The Tiger Times

Dear CMIT South Families, Community Partners, and Scholars,

Welcome to October! To our families, thank you for helping our scholars settle into their routines so beautifully this year. To our community partners, thank you for your continued generosity toward our Tiger family. And to our scholars, you're doing a wonderful job, and we can't wait to see all the great things you'll accomplish this month!

Our Character Word of the Month for October is Kindness, and here's a thought to carry with us:

"Any time you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth." — Roberto Clemente

That spirit of kindness and service shows up beautifully in everything we have planned for October, read on below!

📚 Fundraiser: Read-a-Thon (October 1st – 23rd)

We're thrilled to kick off our Read-a-Thon fundraiser, running from October 1st through October 23rd! This fundraiser will help us provide Chromebooks, keep Roary's Trolley rolling, and fund special events and assemblies throughout the year.

Our scholars will be doing extra reading and working as a team to unlock fun incentives and rewards along the way!

We've set up a special donation page for each scholar — just click the link below and type in your student's name to find their page:

Find Your Student's Donation Page

The student donation website and email will be our main way of communicating throughout the program, so please keep an eye out! With 100% participation from our Tiger family, we're confident we can reach our goal of $30,000. We truly appreciate your generous support!

READY…SET….READ!!!! Click the link below to watch the Read-aThon video:

https://app.screencastify.com/watch/b954ce5j4dwha3o940xw

🧥 Annual Fall Coat Drive (October 5th – 16th)

Our Annual Fall Coat Drive runs from October 5th through October 16th. We're collecting gently used or new hats, gloves, scarves, and coats to help families in need this winter. The class that donates the most items will win a special prize!

All donations will go to Bee's Babies Essentials, Inc., who will host a community distribution day on October 24, 2026, at the Patriots Technology Gymnasium. If you'd like to attend the distribution, please register at beesbabiesessentials.org/register.

Thank you for all the ways you show kindness and support for our Tiger family, let's make October a STEMTastic month!

Dr. Tauheedah N. Simmons-Lewis

Your PAWW-rific Principal

CMIT South Elementary School

🧡 🔗 Scholastic Book Fair

🗓 October 5 - 9 Help make the Scholastic Book Fair a great experience for our scholars by assisting with book selection, eWallet checkout, organizing merchandise, restocking books, and keeping the fair running smoothly. We still have time slots that are not covered for the Book Fair. Please click the link and consider if you can help bridge the gaps so that all students can have equal opportunity to experience the Book Fair.

Scholastic Book Fair

Get ready, Tigers! 🐯📚 The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to CMIT South Elementary THIS WEEK, October 5–9!

Scholars will have the opportunity to explore new books, discover favorite series, and find something they’re excited to read! Teachers have the classroom schedule and should be able to share which day your scholar will visit the fair.

💳 Make shopping easy with Scholastic eWallet! Families are highly encouraged to set up and fund an eWallet before the fair. It’s a convenient, cash-free way for scholars to shop independently during their Book Fair visit.

Set Up Your eWallet: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/content/fairs/ewallet.html

The CMIT South Shoe Drive is officially underway, and we’re working toward a BIG goal: 4,000+ pounds of shoes — approximately 160 bags!

Have shoes your family has outgrown or no longer wears? Put them to purpose! We’re collecting new and VERY gently worn shoes of all sizes and genders. Every pair donated brings us one step closer to our goal and helps create opportunity beyond our school community.

Every Pair Has Purpose. Let’s STEP UP, CMIT South!

Questions or concerns about the Shoe Drive Fundraiser? Contact the PTO at pto@cmitsouthes.org.

Help strengthen our school community and create experiences that make a difference for every CMIT South Elementary scholar, teacher, and family.

Join the PTO today and help us grow the PRIDE!

🍂 IT’S FALL, Y’ALL — HOODIE SEASON IS HERE! 🍂

Cooler days call for CMIT South ES hoodies! Our uniform-approved hoodie is available now in The Roar Shop.

Stay warm. Stay school-approved. Stay ready to ROAR.

