CMIT South Elementary School
📣 From the Desk of Principal Miller
Week of April 22-26, 2024
Dear Tiger Family,
I hope this message finds you well as we dive into the final stretch of the school year. It's been an eventful week here at Chesapeake Math & IT Academy South Elementary, filled with exciting achievements and enriching experiences for our students.
First and foremost, I want to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all our 5th-grade students for successfully completing their MCAP testing. Your hard work and dedication have paid off, and we couldn't be prouder of your accomplishments. Well done!
In line with our commitment to providing real-world experiences for our students, this week saw our 2nd-grade students exploring the wonders of the National Botanical Gardens, while our 1st-grade students embarked on a captivating journey at the National Children's Museum. Additionally, our Kindergarten students had an educational adventure at the Natural History Museum. These field trips serve as invaluable opportunities for our students to connect their classroom learning to the world around them.
We also want to celebrate our Administrative professionals in the front office Ms. LaNessa Reese, Ms. Jamie Bull, and Mrs. April Joy. Their dedication to welcoming students, and staff families and working hard behind the scenes to keep our school running smoothly are immeasurable. THANK YOU!! We also had a magnificent end to clubs with a Pizza Party Presentation. Students and Club leader staff members were presented awards from Assistant Principal Lewis for their dedication this year to the over 20 different clubs and 300 plus students who participated in clubs.
I'm thrilled to announce the winners of this year's Chesapeake Lighthouse Foundation Awards (CLF). These individuals have exemplified excellence and dedication in their respective roles:
Staff Member of the Year: Assistant Principal, Ms. Tauheedah N. Simmons-Lewis
Teacher of the Year: Professional School Counselor, Ms. Deidra Chandler
CLF Student of the Year: Lauryn Harding (5th Grade)
Marie Curie Researcher of the Year: Kumani Nyawela (5th Grade)
STEM Club MVP: Joseph Bridgeman (5th Grade)
Please join me in congratulating them on their outstanding achievements.
In other news, I'm delighted to share that Chesapeake Math and Information Technology (CMIT) South Public Charter High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, has achieved remarkable rankings. It stands proudly as #6,595 nationally, #120 in Maryland High Schools, #62 in Washington DC Metro Area High Schools, and #363 in Charter High Schools. Furthermore, it holds the distinguished position of #11 among Prince George’s County Public Schools High Schools. Such accolades are a testament to the dedication of our educators and the commitment of our students to academic excellence.
A friendly reminder to all families: school start time is promptly at 8:00 am. The rear gate closes at this time, and late scholars must be signed in at the main office. Punctuality is essential for maximizing learning opportunities and ensuring every student starts their day on the right foot. Additionally, please note that student pick-up time, for those not participating in after-school enrichment, is between 2:25 pm and 2:55 pm. After this time, all staff are off duty, and adult supervision is unavailable.
Thank you for your continued support and cooperation in making Chesapeake Math & IT Academy South Elementary, a vibrant and nurturing learning community. Together, we will continue to inspire and empower our students to reach their full potential.
Sincerely,
Mr. Ronald A. Miller, Jr.
Principal
Chesapeake Math & IT Academy South Elementary
Prince George’s County Public Schools
Please take a look at these April/May calendar reminders:
- 4/29 - 5/3 MCAP 3rd grade
- 5/6-10 Teacher Appreciation Week
- 5/8 School Nurse's Day
- 5/13 4th Quarter Progress Reports Released Online
- 5/13-6/3 DIBELS Testing for K-3rd
- 5/14 Primary Election Day- Schools and Offices Closed
- 5/17 CMITSES Career Day
- 5/21-5/23 MAP Testing K-5th
- 5/27 Memorial Day- Schools and Offices Closed
- 5/31 Field Day
The Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) measures how schools are performing and how students are progressing toward proficiency on the Maryland state content standards.
Tests will be administered as follows:
3rd grade:
Tuesday, April 30, 2024 - Thursday, May 2, 2024
It is extremely important that your child is in school and on time during testing. Students who are absent will need to participate in make-up testing.
Families can access practice tests prior to assessment day to become familiar with the format.
