The Tiger Times

Dear Amazing Tiger Families and Community,

What a phenomenal week we've had together! I am continuously inspired by the incredible spirit of our Tiger community; your engagement, your kindness, and your dedication to making our school a place where every child thrives. Whether you attended our Town Hall meeting, supported the Book Fair, or simply sent your child to school with encouragement and love, you are making a profound difference in our students' lives every single day.

As we continue nurturing a culture of compassion and support, I'm moved by the powerful words of the Dalai Lama: "Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." This beautiful reminder challenges us to look for opportunities to show kindness in every interaction, every decision, and every moment. At CMIT South Elementary, we believe that kindness isn't just a value we teach, it's a way of life we live together. When we choose kindness, we create a safe, welcoming environment where every Tiger can flourish. Don’t forget to fill someone’s bucket TODAY… with KINDNESS!

🙏 Thank You for Your Incredible Engagement!

Town Hall Meeting Appreciation: Thank you to everyone who attended the Town Hall Meeting with Mr. AK on October 7, 2025. Your voice matters, and your engagement strengthens our community! We had wonderful participation and thoughtful questions that demonstrate your commitment to our schools' success.

Couldn't Make It? That's totally fine! Here's what you missed:

• Presentation: CLF Funding Presentation September 2025

• Recording:Town Hall Meeting with Mr. Ak- October 7, 2025

📚 Scholastic Book Fair Success & Special Shout Out!

Thank you for your amazing support of the Scholastic Book Fair! Your enthusiasm for reading and literacy makes such a difference in our Tigers' lives. We're especially thrilled to celebrate one of our own!

🎉 PAWW-Nomenal Author Spotlight: Tyrell Hughes!

A huge shout out to author and CMIT South parent Mr.Tyrell Hughes, author of Just a Kid from Arbor Lake: The Big Chop! We had the incredible honor of featuring his book in our book vending machine, and it was absolutely amazing to see our community's literary talent shine.

Even more exciting? Mr. Hughes took time to be interviewed by our brilliant fifth grader Kehinde Akintunde! Thank you, Mr. Hughes, for sharing your experience as an author, inspiring our young scholars, and demonstrating that dreams really do come true when you work hard and believe in yourself.

Watch the inspiring interview here: https://app.screencastify.com/watch/m1yzu9si91mo84a17h4z

This is what kindness looks like in action—taking time to uplift, inspire, and encourage the next generation of authors and dreamers!

🌈 Anti-Bullying Spirit Week - October 13-17, 2025

Coming up this week is our important Anti-Bullying Spirit Week! Each day features a special theme to help us celebrate friendship, respect, and standing up against bullying. This week is about reinforcing that kindness is always possible, and together, we can create a school environment where everyone feels safe, valued, and respected.

Daily Themes: Please check the attached flyer to see what your child should wear each day. Let's show our Tiger pride and commitment to kindness through our participation!

As the Dalai Lama reminds us, being kind is always possible—and this week, we're putting that belief into action in powerful ways. Talk with your children about:

• What kindness means to them

• How they can stand up for friends who are being treated unkindly

• Ways they can include others and make everyone feel welcome

Together, we're not just preventing bullying—we're building a culture of compassion, empathy, and genuine care for one another.

📖 Read-a-Thon Fundraiser Update

Important Notice: The Read-a-Thon fundraiser has been postponed to a later date. A detailed letter was sent to all parents on Friday, October 9, 2025, explaining this decision. If you haven't already reviewed this important communication, please take a moment to read it:

Access the letter here: Read-a-Thon Postponement Letter

We appreciate your understanding and flexibility as we work to ensure our fundraising events provide the best possible experience for our Tiger community. We'll share the new date soon!

📅 Important Schedule Reminder

School Closed: Friday, October 17, 2025 - No classes for students due to Professional Development for teachers. Our educators will be engaged in valuable training to continue providing the highest quality instruction for your Tigers.

🌟 The Ripple Effect of Kindness

Every act of kindness—whether it's attending a meeting, supporting a Book Fair, sharing your talents with students, or teaching your child to stand up against bullying—creates ripples that extend far beyond what we can see. Thank you for choosing kindness, for modeling compassion, and for partnering with us to create a school where every Tiger feels valued and empowered.

Your engagement, your support, and your commitment to kindness make CMIT South Elementary the special place it is. Let's continue spreading kindness in every interaction, every day, in every way possible.

Remember: We are Leveling Up the STEMTastic Way! Let's make every moment count by choosing kindness, celebrating each other, and creating a community where everyone belongs.