🛒 Shop now: https://www.givebacks.com/causes/cmitelementarypto/shop?category=255127

Grade Level Blurb:

We have entered October! This means that the first homework assignment will be coming home on Monday, October 5. The homework packet is for two weeks and will not be due until October 15. Also, we are so close to our goal for a project on donorschoose, if you have the ability to donate or can spread the word that would be great.

https://www.donorschoose.org/sl/C7XLaWDHb9

Please make sure that students are dressed for the weather as it changes and have school approved jackets and sweaters as the thermostat is typically kept at 70 but controls all four Kindergarten classrooms, so the temperature may vary from class to class.

Students are losing their personal belongings. Please label all items, sweaters and jackets especially, so that students will know what belongs to them. Please use simple reminders to help students learn to become and stay responsible for their own items.

We are in Hispanic & Latin Heritage Month, so the Kindergarten team would like to share some options for reading together. The following link gives 15 picture books that families could read together; https://www.readbrightly.com/picture-books-celebrate-hispanic-heritage/.

Important Dates:

October 2: Early Dismissal

October 5-9: Scholastic Book Fair, parents can stop by after school to shop with scholars

October 5: Ms. Young’s 1st Class Visit to the Bookfair (8:40 am)

October 6: Ms. Windsor’s 1st Class Visit to the Bookfair (8:10 am)

October 6: Ms. Windsor’s 1st Class Visit to the Bookfair (12:10 pm)

October 7: Ms. Mamman’s 1st Class Visit to the Bookfair (8:40 am)

October 7: Dibels Testing: Ms. Mamman

October 9: Dibels Testing: Ms. R. Lewis

October 12: Dibels Testing: Ms. Windsor

October 13: Dibels Testing: Ms. Young

October 15: 1st Homework Packet Due

October 15: Fall Picture Day

October 16: No School

October 30: Book Character Parade Day

Reading Updates:

UNIT 1 WEEK 4- Where is Twister?

Essential Question- What makes us want to visit a special place?

• Phonological awareness: Middle Sounds; Recognize Alliteration; Blend and Segment, Onset and Rime

• Phonics: Consonants Nn and Short Vowel Ii

• High-Frequency Words: my, we, make

• Spelling words found in weekly readings: slips, follows, chasing, scrambles

• Unit Vocabulary: map, move, land, special

Learning Goals:

• Plural Nouns

• Hear and identify the medial sounds in words

• Develop understanding of types of books

• Describe the Setting

• Demonstrate phonological awareness.

• Identify and match the common sounds that letters represent.

• Identify and read common high-frequency words by sight.

• Orally respond to realistic fictions

• I can write about my opinion

Math Updates:

TOPIC 3- Numbers 6 to 10
Essential Understanding- Good math thinkers use math they know to show and solve problems

• There is more than one way to show a number

• Counting tells how many are in a set or a group, no matter which order the objects are counted

• The last number said when counting a group is the total number

• Use objects, drawings, and numbers to compare numbers

Vocabulary: six, seven, eight, nine, ten

Science Updates:

TOPIC 1- Force: Pushes and Pulls

Essential Question: What happens if you push or pull an object?

• Observe how objects move

• Thinking of ways to make an object move

• Clarify how a push and pull makes something move

• Speculate why objects move and the effects on movement

Vocabulary: push, pull, speed, direction, change of direction

Social Studies Updates:

CHAPTER 1 LESSON 4- Leaders Make Rules

Essential Question- How do leaders make rules and laws?

• Identify leaders who make rules and laws

• Describe the leaders at my home

• Explain how the government keeps communities safe

Vocabulary: leader, government

Health Updates:

OCTOBER TOPIC- The Five Senses

Essential Question- What are the five senses?

• Identify the five senses and the body parts they are associated with

• Respect what your senses can do for you

• Practice routines for healthful care of sense organs

Vocabulary: hear, touch, sight, smell, see, senses

📝Grade Level Blurb:

A brand-new week is here, and we’re ready for more learning, growing, and fun! We’re excited for all that this week has in store. Be sure to read through our newsletter below for important updates, reminders, and upcoming events. Let’s have a great week!

