CMIT South Elementary School

Dear CMIT South Elementary School Community,

I trust this newsletter finds you well and filled with excitement for the latest updates from our vibrant school community. There are several noteworthy achievements and upcoming events that I am eager to share with you.

Innovative Learning in Fifth Grade Math: Dialing into Understanding Improper Fractions

Our fifth-grade students have been engaged in a dynamic exploration of multiple strategies for solving improper fractions. The classroom has been abuzz with discovery as students delve into various approaches to tackle mathematical challenges. This hands-on learning experience fosters a deeper understanding of mathematical concepts and promotes critical thinking skills.

Exploring African-American Heroes and Historical Figures in Reading and Social Studies

Our commitment to providing a comprehensive education extends beyond the classroom. In reading and social studies classes, students have been diving deep into the rich history of African-American heroes and historical figures. This exploration not only broadens their knowledge but also encourages a deeper appreciation for the diverse contributions of African Americans throughout history.

Congratulations to Mrs. Pinkard: Star Award for Community Partner

I am delighted to share the news that Mrs. Pinkard has been honored with the Star Award for Community Partner. Presented by Mr. Youmay Zack, CEO of Chesapeake Lighthouse Foundation, this recognition highlights Mrs. Pinkard's exceptional dedication and contributions to our community. Join me in congratulating her on this well-deserved achievement.

Thank You to Our Dedicated Staff for "Homecoming" Black History Month Program

A heartfelt thank you goes out to Ms. Chandler, the Professional School Counselor, Mrs. Matthews, Ms. Washington, Mr. Weldon, Mrs. Pinkard, Mrs. Wint, Dr. Hughes, and all CMIT staff for their unwavering support of the Black History Month program, "Homecoming." We also extend our gratitude to families for practicing with students and supporting our efforts to create a memorable program for our students. It was a joy to welcome a limited number of families in person, and we eagerly anticipate more upcoming events next month for National Literacy Month.

Students Rights and Responsibilities Review for 3rd Quarter

This week administration took the time to hold grade-level meetings with K-5 students to review and reiterate expectations of behavior. We encourage families to review the PGCPS Rights and Responsibilities handbook with your scholars so they are aware of what they are entitled to and the expectations as well as interventions and consequences for not meeting those expectations.

Invitation to Fifth Grade Students and Families: CMIT South Middle School Showcase

This Saturday, March 2, our fifth-grade students are invited to CMIT South Middle School from 10 AM to 12 PM for a showcase of middle school programming. Fifth-grade families are encouraged to attend with their child, and we kindly ask that parents remain with their children throughout the entire event. We look forward to this opportunity for our students to explore the exciting offerings awaiting them in middle school.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community. Together, we are creating a vibrant and enriching learning environment for our students.

Educationally Yours,

Mr. Ronald A. Miller, Jr.

Principal

Chesapeake Math & IT Academy South Elementary

Prince George’s County Public Schools

Hazel Health Services Coming to CMIT South Elementary

What is Hazel Health?

Hazel Health has partnered with Prince George's County Public Schools to provide access to quality healthcare services for all students, at no cost to families, this school year. Students can be referred by the school counselor or their parent/guardian. A designated person at the school or a parent/guardian can initiate a video visit with a Hazel health care provider while your child is at school or at home to provide either physical or mental health services. Therapy sessions with Hazel Health are a safe space and are private and confidential.

How can your child receive services?

Waitlists for mental health services for children are sometimes long or sometimes as parents it's tough to find the time to take our children to appointments which makes it difficult for them to receive the immediate support they need. Hazel Health is geared to bridge that gap. Students are able to receive these services free, virtually and while in school. If you have any questions please feel free to visit their website https://www.hazel.co/ or reach out to me.

Grade Level Blurb:

Greetings everyone!

We had a great time at the Baltimore Aquarium! Thank you families for allowing your scholars to attend and we greatly appreciate those who took the time to chaperone. We will have an in-school science program in April and will visit the Museum of Natural History in May, with dates to be announced.

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

March 4th: No School for Students

March 25th- April 1st: Spring Break

April 2nd: Asynchronous Day

Reading Updates:

Traditional Stories- The Best Story

This week we will continue to:

• Compare and contrast stories

• Ask and Answer Questions

• Discuss the Author’s Purpose

• Make and confirm predictions

• Manipulate syllables within a multisyllabic word.

