CMIT South Elementary School

Dear CMIT South Elementary Families,

I hope this message finds you and your children thriving as we continue our journey through this academic year. As Michelle Obama wisely expressed, "You may not always have a comfortable life and you will not always be able to solve all of the world's problems at once but don't ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own." It is with this spirit of understanding and collaboration that I share several important updates with our school community.

First, I want to celebrate our upcoming milestone - February 12th marks our 100th day of school! We invite all staff and students to join in the festivities by dressing up as 100-year-old people. These moments of joy and creativity help make our learning environment engaging and memorable for everyone.

I'm delighted to recognize Mrs. Cecilia, Ms. Reese, and Mrs. Valera, who have been awarded the CLF STAR AWARD for their exceptional dedication and going above and beyond in their service to our students. Their commitment exemplifies the excellence we strive for at CMIT South.

Regarding schedules, please note this is an A-Week/Week 1, so your child should follow their A-Week/Week 1 schedule for creative arts (CARTS) classes.

I want to share some staffing updates with you:

• We are proud to announce Mr. Holloway's promotion to Program Coordinator (STEM). While we will miss his presence in the 4th-grade Math and Science classroom, his new role will allow him to make an even broader impact on our STEM education programs.

• We warmly welcome Mrs. Pearson, who will be taking over the 4th-grade Math and Science teaching responsibilities.

• Currently, we are actively working with the Department of Human Resources to address our special educator vacancy. Despite the national shortage of special educators, we remain committed to providing services and accommodations specified in your children's Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Our available staff are implementing necessary support services, and we are taking every step to ensure a smooth transition with minimal disruption.

Important Reminders:

• Please complete your Emergency Contact and Pick List for each of your scholars. This information is crucial for your child's safety and well-being.

• MAKE-UP DAY 1: February 14 – Originally scheduled as a professional day for teachers, this day was identified in the school calendar as a potential make-up day and will now be an instructional day with schools OPEN for students.

• We invite you to join us for the Maryland Alliance of Public Charter School's 2025 Advocacy Day on February 19, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at St. Anne's Episcopal Church, Church Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401. This is an excellent opportunity to meet with elected officials and show support for charter schools.

As always, 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! 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, February 10, 2025!

With Tiger Pride,

Ms. Tauheedah N. Simmons-Lewis

Acting Principal

Chesapeake Math & IT Academy Elementary South (CMIT)

🔆SPOTLIGHT🔆 on what's happening around our School

Learn & Play - The Game Room Club

In a recent hands-on experiment, our brilliant tiger scientists, engineers, and architects explored the fascinating world of genetics by extracting DNA from strawberries while studying how traits are passed down through generations.

Consider joining PGCPS' 504 parent forum to learn more about the 504 team and important resources available to you!

Sincerely,
Ms. Chandler

Grade Level Blurb:

A special THANK YOU to all the chaperones that came on the field trip with us Friday. The students had a wonderful time.

With Valentine’s Day approaching, and in the interest of making passing out cards and treats easier, please do not use names. Instead, please write “my friend” in the space for “To” or leave it blank and your scholar's name in the space for “From”. Students that either bring in or order valentines will be the ones to pass them out at the end of that day.

As a reminder, please have your scholar utilize the online resource of Clever. Through Clever you can access other resources such as IXL, Lexia and i-Ready to help your scholar further their understanding of topics taught in class. Such as numbers 1-10, addition up to 10, shapes, sight words, and short vowel cvc, consonant vowel consonant, words.

February 10: Last day to order Valentine’s Candy Grams from the PTO

February 12: 100th Day of School- Dress Down: dress like you are 100 years old

February 14: Make up snow day: School Open

February 14: Dress Down: Spread the Love- Wear Pink or Red

February 17: No School

February 21: Homework Packet and Black History Month Project Due

February 21: Dress Down: Rep your Decade- Wear fashion from the 2000’s

February 27: Black History Month Program K-2nd 8:30am

February 27: Dress Down: Black Out- Wear All Black

February 28: 3hr Early Dismissal (Teacher Planning)

Reading Updates:

UNIT 3- Week 1: How Anansi Got His Stories

Essential Question: What can we learn from stories?

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

Blend and Segment: Onset and Rime

• Phonics: Constant sounds initial J and final consonant X

• High-frequency words: was, said, where

• Unit Vocabulary: choose, explain, meaning, character

Learning Goals:

• Learn about folktales and explore themes of a story

• Visualize details from a story

• Find details in a text

• Capitalization for the beginning of a sentence

• Verbs and pronouns

• Story elements: characters, setting, plot

Math Updates:

Topic 6: Understanding Addition

Essential Understanding: What types of situations involve addition?

• Show numbers in many way

• Express smaller parts of a bigger number with actions

• Represent addition as putting to or more numbers together up to 10

• Practice using an addition equation

• Show addition using number lines, ten frames and pictures

Vocabulary: plus, addition, equal sign, altogether, in all, patterns

Science Updates:

TOPIC 3 LESSON 2: Sunlight and Earth’s Surface

Essential Question: How do objects change in the sun?

• Learn how the relationship between the Earth and the sun

• Describe how the sun keeps things/people warm

• Designing structure to keep animals cool and protected

• Observe the sun

Vocabulary: Earth

Social Studies Updates:

Chapter 3 lesson 2: Jobs at School

Essential Question- How have jobs changed over time?

• Understand why people work

• Look into the different jobs that can be found at school

• Analyze a student’s job at school

Vocabulary: teacher, principal, and nurse

Health Updates:

February Topic: Going to the Doctor and Dentist

• Describe the difference between a doctor and a dentist

• Encourage confidence in the doctor’s or dentist’s office by discovering what happens when getting a checkup.

