CMIT South Elementary School

Dear CMIT South Elementary Families,

As we celebrate Autism Acceptance Month, I am reminded of a powerful quote: "The greatest disability in life is not being able to see a person's abilities." This month, let us continue to embrace all of our students' unique talents, perspectives, and ambitions as we build an inclusive school community where everyone can thrive.

I want to begin by expressing my heartfelt appreciation for your continued partnership in your child's educational journey. Your dedication to supporting both your children and our school community has been truly inspiring. The growth and resilience our students have shown this year is a testament to the strong foundation you've built at home.

Important Schedule Reminders

Please ensure your child follows their A-Week/Week 1 schedule for Creative Arts (CARTS) classes when we return to school on Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

Spring Break

We have made it to Spring Break (April 14th -21st)! The excitement is definitely in the air. When we return, we will have just 41 days left of the school year. I encourage everyone to rest, recharge, and prepare for this final stretch of the academic year. These remaining weeks are crucial for solidifying learning and ending the year on a strong note.

MCAP Testing Schedule

When we come back, we have important work ahead with our MCAP assessments:

MCAP Spirit Week: Tuesday, April 22 - Friday, April 25
Please see the attached flyer for daily themes and activities.

Testing Schedule:

• 3rd Grade: April 28, 29, 30, and May 1

• 4th Grade: May 5, 6, 7, and 8

• 5th Grade: May 12, 13, 14, and 15

On each testing day, students will complete two sessions. Tests will begin promptly at 8:30 AM and will be completed by noon. Please ensure your child:

• Gets plenty of rest the night before testing

• Arrives at school on time

• Eats a nutritious breakfast

For more detailed information, please review the MCAP Parent Letter available on our website.

FOAM FUN RUN Success!

A tremendous thank you for your generous donations to our FOAM FUN RUN Pledge Drive! Your support was truly exceptional as we surpassed our goal of $20,000 and raised an impressive $22,878! These funds will support our field day in June and help purchase educational STEM supplies for our classrooms.

Students who participated in the drive and received at least $25 in pledges will be invited to the foam fun run celebration.

Congratulations to our top fundraising classes:

1. 3rd Grade - Howard: $3,595

2. 4th Grade - Crusoe: $2,360

3. Kindergarten - Windsor: $1,876

And our top individual participants:

1. Charlotte W. (K - Herbert): $856

2. Finley R. (3rd - Madison): $850

3. Cassidy W. (2nd - Womack): $830

Upcoming Events

SAVE THE DATE! Our very first Talent Showcase will be held on Wednesday, April 30th, from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. Tickets are available on MySchoolBucks or at https://bit.ly/cmitsestalent

Summer Enrichment Program

Get ready for a summer full of fun, learning, and unforgettable adventures! 🎉 Registration is now open for our Summer Enrichment Program, which will feature exciting activities, field trips, and much more! Please note that only 150 spots are available, and they're filling up quickly.

For more information or to register your child, please visit: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bwuzYbVn2w4cLJs_S4G0qKJsXNTxEgNnxbBxSmazYCM/edit?usp=sharing

As we look ahead to the final weeks of school, 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. Every day brings new opportunities for growth and your partnership in education makes a profound difference in our students' success. We thank you for making CMIT South Elementary a vibrant and supportive learning community. Together, we're creating meaningful experiences for our scholars! 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 a refreshing and joyful Spring Break! See you all on Tuesday, April 22, 2025!

With Tiger Pride,

Ms. Tauheedah N. Simmons-Lewis

Principal

Chesapeake Math & IT Academy Elementary South (CMIT)

🧡🐯 MCAP Testing Spirit Week April 22nd-25th – "Eye of the Tiger"! 🐯🧡

Grade Level Updates:

Hello Kinder Families,

Can you believe that we have entered the fourth quarter already, times flies when you're having a great time learning. It will soon be spring break and If you are looking for something to help enrich your scholar while we are on break you can complete the PGCPS Spring Break packets, it is not mandatory to complete these. The packets can be found at : https://www.pgcps.org/offices/curriculum-and-instruction/enrichment-packets/spring-student-enrichment-packets

After Spring Break look out for a sign up genesis to volunteer in your scholar’s class for a grade level project that we will begin.

VOCABULARY PARADE: Friday, April 25, 2025.

Our fourth annual Vocabulary Parade is on its way! Soon, each student will pick a word, from the provided grade level vocabulary word list, to represent. Students are encouraged to make a costume, hat, or poster. Put your thinking caps on! How would you show the word ADRIFT? Or POROUS? or ZIGZAG? From A to Z, students will depict vocabulary words in a creative way. A “Costume Design Sheet” has been sent home to help your child plan his/her costume. Your child will be asked for their word, a definition, and a sketch of their costume. Thank you for helping us make vocabulary instruction into a Parade of Words!

