The Tiger Times

CMIT South Elementary August/September Themes

Character Theme: Respectfulness

STEM Theme: Observation/Discovery

Dear CMIT South Elementary Families,

Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year at CMIT South Elementary School! We are excited to welcome your family to our vibrant, caring, and academically focused school community. Whether this is your first year or you’re continuing with us, thank you for choosing CMIT South as your partner in your child’s education.

As part of the Chesapeake Lighthouse Foundation (CLF), we proudly provide a rigorous STEM-based curriculum supported by enriching programs that encourage leadership, innovation, and creativity.

PUSH to ACHIEVE IT... the StemTasTic way!

Our theme this schoolyear is The theme “PUSH to ACHIEVE IT... the StemTasTic way!” This represents a schoolwide commitment to helping students persevere, problem-solve, and reach their goals through STEM learning.

Parents can support “PUSH to ACHIEVE IT... the StemTasTic way!” by encouraging children to be curious, persistent, and creative both at home and in everyday life.

• P – Persevere: Encourage children to keep trying when something is difficult and remind them that mistakes are part of learning.
• U – Use Your Thinking: Ask questions such as, “How did you figure that out?” or “What could you try next?”
• S – Solve Problems: Give children opportunities to solve real-life problems, such as planning a meal, building something, organizing a space, or figuring out how to fix something.
• H – Have Confidence: Celebrate effort, creativity, and progress—not just getting the right answer.

Make It “StemTasTic” at Home!

Parents can also:

• Encourage building, designing, creating, and experimenting.
• Cook together and explore measurements, changes, and predictions.
• Play puzzles, strategy games, and math games.
• Ask children to make predictions and explain their reasoning.
• Let children explore their interests through books, videos, nature, and simple STEM challenges.
• Encourage teamwork and allow children to share their ideas and solutions.

First Day of School: Tuesday, August 25, 2026

Daily Schedule Overview:

• Building Opens: 7:35 AM (students may enter)

• Breakfast Service: Available in cafeteria until 8:00 AM

• Classes Begin: 8:00 AM sharp

• Tardy Policy: Students arriving after 8:05 AM will receive a tardy pass

• Back Gate Closure: 8:00 AM

• Dismissal: Begins at 2:30 PM

First Day Procedures: To help students establish routines and allow teachers to create structured learning environments, parents will not accompany children to classrooms on the first day. Our specially trained staff members will be stationed throughout the building to warmly welcome and guide our kindergarteners and new students to their destinations. Every child will feel supported and confident from their very first steps into our school.

Student Conduct: Building Character and Community

Research consistently demonstrates that positive student conduct is fundamental to school success. Our behavioral expectations create a safe, supportive environment where every scholar can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

CMIT South Elementary School-wide Behavioral Expectations:

1. I will treat everyone with kindness and respect

2. I will keep my hands and feet to myself

3. I will use appropriate language toward everyone

4. I will never tease, cause harm, name-call, or bully another student

Supporting Student Success: We ask families to reinforce these expectations at home, helping students understand that positive behavior learned in the family setting transfers directly to school success. The Prince George's County Public Schools Student Code of Conduct will be shared via link for your reference and support in maintaining consistent expectations.

Communication: Staying Connected

Effective communication between home and school is essential for student success. We utilize multiple platforms to ensure you stay informed and engaged:

Primary Communication Channels:

• School Messenger: Official announcements and urgent notifications

• Class Dojo: Daily classroom updates, student progress, and teacher communication

• Email: Detailed information, newsletters, and individual correspondence

• Weekly Newsletters: Comprehensive updates on school activities, achievements, and upcoming events

• Parent Handbook: Distributed on the first day of school

Staying Updated: Please ensure your contact information is current in Synergy to receive text message alerts and important communications. Regular communication helps us partner effectively in your child's educational journey.

Helpful Tips for a Great Year

• Ring the bell at the front door for entry. Always present your ID at the door and again once inside the building.

• Save important email addresses (your scholar’s teacher and front office) to your mobile phone.

• Keep your child’s student ID number—you’ll need it all the way through 12th grade!

• If you’re interested in volunteering or chaperoning this year, it is highly recommended that you begin the 3-step volunteer registration process as early as July 2026.

