

CMIT South Elementary School
Week of November 27, 2022

Friday, February 10, 2023
Principal's Desk
Greetings Tiger Families,
This week we have celebrated the 100th day of school as well as the contributions of the Black Panther Political Party to African American history and culture. Today is the last day to apply for the school choice lottery. If you know anyone or have additional students you would like to have at CMIT South Elementary, please apply today.
Our Charter School Renewal site visit will be next week February 14, 15, and 16. During that time we are requesting families to have their students to school on time and refrain from early dismissal if possible. Also, for Valentine’s Day on February 14th, we are asking for no deliveries to classrooms unless they have been purchased through PTO who will distribute those items at the end of the day between 2 pm and 2:20 pm.
Thanks to our PGCPS nursing staff working with Nurse Aneke, we were able to complete vision and hearing tests for all 200 of our Kindergarten and 1st-grade students. If your child is at risk for poor hearing or vision you will receive a letter from the school.
Also, we are celebrating National School Counselor's Week and our outstanding Professional School Counselor Ms. Chandler, and all she does to support our students and staff’s social and emotional health and safety. Thank you, Ms. Chandler!
Sincerely,
Mr. Ronald A. Miller, Jr.
Principal
Chesapeake Math & IT Academy South Elementary
Prince George’s County Public Schools
Happy National School Counselor’s Week Ms. Chandler
PGCPS Nurses with Nurse Aneke After our Vision and Hearing Screenings
Celebrating Friendship Day with Ms. Lewis’ Kindergarten Students
Weekly Updates
CMIT South Elementary February Themes
Character Theme: Peace
STEM Theme: African-American Inventors and STEAM Professionals
“When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.” —Jimi Hendrix
Please take note of these February - March 2023 calendar reminders:
Friday, February 17, 2021 - National Acts of Kindness Day
Monday, February 20, 2023 - School Closed Presidents’ Day
Monday, February 20, 2023 - Black History Poster & Essay Contest Deadline
Tuesday, February 21, 2023 - Parent-Teacher Conferences - 2hr delayed opening (10 a.m.)for students
Monday, March 6, 2023 - School Closed for Students (Professional Development for teachers)
Tuesday, March 7- Friday, March 24, 2023 - Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA)- 5th grade only
Wednesday, March 8, 2023 - PTO General Meeting zoom and in-person
Thursday, March 30, 2023 - End of 3rd quarter
Friday, March 31, 2023 - Professional Day for Teachers. It is a half-day of asynchronous virtual learning from home for students and a professional day for teachers. Learn more about virtual learning days this school year.
2023-2024 School Calendar - VOTE
In case you missed the newsletter from PGCPS, click the links below to share your input on the 2023-2024 School Calendar. The deadline is February 15, 2023.
Calendar Draft 1 has the third quarter ending immediately before Spring Break (March 21), June 12 as the last day for students, and June 17 as the last day for teachers.
Calendar Draft 2 extends winter break through Jan. 2, ends the third quarter after Spring Break on April 4, and shifts the last day for students to June 13 and the last day for teachers to June 18.
Please review both Draft 1 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1INO8gyyVxA-hqp8YZyLnHjaw7fy5WcxR/edit and Draft 2 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1H9E860jUNtX-mXtWIaTxHFnqxTgB9-7A/edit of the calendar and take a short survey by Wednesday, Feb. 15 to share your input and preferred draft.
Survey Link
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSds3GkBBzHuvxbFM-P7kQPKCwEN_Q6AywWkWxgUO8YbH8JkSw/viewform
Families,
Understanding data and specifically your children’s data is crucial as you help keep them focused and on track for college and career readiness.
Let’s talk ATTENDANCE DATA: The research shows that when students are late and/or absent from school the chances for success fail in comparison to students who regularly attend school (https://www2.ed.gov/datastory).
Reading and mathematics are two subjects taught in the mornings, especially for K-2 students; When K-2 students arrive late, they miss out on learning foundational skills such as phonemic awareness, listening, phonics, and journal writing.
In the upper elementary grades where we have rotation to classes, they miss out on either reading or math. These hours add up and have a big impact on how they build on later skills when they matriculate through grades 3-12th.