• Identify and match the common sounds that letters represent.

• Identify and read common high-frequency words by sight.

• Phonological Awareness: Syllables; Words with /a/ and /ā/; Rhyming Words

• Phonics: Short Aa /a/ and Long Aa /ā/

• High-Frequency Words: away, give, little

Math Updates:

Numbers 11-20

Your child is learning to count, read, and write numbers from 11 through 20. He or she

will learn to count forward from any number to 20. Your child will also learn to use logical

reasoning to solve problems when there is more than one possible solution.

We will discuss how:

• there is a unique symbol that goes with each number word

• counting tells how many are in a set, regardless of their arrangement or the order in which they were counted. The last number said when counting a set is the total.

• counting is cumulative.

• you use the count sequence to count from any number within 20.

• numbers become greater when you count on them.

Science Updates:

Severe Weather

• Use and share observations of location weather conditions to describe patterns over time

• Ask questions to obtain information about the purpose of weather forecasting to prepare for, and respond to, severe weather

• Students will understand why it is important to prepare for severe weather

In this topic, we will continue to build on our understanding as they explore Earth’s weather. We will discuss different severe weather and discuss how we can prepare for and stay safe from each.

Social Studies Updates:

Geography of the Neighborhood- Globes and Maps

• Recognize what a globe represents and how to use one.

• Recognize what a map represents and how to use one

• List places we would like to see and visit

• Similarities and differences between maps and globes

For the next several weeks, we will discuss that places, and their relative advantages and disadvantages, can change over time. We will also build backgrounds by asking children what they know about their community and encouraging them to share what they know about where they live.

Health Updates:

Keeping Clean & Healthy

This monthly theme explores ways to stay clean and healthy, self-esteem and self-respect, ways to keep your community clean and healthy

Grade level blurb:

Families,

Thanks to all the families that visited /attended the Meet and Greet on Tuesday, February 20. The 1st-grade team values your partnership. Poetry reading and writing will continue into next week. Parents can help support students’; growth and development in this genre by reading poems aloud to students, having students write acrostic poems using family members’ names, and writing poems on “I am” (writing about themselves). Celebrate what they write!

Reading Updates:

Unit 3:

Spelling Words: see, me, tree, we, she, Three, be, Be, he, live, work, who, out,

Content Vocabulary: feel, map

Singular/Plural (review)

Pronouns

Math Updates:

Math:-:Topic 8-Understanding place value

This unit has several lessons. The skills are ongoing through elementary grades.

Science Updates:

Topic 5: Living Things

Animal parts, Plant Parts, People learn from living things, Where plants and animals live

Social Studies Updates:

Maps and Geography.

March is Women’s Month. Looking forward to having our moms read to students during March. A project is coming soon.

Health Updates:

Feelings: Expressing how you feel

Coming Soon: Women's Month

Continue with the conversation of how important women have helped pave the way for freedom and independence in America.

Have students research and identify one person. They can search videos for information.

This skill will serve as a prerequisite for a project that is coming soon. It will also build their repertoire so that they will have facts to share as teachers talk about Women’s Month

Grade level blurb:

Tiger Family,

Many classes are wrapping up various topics. Please look for updates from our classroom teacher.

Some updates and reminders:

1. Please check your scholar's agenda and blue folder nightly.

2. Please check SchoolMax for up-to-date grades, including progress report grades.

3. Please remember to talk with your scholar about the power of KINDNESS. We are spending a lot of time on character education in class, specifically how to treat each other respectfully.

4. We will be inviting just a few approved volunteers to read in the classroom for Read Across America. Please stay tuned for details later this week.

Reading Updates:

We are moving on to Unit 4 in reading! This unit is all about making a difference. Our essential question is “Why is it important to connect with other people?” Students will be reading Biographies and realistic fiction texts.

The first week our spelling pattern will focus on closed-syllable words. A closed syllable ends with a consonant. A syllable that ends with a consonant usually has a short vowel sound.

Math Updates:

Many classes have or will wrap up Topic 8- Time and Money and move on to Topic 9 - Numbers within 1000.

Science Updates:

Many classes have or will wrap up Topic 4- Earth's Processes and move on to Topic 5 - Plants and Animals.

Social Studies Updates:

Many classes have or will wrap up Topic 3 - Government and move on to Topic 4- People who supply our goods and services.