📌 Important Reminders:

• 🔤 Spelling Bingo: Our bingo board is DUE this Friday, October 9th.

• ➕ Math Homework: Students are actively working through Topic 2. They should ONLY be completing ONE assignment per night in alignment with learning happening in class. PLEASE DO NOT have students go ahead of our learning as this is likely to cause confusion and overwhelm.

• 🔬STEM Fair: Students should begin thinking about which STEM career they would like to explore further. Begin working on a little each day to allow enough time for successful completion.

• 🎃 Field Trip: Permission slips were sent home. Please complete and return there ASAP. Please also complete the following form indicating whether your scholar will bring a bagged lunch from home or will need one from school: Field Trip Lunch

• 💻 Charged Chromebooks: Students should bring their Chromebook to school every day. It is imperative that Chromebooks are fully charged at home each night so students are prepared to participate in learning activities throughout the school day. Even if your scholar’s Chromebook has not yet been completely set up, please begin sending it to school daily tomorrow. We encourage families to make charging the Chromebook each night part of your scholar’s regular bedtime routine.

• 📚 DIBELS assessments began last week. Mrs. Valera & Mrs. Matthews assessed on Thursday, 10/1, Ms. Torrence on Monday, 10/5, and Ms. Garrett on Thursday, 10/8.

Mrs. Valera's Weekly Digital Agenda

Mrs. Matthew's Weekly Digital Agenda

Ms. Torrence's Weekly Digital Agenda

Ms. Garrett's Weekly Digital Agenda

Thank you for your continued support!

With gratitude,

The First Grade Team

Reading Updates:

Unit 1 Week 3

This week, students are back to exploring the elements of realistic fiction as they focus carefully on the characters in two stories, "The. Garden Party" and "Click, Clack, Click."

🏠 How Can Families Help at Home?

Phonics & Spelling

This week in Phonics, students will continue review words with the short /e/ sound as well as words with the /Dd/, /Ll/, and /Hh/ sounds. Our spelling words, this week, are the following: met, net, pet, set, Ben, they, that, two, up, have.

We will review the following high-frequency words they, that, two, up, have. High-frequency words are words that appear often in books and everyday reading. Sometimes, these words follow regular spelling patterns and can be sounded out. Other times, they have irregular spelling patterns that must be memorized. We call these spelling patterns “heart parts” because students must know them by heart. Learning these words helps students recognize them quickly and read more smoothly and confidently.

We will have a spelling test on Friday, October 9th & new spelling homework will also come home on this date.

Math Updates:

Topic 2

We are moving through topic 2! In this topic, students are learning strategies to help them fluently add and subtract within 10. Stay tuned for updates on testing dates and due dates from your scholar's teacher!

🏠 How Can Families Help at Home?

Science Updates:

Our first graders are working through Topic 1 in Science, where we are observing and investigating light and sound! Students are exploring where light and sound come from, making observations, asking questions, and investigating how they interact with the world around us.

🏠 How Can Families Help at Home?
Encourage your child to be a scientist at home! Look for different sources of light and sound, discuss what they notice, and ask questions such as, “What do you see?” “What do you hear?” and “What do you think will happen?” You can even explore how sounds change when objects are tapped, shaken, or plucked. 🔎✨

Social Studies Updates:

This week, students are continuing through Chapter 1 in Social Studies, where they are learning what it means to be a good citizen and explore how our community and government work together. Students are learning about rights and responsibilities, rules and laws, community leaders, and the role of government. They are also practicing important skills such as distinguishing fact from fiction, solving problems, and making thoughtful choices.

🏠 How Families Can Help at Home?

Talk with your child about ways your family members can be good citizens. Discuss rules, responsibilities, and why we have laws, and encourage your child to share examples of how they can help make their classroom, school, and community a better place.

Health Updates:

We are beginning our monthly issue, "Head to Toe." In this issue, students will learn more about their great body parts, how these parts function, why they're important, and what makes us special.