Families, please make every effort to bring your children to school on time. Develop and help strengthen the habit of being punctual at ALL events in and out of school. Our attendance data impacts our school and impacts our academic data as a choice school.
Secondly, the academic data of your children is equally important to their success and school success. Please review and keep abreast of what your students are learning in school. Follow up with similar extension activities that will support what they are learning at school.
Talk to students about the grades that they receive. Make our scholars accountable for missing work and or the scores they receive on submitted assignments.
Ask:
Why is the grade earned (not given)? What could they have done differently? Did they understand the assignments? Follow up and find out what the missing components are in class. Is the grade due to behavior, attitude, missing work, or project? Did you turn the assignment/project in
Help them set goals for learning and create a plan for staying on track.
Our schools’ cumulative academic data gives us a report card for the state. A good report card reflects what our entire school community does to support the overall development of our children.
Thanks for partnering with CMIT Elementary Charter School!
Be Data Driven!
Ms. Watkis
Assistant Principal (K-2nd)
Tutoring
Get an Academic Boost with Tutoring
Accelerate learning and build academic confidence with these free tutoring opportunities!
Tutoring provided by CMIT South
CMIT South Elementary will have tutoring offered by 12th-grade seniors from CMIT South Middle/High school for 3-5 grade students. More information coming soon.
TutorMe
Connect with an online tutor in less than 30 seconds, 24/7 for help with a single problem or a lesson! Tutors are highly qualified from the best universities and are ready to assist students.
Carnegie Learning Math
On-demand math tutoring for students in grades 3-12. Log in through the CLEVER tutoring app.
Carnegie Learning Math
On-demand math tutoring for students in grades 3-12. Log in through the CLEVER tutoring app.
BookNook
This is the last opportunity to sign up for free tutoring for students in kindergarten through fifth grade! The deadline to register has been extended through Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, for Cohort 3 sessions.
Friday, February 17, 2023, is National Acts of Kindness Day. We are upholding this annual tradition of celebrating kindness because we know everyone can use more kindness in their lives. Scientific evidence shows us the positive effects of doing kind acts for others as well as receiving or even witnessing kindness. Even the smallest act of kindness can change a life. In 2021, we encourage everyone to Explore the Good and Make Kindness the Norm. Click here to on ways to observe National Acts of Kindness Day
Remember: masks remain a tool to reduce the spread of illness and vaccinations continue to be the best defense against COVID-19. When children are sick, please keep them home.
Want to send a Shout Out to a Teacher/Staff Member?
Do you want to say thank you or SHOUT-OUT a teacher or staff member for their great job? Complete and submit the SHOUT-OUT Google Form link and it will be shared with the faculty at an upcoming meeting and/or morning announcements.
Grade Level Updates
Kindergarten
We are continuing to celebrate Black History Month and are learning about the many inspirational figures there are within African American culture. We are excited to see their presentations next week.
Please do not send your child to school sick. Keeping them home will help them get better faster and keep their teachers and classmates from getting sick. Please take note and read School and Illness: Should your child stay home? Let’s help each other to stay healthy and safe. Students need refillable water bottles and snacks daily. Also, please support your scholar in arriving to school on time. Instruction begins at 8:00 am. and many are missing important reading/language arts concepts when they are late. Thank you for your understanding!
Reading Updates
Letters Qq and Zz
Learning about Poetry
Reading a variety of Nursery Rhymes
Introduction to visualization (picturing the story or making mental movies in our heads)
Sequencing events in a story
Math Updates
Continuation with Unit 7: Subtraction
Understanding subtraction as “take apart” or “take away” and can be demonstrated using fingers, mental math, images, drawings, equations, sounds, acting out situations, and verbal explanations
Separating parts from a whole
Taking apart a number and telling the parts of the whole
Science Updates
Continuing the discussion of weather forecasting
Pretending to be a meteorologist
Documenting and making a hypothesis about the weekly forecast
Social Studies
Geography: Places around the world
Compare/Contrast our locations with others around the world
Introduction of maps
Health
How can we take care of our teeth?
Flossing and brushing daily
Cavities and oral germs
1st Grade
Reading Updates
Students will ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud.
Students will decode words with initial and final consonant blends, digraphs, and trigraphs.