Practice Test: http://track.spe.schoolmessenger.com/f/a/DlfTnndTnr7Nu_25ohWbdA~~/AAAAAQA~/RgRn9wSjP0QxaHR0cHM6Ly9zdXBwb3J0Lm1kYXNzZXNzbWVudHMuY29tL3ByYWN0aWNlLXRlc3RzL1cHc2Nob29sbUIKZhAj0RVmJsJisVIYdC5sZXdpc3NpbW1vbnNAcGdjcHMub3JnWAQAAAAB
You can help your child improve their performance on the MCAP by ensuring they:
Get a good night’s sleep the night before each testing day
Eat a substantial breakfast in the morning for optimal energy and alertness
Attend school every testing day and arrive on time
Remember to keep cell phones turned off and secured during testing
If you couldn't make it to our MCAP Night (3rd -5th grades), that is okay. We Got You!
MCAP Night Zoom Recording:
video1531145836.mp4https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mWnfwlNoHIPWLJSbuMqOZtp2Xun0QDDl/view?usp=drive_web
MCAP Night Slideshow:
MCAP Night 2024https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1yVGIK_Ierw3G0g8x2n9OdNgLBL-dinc4cId_IleM35o/edit?usp=drive_web
MCAP Night Padlet (Q&A):
https://padlet.com/cassandra_crusoe/mcap-night-ngmiiy900n2p
Career Day is coming to CMITSES on Friday, May 17th, 2024.
If interested, please complete this Google Form below by Friday, May 3rd, 2024.
I greatly appreciate your partnership.
https://forms.gle/VG9xFhUVStaSVR9N6
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.
The “Lost and Found” collection bin is located in the cafeteria. Any found articles (coats, hats, gloves, backpacks, lunch boxes, etc.) are placed in the bin. Found small items (keys, glasses, jewelry) are stored in the Main Office. Students may check the “Lost and Found” for lost items before or after school, or during lunch. All items left unclaimed at the end of each academic quarter are donated to charities or are discarded. Parents are strongly encouraged to label all belongings with first and last names.
In November 2020, PGCPS launched an online volunteer application and approval process. Click here for more information on becoming a volunteer and to access the application.
Birthdays are so much fun to celebrate with classmates. However, during the school day, the health and safety of each student are important, especially students with food allergies. Students are ONLY permitted to bring in NON-FOOD items to distribute to classmates at the end of the school day. Birthday invitations will not be distributed.
Attendance in school each day is important. Let’s stay in school.
In order for an absence to be considered excused, a written note must accompany the student no later than three (3) days after return to school. The note should include:
- date(s) of absence
- scholar’s name
- Reason for absence
Late or make-up work will not be accepted unless the absence is an excused absence. Please review Administrative Procedure 5113 AP 5113 - Student Attendance, Absence and Truancy for further information.
Students who are absent for ten consecutive days will be withdrawn on the 11th day and will need to re-enroll.
Lawful Absences
Students enrolled in public schools are considered lawfully absent from school for any portion of the day, only under the following conditions:
- Death of a family member
- Illness of the student
- Court appearance
- Work approved or sponsored by a school
- Observance of a religious holiday
- State of emergency
- Suspension from school
- Mental Health (Students may receive as an excused absence one (1) day of absence
- in each semester of each school year for a student’s mental health needs.
- Other emergencies
- Deployment-related absences
Unlawful Absences
Unlawful absence – any time a student does not attend school that does not qualify as the above-listed reasons for a lawful absence.
Tardy
Scholars will be officially tardy if they are not in the building at 8:10 a.m.
If your scholar enters the building after the 8:05 a.m. bell, a parent must escort them into the building and electronically sign them in the late arrival portal. Scholars will be given an orange tardy slip to be permitted to class.
Parents of students who have 10 or more tardies in a semester will be required to meet with the principal/designee to discuss the reasons for the tardies and to develop a plan for improvement.
Health Forms
Please be sure to submit all required health forms! Please note that ALL medications, cough drops included, cannot be administered or consumed without appropriate documentation.
You can access all health forms here for the 2023-2024 school year.
School Meals
2023-24 School Year Meal Prices
Elementary (Pre-K through Grade 5)
Breakfast: $1.60/day
Lunch: $2.75/day
How to Pay
MySchoolBucks, owned and operated by Heartland Payment Systems, is an online payment service that provides parents the ability to securely pay for meals, monitor student cafeteria purchases, make tuition payments for Before and After School Extended Learning programs, and receive email notifications for low-account balances. With MySchoolBucks, payments can be made 24/7 using a Visa, MasterCard, Discover, credit or debit card, and mobile app.
Principal Lunch Account
ALL breakfast,lunch, and Principal lunch payments should be made via www.myschoolbucks.com.
All money comes/goes to 1 account (child's). All that is needed to set up account (if not done) is
students lunch pin or student id.