🏠 How Families Can Help at Home?

Families can support learning at home by talking about different parts of the body and how they help us each day. Encourage your child to practice healthy habits such as washing their hands, brushing their teeth, eating nutritious foods, getting enough sleep, and staying active. Families can also discuss body safety and the importance of listening to their bodies and telling a trusted adult when something hurts or feels uncomfortable. Ask your child to share something new they learned about their body and explain how it helps them stay healthy!

Grade Level Blurb:

Hello Families!

Here are a few quick and important reminders as we head into the next few weeks:

📊 First Quarter Progress Reports Are Here! First quarter progress report grades have officially been posted! Please make sure to check ParentVue regularly to track your scholar's academic progress and stay updated on their grades.

💻 Daily Tech Essentials To help our scholars succeed every day, please ensure they bring the following to school daily:

• A fully charged Chromebook

• A pair of working headphones (preferably with cords and a built-in microphone) that can remain at school

📝 Upcoming Testing Alert: DIBELS While our initial DIBELS and i-Ready testing rounds are complete, we have one final round of DIBELS testing taking place over the next two weeks! Scholars will need their Chromebooks for this assessment, so having a fully charged device at school every day is essential.

Thank you for your continued partnership, support, and dedication to our scholars' success!

Reading Updates:

Here is what’s happening with reading this week and how you can support your scholar at home:

📖 What We Are Reading in Class In class, we are currently diving into informational texts (non-fiction) and realistic fiction texts!

🏠 At-Home Reading Tips: Ask & Answer Questions You can help build your scholar’s comprehension skills at home while reading together! Try asking questions like:

• ❓ Before Reading: "Looking at the title/cover, what do you think this text will be about?"

• ❓ During Reading: "Who are the main characters?" or "What facts are you learning from this page?"

• ❓ After Reading: "Why do you think the character made that choice?" or "What was the main idea of this text?"

• ❓ Finding Evidence: "How do you know that? Can you point to the sentence or picture that shows the answer?"

🍕 Pizza Hut Book It! Program is Here! 🍕 Encourage your scholar to read every day! On the back of this month’s behavior calendar, you will find our Reading Log for the Pizza Hut Book It! Program!

• How it works: Scholars should record their daily reading on the log throughout the month.

• The Reward: Scholars who complete and turn in their monthly reading log will receive a coupon code for a FREE personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut!

Thank you for encouraging a love of reading at home!

Math Updates:

Here is a quick look at what’s happening in math class and how you can support your scholar at home:

📄 Math Homework Packets Scholars will be coming home with printed math homework packets! Please check in with your child’s classroom teacher for updates regarding due dates.

🧠 What We Are Learning

• Current Focus: We are wrapping up our unit on equal groups!

• Up Next: We will build on these skills and use our strategies to solve addition problems!

🏠 Real-World Addition Ideas to Try at Home! Practicing math in everyday life helps scholars connect classroom learning to the world around them. Here are a few quick ways to practice addition together:

• Grocery Store Helper: Ask your scholar to add items in your cart ("We have 4 apples and 3 bananas—how many pieces of fruit do we have total?").

• Dinner Table Prep: Have them add utensils or plates ("We set 5 plates for dinner and need 2 more for guests—how many plates in all?").

• Toy Sorting: Combine sets of toys or blocks ("You have 6 cars in this bin and 5 cars on the rug. How many cars are there combined?").

• Board Game Math: Use rolling dice or scoring points during family game nights to practice quick addition on the go!

Thank you for partnering with us to build strong math skills!

Science Updates:

🔬 STEM Fair Project Launch!

Exciting news! We have officially begun preparing for our STEM Fair Projects!

❓ Step 1: The STEM Fair Question The very first part of the project is coming up with a STEM Fair Question, which is due to your scholar's classroom teacher this week!

⚠️ Important Approval Requirement: Before your scholar begins working on their project, their question MUST be approved by their classroom teacher. This ensures that the topic is safe, doable, and meets all STEM Fair guidelines!