Students will use text evidence to support an appropriate response.
Essential Question: How can we use our imaginations?
Comprehension Strategy: Predictions
High-Frequency Words: round, good, said, no, put
Spelling/Phonics: consonant digraphs and trigraphs
Genre: Fable
Vocabulary Words: create, imagine, suppose, possible
Math Updates
Students will organize data into categories.
Vocabulary:
tally chart
tally marks
data
Science Updates
Students will observe and measure weather.
Vocabulary:
weather
thermometer
rain gauge
anemometer
tornado
blizzard
Social Studies Updates
Students will recite and explain the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance to the United States of America.
Vocabulary:
pledge
tradition
freedom
justice
Health
Students will define the word trustworthy and tell why it is important to have that quality.
Vocabulary:
trustworthy
2nd Grade
Hello Second Grade Families! Our team has just a few updates and reminders for the coming week.
Students are invited to bring in valentines to exchange with their friends on Valentine’s Day. We will dedicate a short amount of time at the end of our day to exchanging valentines. To help this process go smoothly, please have your student write only their names on the valentine. Do not write individual student names.
Parent-Teacher conferences will be held as needed on Tuesday, February 21st. Your second-grade teacher will contact you to schedule a conference.
Please continue to check SchoolMax for up-to-date grades.
Reading Updates
This week in reading, we are exploring procedural text as it relates to our weekly question, “How does food help make a tradition?” Students will continue to examine text features such as labels, headings, and numbered steps.
In phonics, students will practice with words that have the following vowel teams: oo, ue, ew, ui. These vowel teams will make the same sound /u/ such as tooth, glue, chew, and fruit.
Math Updates
Science Update
Students are learning about Earth’s water and land.
Social Studies
Students are working on chapter 4. In this chapter, students are learning about the people who provide our goods and services. They are also learning the difference between wants and needs, and when choices might need to be made.
Health
This month, students are learning all about their hearts. They are learning about how their heart functions and how to keep it healthy and happy!
3rd Grade
Grade Level Blurb
Hi everyone! Congratulations to everyone who made the honor roll in Q2! Let’s try to keep up with ALL assignments this quarter! We don’t want any zeros in the grade book and we want to stay on track as we move through each unit! Please make sure you are using our weekly assignments breakdown page to always see what homework assignments are due each night. Here is the link for those who need it: https://sites.google.com/pgcps.org/3rdgradeclasssite22-23/assignments
We have now started learning and celebrating Black History Month as we started off the month this week! We are excited to be learning about many different influential people throughout the month! Expect to see a black history month project coming up in social studies! A rubric will be provided, and students will be able to choose between making a poster board or a google slides presentation.
Valentine’s Day is coming up next week so please check Class Dojo for more info! When students send in valentines, they should bring in enough for the entire class, not individual students. Also, please make sure there are no nuts in the items you are sending in! Lastly, to save time, we are advised not to write individual names on each of the valentines; students can write their own name so students know who gave it to them, but no individual names in the “To:___” section. Thanks so much!
Please make sure students have the supplies they need for school each day (pencils, scissors, colors, etc.)! Also, make sure you are sending students to school with proper jackets for the cold weather. If it is above 32 degrees, there is always a chance that we will go outside for recess.
Let’s have a great week!
Reading Updates
This upcoming week, students will be continuing on in Unit 2 about interactions discussing realistic fiction stories, and getting ready to start persuasive text! Students will also be working on their new spelling words for the section we are on. We finished our story “Wolf Island,” and focused on comprehension questions and sequencing. We will be starting our next story next week! These stories focus on the essential question of how a chain of events affects plants and animals. We will also be reading and writing about different biographies for Black History Month throughout the month!
Math Updates
This upcoming week, students will be moving into Topic 4 which is division facts. Students will have a project due at the end of the topic in the next few weeks!
Science Update
Students will also be moving into learning about electricity and magnetism this week.
Social Studies Update
We are in chapter 3 lesson 1 which is about native american tribes. We also will be learning about people for black history month and we will be starting a project.