Health Updates:

We are learning all about babies and how they grew

Grade level blurb:

Great day Amazing Parents! We are only a few weeks away from Spring and we cannot wait to enjoy the warm weather. Encourage students to continue to bundle up while we are out at recess, especially on cold days. Also, we are collectively speaking to Tigers about the appropriate use of the bathroom. Please help us with this effort. Finally, this week we attended the student's rights and responsibilities assembly. Students were reminded of the expectations set forth at school. Enjoy the long weekend!

Reading Updates:

Fleet/Lewis:

Reading - Grandaddy’s Turn To The Ballot Box. Historical fiction, author's purpose, plot, and settings

Grammar - Abbreviations

Mathews/Madison: Tigers developed knowledge about language to make connections between reading and writing focusing on conjunctions and interjections. Additionally, they practiced recognizing words used as both nouns and verbs. Students focused on visualizing details and evaluating the author’s purpose and message of a text. Ask your student what they learned and see if they can explain at least one concept or academic vocabulary word. Students took their Spelling Test on Contractions.

Math Updates:

Fleet/Lewis: We have started with Topic 8 which focuses on Using Properties to Add and Subtract. We should be finished with this topic the week of March 11th. Be on the lookout for the topic assessment date.

Madison/Mathews - We concluded Topic 8 (Use Properties to Add and Subtract) by learning about estimating, and we took our Topic 8 Assessment on Thursday! We will start Topic 9 (Fluently Add and Subtract Within 1,000) on Tuesday.

Science Updates:

Fleet/Lewis: We have finished up with Topic 5 on Life Cycles and Traits. Topic assessment scores should be in SchoolMax. Next up is Topic 6 on Adaptations and Survival.

Madison/Mathews - We are concluding our unit on Climate! Students have been learning about world climates/climate zones, and they will have their Topic 4 Assessment next week (it will most likely be held on Wednesday). We will end the week by introducing Topic 5 - Life Cycles and Traits!

Social Studies Updates:

Fleet/Lewis:

-Chapter 3 assessment Ch 4. Lesson 1: Our Democracy.

Mathews/ Madison: Students learned about the Cherokee and Iroquois Native Americans who moved to specific locations based on the resources there. Students learned how having a confederacy changed the Native American communities causing five groups to unite and work together as 1. Students reviewed the academic vocabulary and completed the chapter review. Students will take the quiz on America’s First People next week.

Health Updates:

The theme for March is “Say No to Smoking, Drinking, and Drugs.” Students will focus on describing the importance of saying no to smoking, drinking, drugs, and the law, understanding addiction, and setting goals for drug-free living.

Hello Tiger Family,

I hope that everyone is doing well. We have completed our sixth week of the third quarter. We have concluded Black History Month by having a wonderful presentation. We are very proud of all the fourth-grade students who contributed their time and efforts to the performance. We are now in Women’s History Month and students will receive lessons about amazing women who have made a difference in the world. Spend time with your scholar discussing some of the women in your life and family who have done great things!

Smithsonian Natural History Museum Field Trip

We are excited to announce that fourth graders will be taking their first field trip of the year to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Permission slips have been sent home with students. We request that all slips and money be returned to the homeroom teacher by Monday, March 11, 2024. We are only able to accept cash and checks with the exact amount. Be sure that you check the box on the permission slip if your scholar will need a school lunch.

This is a friendly reminder that late work is only accepted if a student has an excused absence! If a scholar is absent and does not bring a note they will earn a 0 on the assignment that was missed. Please read the reminders to ensure that you are partnering with your scholars to make them successful in school.

Fourth Grade Reminders:

Please check SchoolMax weekly to see the scholar’s updated grades. Canvas is a Learning Management System that scholars utilize to complete assignments and get access to materials. The grades provided in SchoolMax are those that will be used to calculate progress reports and report cards.

If your scholar is absent, please share a note with the homeroom teacher within 3 days of your scholar returning to school. For students to receive make-up work you must provide a note stating; the student’s name, the date of absence, and the reason for absence. Work is provided to students upon their return to school after an absence

note.

Please ensure that your scholar comes to school on time with a charged Chromebook. Class begins at 8:00 am! Students are arriving late and missing instructional time, warm-ups, and other activities. Students who arrive to school late without an excuse note will receive a 0 for any missing assignments.