💡 Finding a Question: Scholars are strongly encouraged to choose a question directly from the options in their STEM Fair packet!

Keep an eye out for specific details from your scholar's classroom teacher on how and where to submit the chosen question. Thank you for supporting our young scientists and engineers as they launch into their STEM Fair journey!

Social Studies Updates:

🎉 Great Job, Scholars! Huge congratulations to our scholars on doing a fantastic job presenting their projects for our unit on Families Past and Present! It was wonderful seeing their hard work, creativity, and thoughtful connections to family history.

📜 Up Next: Our American Culture As we wrap up this unit, we are getting ready to dive into our next exciting topic: Our American Culture! Scholars will explore national symbols, traditions, holidays, and the diverse cultures that make up our country.

🏠 How to Prepare at Home: Here are a few fun ways you can build excitement and background knowledge with your scholar before we begin:

• Look for National Symbols: Point out symbols around you or in books—like the American flag, the Statue of Liberty, the Bald Eagle, or the White House—and talk about what they represent.

• Discuss Family & Cultural Traditions: Share your own family's favorite cultural traditions, foods, music, or holidays, and discuss how different families celebrate unique traditions across America.

• Read Together: Check out library books or watch brief educational videos about historical figures, national holidays, or American monuments.

• Share Stories: Talk about community helpers, local landmarks, or historical events that make your town or country special.

Thank you for your ongoing support as we explore new history and culture topics together!

Health Updates:

We have officially wrapped up our Health unit on Being Safe, where scholars learned important habits and tools to stay safe in various everyday situations.

💭 Our New Topic: "How You Think" This month, we are transitioning to our next exciting unit: "How You Think"!

Over the coming weeks, scholars will participate in engaging discussions and hands-on activities centered on the brain. They will explore:

• How the brain works and helps us process thoughts and feelings

• Mindset strategies for problem-solving and learning new things

• Managing emotions and making positive choices

It's going to be a fun and fascinating month of discovering how incredible our minds are! Thank you for supporting your scholar's learning and wellness journey at home!

Grade Level Blurb:

Happy Fall Third Grade Families!

We have completed our MAP Growth testing. The last round of testing is Dibels. The students will be pulled individually for this testing. Score reports will be sent home in the near future. Please help remind your third grader to charge their chrome book on a nightly basis. Students need to have headphones.

The students attended the Read-a-thon kickoff assembly. Each student brought home information on creating their account. This is a great way to encourage and improve reading outside of the classroom. To support their reading, the students will attend the school’s book fair early next week. Please check this newsletter and/or Class dojo messages for details. You need to set up a Scholastic eWallet to purchase books.

Several parents have answered the call for copy paper. THANKS so very much for the support. However, this will be an ongoing need. When able, please keep our paper wishes in mind.

Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

The 3GA held our first basketball tournament! All of the third-grade classes gathered in the gym to watch the Howard Heat take on the Madison Mystics. In a decisive victory, the Mystics defeated the Heat by a score of 32–0. Congratulations to the Madison Mystics! Also, a big shout out to Ms. Howard for refereeing today’s game.

More importantly, our students demonstrated wonderful sportsmanship and camaraderie both during and after the game. They cheered one another on, supported their classmates, and helped make the event a fun experience for everyone. We truly had a ball—literally!

We hope to hold the Wizards vs. Fever game soon, so stay tuned! Until then, enjoy a few pictures from today’s game.

Your third grade team looks forward to another great week of learning. Thanks for your partnership in supporting your student’s learning endeavors.

Reading Updates:

This week, students practiced identifying story elements and explaining the lesson in Why the Sky Is Far Away. We introduced A.C.E.—Answer, Cite, Explain to help students write responses supported by details from the text. Small groups provided extra practice with these skills.

Math Updates:

The students continued to make progress in Topic 2: Multiplication Facts. This topic emphasizes using patterns, such as skip counting, to help solve multiplication problems. Students have also been introduced to the concept of multiples.