Warmly,

Tauheedah N. Simmons-Lewis
Your PAWW-rific Principal
CMIT South Elementary School
Home of the STEMTastic Tigers 🐯

Please take note of these important calendar reminders:

• August 17-21 Professional Duty Days for All Teachers
• August 24 Student Orientation Day | Professional Duty Day for All Teachers
• August 24 Sneak a Peek at Your Seat
• August 25 (Tuesday) First Day of School for All Students
• August 28 PTO Back to School Bash (Melwood Park)
• September 7 Schools and Offices Closed (Labor Day)
• September 11 CMIT South ES Grandparents and Special Friends Day Celebration
• September 13 National Grandparents Day
• September 17 Back to School Night 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• September 12 Rosh Hashanah**
• September 16 Schools Closed for Students | Professional Development
• September 21 Schools and Offices Closed (Yom Kippur**)
• September 26 National PTO/PTA Appreciation Day
• September 28 Special Education Meet and Greet 8:30 a.m. -9:30 a.m.
• September 28 Parent University: STEM Fair Intro and Club Showcase

School Menu Viewer

Kindergarten Orientation/Peek at Your Seat For 1st - 5th Grade

August 24, 2026

Join us for “Peek at Your Seat” on Monday, August 24, 2026, 9 am - 2 pm

This event gives scholars and their families a chance to:

• Tour the building

• Visit their classrooms

• Meet their teachers

• Become familiar with the school before the first day

Please do not worry if you cannot make it to Sneak a Peek at Your Seat. Back to School Night is scheduled for Thursday, September 17, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and parents will have another opportunity to meet the teachers and visit classrooms. More information will be coming soon.

CLF’s Enrichment Program serves our Chesapeake Science Point and Chesapeake Math and IT Academy schools, grades K-12, by offering structured time in a safe and productive environment before and after school hours, giving families more flexibility with scheduling and transportation. The program provides an opportunity for academic support and social growth through supervised study sessions, organized recreation, games, and peer interactions.

📣 CMIT South Elementary Enrichment Registration is NOW OPEN for the 2026–2027 School Year!

Tiger Families, the wait is over! Registration for our 2026/2027 Enrichment Program is officially open, and we are excited to welcome both returning and new scholars for another amazing year of fun, learning, and enrichment opportunities!

Secure your scholar’s spot today by visiting:

CMIT South Enrichment Registration Page

Spots fill quickly, so don’t wait! We look forward to another fantastic year of supporting, engaging, and growing with our Tiger scholars! 🐯💙💛

Questions? Feel free to reach out to the Mrs. Caple-Price at kcaple@clfmd.org. If you need assistance with registration/portal access reach out to Ms. Bull at jamie.bull@pgcps.org

Dear CMIT South Elementary Family,

As we prepare to welcome back our returning CMIT South Elementary families, our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is excited to partner with you for another amazing school year! The 2026–2027 school year brings new opportunities for learning, growth, and building meaningful connections within our school community. Throughout the year, the PTO will help keep families informed, support school events, recognize our outstanding teachers and staff, coordinate volunteers, and provide engaging opportunities for families to get involved. We truly believe that when families and schools work together, our scholars thrive. Whether you choose to join the PTO, volunteer, attend events, or simply support your scholar at home, your involvement makes a difference. Be sure to check the attached PTO welcome letter for more detailed information about upcoming opportunities, important resources, and ways to stay connected throughout the school year. We look forward to another fantastic year together!

With Excitement for the Year Ahead,

The CMIT South Elementary PTO Board

We're looking for volunteers to help us kick off an incredible school year! Whether you have an hour or a few to spare, your support helps create a welcoming experience for our scholars, families, and staff.

Choose the opportunity that works best for you:

🧡 Tiger Closet Gently Used Uniform Sale
🗓 August 14 Help families shop for affordable, gently used uniforms by assisting with organizing merchandise, restocking items, and keeping the sale running smoothly.
🔗: https://signup.com/go/cRikjhx

🧡 Teacher Return-to-Office Breakfast
🗓 August 17
Welcome our teachers back by helping with keeping the serving area organized, and assisting with cleanup and breakdown.
🔗: https://signup.com/go/JGLExPk

🧡 Sneak a Peek at Your Seat
🗓 August 24
Assist with directing vehicle and pedestrian traffic to help ensure a safe and efficient arrival and departure experience for families.
🔗: https://signup.com/go/xyaVwyL

🧡 Gentleman's Welcome Wagon
🗓 August 25
Welcome our scholars on the first day by greeting families, opening car doors, and creating a positive start to the school year.
🔗: https://signup.com/go/JThpssZ

Your time is one of the most meaningful gifts you can give our school community. Thank you for helping us support our scholars, families, and staff throughout the back-to-school season.

CMIT South Elementary Families,

School uniforms are now available through our new uniform provider, FlynnO’Hara Uniforms!

Shop our school’s online store:https://flynnohara.com/shop/cmit-south-elementary-charter-school-md087/

School Code: MD087

Uniform Shopping Packet (ordering information, sizing, FAQs, and more): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1G8F4zrvRNaKC-1DNVult2QnbBsOTQ78U/view?usp=sharing

Prefer to shop in person?

FlynnO’Hara Uniforms – Lanham

Lanham Crossing Center

8807 Annapolis Road

Lanham, MD 20706

Hours & Location: https://stores.flynnohara.com/flynnohara-uniforms-ad9a5a90343f

Stay in the loop! Sign up to receive FlynnO’Hara promotions and uniform updates:https://flynnohara.com/join-our-email-list/

The Roar Shop just got a little cozier! CMIT South Elementary hoodies are officially available, so you can gear up and show your Tiger pride all season long.

