Dear CMIT South Elementary Families,

I hope this message finds you and your children in high spirits. As we navigate through this academic year together, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation for your continued support and engagement in our school community. Your dedication to your children's education is truly inspiring, and it's what makes our school such a special place.

I'm delighted to share that our recent Anti-Bullying Week was a resounding success, thanks to the enthusiastic participation of both staff and students. Throughout the week, we focused on educating our students about the critical importance of creating a school environment built on respect, support, and inclusivity. We emphasized that bullying has no place in our community and that each individual's unique qualities should be celebrated.

On another exciting note, I'm thrilled to announce that we've not only reached but exceeded our READ-A-THON fundraiser goal! Thanks to your incredible support, we've raised a total of $20,820, surpassing our $20,000 target. This is a testament to our community's commitment to literacy and education. With one more day left in our fundraiser, there's still time to contribute. Remember, every donation, no matter the size, helps nurture our future leaders. Let's keep the momentum going! Currently, our top-performing classes are

Kindergarten (Ms. Windsor's class) with $3,810,

1st Grade (Ms. Valera's class) $3,135, and

4th Grade (Ms. Crusoe's class) $2,298.

I'd like to remind you about our upcoming Power Hour program, which starts on Tuesday, October 22nd, from 3 PM to 5 PM. This invitation-only program is designed to provide targeted, small-group instruction in Reading and Math. It aims to support academic growth for students who are two grade levels below and fall within the 21st - 40th percentile. If you have any inquiries about Power Hour, please contact Ms. A. Matthews at ayana.matthews@pgcps.org.

Lastly, I want to invite you to our Parent University: Data Night, scheduled for Monday, October 28, 2024, from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. This virtual session will focus on understanding your child's academic progress. We'll be reviewing various assessment data, including MCAP, MISA, MAP Growth, Dibels, and iReady. This session will provide insights into CMIT South ES trend data and offer resources to help support your child's learning journey. The Zoom link for this event will be shared on the day of the event.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership in education. Together, we're building a strong foundation for our children's future success.

As always, remember that the STEM Journey Begins Here at CMIT South Elementary! We're looking forward to a year filled with exciting learning opportunities, personal growth, and impressive achievements for all our scholars. Your support and partnership in this journey are invaluable. Remember, we can't continue this STEM journey without you!

Let's make this year a roaring success! 🦁📚

Wishing you all a 🐾 PawwRific 🐾 day and see you all Monday, October 21, 2024!

Classroom Guidance Lesson

This week, I visited the Kindergarten classrooms to teach a lesson on bullying. The goal was to help students identify bullying behavior, understand how to respond, and become aware of the consequences. We watched and discussed the read-aloud story "Bully" and then created unity links as a symbol of standing up against bullying.

Grade Level Blurb:

This week students had a great time during Anti-Bullying Spirit Week. They enjoyed remembering that we all can be kind and be a buddy to others. We would also like to remind families to please update your scholar’s emergency contact and pick up list, if you have not already done so. As we begin to enter the colder months, please keep in mind that recess is at 9:40 so please remember to send jackets/coats with your scholars as it is still chilly in the morning.

Please continue practicing logging into Clever with your students. Friendly reminder that CLEVER can be found on the PGCPS website. Within CLEVER, you can search for both Lexia and iXL to access the sites.

CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!!!! Please visit Volunteer with PGCPS in order to register. Please follow all of the required steps and contact your scholar’s teacher with any questions. Inform the teacher when you are approved and ready to support. Thank you for your assistance!

IMPORTANT KINDERGARTEN DATES-

OCTOBER 25- Homework and PUMPKIN PROJECT DUE, Please send pictures to your scholar’s teacher through class dojo messages.

OCTOBER 28- PARENT UNIVERSITY : DATA NIGHT 6:30-7:30PM (Virtual)

OCTOBER 31- End of 1st Quarter

NOVEMBER 1- 3 Hour Early Dismissal and Book Character Parade Day

NOVEMBER 2- Fall Festival

Reading Updates:

UNIT 1 WEEK 6- Project Based Inquiry

At the end of each unit, students will get the chance to apply what they have learned about GOING PLACES in the WEEK 6 Project: Let’s Go! Students will research art and history museums and write and draw about which one is better.