We did send some lists home but if you are still looking for vocabulary terms they may be found at the links below. You can utilize one of these terms or be as creative as you would like.

MATH VOCAB K-12

ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS VOCAB K-12

Consider the opportunity to listen to a read aloud at the following link:

In-School Vocabulary Parades - Debra Frasier

In Spring, many students have their allergies reawakened and sometimes it can be severe; if your scholar is one of those students and needs medication please remember to fill out a doctor’s form for medication to go to the nurse. Also we are entering warmer weather, please remember that Kindergarten's recess is early in the morning and students will still need coats. Also families, please have your scholar’s shoes tied when they come to school and continue to assist your scholar in their efforts of learning to tie their shoes independently. Students should have a school approved sweater or jacket to wear in the classroom, in case they get chilly.

Dates to Remember:

April 11: Homework Packet Due

April 11: In School Field Trip money and Permission Slip Due

April 14-21: Spring Break

April 25: 4th Annual CMIT: Vocabulary Parade

April 25: In school Field trip- Science Show

May 23: Save the Date: Field Trip to the DC National History Museum

June 6: Save the Date: Field Day

June 12: Kindergarten Promotion

Reading Updates:

UNIT 3- Week 4: Mosni Can Help

Essential Question: Why do we like certain kinds of stories?

• Phonological Awareness: Initial and Final Sounds; Segment and Blend Phonemes

Blend and Segment: Onset and Rime

• Phonics:Vowel sounds - short i (/i/) and long i (/i_e/)

• High-frequency words: were, some, funny

• Story Vocabulary: octopus, jellyfish, creatures

• Unit Vocabulary: choose, explain, meaning, character

Learning Goals:

• Learn about different types of stories

• Visualize details from a story

• Syllables and compound words

• Find details in a text

• Capitalization for the beginning of a sentence

• Possessive pronouns

• Prepositions, adjectives, and articles

• Organize the story element: character, setting, plot

Math Updates:

Topic 9: Count to 20

Essential Understanding: What types of situations involve subtraction? What types of situations involve addition?

• Show numbers in many way

• Count and write numbers 11-20

• Represent groups of objects with a number to 20

• Practice counting on from any number within 20

• Show different numbers using number lines, ten frames and pictures

Vocabulary: eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, patterns

Science Updates:

TOPIC 4 LESSON 3: Seasons

Essential Question: How do different weathers affect Earth?

• Learn how the relationship between the temperature and season

• Discover seasons are similar in different locations

• Describe how the seasons can affects what weather people experience

Vocabulary: pattern, seasons, winter, spring, autumn, fall, summer

Social Studies Updates:

Chapter 4 Introduction and Quest introduction: Geography of the Neighborhood

Essential Question- What is the world like?

• Understand different places and areas that are around us

• Look into the into a map as a tool

• Analyze how we interact with jobs that help the community and the location of places

Vocabulary: street, community, neighbors, map, neighborhood

Health Updates:

April Topic: Getting Sick

• Describe what it means to be healthy, sick and why is it is important to stay well

• Encourage confidence in knowing how to show concern for others that might be sick

• Demonstrate respect for our bodies and encourage others to practice proper hygiene.

• Explain what is medicine what is not medicine, the explore the consequences of taking medicine not meant for you

Grade Level Updates:

We have officially concluded the third quarter and are now entering the final stretch of 2nd grade! All make-up MAP testing has been completed. I hope you all enjoy a relaxing and refreshing spring break—come back well rested and ready to finish the year strong!

Reading Updates:

This week in reading, we explored biographies and practiced identifying VC/V closed syllable words.

Math Updates:

This week in math class, we focused on learning about different types of coins and understanding their individual values.

Science Updates:

Students began their new science unit focused on the study of plants and animals.

Health Updates:

Students were introduced to the concept of germs, including how they grow, spread, and how we can protect ourselves from them.

Grade Level Updates:

On behalf of third grade, have a safe and restful spring break!

Reading Updates:

Students have been working on reading historical fiction! Additionally, we have been working on spelling words with the following vowel teams: oo, ue, ou, ew, and u_e. We are also reviewing content leading up to MCAP testing.

Math Updates:

All classes have been working on reviewing concepts such as operations and shapes before testing, as well as area and perimeter!

Science Updates:

We are finishing up our units on Climate and Life Cycles!

Social Studies Updates:

We are currently on Chapter 3, Lesson 2, which discusses early explorers from England, France, and Spain! We previously learned about Indigenous Peoples in the Americas!

Health Updates:

We are finishing up our unit on healthy habits and healthy minds!

Grade Level Updates:

Happy Fourth Quarter,

I hope this message finds you well. We have concluded the 3rd Quarter!! We are now down to the last quarter which has plenty of events between now and the end of the year. We have completed class wide testing for MAP but there are still some makeups that have to be completed when we return from Spring Break.