The AM class and I listened to a few multiplication rap songs as another way to practice facts. I am trying to provide students with a variety of options and alternatives to traditional “book work” as they begin practicing and memorizing their multiplication facts. Songs, videos, games, and other activities can be great ways for students to build fluency while keeping practice engaging.

However students choose to practice, it is important that they practice regularly as they work toward committing their multiplication facts to memory.

Science Updates:

This week, our young scientists completed two hands-on labs to investigate friction and motion. In the friction lab, students used Hot Wheels cars to test how different surfaces affected the cars’ movement and to determine which surface created the most friction. Students carefully measured, recorded, and compared their data.

In the second lab, students explored motion by designing a ramp that would send a car a specific distance. They tested their designs, made adjustments, and once again measured and recorded their findings.

These investigations gave students an opportunity to apply what they have been learning through hands-on experimentation and data collection. We will officially wrap up our study of force and motion this coming week.

Social Studies Updates:

Students continued working on their state research projects, gathering information about their chosen states and organizing their findings.

Health Updates:

In Health, students began a new booklet focused on “Our Eyes.” This week, they explored the different parts of the eye through readings and a brief video. Students then applied what they learned by labeling the parts of an eye diagram.

Grade Level Blurb:

Greetings Fourth Grade Family,

☀️As we move further into the school year, we want to share a few critical updates regarding your child's academic growth, daily routines, and how you can track their progress in real-time. We appreciate your continued partnership in making this a successful year! We have mostly concluded our beginning of the year diagnostic testing with just a few students left to finish. Data reports will be shared with families soon. Please review the reports to find strategies and ideas to support your scholar.

📝As your scholar grows older this is now the time to start setting routines for your child to follow independently. A suggestion could be a checklist of tasks your scholar must do before bed or when they wake up in the morning. Create incentives and other rewards for your scholar when they are able to complete their tasks independently or without reminders.

💻Many class activities use online tools. A charged computer ensures your child can fully participate in lessons and complete assignments. Our students also need a pair of wired headphones to complete activities and for testing. Students who arrive on time are better prepared for learning and reduce classroom disruptions. Please plan to have your child at school a few minutes early each day. A healthy breakfast helps students focus and have energy for learning. School breakfast is available daily until 8:00 when students arrive in the morning. CARTS begin at 8:05 AM

We are grateful for your teamwork, and we appreciate everything you do to support learning, safety, punctuality of our scholars.

Warmly,

Team 4Ward

Fourth Grade Information:

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. This program will be available all summer for students to continue to utilize in both reading and math. Please help your child complete at least 45 minutes of math and reading to grow their abilities.

IXL:

IXL is a computer based math and reading program that is available for all of our scholars. This program helps students to practice various math and reading skills on their instructional level. Grade level letter is F but if students are struggling with a skill they are able to practice that same skill but on another letter level.

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. To keep all students safe during recess, PE, and daily hallway transitions, please remember that closed-toe shoes are required every day as part of our uniform policy. Students are not allowed to wear Crocs, slides, or slippers on school grounds.

Students may only wear these items if we are having a specific, pre-announced themed dress-down day (such as "Pajama Day").

Reading Updates:

This Week:

This week, our class read a magazine article titled “Twins in Space.” The text explores the real-life story of astronaut twins Mark and Scott Kelly and their groundbreaking experiment with NASA. During our reading, students practiced analyzing the text closely to deepen their comprehension and develop new insights. We are also focusing on text structure. Understanding how an author organizes information helps readers better navigate and retain what they read. For word study this week, we are focusing on syllable patterns that end with a vowel, consonant, and silent "e" (VCe words).

Next Week:

We will continue reading the text “Twins in Space” to deepen our understanding and find new insights. Analyze text structure to see how the author organizes information.

Complete an informational writing piece based on what we have learned. Students have received instruction on how to not only cite examples from the text but to build upon the details found in the text. This week we will begin instruction on organization and ensuring that writing reads smoothly and thoughts are communicated clearly. We will finally show mastery in syllable patterns with silent letter “e” and quiz on “Twins in Space.”

