The Tiger Times

Dear Amazing CMIT South ES Tiger Families and Community,

As we navigate the bustling month of April, I want to extend my deepest encouragement to our students and their families. This is the "home stretch" of the school year—a time when our hard work begins to bear fruit. Our Tigers have shown incredible growth, and your unwavering support at home is the foundation of that success.

This month, our character word is Ambition. As we look toward the future, let’s keep this quote in mind:

"Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings." — Salvador Dalí

Our students have the intelligence and the talent; our goal this month is to give them the "wings" of ambition to reach for their highest potential!

🏛️ CLF Town Hall Recap: Facilities & Funding Update

If you were unable to attend the recent Town Hall meeting with Mr. Ak regarding Facilities Funding, I want to share the critical takeaways. While some of the financial data is serious, our immediate outlook remains stable.

The Good News: CMIT North and South will remain open and fully operational next year. Thanks to our prudent fiscal management, we have reserves that allow us to continue serving our scholars in the short term.

The Challenges:

• Funding Cuts: Changes in the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future have resulted in a 6% to 10% funding reduction over the last two years.

• Rising Operational Costs: While staffing costs have increased to stay competitive, charter schools receive zero facilities funding. This means every repair, utility bill, and building cost comes directly out of our daily classroom budget.

• Growing Deficits: Due to these reductions and increased special education withholdings, our projected deficit for next year has grown to nearly $4 million.

Looking Ahead: While we are stable for the 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 school year, the current model is not sustainable forever. Without a more equitable funding solution, we could face devastating decisions by 2027-2028, including the potential closure of CMIT North High School and CMIT South Middle/High School.

Our goal is Advocacy and Transparency. We need our community informed and vocal to ensure our students receive the stability they deserve.

• View the Full Town Hall Presentation Here

🐯 Partnership Reminder: Supporting Positive Behavior

Spring fever has officially arrived! With the warmer weather and longer days, we are noticing a surge in energy levels. We need your help to keep our Tigers focused on their ROAR values:

• Responsible scholars we are

• Obeying all school rules

• Achieving our Goals

• Respectful! Ready! Roar!

Please remind your scholar to keep hands and feet to themselves, use kind words, and follow directions the first time. When we share consistent expectations at home and school, our Tigers thrive!

📝 MCAP Spirit Week: "Takeover - Bring Your A-Game!"

To get our 3rd-5th graders pumped for testing, we are kicking off a high-energy Spirit Week starting

Monday, April 20th!

• Monday (4/20): School Spirit Day – Wear your school gear! We’ll have a Star-Studded Pep Rally to get everyone hyped.

• Tuesday (4/21): Team Up for Success – Grab a friend or a group and dress as twins/multiples!

• Wednesday (4/22): Bring Your A-Game – Wear your favorite sports team jersey or athletic gear.

• Thursday (4/23): Battle Mode – Wear camo or green gear. We are locked in and ready to win!

• Friday (4/24): Vocabulary Parade – Design a costume or a poster that represents a specific academic vocabulary word. Show us your smarts!

📅 MCAP Testing Reminders

The Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) is the time for our Tigers to "show what they know."

Testing Dates:

• April 27 – May 1: MCAP Math (Grades 3-5)

• May 4 – May 8: MCAP ELA (Grades 3-5)

Home Support Checklist:

• Charge Up: Chromebooks must be 100% charged every morning.

• Gear Up: Students must have wired headphones (Bluetooth is not permitted during testing).

• Show Up: Attendance is crucial. Please ensure students arrive on time to avoid the stress of make-up testing.

Thank you for your continued partnership. Let’s make this April one to remember!

Warmly,

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

Grade Level Blurb:

Hello Kinder Families,

As we are entering warmer weather, many students have their allergies reawakened and sometimes it can be severe; if your scholar is one of those students and needs medication please remember to fill out a doctor’s form for medication to go to the nurse. 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 tie their shoes independently. Students should have a school approved sweater or jacket to wear in the classroom, in case they get chilly.

PGCPS_medication_form.pdf

For the graduation each student will be assigned a role, the role will either be a video or speaking role. The roles will be coming out at the end of the week. Thank you for working with our team to make this a success.

