CMIT South Elementary School
Dear CMIT South Elementary Families,
As we continue our journey through this academic year, I am inspired daily by the determination and growth I see in our students. In honor of Women's History Month, I'd like to share a powerful quote from Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson that reminds us of the importance of courage:
"The path was cleared for me so that I might rise to this occasion. And in the poetic words of Dr. Maya Angelou, I do so now while 'bringing the gifts my ancestors gave. I am the dream and the hope of the slave.'"
Justice Jackson's words remind us that courage isn't just about facing our fears—it's about honoring those who came before us and blazing trails for those who will follow. I encourage all our students and families to embrace this spirit of courage as we navigate challenges and celebrate achievements together.
Weekly Schedule Reminder
This is a B-Week/Week 2, so please follow your child's B-Week/Week 2 schedule for Creative Arts (CARTS) classes.
Daylight Saving Time Reminder
Don't forget to "spring forward" this weekend! Set your clocks ahead by one hour before going to bed on Saturday night, as Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday. This time change gives us longer daylight hours in the evening but means we all lose an hour of sleep. Please plan accordingly to ensure everyone is well-rested for school on Monday.
Thank You to Our Community
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the parents, guardians, and community leaders who participated in Read Across CMIT South Day. Your involvement makes a tremendous difference in fostering our students' love for reading.
A special thank you to Mr. Holloway, Mr. Metin, Ms. Chandler, Ms. Madison, Ms. Crusoe, Ms. Felton, and Ms. Jenkins for organizing an OUTSTANDING Parent University: MCAP/MISA Night. The strategies shared will be invaluable in helping our students prepare for their upcoming assessments. Please check out the MCAP/MISA presentation: 2024-2025 MCAP Night.pdf.
Important Assessment Information
ATTENTION 5TH GRADE FAMILIES: The MISA assessment will be administered on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, and Thursday, March 13, 2025. Please ensure your 5th grader:
Gets plenty of rest the night before
Arrives at school on time
Eats a nutritious breakfast
Comes ready to demonstrate their knowledge and skills
Black History Program Success
Our Black History program was truly Tiger-Tastic! Our talented student performers showcased their abilities with confidence and creativity. We appreciate the dedication of our exceptional staff—Ms. Chandler, Mrs. Pinkard, Mrs. A. Matthews, Mrs. Duncan, Ms. A. Price, and Mr. Morton—who worked tirelessly to make this celebration a success. If you missed this inspiring event, please view it on our YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/live/PHzW6_Se-VM?feature=share
Women's History Month Contest
We're excited to announce that CLF is hosting a Women's History Month Contest from March 3rd-28th with the theme: "Shattering the Glass Ceiling".
Students may choose from two project options:
Project Choice #1: Breaking Barriers
Project Choice #2: Collage of Barriers and Progress
For complete contest criteria and the rubric, please visit: Women's History Month Contest Guidelines Let's put CMIT South Elementary School on the map by having the highest participation rate! I encourage all students to showcase their creativity and understanding of women's contributions throughout history.
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, March 10, 2025!
With Tiger Pride,
Ms. Tauheedah N. Simmons-Lewis
Acting Principal
Chesapeake Math & IT Academy Elementary South (CMIT)
Please take a look at these March 2025 calendar reminders:
- March 3 - Read Across America Day
March 5 - Inclement Weather Make-Up- Regular School Day*
March 5 - Parent University - MCAP & MISA Night 6:00 PM-7:30 PM
March 6 - PTO Yearbook Cover Contest deadline
March 7 - CMIT South ES Black History Month Program
March 11 - 3rd Quarter Progress Reports Released Online
March 14 - 2nd Quarter Virtual Honor Roll Assembly 2nd-5th Grade
- 2nd & 3rd Graders: 8:30AM - 9:30AM, 4th & 5th Graders: 9:35AM - 10:35AM
March 17 - Inclement Weather Make-Up- Schools Open (converted from Professional Development Day)
March 21 - Tutus and Bowties K-2 Spring Dance 6:30 PM-8:30 PM
March 30 - Last Day of Ramadan
March 31 - Eid al-Fitr (starts at sunset 3/30) - Schools and Offices Closed
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. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping all of our students safe at CMIT South ES.