Free and Reduced-Price Meals
We encourage all families to consider applying for free and reduced-price meals! Visit www.myschoolapps.com/Home/PickDistrict to apply online today!
To apply, you will need:
- The name, school, and grade of your school-age children
- The name of all adults living in the home
- Income information for all adults living in the home
- Student ID Numbers for your school-age children
Applications will also be sent home with students the first week of school. Applications are available at all PGCPS schools and can be submitted at any time.
Grade Level Updates
Grade level blurb:
Hello families! Please check out the calendar below in order to view the fun-filled events that all Kindergarten classes will participate in on WEDNESDAYS beginning May 1st through June 12th. We would love all students to join in on the fun!
CALENDAR- Wacky Wednesday Countdown to Summer
PROMOTION ROLES-
We have also given every scholar a role to perform for our promotion day. If you have not received their role or have questions, please contact your child’s teacher for assistance.
CAREER DAY- May 17th
If interested in coming to speak about your career to our Kindergarten classes, please complete the Google Form, link below by Friday, May 3rd, 2024.
https://forms.gle/VG9xFhUVStaSVR9N6
IN-SCHOOL FIELD TRIP- May 21st
Our final field trip will be next month. The Maryland Science Center will be visiting our school to conduct a STEM program for both Kinder and 1st grades. Chaperones are not needed for this event. We appreciate each and every one of you who have participated in our 3 trips this year. Thank you for your dedication!
SPRING TESTING
We have several state tests that are coming up in the next few weeks. Students will be completing iReady, MAP Reading. Math, and DIBELS testing. We will inform you of the actual dates as soon as they are set.
Grade Level Updates
Reading Updates:
Essential Question: Why is the past important?
Genre: Project-based inquiry
Vocabulary: record, supply, necessary, experience
Sight Words: other, right, may, give, number
Phonics: word endings: /ing/; /ies/
Spelling Words: city, babies, having, baby, living, cities, baking, giving, give, right
Math Updates:
Topic 9-10
9:-Comparing numbers; Tens and Ones; greater than, less than, equal to.
10.Using models as a strategy to add Tens/Ones.
Science Updates:
Animal Habitat. Where do animals live: oceans, wilderness, on farms
Social Studies Updates:
Past and Present
Health Updates:
Get Well Soon. Read/discuss articles on getting well and staying well.
Grade level blurb:
- Screaming a special THANK YOU to all of our parent chaperones who made our field trip possible! Thank you for your support!
Please check SchoolMax weekly for up-to-date grades.
Please continue to review your class' digital agenda for homework updates. Your scholar should also have these written in their personal agenda as well. Digital agendas are being used to support the home-school connections. Attached is the digital agenda for each teacher. Please refer to these for important due dates and assignments:
Reading Updates:
We will focus on persuasive text as our genre of text for Unit 4 week 5. Our story of the week is titled “ Kids can be big helpers”. Students will focus on comprehension and the elements of a persuasive text.
Our phonics focus and spelling words will focus on the vowel pattern VCCV: These spelling words all have two consonants in the middle.
Math Updates:
Students have wrapped up Topic 10, adding within 1,000. In this unit, students focused on the following strategies for addition: open number line, place-value blocks, and partial sums. Please take time this weekend to study for the upcoming test and ensure all items on CANVAS are completed. Please stay tuned for an update from your teacher regarding testing.
Our next topic will focus on subtraction within 1,000.
Science Updates:
Students are wrapping up plant and animal life cycles and will be moving onto our final topic of animal habitats.
Social Studies Updates:
We are wrapping up Topic 4 - People who supply our goods and services and moving onto Topic 5. In this Topic, we will focus on the essential question, “What can we do to make a difference?” Students will explore what makes a hero and who some famous heroes are!
Health Updates:
We are beginning a new topic related to Germs. Students will learn about what germs do and how to keep their body safe.
Grade Level Updates
Grade level blurb:
Hello, amazing parents! We are officially MCAP-ready! Students have been practicing and preparing for the MCAP Assessment. We are looking forward to a successful week of testing. We would like to extend a very warm thank you to all of the parents who completed the special homework surprise for their scholars. We know that it will make their day next week. Please have students get a good night’s rest and come to school on time every day. Testing dates:
4/29 - 5/3 - MCAP Testing (We are looking forward to 100% perfect third-grade attendance this week!)
Field Day is scheduled for May 31, 2024, at Liberty State Park. Please be sure to reach out to your homeroom teacher if you are interested in volunteering.