4th Grade
Grade Level Blurb
Happy Weekend Parents,
Congratulations to all those who were honored during the 2nd Quarter Honor Roll Assembly this week! We are so proud of your accomplishments and are in anticipation of even more success in the 3rd quarter. Just a reminder that CMIT has begun our P.A.N.T. initiative, Perfect Attendance No Tardies. Scholars are to be present and on time for the entire 3rd Quarter in order to participate in our Spring Extravaganza Party. Winter MAP data is available. If you have not received your scholar's updated test score please reach out to their homeroom teacher. We want you all informed on the progress that has been made. Students are not permitted to bring Valentine’s Day cards or treats next week. The PTO is doing the Candygram program again this year and this will be the only opportunity for students to pass out candy. (Sections 41 & 42 please refer to Mrs. Jones' post in ClassDojo)
Sections 41 & 42 Update
Reading: This week our scholars brought a close to Unit 2 Adaptations and textbook 4.1. Textbook 4.1 has come home and does not need to be returned back to school. This week students created a brochure about an endangered animal. Students had to conduct research and explain how this animal uses its adaptations to survive in its environment. Students also showed their mastery of Greek and Latin root words by completing a spelling quiz.
Next week we will begin a new unit “Diversity” and are officially in textbook 4.2. Our story of the week is called “Out of Mind.” In this story, we will explore a girl by the name of Melody and how she communicates differently with those around her. Our guiding question of the week is” Why do people communicate in diverse ways? We will work on the skill of close reading, and monitoring our inner conversations, inferences, and character traits. Homework for this week will be two IXL Lessons: 2BC Read realistic fiction with illustrations and AFE Contractions. Spelling words for the week have also been posted to Canvas under the homework of the week tab.
Social Studies: This week we concluded Chapter 3 by having students create flags that tell about them using colors and symbols. Students also tried to guess which flag represented which student. We also began to discuss Black History by creating an illustration that went along with a quote from a famous black person. Next week we will continue to explore elements of black history by reading texts and conducting research about those that have greatly influenced our lives. Students have been given a Black History Project choice board. Students will select one of the activities to complete and should have selected the person to conduct their research. The project is due by Wednesday, February 22, 2023. Students will have this to work on instead of Social Studies homework for the upcoming week.
Math: This week scholars have completed Lesson 5-3 and 5-4. We have estimated quotients of larger numbers and worked to interpret reminders. We have reviewed the steps of long division as well. We have completed 6 multiplication fact drills this week. Next week, we will test our division fact fluency. We continue in our unit to lesson 5-5 through 5-7 These lessons involve the use of partial quotients, and sharing to divide. Lesson notes and videos used for in-class instruction are shared in Canvas. Please select Modules to find them. Topic 5 Pick–Project has been posted and distributed. The deadline is Wednesday, February 15, 2023. Late submissions and resubmissions will not be accepted for this activity.
Science: This week we have discussed the difference between transverse and longitudinal waves and have sorted through some examples of each to better understand the properties of waves and how they can be measured. Next week, we will move on to Lesson 2: Patterns of Waves where we will study patterns in wave characteristics, and differentiate between circular and plane waves African American STEM Projects were to be submitted Friday, February 10, 2023. Late submissions and resubmissions will not be accepted for this activity.
Health: This week begins Unit 5: It’s My Body which focuses on self-care/hygiene, social and emotional wellness, reporting abuse, and being responsible. Scholars have received a hard copy of this unit’s magazine but I will still place reading sections in each lesson to help with each activity. All health activities are assigned at the beginning of the week and due on Friday. Because of this, retakes and late submissions are no longer accepted and all grades are final.
Sections 43 & 44 Update
Reading: This week in reading we worked on our Unit 2: Adaptations project. Students brainstormed, researched, and created a brochure on an endangered animal of their choice to close this unit. Next week we will start Unit 3 Diversity. This will start in the 4.2 textbook. All students will be bringing home their 4.1 textbooks this weekend and they are to remain at home.
I will be organizing the scholastic book orders to come out next week!
Math: This week we finally finished Topic 3. YAY!! On Thursday we began Topic 4, in this topic students will Use mental-math strategies to multiply 2-digit multiples of 10 by 2-digit multiples of 10. Over the next week, we will be working through sections 4-1 (Multiplying Multiples of 10) and 4-2 (Using Models to Multiply 2-digit numbers by 2-digit numbers. Quick Checks are scheduled for next Friday.