Please remember when your child has been absent please communicate to the teacher and complete the online document submission form, because we are not taking paper notes:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lp2fJsfDLjWNINllvX10OKjiGDn443yAB8Hq8BMBa-E/viewform

Exciting news please save the date for our next planned out of school field trip. The next field trip will take place on April 24, 2025 and will have students learn and explore the MD Science Center in Baltimore, Maryland. This conflicts with Vocabulary Parade so Kindergarten will not participate as we would have to leave early in the school day.

Families we ask that if you have received your approval email to chaperone/ volunteer that you have let Ms. Reese know by filling out the Volunteer/Chaperone Google Form, if you have not already. Please complete and upload your saved PGCPS approval email to the form above. You’ll need to request access, and Ms. Reese will share it with you. This is the final step. We will only be reaching out to these families for any volunteer or chaperone concerns.

IMPORTANT KINDERGARTEN DATES-

April 22: Now a full day of school

April 23: Homework Due

April 24th MD Science Center Field Trip

April 24: Birdhouse pictures Due, check on Dojo for how to submit

May4 - May 8: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 11: Muffins with madams; details to come

May 15: Save the date: Field Trip to the Natural History Museum in DC

May 25: School Closed

May 27: Now a full day of school

May 29: Career Day

June 5: Field Day

June 11: Kindergarten Promotion Ceremony

Reading Updates:

Finish UNIT 3: Book Traditional Stories

Begin UNIT 4: Then and Now

Week 1: Cars are Always Changing

Essential Question: What can we learn from the past? How do we learn about the past?

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

• Blend and Segment: Onset and Rime

• Phonics:Vowel sounds - short o (/o/) and long o (/o_e/)

• High-frequency words: find, over, again

• Story Vocabulary: crank, radio, engine, cd player

• Unit Vocabulary: time, discover, change, tradition

Learning Goals:

• Learn about the past

• Visualize details from a story

• Syllables and compound words

• Find details in a text

• Main idea and details

• Capitalization for the beginning of a sentence

• Types of Punctuation, go with different types of sentences

• Prepositions, adjectives, and articles

• Organize the story element: character, setting, plot

Math Updates:

Finish Topic 9: Count to 20 and begin Topic 10: Compose and Decompose Numbers 11 to 19

Essential Understanding: How can the number 11-19 be made up of?

• Show numbers in many way

• Count and write numbers 11-20

• Represent groups of objects with a number to 20

• Practice counting on from any number within 20

• Show different numbers as a group of ten and some more

Vocabulary: eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, patterns

Science Updates:

TOPIC 1: Push and Pull

Experience 2: How do objects move?

• Investigate the cause and effect of using pushes and pulls to change the motion of an object

• Tell ways that a push or pull can move objects

• Observe how an object speed can change

• Use directional words to describe movement

Vocabulary: motion, speed, direction, compare, predict,

Social Studies Updates:

Chapter 5 : Time and Chronology

Essential Question- How do we track time?

• Understand different that different words tell about time

• Look into measuring time

• How do we make a timeline

• Interpret how to we use a timeline

• Explore sequencing of events

Vocabulary: future, past, calendars, months, week, year, decade, seasons, weather, pattern generation and century

Health Updates:

April Topic: Getting Sick

• Describe what it means to be healthy, sick and why is it is important to stay well

• Encourage confidence in knowing how to show concern for others that might be sick

• Demonstrate respect for our bodies and encourage others to practice proper hygiene.

• Explain what is medicine what is not medicine, the explore the consequences of taking medicine not meant for you

Vocabulary: well, medicine, healthy, sick, ill, safety rules

Grade Level Blurb:

🚀 Hard Work & New Beginnings: Entering Quarter 4! 📚

Believe it or not, we have officially completed our third quarter of second grade! Our scholars have grown so much, and we are now entering the final stretch as we begin preparing them for the big move to third grade.

To ensure every student is set up for success, please take note of these important updates:

Chromebooks: Our Key to Learning

We are seeing an increase in students arriving without their devices. Please ensure your scholar comes to school EACH DAY with a fully charged Chromebook.

• Missing Assignments: Many daily lessons and assignments are posted online.

• Grades: Without a device, scholars may miss critical work, which could potentially affect their grades.

• Responsibility: Bringing a charged device is imperative to your scholar’s daily learning experience!

Spring Weather & Seasonal Allergies

The sun is shining and the weather is warming up! We are excited to spend more time outdoors for recess and learning activities.

• Prepare for Outdoors: Please ensure your scholar has appropriate shoes for running and a light jacket for those breezy spring mornings.