Math Updates:

📚 Math: Topic 2 — Adding & Subtracting Multi-Digit Numbers

Next week, we’re jumping into Topic 2: Adding and Subtracting Multi-Digit Numbers! Students will build on their place-value understanding from Topic 1 as they learn and practice different strategies for solving addition and subtraction problems accurately and efficiently.

Throughout the topic, students will explore strategies such as partial sums, partial differences, counting up, compensation, and using place value to break numbers apart. We’ll also spend time developing strong strategies for subtracting when there are zeros across multiple places, making sure students understand what is happening with the value of each digit rather than simply following a procedure.

A major focus will be explaining our mathematical thinking and choosing a strategy that makes sense for the numbers in the problem. Students will have opportunities to solve problems in multiple ways, compare strategies with classmates, and justify why their strategy works.

We will also be officially beginning our Math Fluency at Home routine! Students will bring home short, focused fluency practice designed to build accuracy, efficiency, and confidence with foundational math skills. More information about our routine and expectations will be shared with students as we get started.

Science Updates:

As we continue through the first quarter, scholars will keep exploring the different forms of energy and how energy is transferred from one place or object to another.

This week, scholars also began learning how to write Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning (CER) responses. In a CER response, scholars make a claim that answers a question, provide evidence from an investigation, text, observation, or data, and explain their reasoning by showing how the evidence supports their claim.

Families can support this skill during everyday conversations by asking questions such as, “What do you think?” “What makes you say that?” and “What evidence do you have?” Whether discussing why an ice cube melted, which route to school is faster, or why a favorite team won a game, encouraging scholars to explain their thinking helps strengthen the same reasoning skills we use in science.

Social Studies Updates:

This week, students learned about the five regions of the United States and explored the natural resources found in each region. Students examined how different resources are used by people and how the geography of a region can influence the way people live and work.

Next week, students will explore the relationship between people and the land. We will learn how people interact with their environment, how they use the land and its resources, and how people can change and adapt to the places where they live.

Grade Level Blurb:

🍁 Falling into Learning: October 5th Grade Newsletter 🍂

Welcome to October! We have entered a wonderful new month, and our fifth graders are settling nicely into their daily routines. We received some fantastic Pick-a-Project menus from our scholars—please encourage your child to put forth their best effort and complete all assigned work. Parents, remember to log into ParentVue regularly to check for updated grades and progress reports.

Here is a look at what our scholars are learning across the subjects this week!

Reading Updates:

In Reading, our class is diving into poetry analysis by examining sound devices—such as alliteration, rhythm, and rhyme scheme—alongside figurative language like similes, metaphors, and personification. Students are learning how authors use these creative tools to build tone, imagery, and deeper meaning within poems. You can encourage your child at home by reading a short poem together and asking what picture the words create in their mind!

Math Updates:

Over in Math, we are tackling Topic 3: Multiplying Greater Numbers. Students are currently learning to multiply by powers of ten, discovering patterns with zeroes, and next week we will move on to estimating products and multiplying multi-digit numbers using standard algorithms. You can support your child at home by practicing basic multiplication fact fluency daily, as quick recall of basic facts makes multi-digit calculations much faster and less stressful!

Science Updates:

This week in Science, scholars explored Topic 2, Experience 1: Physical Changes in Matter. Scholars learned to distinguish between physical changes and phase changes and began investigating how the conservation of matter applies during physical changes. Through hands-on experiments, scholars observed changes in matter and gathered evidence to support their understanding that while matter may change in appearance or form, the total amount of matter is conserved.

Social Studies Updates:

In Social Studies, we are starting Chapter 3, Lesson 1 to study the Spanish Colonies in the Americas. Students will explore early European exploration, the establishment of missions and settlements, and how interactions between Spanish colonists and Indigenous populations shaped the history, culture, and geography of the Americas.