• Gather and evaluate resources

• Compose opinion pieces

• Participate and share research projects

• Speak audibly and express ideas clearly

• Communicate conclusions and identify ways to take action

Math Updates:

TOPIC 3- Numbers 6 to 10 (continued)

Essential Understanding: Counting tells how many are in a set, or group, no matter which order the objects are counted. The numbers said when counting a group is the total. Counting is cumulative.

• There is more than you way to show a number

• Counting tells how many are in a set or a group, no matter which order the objects are counted

• The last number said when counting a group is the total number

• Use objects, drawings, and numbers to represent numbers in different ways

• Ways to make ten

• Vocabulary: six, seven, eight, nine, ten

Science Updates:

TOPIC 2 LESSON 1- Senses (continued)

Essential Question: How can you classify different objects?

• Name the five senses

• What can our senses tell us about structure and function

• We observe using the senses

Vocabulary: senses, structure, function

Social Studies Updates:

CHAPTER 2 LESSON 1- Our Country and State (continued)

Essential Question- What does it mean to be American?

• I will know about America

• There are 50 states in our nation

• Discuss the people who live in our country

Vocabulary: nation

Health Updates:

OCTOBER TOPIC: The Five Senses

Lesson 4: Problems with the senses

• List problems that people can have with their senses

• Develop empathy for people with physical challenges

• Practice being helpful to those in need

• Discuss the kinds of problems people would have if the senses were impaired

• Vocabulary: senses, impaired, need, challenges

Hello Hello Tiger Family, It was great seeing all of your scholars participating in Anti- Bully week. From putting bullying to rest to being a buddy not a bully. Thank you all for all your support.

Reading Updates:

This week in reading your scholars will read a Realistic Fiction story. Throughout the week they will focus on understanding the elements of a plot. Also, they will learn how to make and confirm predictions.

Math Updates:

Student will continue to work with even and odd numbers. They will be finishing up topic 2 and working on arrays and repeated addition.

Science Updates:

Scholars are finishing up this topic and preparing to showcase their knowledge on the topic assessment.

Social Studies Updates:

Scholars will be learning about family history as they wrap up this topic.

Health: Student will continue to learn about the brain and be able to know how the brain works.

Reading Updates-

Students covered describing character and setting, as well as reading informational text and reviewing vowel teams and diphthongs (I.e. ai, ay, ee, ei, oa, ow, oi, oy, ou)!

Math Updates-

All classes worked on Topic 2: Multiplication Patterns, specifically for the numbers 0, 1, 2, 5, 9, and 10.

Science-

We have finished our unit on motion and force, and we have started learning about electricity!

Social Studies-

We are continuing our unit on geography, and some classes have been introduced to natural resources!

Health-

We are finishing our unit on eyes and their functions!

Greetings Tiger Family,

As we get the close of the first quarter we are super proud of the hard work that our scholars have been showing thus far. Our students have continued to strive for mastery in school wide expectations. It is important that now as the weather changes throughout the day that scholars have proper outer garments for recess and P.E.

Ms. Crusoe thanks all those who nominated and voted for the Educator Spotlight Award! It is very much appreciated that her dedication to students and the CMIT family have been rewarded.

As we move into the second quarter we will increase the level of interventions to support student needs. We will continue to have Wonderful Wednesdays with the focus being on reaching students where they may be. Please be on the lookout for specialized letters and emails sent to you regarding tutoring and other programs we have at the school.

Parent Teacher Conferences:

Although Monday October 7, 2024 was an official day given for conferences teachers are available to conference with families as needed. Please reach out to the homeroom teacher about scheduling a parent teacher conference.

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Monday October 14- October 25, 2024: Candy Wars

• Wednesday October 23- Thursday 31, 2024: Red Ribbon Week

• Thursday October 31, 2024- End of 1st Quarter

• Friday November 01, 2024- Book Character Parade

• Friday November 01, 2024- 3 Hour Early Dismissal

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.