Science: This week began exploring Topic 3 Waves and Information, by the end of lesson 1 students will have an understanding of how waves more objects as well as wave patterns in regards to amplitude and wavelength. This week students also completed and began presenting their African Americans in STEM Research Slide presentations.
Please remember to check Canvas and SAVVAS with your student to review scores, and missing and or incomplete work.
Social Studies: In social studies this week we started Chapter 3 lesson 2 & 3. Chapter 3 explores the government in the United States. Students have identified how the founding documents affect their lives and how their lives would be different without these documents. Next week students will continue to explore the three branches of government and the responsibilities of each branch. They will also explore our rights and responsibilities as American citizens.
A Black History Month Project Choice Board also came home. Students will pick one of the activities on the same person they are assigned to in math class. Project is due 2/22
5th Grade
Grade Level Blurb
Students will continue working with homeroom teachers on any new routines and procedures that they were introduced to last week. Please remind students each morning that they should be coming to school with the main goal of learning and listening to directions the first time given. We are running out of classroom supplies like Kleenex, Clorox wipes, pencils, paper towels, etc. If anyone wants to donate some supplies, it would be greatly appreciated. Please reach out to homeroom teachers to facilitate drop off if your student cannot carry the supplies with them during drop off in the morning or pick up in the afternoon.
Reading Update
We are continuing this week with Unit 3 in MyView 5.2: Reflections. Our Unit 3 Essential question is, “How do experiences of others reflect our own?” and the Week 3 Big Question is, “How are the experiences of people in ancient times similar to those of people in the modern world?” We will be looking at how we, as readers, can learn from others’ past experiences and draw connections to the things that have happened in our own lives. This week’s story is from, The Carp by Marie Yuen. This story fits in both the drama and legend genres. Legends are characterized by Our vocabulary words are quell, tactics, preserve, and conscientious. The spelling focus this week is words with unusual spellings. The homework this week is to complete 4 iReady lessons, the weekly spelling homework, the weekly reading log, and reading 30 minutes each night. Any additional iReady lessons will be added to the grade as extra credit.
Spelling Words:
league
embarrass
depot
sergeant
vague
intrigue
cordial
anxious
villain
disguise
fatigue
debt
queue
flood
jeopardy
Challenge Words:
cantaloupe
genealogy
yacht
liaison
epitome
Math Update
In math this week, we are continuing to work with multiplying and dividing fractions with a continuation of reviewing addition and subtractions. Parents can assist at home by working with students on creating equivalent fractions and finding the greatest common factors and least common multiples. Here are a few short videos to assist with GCF vs. LCM and with finding them using prime factorization.
Science Update
In Science this week, we are learning about renewable energies. We will be covering wind, solar, hydroelectric, and geothermal energy sources. By the end of the week, students should be able to identify whether an energy source is renewable or non-renewable. Use these short videos to help support instruction at home!
Social Studies Update
In social studies, we are continuing to work on Chapter 4. During this chapter, we are learning about life in the American Colonies before and during the founding of the United States of America.
Health
This month, we are looking at healthy bodies. Please be on the look out for the 5th grade permissions slips in order to opt your student out of the health lesson on puberty that will be taught by our School Nurse, Mrs. Anike. These slips will be posted on Dojo next week and sent home with students.
CARTS
An Update From Ms. Can
Kindergarten & 1st
Learning about and respecting other people's personal space.
A building buddy to build two characters.
2nd Grades
Applying knowledge and skills related to structures, stability, measuring, and fair testing.
Design and make a safe and strong bridge.
3rd Grades
Understand why using loops in programming is more efficient
Understand the importance of using indentation correctly
Complete challenges.
4th- 5th Grades
Investigating what factors can make a car go faster helps predict future motion.
Build a race car.
FAQ
CHESAPEAKE MATH AND IT SOUTH ELEMENTARY
• Hours: 8:00am to 2:15pm
• 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
CMITs offer high tech, STEAM education to all our Prince George’s County students grades K-5!
In partnership with students, parents and the community, CMIT Elementary School will attain educational excellence by providing a rigorous and technology-integrated education for elementary school students with an emphasis on mathematics, science, and information technologies.