online application no later than 11:59 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 19. For more information, visit www.austinisd.org/advisory-bodies/lpc.

If your family is in need of a scholarship for the cost of a PTA membership, please contact Ms. Matheny at cory.matheny@austinisd.org.

Reflections has been a staple arts program in many schools for 50 years. Through the efforts of our local PTAs, millions of students have found a creative outlet in the areas of dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography, and visual arts.

Read more here!

Click Here for Forms and Rules.

Click Here for the Google Folder if you plan to submit your work digitally.

All submissions will be due by 10/22 by either submitting digitally in the Google Folder above or by dropping them off at the front office.

See the button below to complete a nomination.

We are accepting nominations for Gifted and Talented testing for two weeks, September 13 - September 24, for our students in grades 3-5. The window for K-2 is October 15 - November 5, so please wait until the window reopens if your child is a K-2 student.

The process includes the following steps: nomination, screening, and selection. Information considered in the decision includes parent/guardian observations, teacher input, collection of a portfolio of student work, and standardized assessments. Students who are already identified as GT do not need to be reevaluated. Students identified as Talent Explore may be re-nominated for GT identification.

• Please note that the nomination process is time sensitive. All nominations are due by September 24 at 4:00.
• To nominate your child, please click the button below.
• An information session via Zoom will be available September 22 at 5:00. Zoom link will be shared in next week's Kiker Comments.

Purchase a book from our special collection of new books. Be the first to read it and donate it to the Bernice Kiker Library!

Formerly known as Birthday Books, our librarian, Ashley Cross, will present your child with the book he/she has selected and your child will have two weeks to enjoy the book before sending it back for everyone else to check out.

Each book is $15 and a special book label will be placed in the book showing your child’s donation to the Kiker Library. In addition, your child’s picture with his/her chosen book will be displayed in the hallway for the school to enjoy.

To join the Book of the Month Club, please fill out this form and return, we ask that you use austinisd.schoolcashonline.com for payment. If you need to send cash or check please send payment with the below portion to Ashley Cross. Your child will be called from class to choose a book and parents will be notified when this takes place. Your child will be recognized on the bulletin board outside of the library for the month.

Thank you for participating! We can’t wait for your student to come choose a book from the library. Your student is welcome to participate as many months as you’d like. Each month is an additional $15. If your preferred month fills up, we will notify you by email for another month preference.

18 Nadra Collins

22 Amanda Prickett

23 Marian Martin

25 Christina Haschke

Each week we will feature a few staff members. This week, meet our Dyslexia Intervention Team.

Quarantine:

Day 0 is the last date of exposure.

Day 1 is the first day without exposure.

Day 5-7 the testing can occur.

Day 8 the student can return if a negative test result is provided.

At this time, for someone who is quarantined, we can accept a rapid test OR a PCR test from any testing facility that provides a paper document or email copy of the results. At home tests are not accepted.

Symptomatic / Ill students or staff:

For a student/staff member who was symptomatic (sent home from school sick or self-reported sick), a negative PCR or a doctor's note is required to return.

Staff or students who are symptomatic may request a rapid test on campus. However, rapid tests are not available for asymptomatic individuals at this time. With 760 students and almost 100 staff members, our one nurse is not able to provide peace of mind testing while still meeting the safety needs of those currently on campus daily. Our priority is to have our nurse available for those staff and students with an immediate need in the building.

After School Enrichment

Did you know our Comets have a variety of after school activities to participate in? This fall, after school activities will include coding, art, cooking, Spanish, piano, 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!

https://kikerpta.membershiptoolkit.com/afterschoolenrichment

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