• Allergy Reminder: With the trees and grass blooming, seasonal allergies are in full swing. If your scholar suffers from allergies, please ensure they are prepared (such as taking their 24-hour allergy medication before school) so they can enjoy their time outside comfortably!

Mindset & Behavior

As the seasons change, we’ve noticed a bit of "spring fever" leading to some poor choices in the classroom. We want to finish the year strong!

Please continue to have conversations with your scholar at home regarding behavioral expectations while at school. Staying focused and kind helps everyone learn and ensures we are truly ready for the challenges of third grade.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support! Let’s make this final quarter the best one yet! 🌟

Reading Updates:

📖 The Final Chapter: Reading Unit & Special Events! 🌟

We are officially turning the page to our final unit in reading! This is an exciting time where we tie everything together to make sure our scholars are confident readers heading into third grade.

To help our students finish strong, please keep these fun and important milestones on your radar:

Practice Makes Progress

We encourage everyone to take a little extra time at home to practice the reading skills we’ve mastered throughout the year. Whether it’s decoding tricky words or discussing a story's theme, every bit of practice counts!

Buzzing for the Spelling Bee

It’s time to sharpen those spelling skills! Our Spelling Bee is just around the corner.

• Encourage your scholar to review their word lists nightly.

• Practicing out loud is a great way to build confidence for the big day!

The Vocabulary Parade

Get ready to bring words to life! We are so excited for our upcoming Vocabulary Parade.

• Start brainstorming a "juicy" vocabulary word with your scholar.

• Think about creative (and simple!) ways to represent that word in costume form.

• We can’t wait to see their creativity on display as we celebrate our growing vocabularies!

Thank you for your incredible support as we wrap up this amazing year of reading and discovery!

Math Updates:

It’s Time for a New Unit!

We have officially wrapped up our math unit on subtraction strategies! Our scholars worked hard mastering those tricky regrouping problems, and now we are shifting gears into something very "timely"—Learning to Tell Time! As we move into the fourth quarter and prepare for third grade, being able to read a clock is a vital life skill. We would love your help in making this unit a success!

Talk About Time at Home

Engaging in daily conversations about time helps scholars understand the passage of hours and minutes. Here are some fun ways to practice at home:

• Analog vs. Digital: Point out the difference between the "old fashioned" clocks with hands and the digital clocks on ovens or phones. 🕰️

• "How Long Until...": Ask your scholar to help you track time. "It's 5:00 now; dinner will be ready in 30 minutes. What time will that be?"

• The Human Clock: Use your arms to show different times! One arm is the long minute hand, and the other is the short hour hand. 🙋‍♂️

• Schedule Check: Have your scholar look at the clock and tell you when it’s time for bed or time to leave for school. 🏫

Grade Level Blurb:

This past week, the heat was on! The outside temps allowed for hot sweaty days on the playground. While inside the classrooms, we raised the temperature on test preparation! In the spirit of testing, your third grader may participate in MCAP Takeover and dress to tackle the test! Please prepare early to be in school and on time during our MCAP days starting on April 27th.

The third grade team sent home permission slips and payment QR codes for two field trips. The first trip is to Skate Zone for a STEM class and skating fun. Our second trip is hosted by Mr. Holloway to Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary for outside environmental learning activities. Payments are due on APRIL 24, 2026. Please note that we cannot extend the deadlines. Chaperones were selected from those few parents on the school’s approved chaperone list. We are hoping for 100% participation on these fun learning adventures.

Reading Updates:

This week in Reading, students focused on VCCV word patterns, practicing how to divide words into syllables to support their decoding skills. They read a narrative nonfiction selection titled Green City, engaging in a close read and annotating the text to deepen their understanding. Students also completed an individual anchor chart on the features of narrative nonfiction. Additionally, they worked on reading comprehension skills each day.

Math Updates:

This week, Mrs. Flores’ mathematicians continued to work on various geometry skills as we prepared for MCAP and the remaining end of year standardized tests. Please continue to use our practice platforms for extra support at home.

Ms. Hendy’s mathematicians focused on MCAP preparation and strengthening our math skills. Students worked hard on understanding equivalent fractions and comparing fractions.

We practiced identifying fractions that are equal in value, using models and number lines to compare fractions, and explaining our thinking using math vocabulary.

Please continue to support your child at home by reviewing fractions and encouraging them to explain how they know two fractions are equal or which fraction is greater.