We’re going on a field trip! Our final field trip has been approved. The third grade cohort will be attending the African American History Museum on May 9, 2024. Please reach out to your homeroom teacher if you would like to be a chaperone. Please keep in mind that there are limited spaces available. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
Reading Updates:
Mathews/Madison:
This week we:
Celebrated Earth Day by participating in collaborative discussions about ways to protect the earth and creating an Earth Day Poster.
Revised and edited our MCAP practice test Narrative.
Began discussing how challenges turn ordinary people into heroes with Unit 3 Week 3.
Students read The Little House on the Prairie and By the Shores of Silver Lake.
Students began a writing task that required them to compare and contrast the characters, setting, conflict, resolution, and theme of both stories. Students will revise this on Monday. (Please continue to encourage students to revise and edit their work often)
Became familiar with the academic vocabulary for Unit 3 Week 3.
Horribly
Furious
Insisted
Terribly
Disturbed
* You can assist students by implementing the academic vocabulary in everyday conversations. Also, pick a topic for free writing. Support students with developing an introduction sentence, body, and conclusion. Remind students to go back and correct spelling, capitalization, and grammatical errors to ensure they have the perfect paragraph.
Fleet/Lewis:
This week, students continued finding the main idea and supporting details within biographies. We read a biography about a very familiar civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Math Updates:
Fleet/Lewis: This week in class we have covered equivalent fractions. We have found equivalent fractions using models and number lines. At home, students have been practicing finding the perimeter of shapes. On Monday, we will be playing a Jeopardy game to review and prepare for MCAP testing.
Mathews/ Madison:
This week we focused on practicing for the MCAP test by completing the MCAP practice test online. Students took time to become more familiar with the online tools.
Science Updates:
Fleet/Lewis: Due to testing, we will be waiting to start topic 7 on Fossil Evidence.
Mathews/ Madison:
This week we completed Earth Day Activities. We watched an instructional video and learned ways to conserve our natural resources to take care of our beautiful planet.
Social Studies Updates:
Mathews/ Madison: This week we played a game to study for the end of the lesson quiz. Also, we assessed our knowledge of Chapter 4 Lesson 1 quiz, The American Government. We will begin discussing Chapter 4 Lesson 2 The Three Branches of Government and the different responsibilities for each branch next week.
Fleet/Lewis:
Students began exploring the vocabulary for the upcoming chapter and participated in a jumpstart activity unit opener.
Health Updates:
In April we will be discussing “Things You May Catch.” Students will compare communicable and non-communicable disease, your body’s defense system, keeping clean and healthy, and how medicines help prevent and cure illness.
**Special thanks to Mr. Montague and Mr. Cruzado for donating their time and resources to help our ladies and gents practice sportsmanship and safety in a game of flag football. Dads rock!
Grade Level Updates
Grade level blurb:
Hello Tiger Family,
We thank all those who were able to donate materials to utilize for our Earth Day activity. Fourth-grade students had a chance to help beautify the CMIT campus by planting flowers. Students used recycled materials as holders for our plants. Students also have discussions around the importance of protecting the Earth and things we can do to make this happen.
4th Grade has concluded their MCAP Testing for the year!! If a scholar has not finished their testing they will not be pulled until the week of May 6, 2024, to finish testing. Students will have to miss class instruction time to have make-up testing provided by Mr. Metin.
Before the fourth quarter ends, scholars will still have to take spring diagnostic tests of MAP and i-Ready. These assessments will happen during class after the conclusion of MCAP administration and make-ups for students. We look forward to seeing the growth that students have made throughout the year. Results from MCAP and i-Ready spring testing will be provided to you once all students have finished.
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 back 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 with an absence note.
Each week we suggest checking your scholar's browser history and YouTube history. This is to make sure that your scholar isn’t going to a site or watching videos that you would not approve of. Teachers are limited to only seeing activity on your scholar’s screen when they are in class. We utilize a system called Hapara that allows us to prevent access to certain sites. We are asking that you check your scholar's computer history weekly.
Reading Updates:
This Week: Students celebrated Poetry Month by reading various poems. Students selected poems that were their favorites to analyze the poetic elements. Students also provided a review and explained the meaning the speaker was trying to convey. Finally, students had an opportunity to create poems using particular poetry styles to share with their peers. Next week we will have a Poetry Cafe in which we will invite students from Kindergarten and First grade to hear our original poems.