Health Updates:

Finally, in Health, students are exploring Topic 2: "Brainstorms! Your Nervous System." Scholars are discovering how the brain, spinal cord, and sensory nerves work together as the body's high-speed communication network—sending instant signals that control everything from our movements and senses to our thoughts and emotions!

General CARTS Updates:

Please remember to check your student's Canvas assignments and Synergy grades regularly.

Music:

Hey CMIT family!

As a reminder 2nd - 5th graders need music journals. Report cards for Quarter 1 are quickly approaching and journals will be graded. Students should have 3 to 4 entries in their journals for the first half of Quarter 1.

Here’s what’s going on in music:

Kindergarten will continue to work on the 4 voices, whisper, talk, shout and sing.

1st grade will perform rhythms using quarter note, barred eighth note, and the quarter rest.

2nd grade will create 4-beat rhythms using quarter notes, barred eighth, and quarter rest.

3rd grade will begin compound meter, 6/8.

4th grade will be singing solfege with a focus on FA.

5th grade will be introduced to the pentatonic scale.

All classes will be introduced to songs for the winter concert which is our heavy focus for October and November. The winter concert is on December 17th at 8:30 AM. ONE SHOW ONLY!!! We are working to make sure that the sound has all the kinks worked out, so we will be livestreaming as well.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Also, I am accepting donations for music. (See list below):

*Wide rule notebook paper

*Kleenex/facial tissues

*Pencils

*Crayola crayons (large, 10 packs)

*Paper towels

*Cleaning wipes (Clorox, Lysol, etc.)

Thanks a bunch! Have a great weekend!

LEGO:

Hi 5th Grade Families!

Fifth grade will soon begin our Build the World: A LEGO Country Challenge. Students will research a country and create a more detailed LEGO model that represents its landmarks, cities, transportation, environment, and other important features. Students may also design a solution to a real-world problem connected to their country.

We are asking for donations of LEGO bricks,architecture or landmark kits, vehicles, wheels, trees, plants, people/minifigures, building pieces, Technic pieces, and country-themed LEGO sets.

New or gently used LEGO materials are welcome. Donations will help students create more detailed projects and give them the opportunity to apply STEM, research, design, and problem-solving skills in a hands-on way.

Thank you for supporting our classroom and helping our students bring the world to life with LEGO!

Maker’s Lab:

K-1st: Learning about different STEM careers

2nd-5th: Learning about the steps of the scientific method by doing an experiment involving paper plane design.

Technology:

Dear Families,

We have an exciting month ahead in Technology! Here is a look at what each grade level will be focusing on in tech class over the coming weeks:

Kindergarten & 1st Grade: Building Digital Foundations

Our K–1 learners are continuing to build essential computer skills! Students will focus on getting comfortable with using a mouse and navigating a keyboard through interactive, age-appropriate lessons on Typing.com. These foundational skills help set them up for success in all future digital learning.

2nd Grade: Creative Express with Adobe

Second graders are stepping into digital design! They will be using Adobe Express to create custom Kindness Posters. This project allows students to combine graphic design, typography, and visual layout skills while spreading positive messages throughout our school community.

3rd, 4th, & 5th Grade: Graphic Design & Digital Citizenship

Upper elementary students are taking their digital creation skills to the next level using Canva. They will design Positive Message & Kindness Posters, learning how to select complementary fonts, balance layout elements, and choose impactful visuals to communicate inspiring ideas.

How You Can Support at Home

• K–1 Families: Encourage your child to practice finding letter keys or guiding a computer mouse on a home device.

• 2nd–5th Grade Families: Ask your student about the message they chose for their poster and what design choices they made to make it stand out!

Thank you for supporting your child’s learning journey in tech! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Warm regards,

Mr. Dickens

Your Technology Teacher

Art:

Projects are on their way! Kindergarten showed me their painting abilities! First grade is doing the same! Second graders are making their paper bag houses and having a ton of fun doing it while third grade sketched their designs inspired by Piet Mondrian! Fourth grade chose their color family and sketched out their solar system. Lastly, the fifth graders started printmaking! Please refer to Canvas for more details.

2026-2027 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

Student Absence Form