Science Updates:

Exploring organisms from the past by analyzing fossils was our focus in Science. I posted a few pictures from our activity on my class website.

Social Studies Updates:

Students learned about how the Founding Fathers of the American Revolution created the Constitution, leading to the establishment of the three branches of government. They also explored why having a government is important and how it helps maintain order, protect rights, and serve the needs of citizens.

Health Updates:

In Health, we continued to focus on keeping germs away to stay healthy. Part of that discussion focused on not spreading germs to others.

Grade Level Blurb:

Greetings Team 4Ward,

I hope that message finds you well. The countdown is on and there is plenty to accomplish between now and the end of the school year. The 3rd Quarter has come to an end and teachers have published their grades for the quarter. As we enter into the final quarter of 4th grade talk with your scholar about their ambitions they have as they complete this school year.

MCAP

This week we will prepare our students for the state mandated MCAP assessment. In all classes students will explore the testing platform and review questions that have been publicly released. It is imperative that your scholar arrives to school on time the days of testing. Scholars will also need to have a charged device for testing, headphones, and get a good night sleep.

Writing

Writing is being incorporated in all subjects this year. Students will practice expressing ideas in reading, science, social studies, math, and specials. Encourage your child to talk about what they write and ask questions about their work that supports growth and confidence.

Chromebooks

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.

Home-School Connection

In our classrooms, we will be working on a variety of assignments and projects designed to challenge and inspire them. We encourage you to check in regularly with your scholar about what they are learning.Your support at home is greatly appreciated and makes a significant difference in their academic success.

We are grateful for your ongoing support in helping students feel safe, prepared, and excited about learning. Thank you for partnering with us to make this a positive school year. Let’s finish strong together!!

Warmly,

Team 4Ward

Important Upcoming Dates:

• MCAP Spirit Week April 20-24, 2026

• Vocabulary Parade Friday April 24, 2026

• MCAP Testing (Math) April 27-30, 2026

• MCAP Testing (Reading) May 4-7, 2026

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.

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 complete the CMIT South ES Absence Google Form within 3 days of your scholar returning back to school. https://forms.gle/euXzCpDvNGbLwb8U6 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 entered in Synergy are those that will be used to calculate progress reports and report cards.

It is imperative that work is complete and turned in on time in order to receive full credit. Our district has set policies regarding assignment completion and make-up assignments. Only students that have an excused absence will be given an opportunity to receive and complete missing assignments. Assignments not completed will receive a final grade of “0.”

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. Students are not allowed to wear Crocs on school grounds.

Reading Updates:

We have concluded Unit 4 in Volume 2 Impacts and will return back to Volume 1 to work with Unit 2 Adaptations. In this unit students will learn about how different living things adapt to the environment using informational and literature texts.

This Week:

We have concluded our poetry unit. During this unit our students determined the poetic elements found within poems such as sensory imagery and figurative language. We also created different styles of poems sticking to the rules of each poem. Students will spend some time before the Poetry Cafe editing and revising their poems.

Next Week:

We will spend this week preparing for MCAP. During this time our scholars will take a more indepth approach to the formatting of the testing site. Also we will think of test taking strategies and ways to manage testing stress. We will also work to decode questions that have to be answered. Finally we will unlock prompts students could see to view examples of writing that should be produced during testing.

Math Updates:

In math, scholars will take their Division, Topic 5 Assessment next week. Please check your child's agenda book for their specific date. Next week, we will be practicing for MCAP and look out for a MCAP practice packet to be sent home. We are also strengthening math literacy through Daily Reviews, problem-solving tasks, and math journals, which allow students to reflect on their thinking and analyze mistakes.

Parents can support learning at home by encouraging scholars to:

• Explain how they solved a problem (not just the answer)

• Practice multiplication facts regularly

• Complete assigned IXL skills that reinforce division concepts.

Science Updates:

In science, scholars are exploring the unit Human Uses of Energy. We will be completing this unit.

Students are learning how energy plays an important role in our everyday lives and how humans harness different energy sources to power technology and systems we depend on.

Topics we are exploring include:

• Types of energy

• How energy is transferred and used

• Real-world examples of energy in transportation, electricity, and machines

• How energy systems help communities function

Scholars are also engaging in research-based activities and project tasks where they apply math skills such as division, measurement, and data interpretation to scientific situations.

This interdisciplinary approach helps scholars see how math and science work together in real-world problem solving.

