AIMSupt. Monthly
Summer 2021 | Issue 14
Greetings,
It’s been quite the year as we continued to navigate the pandemic, remote learning, and made the transition to hybrid in-person learning. We could not have gotten through this year without our wonderful staff, families, students, and community. You can read more about what we did to support our entire AIMS community here. Throughout these past 15 months, our AIMS family showed us what it truly means to be AIMStrong.
To honor the AIMS Class of 2021, we held drive-in graduation ceremonies for our AIMS Kindergarteners, 5th graders, 8th graders, and High School Seniors. Our students, families, and staff persevered to make the best of this year and we were so lucky to be able to celebrate together in-person as an AIMS family once again.
AIMS High School Graduation Recap
Our AIMS High School Graduation celebration honored the rich diversity of our AIMS community with a multicultural welcome from our graduates in 13 different languages including Burmese, Swahili, Punjabi, Mongolian, and many more! Our Head of High School, Mr. Maurice Williams, kicked off the ceremony with some words of encouragement for our seniors as they transition to the next phase of their journeys.
We continued to make AIMS history with our largest graduating class ever with 95 graduates and honored our first ever valedictorian from Pakistan, Parneet Virk. Parneet has been with us since elementary and we could not be more proud of her accomplishments, including her acceptance into UCLA. Parneet shared during her speech, “This year the hardships seemed unbearable with a life altering pandemic that changed the world. Together we supported each other, gathered our strength, and made the final push to this moment.”
I also had the honor of introducing our guest speaker, the first Asian American anchor at KTVU News, Claudine Wong. Claudine sent our graduates off with some final words of inspiration. Claudine shared “I can feel the intense love at your amazing school. This world has changed before your eyes. When I tell the stories of your class and generation, I hear stories of hope, resilience, strength, and compassion. I stand here because of you.”
You can view a recap of the ceremony here.
AIMS Kindergarten and Elementary Promotion Ceremonies
We also had the opportunity to celebrate our youngest AIMS graduates. For our AIMS Kindergarten graduation, our students participated in a dance performance and each student received a certificate to honor the occasion. You can view the ceremony here.
For our 5th grade promotion ceremony, we were joined by our wonderful staff and teachers as they presented our students with their certificates. Our Head of Elementary, Mr. Christopher Ahmad shared some words of appreciation for our teachers and students as they navigated this difficult year. The ceremony can be viewed here.
AIMS Middle School Graduation
In celebration of our AIMS Middle School graduates. Our head of division, Ms. Natalie Glass, gave a special recognition to our students who graduated with honors, students who made the dean’s list, and the superintendent’s list. We heard some special words from our wonderful teachers, students, and class representatives. You can watch a video recap of the ceremony here.
As a K-12 charter district, we have the special honor of seeing our AIMS students grow through all of the stages in their K-12 education. Many of our staff and school leaders have watched generations of our students grow into incredible young people.
AIMS HS Lady Eagles are 2021 BACSAC Champions
Our Lady Eagles came back in a big way after the global pandemic cut their 2019-20 soccer season short after just one game. That season, the team also suffered their worst defeat in team history. They were determined to come back in a big way, and they did just that.
Nearly 15 months later, the AIMS HS Lady Eagles defeated the Oakland Unity Lady Tigers 4-0 to secure the 2020-21 BACSAC Varsity Women’s Soccer Championship. We are so proud of the Lady Eagles who made their mark with the second women's championship in AIMS HS history!
Check out the full story here.
Summer Opportunities at AIMS
We know that the past year presented many challenges for our students and their learning. To support our students and families as we transition to the next school year, we are offering extra support over the summer both virtually and in-person. Our goal is to equip our students with all of the support that they need to start the next school year ready and excited to learn.
Making our Voices Heard
We are grateful to the students, families, staff, and charter leaders across the state who used their voices to defeat Assembly Bill 1316. The bill would have unfairly reduced funding levels and restricted enrollment for charters at a time where California families and students need the most flexibility and access to high-quality educational options. Across the state, we stood together and our state leaders heard us loud and clear.
We remain hopeful for the future and are encouraged by the latest state budget that includes much needed relief through an unprecedented investment for California’s students following an incredibly difficult year.
As the school year comes to a close, we hope that you take some time to enjoy the summer break. It’s been a hard year but we remain optimistic and know that we can continue to overcome the challenges together. We encourage you to stay safe and take the proper precautions to protect the health and safety of our entire community.
We are looking forward to a full return in the fall following the guidance from the state and county.
We remain stronger together - together we are AIMSTRONG!
Respectfully,
Maya Woods-Cadiz
Superintendent
AIMS K-12 College Prep Charter District