• Demonstrate respect for bodies and our teeth

• Explain why it is important to make healthy decisions

Vocabulary: doctor, dentist, teeth, help, and care

Grade Level Blurb:

Hello Tiger Family, outdoor recess is returning please ensure that your scholars come dressed accordingly.

Reading Updates:

We are starting Unit 3 which will be centered around Tradition. Week 1 scholars will focus on fables. In addition to being introduced to fables they will work on generating questions about the text before, during and after the reading.

Math Updates:

Scholars will continue you with Topic 5 learning strategies to subtract within 100.

Science Updates:

We will continue to discuss earths’ surfaces.

Social Studies Updates:

The next topic will cover the Government and its different branches.

Grade Level Blurb:

Please keep an eye out for announcements from your child’s homeroom and partner teacher regarding Black History Month, possible field trips, and more!

Reading Updates:

This week, students were introduced to persuasive text! Specifically, we read paired texts about the presence of wolves in Yellowstone National Park. Additionally, we broke down words that follow the VCe spelling pattern (i.e. expose, regulate, etc.)!

Math Updates:

Students completed our unit on learning about area!

Science Updates:

Students completed a lab on stopping floods and were introduced to our new unit on climate!

Social Studies Updates:

Students are learning about resources used in our economy (natural, human, and capital)! We also reviewed needs vs. wants, and producers vs. consumers.

Grade Level Blurb:

Greetings Tiger Family,

We are excited to announce our first field trip of the year to the Spy museum. Students have received their permission slips. This year payment will be collected through MySchoolbucks. All permission slips and payment is due by Friday, February 14, 2025. Chaperones will be selected directly by homeroom teachers and they will contact you. Midyear diagnostic testing has been concluded and reports have been sent home with your child. Please refer to the reports to gain further information about your child as a learner.

The character trait of February is peace. We have been discussing with our students the power of changing your mindset even when things get a little challenging. Please have your scholars practice creating positive affirmations that they can say to themselves. Please continue to read to get updates and important information from Fourth Grade.

Thank you for your continuing support and partnership.

Warm regards,

4th Grade Team

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:

• Friday, February 14, 2025- School is Open!

• Monday, February 17, 2025- Schools Closed Presidents Day

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. 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: We have read the last text Unit 2 “Adaptations” The Weird and Wonderful Echidna” and “The Peculiar Platypus.” In these texts students read about two animals from Australia and their strange adaptations. Students are working on the skill of synthesizing. Synthesizing is where we combine information that was learned from two different texts to support one main idea. As students are reading the text we will work on the skill determining the main idea across two different texts.

Next Week: We will begin reading in Vol 2 textbook and begin a new unit on “Diversity.” In this unit students will read stories from diverse backgrounds to gain a better understanding of how diversity brings us together. Our first story is called “Out of My Mind" found on pages 21-27. Students will work on the skills of inference and describing the characters.

Math Updates:

This week we will continue with Topic 3, Multiplying multi-digit numbers. We will also be taking the IXL diagnostic test Friday, February 7th.

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

Science Updates:

This week students begin to work with electric circuits.

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

Social Studies Updates:

This week: Students read Chapter 3, Lesson 1, "Principles of Our Government," and be able to explain the fundamental principles upon which the U.S. government is based, including popular sovereignty, rule of law, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, and individual rights.

Next week: Students will read Chapter 3, Lesson 2, "How Our Government Works," and explain the responsibilities of the three branches of the United States government: the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

Health Updates:

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

Grade Level Blurb:

We’re in for an exciting week in 5th grade! From exploring decimals in math to discovering how we can help protect our planet in science, our students are diving into engaging lessons and hands-on activities. We’re also gearing up for a big milestone—the 100th day of school—a great time to celebrate all the learning and growth we’ve achieved so far! Plus, with Black History Month projects focused on incredible scientists, mathematicians, and inventors, students are exploring history in a meaningful way. Let’s keep the energy high by staying on track with i-Ready lessons and personalized learning pathways. It’s going to be a fantastic week of discovery and fun!

Math Updates:

This week, we are focusing on dividing decimals. Students are learning different strategies to solve problems accurately and efficiently. Please encourage them to practice at home by reviewing their notes and completing any unfinished classwork.

Science Updates:

In science, we are exploring how human activity impacts Earth. Students have been discussing ways we can help improve our environment, such as recycling, reducing waste, and conserving energy. We encourage them to think about small changes they can make in their daily lives to contribute to a healthier planet.

Health Updates:

Our health lessons continue to focus on the importance of keeping our lungs healthy. Students have been learning about the impact of air quality, smoking, and exercise on lung health. Ask them to share what they’ve learned and discuss ways to maintain healthy habits at home.

Technology:

Hello CMIT family, both near and far! I’m Mr. Morton, and I am the new technology teacher at CMIT South Elementary School. I am truly excited to be here, engaging with your children and guiding their learning journey. I aim to be a strong role model, showing them how to effectively harness technology to create opportunities, inspire motivation, and pave their own futures.

I earned my degree in Mass Communication: Video & Audio Production from Frostburg State University, and I bring a wealth of experience from my extensive background in hospitality and event planning. I strongly advocate for exposure and inclusion, which is why every grade will receive the same “Technology Word of the Day.” Additionally, during Black History Month, we will spotlight a “Black Leader in Technology.” My goal is to expand their vocabulary and understanding from Kindergarten to 5th grade with terms like “Algorithm" and its relevance in today’s world.

Your children will learn vital skills such as Graphic Design, Video Editing, Website Creation, and responsible use of A.I. technology, alongside the essential computer fundamentals that shape our society today.

I eagerly anticipate the memories we will create together as a community of families, students, and staff here at CMIT South Elementary School. Thank you for the warm welcome to this “Pawrrific” community.

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