Reading Updates:

This Week: Students continued to read our first story in Unit 3 “Out of My Mind.” In this realistic fiction, students read a story about a girl who had cerebral palsy and struggled to communicate with those around her. Students made inferences about the character and composed an essay that supported their inferences. Students were able to answer the question of how we communicate in diverse ways.

Next Week: Students will begin week two and read a realistic fiction called “Mama’s Window.”In this story we will read about a boy named “Sugar” and the changes that he undergoes after his mother passes away. Students will be working on the skills of monitoring their inner conversation, plot, and characterization. Students are seeking to answer how our experiences help us to see the world differently.

Math Updates:

This week students began working on Topic 5 4.NBT.B.6 Find whole-number quotients and remainders with up to four-digit dividends and one-digit divisors, using strategies based on place value, the properties of operations, and/or the relationship between multiplication and division. Illustrate and explain the calculation by using equations, rectangular arrays, and/or area models. This week we began exploring sub-sections 5-1 Use mental math and place-value strategies to divide multiples of 10 and 100 by 1-digit divisors.

Please check SchoolMax and Canvas with your scholar to ensure completion of assignments.

Science Updates:

In Science this week, students completed their Topic 2 Lesson 1 quiz. This week we began lessons 2 and 3 Nonrenewable and Renewable resources.

Social Studies Updates:

This week: Students continued to learn about African American Inventors and took a quiz on the importance of each inventor.

Next Week: Students will read Lesson 3: Our Rights and Responsibilities and explain how citizens in a democracy have both rights and responsibilities.

Health Updates:

In health, we are learning about our Digestive Systems! How does our digestive system contribute to the overall function of our bodies? What can we do to promote a healthy digestive system?

Grade level blurb:

Hi everyone! Reminder there is NO SCHOOL for students this coming Monday, March 4!

We are starting a new month of March, and we are focusing on our character trait, courage! We want to show peace in any way we can! We wrapped up Black History Month this past week with our program on Friday which was a great success! We are also celebrating Women’s History Month this month so we are getting prepared for that!

We are also getting prepared to plan our trip to Camp Schmidt at the end of the year for our 5th-grade students and we are so excited! We are going to need lots of parent volunteers, both men and women, so if you are interested in coming, please reach out to your homeroom teacher. The date will be June 3-4, so stay tuned for further info!

Please check the assignment calendar on our Google site to see what upcoming assignments students may have. We have been having tests, quizzes, and homework, so we want to make sure students are keeping up with their work. Students should click on their homeroom teacher’s name to see their assignments. Here is the link to the 5th-grade website for those who need it: https://sites.google.com/pgcps.org/5thgradeclasssite/home

A reminder that we are happy to have volunteers come in to assist us with different things throughout the year, so if you are interested, please make sure your volunteer requirements are completed. We would love it if people wanted to come in and volunteer during lunch times for students, so let us know if you are interested.

The temperature is low, and students MUST have a winter coat to be allowed outside for recess. The CMIT fleeces are no longer warm enough for recess. If the temperature drops below 32 degrees or is wet outside, we will have indoor recess!

Reading Updates:

We are working on unit 3 week 2 and our first section is about realistic fiction. We also have our new spelling words on suffixes for this section!

Math Updates:

Students are in unit 8 of Math which is about common denominators and adding fractions. Homework will be posted on the assignment calendar as we get started so keep an eye out!

Science Updates:

Students are working on unit 4 of Science, about the water cycle. Homework will be posted on the assignment calendar as we get started so keep an eye out!

Social Studies Updates:

We are working on chapter 5 now about the American Revolution. We are in Chapter 5 lesson 2 this week about the events leading up to the revolution!

Lego:

This is the last week of our development. Parents may come and view our Lego town next week on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, Wednesday, March 6, 2024, and Thursday, March 7, 2024, from 4:00 p.m.-5:30 p.m. located in the Lego classroom.

Maker’s Lab:

DESIGN A BOAT CHALLENGE, This week in Maker’s Lab we will start to create a design for a boat that will float the most mass without sinking.

PE:

This week our focus was on yoga and how it helps with our flexibility. Students enjoyed using the yoga mats and creating their yoga routines. Next week we will be moving onto cardiovascular endurance.

2023-2024 School Calendar

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SchoolMAX Family Portal

Fall Learning Information
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Vendor Managed Child Care