🔗 Shop now & gear up: https://www.givebacks.com/causes/cmitelementarypto/shop?category=255127

📦 Orders placed between now and September 16th will be available for pickup at our September 30th PTO General Body Meeting.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your order, please email the PTO at pto@cmitsouthes.org.

We welcome and appreciate parent involvement! To volunteer for school events, serve as a lunch monitor, or chaperone field trips, you must complete the three-step volunteer clearance process:

1. Register with PGCPS as a volunteer (every school year). Opens July 1st
   

2. Complete a fingerprinting & background check
   

3. Complete all Safe Training Videos (every school year)

This process ensures the safety of all students and must be completed before participating in any volunteer activities or chaperoning field trips.

To get started, please visit the PGCPS Chaperone/Volunteer page for CMIT South Elementary. Once approved, please email Ms. Reese at lreese@cmitsouthes.org .

As a public charter school, CMIT South Elementary does not provide school bus transportation. However, we maintain a list of independent vendors. Please click on the following link, Van Transportation Partners, which many of our current families use for morning and/or afternoon transportation. You are welcome to contact these providers directly to inquire about availability and pricing.

Please note the following:

• Student drop-off begins at 7:35 AM when adult supervision is present. Please do not leave your child if there is no adult present.

• The gate closes promptly at 8:00 AM.

• School starts at 8:00 AM.

• If you arrive after 8:00 AM, you have a 5-minute grace period to drop your child off at the front of the building.

• Your scholar is considered tardy after 8:05 AM. You must park, escort them into the building, and sign them in using our front office iPad.

Dismissal begins at 2:30 PM, with van riders first, followed by car riders through our KVS pick-up system.

Scholars enrolled in Enrichment will be dismissed to their assigned rooms at 2:45 PM.

If you need to pick up your scholar early, the deadline is 1:30 PM. This allows our staff to wrap up instruction and prepare for end-of-day routines. Please notify your child’s teacher in advance, but know that students will not be called to the office until you arrive.

Due to current budget constraints, CMIT South Elementary will implement a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy.

What this means:

• All students will need to bring their own Chromebook for use both at school and at home

• We will no longer be able to provide school-issued devices for every student as we have in previous years

• A limited number of devices will be available to rent for $100 per school year

• Rental fees may be waived for families with documented financial need

We understand this represents a change from our previous practice, and we're committed to supporting families through this transition. Please click on the following link for detailed information about device specifications, rental options, and financial assistance programs: [Device Information Link] and Chromebook Rental Application

Administrative Procedure 5113, Student Attendance, Absence, and Truancy

Consistent attendance is critical to your scholar’s success. If your child is absent or tardy:

Please submit notification using the Student Absence/Tardy Notification Google Form. The responses are reviewed, and attendance updated based on submissions. All teachers have access to the updates, as they are filtered by teacher/grade. This went into effect at the beginning of last school year.

All Attendance inquiries may be directed to: lreese@cmitsouthes.org and jbull@cmitsouthes.org

2026-2027 School Year Meal Prices

Elementary (Pre-K through Grade 5) *Price may change

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, 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 MySchoolBucks

All money comes/goes to 1 account (child's). All that is needed to set up an account (if not done) is the student's lunch PIN or student ID.

Free and Reduced-Price Meals

We encourage all families to consider applying for free and reduced-price meals! Visit Apply for Free and Reduced Priced Meals to apply online today!

To apply, you will need:

• The name, school, and grade of your school-age children

• The names of all adults living in the home

• Income information for all adults living in the home

• Student ID Numbers for your school-age children

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.

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: Orange and Black

• Uniform Colors: Hunter Green, Navy Blue, or white Oxford tops and Khaki or Navy Blue bottoms

For more information

https://cmitsouthes.org/faq/

Chesapeake Math and IT Academy South ES Public Charter School (CMIT Academy South ES), in partnership with students, parents, and the community, provides a rigorous and quality education for K-5 school students with a special focus on science, math, and technology.

The vision of CMIT Academy South Elementary School is to provide multiple opportunities for Prince George’s County elementary school students by developing an early interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). CMIT Academy South Elementary School will create expanded learning opportunities, hands-on activities, and course design which are focused on STEM curriculum that connects real world experiences for Prince George’s County students.

It is our goal to use new and innovative educational practices with students that allow for academic success and advanced educational opportunities. Our students have a broad spectrum of options for their future endeavors and are prepared to be responsible and productive citizens of society. CMIT’s educational program sees each student as an important person in the school and is committed to the mission of establishing a partnership with parents and the community. It is our belief that all children have an inherent curiosity and love of learning, and all children can reach their highest potential.