Important Information:

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.

Fourth Grade Reminders:

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 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.

If your scholar is absent, please share a note with the homeroom teacher 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.

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.

This Week: Students in Ms. Crusoe’s reading classes completed a writing this week on whether or not spaceflight is stressful based on the information students read in the text “Twins in Space.” Students in Ms. Ramsey’s class read closely the informational text “Life at the Top.” In this story students read about how people from a small village are some of the world’s best runners. Students worked to identify text features and explain how the feature helps the reader better understand the text.

Next Week: Students will begin reading "Barbed Wire Baseball” the story of Zeni, a man who created a baseball field while he was in a Japanese internment camp. Students will monitor their inner conversations as they read the text closely. Students will identify the text structure of the story and support it with details that appear in the text. Also students will determine the author’s purpose for writing the text by using details that were discovered while reading closely. New spelling words will be sent home for the week.

Math Updates:

This week we began Topic 2:Fluently Add and Subtract Multi-Digit Whole Numbers. Our Essential Question for this unit, “How can sums and differences of whole numbers be estimated? What are standard procedures for adding and subtracting whole numbers?”. The focus standards for this topic are, 4.NBT.B.4 Use Place Value Understanding And Properties Of Operations To Perform Multi-Digit Arithmetic. 4.OA.A.3 Use The Four Operations With Whole Numbers To Solve Problems.

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

Science Updates:

This week we spent time focusing on the Scientific Method in preparation for the STEM Fair by conducting a series of brief investigations that focused on designing and following proper procedures and identifying the correct variables for the investigation.

2024-2025 STEM FAIR “Question and Hypothesis are DUE Wednesday, October 23, 2024.

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

Social Studies Updates:

This week: Students explored the concept of adaptation and how individuals and communities modify their environments to meet their needs. Through engaging activities and discussions, they will examine various examples from history and modern society, such as agriculture, urban development, and technology. Students will learn about the interplay between human actions and environmental changes, fostering an understanding of sustainability and the importance of responsible resource management. By the end of the lesson, students will appreciate how adaptability shapes cultures and influences the way people live and thrive in diverse environments.

Next week: Students will first take the Unit 1 quiz to assess their understanding of key concepts. Following the quiz, they will begin their "Quest Findings" activity, where they will create an advertisement highlighting a specific region in the United States. This project will require them to research and incorporate information about local resources, adaptations to the environment, and the region's weather and climate. The goal is to effectively showcase the unique characteristics of their chosen region while demonstrating their understanding of the material.

Health Updates:

In health we are learning about our Incredible Ears! How does the ear work? How do our ears and brain make connections to each other?

Grade Level Blurb:

This week in 5th grade has been filled with exciting learning experiences! Here’s a look at what our students have been working on:

Reading Updates:

In reading, students have been focused on words ending in "-able" and "-ible." They’ve also been practicing how to read like writers, participating in reading workshops to sharpen their comprehension and writing skills.

Math Updates:

Students have been mastering the skill of multiplying larger numbers by powers of 10. They’ve done a fantastic job so far! Next week, we look forward to exploring different multiplication strategies to expand their problem-solving abilities.

Science Updates:

In science, we’ve been diving into the differences between physical and chemical changes in matter. Some of our classes even made "Oobleck" using cornstarch and water, a fun and messy way to explore these concepts! Don’t worry—soon all students will have a chance to join in on this exciting experiment.

Social Studies Updates:

We’ve just begun our journey into the early history of North America, learning about how the first colonies were established. The students are curious and eager to learn more about the lives of the early settlers.

Music:

C Week 10/21/24 - 10/25/24

What we’re working on:

*All grade levels have started working on their music and presentations for the winter concert. The date will be announced shortly.

* All classes will begin to review concepts learned during 1st quarter.

* 3rd - 5th grade classes that did not take assessments last week will take them this week.

PE:

This week, in PE, we started a new unit on physical activity benefits. We will continue this unit next week as well!

Lego:

This week in Legos and Robotics, we used critical thinking skills to create an invention that solves a problem.

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