Additionally, please note that teachers and staff are unable to participate in distributing communications/invitations or email addresses related to birthday celebrations. All planning for birthdays needs to happen outside of school so that it does not take away from the purpose of instruction.
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 8:05 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.
School Meals
2024-25 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 Blurb:
Hello Kinder Families,
A special thanks to all the parents who assisted their scholar with practicing for the Black History Month Program. The students really enjoyed watching the program. Also please ensure that students get a good night sleep because daylight saving time takes place this weekend.
Exciting news please save the date for our next planned field trip. The next field trip should take place on May 23, 2025 and will have students learn and explore the National History Museum in DC.
As 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 tying their shoes.
Dates to Remember:
March 9: Daylight Saving Time
March 14: Homework and Leprechaun Traps are due
March 17: School now open, make up snow day
March 21: Tutus and Bow Ties, K-2 Spring Dance, hosted by the PTO
March 24: Spring Picture Day
March 31: No School
May 23: Save the Date for a field trip
Reading Updates:
UNIT 3- Week 3: Poetry Collection
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: Initial and final consonant sounds /z/ and /qu/
High-frequency words: was, said, where
Story Vocabulary: fast, soon, down, great, poetry, rhyme, rhythm
Unit Vocabulary: choose, explain, meaning, character
Learning Goals:
Learn about poems
Visualize details from a story
Syllables and compound words
Find details in a text
Capitalization for the beginning of a sentence
Possessive pronouns
Organize the story element: plot
Math Updates:
Topic 7: Understanding Subtraction
Essential Understanding: What types of situations involve subtraction?
Show numbers in many way
Express smaller parts of a bigger number with actions
Represent subtraction as taking away from numbers up to 10
Practice using an subtraction equation
Show subtraction using number lines, ten frames and pictures
Vocabulary:
Vocabulary: minus, take away, equal sign, take apart, left over, patterns
Science Updates:
TOPIC 4 LESSON 1: Different Kinds of Weather
Essential Question: How do different weathers affect Earth?
Learn how the relationship between the temperature and the type weather that happens
Describe how the weather affects what people weather
Observe the relationship between the weather and the sky
Vocabulary:snow, temperature
Social Studies Updates:
Chapter 3 lesson 3: Jobs in Community
Essential Question- How have jobs changed over time?
Understand why people work
Look into the different jobs that can be found in community
Analyze how those jobs help the community
Vocabulary: carpenter, and market
Health Updates:
March Topic: No Drugs, No Way!
Describe what a drug is, and what other dangerous substances might be found in the home.
Encourage confidence in saying no to drugs and other dangerous substances
Demonstrate respect for our bodies and encourage others to make healthful choices.
Explain why medicine is a drug and why it is important to be responsible with medicine
Vocabulary: drugs, medicine, permission, directions, and unsafe
Grade Level Blurb:
Our Black History Month Projects were SPECTACULAR! It was incredible too see how much time and effort went into many of these projects-- including visiting sites, monuments, and popular places related to your scholar's chosen person. We had a lot of fun learning about different influential African Americans in history.
Please continue to check in with ParentVue to review your scholar's grades. Also, review all graded work arriving home! This is a great way to see what your scholar may need additional help with.
Mrs. Brown Taylor's Digital Agenda
Updates:
1. The new school goal for iReady Math is 10 lessons per week. We are actively working on this in class, but we could use your help! If you have access to a device at home, please consider having your scholar work on his/her lessons. Participation may be graded.
2. A new spelling packet will be sent home, this week, on Monday. This packet will be due on Friday, March 14th.
Reminders:
1. Math homework continues this week. Most students should be on topic 3 or 4 in their packet. Don't fall behind!
2. Resources are available on across content areas on CANVAS! Check for extra practice and review!
3. The weather has changed DRASTICALLY. Please send your child to school with appropriate clothing in order to participate in outdoor recess.
