Dear CMIT South Elementary Families,

What a Pawww-Rific journey we've shared this semester! I want to express my gratitude for your continued support and partnership in your child's education. Our students have shown remarkable growth and dedication this semester, and their enthusiasm continues to shine through each day.

With just 5 days remaining until Winter Break, the excitement is certainly building in our hallways! Please note that this is a B-Week, so your child should follow their B-week schedule for Creative Arts (CARTS) classes.

We have several important events and initiatives happening this week:

Community Outreach Initiatives:

• Food Drive (Through December 18): Support local homeless shelters and The Bowie Interfaith Pantry by sending canned items with valid expiration dates to school with your child. Questions? Contact Ms. Hendy (ania.hendy@pgcps.org)

• SGA Toy Drive (Through December 20, 2:00 PM): In partnership with Clinton, Maryland Goodwill, we're collecting gently used toys for children in need. Contact Mrs. Jones with questions (leah2.young@pgcps.org)

Special Events:

• December 18, 6:00 PM: Special PTO Meeting

• Join us to hear featured speaker Mr. Ak, CLF Executive Director.

• Location: School Cafeteria

• Childcare and refreshments provided

• Receive student dress-down passes for December 20

• Submit questions in advance: [Form link to be provided separately]

• December 19, 8:30 AM: Winter Concert

• All K-5 scholars will perform under Mrs. Duncan's direction.

• Students have been practicing diligently for this special performance.

• Join us in person or via Zoom (link will be shared day)

• Don't forget it's also Holly Jolly Hat/Headband Day!

Uniform Donation Opportunity: On December 18th from 4:00-5:30 PM, the PTO will accept tax-deductible donations of gently used, cleaned uniforms. This is your last chance for 2024 uniform donations. Please complete the donation form in advance for your receipt. Direct questions to pto@cmitsouthes.org.

3hr- Early Dismissal Information (December 20):

• Students will be dismissed at 11:25 AM.

• If your child attends afternoon enrichment, here are the dismissal times as follows:

• STARS program students must be picked up by 1:00 PM

• SCHOLARS program students must be picked up by 3:00 PM

Remember that the STEM Journey Begins Here at CMIT South Elementary! Let's continue to fill this school year with exciting learning opportunities, personal growth, and impressive achievements for all our scholars. Your partnership in education makes a profound difference in our students' success and we thank you for making CMIT South Elementary a vibrant and supportive learning community. Together, we're creating meaningful experiences for our scholars while fostering a spirit of giving during this holiday season. Remember, we can't continue this STEM journey without you!

Let's make this year a roaring success! 🦁📚. Wishing you all a 🐾 Tiger-Tastic 🐾 day and see you all Monday, December 16, 2024!

With Tiger Pride,

Ms. Tauheedah N. Simmons-Lewis

Acting Principal

Chesapeake Math & IT Academy Elementary South (CMIT)

Grade Level Updates:

Thank you for another amazing week. Your scholars came to school ready to learn. As we approach the break, please used this time to work on Stem Fair projects and the due date is approaching.

Reading Updates:

Scholars will be read a fiction story this week.

Math Updates:

Students are continuing to fluently add within 100.

Science Updates:

Social Studies Updates:

Students are learning how to locate places on a grid using a map legend.

Health Updates:

Grade Level Updates:

It is getting cooler outside. Please make sure your child has at least one outdoor coat for recess and dismissal. Thank you for your understanding!

Reading Updates:

We have started Unit 2, Week 1! This unit addresses fiction and nonfiction text that discusses plants and animals, and this week’s lesson focuses on texts addressing patterns in nature. We also worked on V/CV and VC/V words, and we reviewed concepts from the last week of Unit 1!

Math Updates:

Students have been working on problem solving division with the numbers 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10! Additionally, they have been working on using the properties of multiplication (associative, commutative, and distributive) to problem solve with the numbers 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8!

Science Updates:

Students have been learning about electricity and magnetism! They are learning about how electricity and magnetism are related, as well as the cause and effect relationship between the two!

Social Studies Updates:

Ms. Madison and Mrs. Flores’s classes just finished Chapter 1! Ms. Howard and Ms. Hendy’s classes have started Chapter 2 (economics)!

Health Updates:

Students have been introduced to our unit on the food we eat! Specifically, all classes learned about how food gives us energy, and what counts as healthy eating.

Grade Level Blurb

Greetings Tiger Family,

I hope this message finds you well and that you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. It was lovely to see everyone back in class this week, looking refreshed and ready to learn.

As we move closer to the winter break, we have been focusing on maintaining momentum in our lessons while also enjoying some festive activities to celebrate the season. Please keep an eye out for any updates regarding upcoming events and important dates.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in your scholar’s education.

i-Ready:

i-Ready is a computer based math and reading program that is available for all of our scholars. Scholars have completed their diagnostics and are working on programs based on their areas of need. If scholars have access to a computer at home, we recommend that your scholar is getting at least 45 minutes of practice a week in both reading and math. Please encourage your child to complete lessons and ensure they complete the lessons independently to accurately improve their skills. i-Ready is accessed through clever.pgcps.org, and scholars will use their PGCPS logins to access the program.

Important Upcoming Dates:

• CogAT Testing

• Tuesday December 10, 2024

• Wednesday December 11, 2024

• Thursday December 12, 2024

• Friday December 20, 2024- 3 Hour Early Dismissal

• Monday December 23- January 3, 2025- Winter Break

Uniforms:

We are a uniform school. Students must be in the proper uniform each and every day. Students are expected to have mostly black shoes. They may wear a navy blue or school logo jacket or pullover during class. Students will be asked to remove any jacket or sweater that is not following the uniform policy.