Skills We Are Building

Across both subjects, scholars are developing important academic habits including:

• Perseverance when solving challenging problems

• Explaining and defending their thinking

• Collaborating with peers

• Using academic vocabulary

• Applying knowledge to real-world situations

Please encourage your scholar to:

• Check Canvas regularly for assignments and resources

• Complete IXL practice to reinforce skills

• Bring their math journal to class daily

• Ask questions when they need clarification

Social Studies Updates:

This week, students continued in Chapter 4 and read lesson 2 that focuses on trade and markets. In this lesson students explored how businesses supply goods and services to match demand. We discussed different forms of currency and how entrepreneurs take risks to start businesses.

Next week, students will read Chapter 4, Lesson 3, which explores global trade and how the exchange of goods and services between countries impacts their everyday lives. Students will learn how products they use—such as food, clothing, and technology—often come from different parts of the world, and they will examine how trade connects communities across the globe.

Grade Level Blurb:

Dear 5th Grade Families,

We had an amazing time at Camp Schmidt! Our students created unforgettable memories, built stronger friendships, and participated in hands-on learning experiences that they will carry with them for years to come. We are so proud of how they represented our school!

As we return, we are now gearing up for testing season. Over the next few weeks, we will be focusing on reviewing key skills and strategies to prepare students for the MCAP assessments.

Reading Updates:
In Reading, students will be reviewing important skills such as:

• Identifying the main idea and supporting details

• Analyzing text structure

• Making inferences using evidence from the text

• Responding to questions using complete answers

We will continue practicing with passages similar to those students will see on the MCAP.

Math Updates:
In Math, we will be reviewing major concepts including:

• Operations with fractions

• Decimal place value and computation

• Multi-step word problems

• Explaining mathematical thinking

Students will practice solving problems and justifying their answers to build confidence for testing.

📝 Reminders

• Ensure your child gets plenty of rest each night

• Encourage daily reading at home

• Practice math skills using iReady, IXL, or class resources

• Make sure Chromebooks are fully charged each day

Thank you for your continued support! We are excited to finish the year strong and help our students succeed.

Warm regards,

Fifth Grade Team

General CARTS Updates:

Due to weather related closing and delays affecting class times, there will be a limited amount of grades in CARTS for third quarter report cards. Specifically, Art, P.E., Music, Technology, and LEGO. Thank you for your understanding!

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

Music:

Hello CMIT Family!

The end of the school year is upon us but we still have miles to go before we sleep. We are at the start of the 4th quarter. All 3rd - 5th graders will have some sort of project this quarter. Details will be released as due dates approach.

Fifth grade will be writing their own blues song. Students will spend the ENTIRE QUARTER writing these songs! It is imperative that they are present, following each step, and submitting each required piece. We start on Monday, April 20th. Students will need to bring pencil, paper and Chromebooks to class.

Fourth grade will finish Theme & Variation. They will also begin to write a digital composition with Chrome Music Lab. Most students are already familiar with the site. We will only spend part of the quarter working on song structure, melody, and rhythm. We begin on Monday, April 20. Students will need to bring their Chromebooks to class.

Third grade will be finishing recorders. I will be recording each class to create a mini recorder concert. The link will be distributed at the end of the year for all to enjoy. I will send recorders home once we have finished our project.

Second grade will continue with intervals next week. We will be using the piano to count out and demonstrate intervals.

First grade will continue learning the four instrument families of the orchestra. We will watch the musical presentation of Peter and the Wolf and learn about different instruments.

Kindergarten will continue creating rhythms and playing rhythm games with quarter notes, 8th notes, and quarter rests.

I am looking forward to an amazing time!

PE:

Hello Families! We are now working on a striking unit in Physical Education. This works out students’ hand-eye coordination. They practice this by learning how to kick a ball in a straight line!

Technology:

Hello CMIT Families! Just a quick heads up: There will be 2-3 projects coming in Q4. Let’s get ready for the home stretch!

Maker’s Lab:

Hello families! This week we worked on our “Elementary game designs” on Coding.org!

Library/Media:

Hello CMIT Families! In the works are A Night of Poetry for grades 2 &3 and group reading and comprehension questions for the lower grades. Utopian worlds were also shared this week in the older grade levels!

Art:

Hello!

Even though some opted to stay here in the school, some 5th graders still got in touch with nature by painting a landscape!

2025-2026 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