Reading Updates:
This week, students will explore the weekly question, "Why are art and music classes important," by reading a variety of persuasive texts.
Phonics: This week in phonics we are focusing on the endings -ng and -nk.
Math Updates:
We are working through topic 7. In Topic 7, students are extending counting to 120, practicing counting by 1s and 10s, and writing numbers in number and word form.
Please also help us ensure students are completing 10 iReady math lessons, INDEPENDENTLY, per week! You can check their work by going to "My Progress," "Completed Work," and then counting the lessons completed during the current week.
Science Updates:
Students are beginning the next topic be on weather and seasons. Students will learn about different types of weather, how the weather changes, and the different seasons.
Social Studies Updates:
We are continuing through our topic on United States symbols and traditions. Students are learning what it means to be American. We have learned about the American Flag, Bald Eagle, Statue of Liberty, and Golden Gate Bridge as symbols of freedom and/or creativity for the United States. We have also learned about American Documents like the Declaration of Independence.
Please review assignments and additional resources on CANVAS to solidify learning.
Health Updates:
Students will be beginning a new magazine this month! This month we will focus on feelings and how to respond when we have big feelings!
Grade Level Blurb:
Thank you for another great week sending your scholars to school eager to learn. Please continue to monitor Synergy to stay up to date on your scholar’s academic progress.
Reading Updates:
Unit 3 Week 4 will continue with traditional tales.
Math Updates:
Students will use different strategies to solve subtraction problems fluently within 100
Science Updates:
The next topic to be discussed is the different processes of Earth.
Social Studies Updates:
The new topic will discuss people who supply goods and services.
Health Updates:
Students will learn about the effects of both helpful and harmful drugs, gaining an understanding on how medication can support health while also recognizing the risk of substance misuse.
Grade Level Blurb:
Please see Class Dojo stories for your homeroom/partner teacher’s updates!
Reading Updates:
Students have finished reviewing concepts from Unit 2! We have started Unit 3 and historical fiction, and students are working on prefixes, suffixes, and abbreviation.
Math Updates:
All classes worked on addition and addition patterns within 1,000!
Science Updates:
We are continuing to learn about climate, and this week we focused on climate change.
Social Studies Updates:
Students are learning about the importance of education and human capital! Specifically, students are learning that human capital is the combination of the knowledge, skills, and abilities that students gain through education!
Health Updates:
Students learned about healthy minds and habits.
Greetings Tiger Family,
I hope this message finds you warmly. Progress report grades have been updated and are available for your viewing through Synergy. We asked that you check Synergy weekly to stay up to date with your scholar’s progress in their various classes. Please also be sure to check Classdojo and your scholar’s agenda book for updates from the classroom teachers. We loved watching all of our Fourth Grade performers participating in the Black History Month Performance.
The character trait of the month of March is Courage. Students will have lessons in class around having the courage to take chances and do things you wouldn't normally do. Ways you can help is to share with your scholar times when you had to show courage or even take chances to try new things. 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
Important Upcoming Dates:
Friday March 14, 2025- 2nd Quarter Honor Roll Assembly
Friday March 14, 20, 2025- MakeUp School Day
Monday March 31, 2025- School Closed Eid al-Fitr
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.
Scholastic Book Club:
Dear Tiger Family,
This year, our class is reading with Scholastic Book Clubs! You’ll have access to expertly curated, affordable books that help boost your child’s reading skills, build your home library, and maybe even create moments of quality time you can share together.
Plus place an order of $25 or more and you can pick a FREE $5 book (use code READS at checkout).
Family Order Due Date: 03/10/2025
Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/MF27J
Shop Flyers: https://clubs.scholastic.com/all-flyers
Invite relatives and friends to help your child discover the joy of reading when you share our class page link. Every order benefits our classroom, helping me earn FREE books and resources that every child can enjoy.
Thanks so much for your support!
