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Ms. Rivera's Weekly Communication
Dear AITE Family,
School will be closed on Monday in observance of Veterans’ Day, a day that we recognize and honor the sacrifices made by our veterans who have bravely served our country. We should all take this opportunity to express our gratitude for their courage and commitment to protecting our freedoms. School will reopen on Tuesday, November 12. It will be an A-Day.
As a reminder, official grades for the first quarter will be posted in PowerSchool on Friday, November 15. If you have any questions about your child’s grades, please contact the teacher.
Warm regards,
Ms. Rivera
2025-26 Magnet School Lottery is Open
The 2025-26 SPS Magnet School Lottery Application is open:
Applications Due: Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 4 pm
Lottery Drawing: Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Lottery Acceptances Due: Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Absence Documentation
Written documentation is required from a parent/guardian whenever a student is absent from school. It can be sent in one of two ways:
1. by email to AITEAttendance@stamfordps.org from the parent or
2. a written note from the parent sent directly to the office
The documentation must contain the date(s) of and the reason for the student's absence from school. If this documentation is not received within 10 days of the absence, the absence will be considered unexcused. Parents should contact their child's school counselor regarding the collection of homework assignments if their child will be out for several days.
Attendance Regulations
Last week, I sent out information about the consequences for students who exceed the threshold of unexcused absences in a quarter, which is outlined in the revised SPS attendance regulations for high school students, that were sent to all families, and have been in effect since mid-September. There was a mistake in the number of unexcused absences a student could have before being considered in violation of the attendance regulations. The number should be more than 3 absences in a 96-minute block or more than 5 absences in the 48-minute block (not 3 or 5 as was communicated).
Attendance letters were sent out to every student with classes for which they have 3 or more unexcused absences and 5 or more unexcused absences, respectively. These letters were intended to serve as a warning for students to pay attention to their attendance. Only the students, who have exceeded 3 absences in a 96-minute block or more than 5 absences in the 48-minute block, are required to fill out the Google form (the link to the form is in the letter) for each of the classes where they have exceeded the absence threshold. Students who are passing classes and do not fill out this form by Tuesday, November 12, will receive AGR, which stands for Attendance Grade Recovery and is an F on their report cards, for each class where they have exceeded the absence threshold. They will also have to meet with the Student Attendance Review Board (SARB) to discuss attendance recovery, so they can earn back their original grade. Students, who have violated the attendance regulations, but have a failing grade, will receive an F in each class where they have exceeded the absence threshold. These students will also have to meet with the SARB before the end of the month to discuss grade recovery.
Please see this document that summarizes the key points of the high school attendance regulations. Please contact your child’s grade level administrator if you have any questions about the revised attendance regulations or if you would like to schedule a meeting to discuss how we can help support you in getting your child to attend to school.
All-School Musical
Tickets for this year’s All-School Musical performance of Anything Goes will go on sale Monday, October 21. AITE students: Madison Cabanas, James Kolman, Kaitlyn Miranda, and Mackenzie Vazquez are in the cast and Jolie Lucas is a crew member. Anything Goes! opens Saturday, December 7 and runs through Sunday, December 15. All performances are at Rippowam.
Important Resources for Families
If you need additional support for your child or family, or have questions about community resources, please reach out to Our Parent Facilitator, Ena Morrobel, at (203) 977-0875 our school social worker, Mary Hidajat-Crichlow, at (203) 977-4355, or our Kids in Crisis Teen Talk counselor, Audrey Camino-Jara. Ms. Morrobel also speaks Spanish.
Jostens
Parents/guardians of students in grade 11 will receive information about purchasing class rings, if you choose to do so. Parents/guardians of seniors will receive information about ordering caps, gowns, and tassels, which are required to participate in the graduation ceremony. This information will be emailed to you in a separate email by Penny Giantomidis, very shortly.
Macbeth Opens Tonight
Stamford High School’s Strawberry Hill Players will present one of Shakespeare’s most gripping tragedies—Macbeth—on November 8, 9, 15, and 16 at 7:30 pm in the Stamford High School Auditorium. This production, which is an adaptation of the classic play, tells the story of Macbeth with a goth/punk/grunge aesthetic. AITE students James Carlton and Minh Ho are in the cast and Miranda Rotstein is in the crew. Click here to purchase tickets.