Fourth Grade Reminders:

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 for school. If a scholar leaves early or arrives late to school and it is not excused they will earn a 0 for all work that is not completed.

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

Communications:

Students must bring their agenda book each day. Teachers will note the agenda book and it should be signed nightly by the adult at home.

Please allow up to 48 business hours for all responses to emails and Classdojo messages. Teachers are not actively monitoring their emails during the day because we are engaged in instruction. Emails are not monitored over the weekend or in the evening hours when teachers have gone home. If the message sent relates to dismissal changes please call the school directly to leave a message with the front office.

Grading:

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

Parent Teacher Conferences:

Conferences with teachers are available with families as needed. Please reach out to the homeroom teacher about scheduling a parent teacher conference.

Reading Updates:

All texts that are being read in the classroom are also available for students to reread at home in their Vol. 1 textbooks. Please have students continue to read and discuss with you information that they find in the text. Students should always read a portion of the text and share any thoughts or questions they had while reading. Students should also note the text underlining, circling, and highlighting parts of the story that were important to know. Homework continues to be sent home on a weekly basis on the first day of the week.

This Week: We began reading a story about how a snapping turtle adapts to their environment called “Minn of the Mississippi.” This story is a realistic fiction story that tells how a turtle grows and changes along the Mississippi River. This week students are working with identify the elements of a story, especially plot and character traits. Students

Next Week: Students will continue to read closely the story “Minn of the Mississippi,” by writing a response that explores how the character of Minn changed throughout the story. We will also begin reading our next collection of texts (). These series of texts are poems that talk about how different animals adapt to their environments. Students will explore elements of poetry and determine the sensory details given in the poems.

Math Updates:

This week we will complete the remaining lessons for Topic 2:Fluently Add and Subtract Whole Numbers. Our focus strategy for this week is subtracting across zero Second Quarter IXL Diagnostic.

Please check Synergy ParentVue and Canvas with your scholar to ensure the completion of assignments.

Science Updates:

This week we be wrapping up the final lesson of Topic 1.

*STEM FAIR REMINDER* Begin working on STEM Research Papers. Research Papers due December 18th. Speak with Reading and Language Arts Teachers and Research Paper Rubric for more guidance on Research Papers.

Please check Synergy ParentVue and Canvas with your scholar to ensure completion of assignments

Social Studies Updates:

This week: Students analyzed and explained how the United States emerged as one of the world's most powerful nations following the Civil War, focusing on key factors such as economic growth, industrialization, political changes, and the expansion of American influence both domestically and internationally.

Next week: Students will read about the continuity and changes that the United States faces in the 21st century, and be able to explain the key factors contributing to these changes while identifying aspects of continuity that persist in various aspects of American society, politics, and economy.

Health Updates:

In health we are learning about our Mouths and keeping our Teeth Healthy and clean.

Grade Level Blurb

Happy December, Families!

We’re excited to celebrate the holiday season with fun learning experiences and a special celebration for our students. Here’s what’s happening:

Fifth Grade Holiday Party

The fifth-grade holiday party will be celebrated in two sections:

• Sections 51 and 52 will have their party together.

• Sections 53 and 54 will have their party together.

Each teacher has created a plan for their party, so please check your child’s teacher’s page for details on how you can volunteer to help or contribute. Your involvement will help make this event a success!

Reading Updates:

Required materials and resources

Reading book: MyView literacy 5.1 and IXL and I-Ready accessed through Clever.com

Key concepts being covered

Learning more about observations by understanding point of view in realistic fiction.

Spelling words with r-Controlled vowels

Spelling Words

Armada, Conserve, Guitar, Proportion, Internal, Category, Vertical, Partition, Conform, Guardian, External, Cardinal, Excursions, Injury, Majority, Turbulent, Quarter, Harmony, Vertex, Minority

Support materials

IXL and I-Ready accessed through Clever.com

Math Updates:

This month, students are learning and practicing different strategies for division. Please encourage your child to practice these skills at home and to complete assignments independently. These habits help build their confidence and critical thinking.

Science Updates:

In science, we are learning about Earth’s water systems and some fascinating facts. For instance, did you know that 97.5% of Earth’s water is saltwater, leaving only 2.5% as fresh water? Students are exploring the importance of Earth’s water and how it shapes our daily lives.

Chapter 3 Lesson reviews: Lessons 1- Lesson 4

Chapter 3 Assessment

Chapter 4: Life in the colonies

Lesson opener, What role does Geography (location) play in where you choose to live?

Social Studies book, IXL through Clever.com

What does it take to build a new society?

IXL and I-Ready

Music:

Mark Your Calendars for our Winter Concert, Thursday, Dec 19, 2024!

Primary grades K - 2, 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM

Intermediate grades 3 - 5, 9:45 AM - 10:45 AM

Attire TBD

Parents are invited to attend.

Updates from the Art Room:

Updates from the Art Room!

This week the 2nd grade tradition Make It Snow In Florida! continues for the 4th year in a row! It started with our now 5th graders when they were in 2nd grade, especially Angela Santos.

Back in December 2021, Miss Santos wanted to show her class how to make paper snowflakes after an origami unit. There were so many that I jokingly asked if they wanted to send a snowstorm to my friend in always sunny Florida. To my surprise they wanted to, thus a CMIT South Elementary art class tradition was born!

2024-2025 School Calendar

School Meals

School Violence Resources and Support

PGCPS TV

CMIT South ES Enrichment Program

Vendor Managed Child Care

Parent Handbook

Students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.

Synergy ParentVUE Support for Parents and Guardians