Ms. Crusoe
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 finished our second story of Unit 3, Mama’s Window. In this story students focused on how the character of Sugar grew and changed. They were also able to plot the elements of the story to summarize. Students sought answers to our guiding question: How do our experiences help us see the world differently?
Next Week: Next week we are going to read one of our favorite stories in the text “Trombone Shorty.” In this autobiography story we read about the real life of trombone player Troy Andrews. Students will seek to answer: How does music bring us together? Students will monitor their inner conversations as they read the text closely. Students will also make connections to the text and determine the author’s purpose for writing this story.
Math Updates:
This week in math we began to start Topic 4: Use Strategies and Properties to Multiply by 2-Digit Numbers. Students are working to use different multiplication strategies; partial products, area model, distributive property, and standard algorithm to solve multistep multiplication problems.
Please check Synergy ParentVue and Canvas with your scholar to ensure the completion of assignments.
Science Updates:
This week, students closed our next topic focused on How Humans Interact with the Environment. Our next unit will focus on Waves and Information. Our focus is observing the various properties of waves and how we interact with waves and use them to inform.
Please check Synergy ParentVue and Canvas with your scholar to ensure completion of assignments
Social Studies Updates:
This week: Students read Chapter 3 Lesson 3: Our Rights and Responsibilities”, and understand that citizens in a democracy have both rights and responsibilities. They will explore the fundamental rights granted to individuals, such as freedom of speech and voting, and recognize the importance of fulfilling civic duties like obeying laws, voting, and participating in community activities. Through discussions and activities, students will be able to explain how these rights and responsibilities work together to maintain a functioning democracy.
Next week: Students will complete their quest by writing a persuasive letter to a local official, effectively presenting and advocating for a community issue, and convincing the official to take action to address the concern.
Health Updates:
In health we are learning about our Mouths and keeping our Teeth Healthy and clean.
Grade Level Blurb:
🌸 Happy March! 🌸
We want to take a moment to recognize and appreciate our students for their hard work this week as they prepare for the upcoming MISA test. Their dedication and effort are truly commendable!
Additionally, let’s celebrate the students who participated in the Black History Month program. Their performances were inspiring, and we are so proud of the time and effort they put into making the event a success.
As we move closer to the end of the school year, let’s continue to stay focused on submitting homework on time and putting forth our best effort in all areas of learning. Consistency and commitment will help ensure a strong finish to the year!
What We’re Learning This Week:
📖 Reading Updates:
We are diving into poetry by analyzing different types of poems and exploring figurative language, such as metaphors, similes, and personification. Students will learn how these literary devices enhance meaning and create vivid imagery in texts.
🌍 Social Studies Updates:
In Chapter 6, we will explore how the U.S. Constitution was created, the challenges faced during its development, and the key compromises that shaped our government. Students will examine the roles of influential figures like James Madison and the importance of the Bill of Rights in protecting individual freedoms.
➕➖ Math Updates:
Topic 7 focuses on adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. Students will learn how to find the least common denominator (LCD), create equivalent fractions, and apply these skills to real-world problem-solving scenarios. We will also reinforce the importance of simplifying answers and recognizing improper fractions and mixed numbers.
🔬 Science Updates:
In Chapter 6, students are exploring the inner and outer solar system. We will investigate the characteristics of the planets, comparing the rocky inner planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) to the gas giants in the outer solar system (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune). Students will also learn about the asteroid belt, dwarf planets, and how gravity influences planetary motion. As we continue preparing for the MISA test, we will review key concepts related to space exploration, planetary orbits, and the role of the Sun in our solar system.
Thank you for your continued support! Let’s keep up the great work and finish the year strong.
KVS is our school's dismissal tool for car riders. All parents MUST fill out their KVS number when picking up their scholar. It is imperative that numbers are entered once you reach the car line. If your scholar is a car rider, please take time to help him or her practice memorizing his or her number as this will make the dismissal process much quicker!
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.
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: "Roary" the Tiger
• School Website: http://www.cmitsouthes.org
For more information