Staff Email Change
The migration of city emails to Gmail for SPS/AITE staff has occurred. Please do not use the stamfordct.gov email address to contact us. To email a staff member you will still use the first initial of their first name and their last name followed by stamfordps.org. For example, my email address is trivera@stamfordps.org
Upcoming Events
November 11 School Closed – Veterans’ Day
November 12 PTSO Parent Social 4-6 pm at Bedford Hall (see Ms. Rivera's weekly communication email for details)
November 15 First quarter grades will be accessible to parents/guardians in PowerSchool
November 27 Early Dismissal 11:45 am
November 28 No School - Thanksgiving
District News
2025-2026 Important Lottery Dates
Lottery application available - September 16, 2024
Lottery Application Due Date - January 15, 2025 - 4:00pm
Lottery Draw Date - February 1, 2025
Lottery Acceptances Due - February 21, 2025
Upcoming AITE Information Sessions
Saturday, November 9, 2024 @ 9:30 am – 11:00 am
Thursday, December 5, 2024 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
AITE only accepts applications for incoming 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students.
AITE Lottery Application Instructions
Upcoming Events
AITE Pride Points
Outstanding Teacher of the Year
AITE science teacher, Danielle Weber, who in addition to receiving a Project Lead The Way (PLTW) Outstanding Teacher of the Year award (only 79 teachers across the US were selected) was selected as PTLW’s National Teacher of the Year for the Biomedical Program. This is a very competitive and prestigious award and we are very proud of all that she has done to make AITE’s program exceptional.
AITE Alumnus Performs with Cirque du Soleil
TJ Salta, AITE alumnis and recent graduate of Quinnipiac University, is performing magic in a new Cirque du Soleil show in Las Vegas called the Mad Apple.
https://www.qu.edu/quinnipiac-today/quinnipiac-university-student-tj-salta-of-norwalk-connecticut-to-embark-on-magic-gig-with-cirque-du-soleil-in-las-vegas-2022-03-21/.
$50,000 Raised by Students this Past School Year for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
AITE students Ava Lesser and Nora Amsellem successfully raised over $50,000 this past school year for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Their initial goal was to raise an ambitious $35,000; however, by the time their fundraising campaign concluded, they well surpassed their goal, raising a total of $53,274 from an estimated 750 different donors.
Because Ava and Nora surpassed the $50,000 mark, they have been rewarded with a research grant and were recognized as one of the top 8 teams in the Fairfield/Westchester area. They will have the opportunity to direct the funds they raised towards a specific research initiative within LLS and have been asked to share their materials with the National Team to be used in their nationwide efforts to raise money and awareness.
Commended by NEASC Decennial Accreditation
AITE is proud that the in the report by the visiting team for our recent NEASC Decennial Accreditation Visit the school was commended for “its safe, supportive, and inclusive culture and environment, the staff and administration’s awareness of students’ social and emotional needs, and the emphasis on building and maintaining strong relationships.”
AITE Student won 1st-place in the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship World Series of Innovation, Saint-Gobain Sustainable Cities Challenge
AITE student, Arnav Gover, won first-place in the Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) World Series of Innovation, Saint-Gobain Sustainable Cities Challenge. The World Series of Innovation is an annual innovation challenge series focused on advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). His project, Cardbio, focuses on the creation of an environmentally friendly composite material for sustainability and commercial use. It has been awarded the top entry in the Saint-Gobain Sustainable Cities Challenge, which requested innovative ideas to achieve progress on one of the UN Global Goals #11, Sustainable Cities and Communities. Thousands of young entrepreneurs and innovators from around the world entered the competition in the fall, and the top ten entries in each challenge bracket moved on to the final round of judging earlier this month. The winners were announced on March 31. Arnav has won $1,500 and he will have the ability to work with St. Gobain engineers to turn his concept into a reality. Arnav and other students at AITE worked on submitting solutions to the challenges in Entrepreneurship class with teachers Mr. Schrag and Ms. Zanga.