Next Week: Students will celebrate Poetry Month by having a Poetry Cafe in which we will invite students from Kindergarten and First grade to hear our original poems. We will also spend time this week exploring other poems for students to determine their meaning. Students will also get a chance to compare and contrast the difference between poems and prose.
Math Updates:
This week students are closing Topic 7:Factors and Multiples to prepare for our next topic, Topic 8: Equivalent Fractions(4.NF.A.1). Our focus this week will be using what we learned about factors and multiples to identify and convert equivalent fractions. various multiplication and division strategies to solve multi-step word problems.
Science Updates:
In Science, we will continue closing out Topic 2 by preparing for the Topic 2 test next week.
Social Studies Updates:
This week: Students began reading Chapter 4 Lesson 3 People and the Economy. Students are exploring how individuals and families make economic decisions.
Next week: Students will begin working on the Chapter 4 Quest Project. In this project, students will work to create a new business. Students will have to plan the logic for running their business utilizing the information we discovered in this chapter.
Grade Level Updates
Grade level blurb:
Hi everyone! WE DID IT! 5th grade has completed MCAP! We are so proud of our scholars for working hard this week and trying their best throughout all their tests! We are now in the home stretch of the year!
We are finishing up the month of April, and we are focusing on our character trait, ambition! We want to be ambitious in any way we can, especially in wrapping up Q4!
We are prepared for our trip to Camp Schmidt at the end of the year for our 5th grade students and we are so excited! The date will be June 3-4, so stay tuned for further info! Thank you SO MUCH to all of our volunteer chaperones who will be coming on the trip! We appreciate you! We sent chaperones more info recently. We are also FULL for Camp Schmidt chaperones!
Field Day is also coming up on May 31! This time, we are going off the school property to Liberty Sports Park to enjoy our activities! Thank you to the chaperones who have already signed up! If you’d still like to, please send Ms. McDonagh a message.
Our 5th-grade Moving-Up ceremony is planned for Friday, June 7, 2024 at 9:00 am. We will have lots of information coming out about this soon, but we are so excited to honor and celebrate our hardworking scholars! Please keep this date available!
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.
Additionally, please see the following message from PTO about upcoming dates/deadlines:
Class T-Shirts
If you haven’t purchased the class t-shirt for Field Day, April 26th is the last day. The Class t-shirt can also be worn for the gym.
Click here to purchase https://cmitelementarypto.memberhub.com/store/items/994561
Promotion Ceremony Program Ads
The date has been extended to April 30, 2024. This is the final extension.
Registration with Tribute Ads is required.
CLICK HERE TO CREATE & PURCHASE YOUR AD
https://tributeads.com/login/registration_form.php?orgid=159
Please direct all questions to Tribute Ads at (843) 818-3153 or help@tributeads.com.
Promotion Ceremony Baby Pictures
The 5th grade team is collecting baby photos of all graduates. Submit your photo no later than May 17, 2024.
Promotion Ceremony
Friday, June 7, 2024 | 9:00 AM
Gym
Two tickets will be available for each scholar.
The attire is black and white. Scholars may be a combination of each color or one color. Scholars should dress to impress.
Yard Signs
Order a custom Yard Sign by May 8, 2024. Yard signs will be delivered to the school and distributed to your scholar. Click here to order: https://cmitsouthespto.org/fundraisers
Thank you!!
Reading Updates:
We are working on unit 4 week 1 and our section is about historical fiction. We are also starting on our new spelling words for this section next week!
Math Updates:
Students are in unit 9 of Math which is about dividing 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 5 of Science, about the human impact on Earth’s systems. 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 9 now about the Civil War. We are working on Chapter 9 lesson 2 more next week!
Art
Updates from the Art Room!
We took a brain break in Ms. Windsor’s class this week and worked with modeling clay!
Clay can help children to:
Develop hand and eye coordination through squeezing, patting, pounding, etc.
Develop finger and hand muscles.
Learn about texture, shapes, and forms.
Manipulate through rolling, cutting, and making shapes.
Experience making 3-dimensional objects (forms).
Socialize with others through sharing their artwork.
CHESAPEAKE MATH AND IT SOUTH ELEMENTARY
• Hours: 8:00 a.m to 2:25 p.m
• Grades: K-5
• Uniform: Yes
• Before After School Enrichment: Yes
http://clfmd.org/enrichment-2/
• School Colors: Hunter Green, Navy Blue
• School Mascot: Tigers
• School Website: http://www.cmitsouthes.org
For more information