AIM Higher Weekly
August 14, 2026

Principal's Message
Dear AIMS Families,
As we move into another important week of the school year, I want to highlight two items that deserve your attention: student academic progress and daily attendance.
This week, teachers will be entering 6-week interim report information for the first marking period. Beginning October 1, families should log into Infinite Campus to review their student’s progress thus far.
Interim reports are an important opportunity to check in before the marking period ends. Please take time to review your student’s grades, missing assignments, and overall progress. If you have questions or concerns about a particular class, I encourage you to reach out directly to the teacher. Our goal is to make sure students have time to make adjustments, seek support, and finish the marking period strong.
We are also approaching the district’s September 30 Unit Count, making daily attendance especially important. More importantly, however, every day in school is an opportunity for students to learn, participate, receive support, and stay connected to their classes.
Please continue to make being at school every day and arriving on time a priority. When students miss school—even when an absence is excused—they are still missing valuable instructional time that can be difficult to replace.
Thank you for your continued partnership and for helping us make consistent attendance and academic progress priorities for every AIMS student.
Together, we will continue to AIM Higher!
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We are excited to welcome our AIMS families for Back to School Night on Tuesday, September 29, from 6:00–8:00 p.m.
This year, we will offer two identical sessions so families have greater flexibility in attending:
Session 1: 6:00–7:00 p.m.
Session 2: 7:00–8:00 p.m.
Offering two sessions will allow families with more than one student at AIMS—as well as families who may not be able to arrive by 6:00 p.m.—the opportunity to meet their child’s teachers without missing the experience.
During each session, families will visit their student’s core content classes and meet the teachers who work with them each day. The final 10 minutes of each session will be reserved for families to meet with one of their student’s MTSS teachers.
We hope you will join us for this opportunity to learn more about your student’s classes, connect with teachers, and strengthen the partnership between home and school.
This Week's Schedule
Monday : D-Day (4, 1, 2, 3, 6)
Tuesday: E -Day (1, 3 ,2 , 4, 7)
Wednesday: F- Day (2, 4, 1, 3, 7)
Thursday: A-Day (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Friday: B-Day (2, 3, 4, 1, 5 )
the AIMS Team
Meet our Team Leads
As part of our commitment to strong communication and collaboration across AIMS, I would like to introduce our team leads. These staff members serve as instructional leaders, support collaboration among teachers, and help ensure that each grade level and department is working together to meet the needs of our students.
- Dr. Colleen Bifferato is a 6th grade ELA teacher and serves as our 6th Grade Team Lead.
- Ms. Kristi Bigliani is a 7th grade ELA teacher and serves as our 7th Grade Team Lead.
- Mrs. Trezise is an 8th grade Math teacher and serves as our 8th Grade Team Lead.
- Chef Brandon Lindell is our Culinary Arts teacher and serves as the Related Arts and CTE Department Team Lead.
Our team leads play an important role in supporting their colleagues, strengthening instruction, and helping us maintain a strong connection across grade levels and departments. We appreciate the leadership they bring to AIMS each day.
Please come our on September 29th from 6:00-8:00pm to our Back to School night. You can meet our new staff members as well as all of AIMS staff.
School Leadership
Mrs. Cristina Kalesse — Principal
Ms. Michelle Burrows — Assistant Principal (6th Grade)
Mr. George Hantzopoulos — Assistant Principal (7th Grade)
Mr. Earl Moffett — Student Advisor (8th Grade)
Student & Family Support
Ms. Natalie Hamilton — Counselor (Last Names A-L)
Mrs. Melissa Lepkowski — Counselor (Last Names M-Z)
Dr. Deborah Wiley — Special Education Coordinator
Ms. Katy Cole — School Nurse
Mr. Rahel Torres- Athletic Director
Main Office
Mrs. Williams — Senior Secretary
Mrs. Luna — Attendance Secretary
Athletics This Week
Soccer
Monday 09/28/2026 3:30 vs. John Dickinson @ AIMS
Wednesday 09/30/2026 3:30 vs. Skyline @ AIMS
Girls' Volleyball
Monday 09/28/2026 3:30 vs. John Dickinson @ AIMS
Wednesday 09/30/2026 3:30 vs. Skyline @ AIMS
Thursday 10/01/2026 3:30 vs. Newark Charter School @ AIMS
Cross Country
Thursday 10/01/2026 3:30 Quad Meet @ Banning Park
Tiger Family To-Do List
Families and students should:
- Mark your calendars for our Back to School Night -September 29, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
- Log in to Infinite Campus to check student grades