We hope that everyone has a restful and relaxing Spring Break with their loved ones. Students have been given a reading activity to work on over the break. We ask that our scholars read throughout the break.

We ask that you continue to talk with your student nightly about “glows and grows” from their day at school. We are helping students to be more reflective about their days and ways they can make improvements. This is the last quarter of Fourth Grade and our scholars have made great progress and are beginning their preparations to become the building leaders next year.

The character trait of the month of April is Ambition. Students will have lessons in class around having ambition and striving to reach their goals. Ways you can help is to share with your scholar times when you have shown ambition and drive to reach your goals. Please continue to read to get updates and important information from Fourth Grade.

MCAP Practice Tests

https://support.mdassessments.com/practice-tests/english/

https://support.mdassessments.com/practice-tests/math/

Please sit with your child and review the MCAP with them. Ask your child to discuss what they are seeing and different tools they can use for testing.

Thank you for your continuing support and partnership.

Warm regards,

4th Grade Team

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Spring Break April 14- April 21, 2025

• 4th Grade MCAP May 5- 8, 2025

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:

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.

Absences:

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. 2 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: This week continued to revisit poems by analyzing information that is given in various poems. Students this week also explore different poetry styles and create different poems.

Next Week: Students will have in class activities in preparation for MCAP. We will have students read two informational texts to determine the main idea and synthesize the information between the two texts.

Math Updates:

This week we will focus on Test Prep for our upcoming testing schedule as we close “Topic 5: Using Strategies and Properties to Divide by 1-Digit Numbers”;(4.OA.A.3 and 4.NBT.B.6). Students will be given a weekly MCAP homework assignment to complete at home. This assignment will be due on Thursday so that we can review the assignment as a class on Fridays.

At home, please continue practicing with basic math facts focused on multiplication and division to support math fluency and the computation strategies for this topic.

Reminder: IXL Action Plan Challenge is now over, however continue to have your scholars practice their IXL skill plans at home before the end of the month of March to receive their Scholarship reward. Please check Synergy ParentVue and Canvas with your scholar to ensure the completion of assignments.

Test Prep: Preparing for MCAP Testing

Parents and Guardians,

As we prepare for state testing and continue building strong math skills, we wanted to recommend two great resources that can support your child’s learning at home:

Math Tool Kit (Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/jlwZJbI)

4th Grade Common Core Math Quick Study Guide (Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/0Gy4Igw)

Both are fantastic tools that break down key math concepts, reinforce skills, and align with what we are learning in class. These resources can help students review and practice at home while also preparing for the MCAP.

If you’re looking for an easy way to boost your child’s confidence in math, these are great options! Let us know if you have any questions.

Thank you for your continued support!

Science Updates:

This week we will begin our next topic, Topic 4 Earth’s Features. The focus for this topic is to analyze the patterns and features of planet Earth. We will be focusing on the skills, observation, weather island erosion, and on analyzing and interpreting data. Key vocabulary for this topic is; canyon, butte, fault, trench, pattern and feature.

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

Social Studies Updates:

This week: Students read the text “Trade and Markets” and explain how businesses supply goods and services to match demand and supply.

Next week: Students will read the text “People and the Economy” and explain how both individuals and families make economic decisions.

Grade Level Updates:

Hello Families,

We wrapped up a big week of testing, and we are so proud of our students for their hard work and focus—great job, fifth graders!

As we head into spring break, we want to wish all of our families a relaxing and joyful time with loved ones. Here’s a quick look at what we’ve been working on:

Reading Updates:

Students reviewed comprehension strategies and text analysis to strengthen their reading fluency and understanding.

Math Updates:

This week, we reviewed Topic 8 and began Topic 9, which focuses on dividing fractions. Students are learning how to apply their understanding of multiplication and division to solve real-world fraction problems.

Science Updates:

We explored patterns in space, including the movement of the sun, moon, and Earth.

Social Studies Updates:

We reviewed important historical concepts and practiced our critical thinking skills.

Thank you for your continued support!

Happy Spring Break!

General CARTS Message:

We're in the home stretch now! Please continue to check your students’ work/grades on both Canvas and Synergy for CARTS classes.

Maker's Lab:

This week in Makers Lab, we experimented with Alka-Seltzer tablets to see how they reacted when added to vinegar, water and baking soda, and salt water as part of our project.

P.E:

This week in P.E. we spent time reconnecting since I’ve returned from my leave. We played team building games and discussed the importance of teamwork. After spring break, we’ll continue with our learning and activities. Please take a moment to talk with your scholars about behavior expectations in the gym. Also, be sure to send students with a water bottle on their P.E. days.

Art:

Welcome to Spring Break! I hope our artists get a good rest and refresh to their minds because when we get back, we're going to do some sculpture projects!

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