With Tiger Pride and Endless Gratitude,

October is National Anti Bullying Month!

The purpose of this spirit week is to help students learn the importance of kindness, respect, and standing up for one another. Through special activities and themed days, we’ll remind students that everyone deserves to feel safe, included, and valued at school.

By celebrating together, we are showing that our school is a place where bullying is not accepted and kindness always matters. We encourage families to join the conversation at home and help us continue building a caring community for all children.

Happy October, families! As the seasons change and routines settle in, it's a great time to build strong reading habits at home. Here are a few simple strategies you can use to support your child’s reading development this month:

📚 Read Together Daily – Even just 15 minutes a day makes a big difference. Take turns reading aloud or listen to your child read. This builds fluency, confidence, and vocabulary.

🗣️ Talk About Books – Ask open-ended questions like “What was your favorite part?” or “Why do you think the character did that?” Talking about stories helps develop comprehension skills.

🔁 Reread Favorites – Children often love reading the same book again and again—and that’s great! Rereading helps strengthen word recognition and understanding.

🧠 Make Connections – Help your child connect the book to their own life, another story, or the world around them. This deepens understanding and engagement.

🎃 Celebrate Fall Reading – Try fall-themed books or visit your local library to find stories that match the season and your child’s interests.

Thank you for partnering with us to nurture a love of reading. If you ever have questions or want personalized tips, please feel free to reach out. Let’s keep growing our readers—together!

Grade Level Updates:

Hello Tiger Families!

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

This week we would like to highlight some at-home reading strategies!

• Invite a child to read with you every day.

• When reading a book where the print is large, point word by word as you read.

• Read a child's favorite book over and over again.

• Stop and ask about the pictures and about what is happening in the story.

• Read from a variety of children's books, including fairy tales, songbooks, poems and information books.

Reminders:

As we are finishing up the end of the testing season, please look to your scholar’s teacher about when students should bring in their chromebooks. Also, please be aware that there is no school for students on Friday, October 17, 2025.

The first homework was due back to school on Friday, October 10th. The October Project is not due until the 24th. The next homework will go out on Monday. Please ensure that your scholar has a school approved jacket or sweater of solid green or blue for the classroom.

Please assist your scholar in the knowledge of stopping the spread of germs by covering mouths when coughing or sneezing and to always wash hands after using the restroom.

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.

Please tentatively save Dec. 5th as the date for a field trip to the Baltimore Aquarium. Chaperone sign up and more information will be announced at a later date.

Hispanic & Latine Heritage Month is coming to a close so if have not yet please take a look at some reading options for the family. The following link gives 15 picture books that families could read together; https://www.readbrightly.com/picture-books-celebrate-hispanic-heritage/.

Also please practice tying shoes and turning sleeves of jackets from inside out to the correct way with your scholars. When your child has been absent please communicate to the teacher and complete the online document submission form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lp2fJsfDLjWNINllvX10OKjiGDn443yAB8Hq8BMBa-E/viewform

Reading Updates:

UNIT 1 WEEK 5- A visit to the Art Store

Essential Question- How can we describe special places?

• Phonological awareness: Phonological Awareness: Middle Sounds; Initial Sounds

Blend and Segment: Onset and Rime

• Phonics: Consonants Bb and Rr

• High-Frequency Words: for, me, with

• Spelling words found in weekly readings: markers, brushes, tools, pencils

• Unit Vocabulary: map, move, land, special

Learning Goals:

• Learn words that can tell about art stores

• Make connections between author’s purpose and society

• Orally respond to informational text

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 3: Needs of Living Things

Experience 2 Question: What do animals need?

• Discover the needs of animals

• Learn how animals survive and grow when needs are met

• Discuss how animals grow in different environments

Vocabulary: need, survive, grow, space, describe

Social Studies Updates:

CHAPTER 1 LESSON 3- Rules and Laws

Essential Question- How do people best cooperate?

• Recognize why we need rules and laws

• Know the consequences of breaking the rules

• Identify community laws

• Compare past/present rules and laws

Vocabulary: community, rule, law

Health Updates:

OCTOBER TOPIC- The Five Senses

Essential Question- What are the five senses and how to they keep us safe?

• 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, taste, senses, hand, tongue, eyes, ears, skin

Grade Level Updates:

Greetings, Tigerific Second Grade Families,

As the weather begins to change, please make sure your scholars are dressed appropriately each day. Also, don’t forget to send Chromebooks to school fully charged and ready for learning! STEM Fair topics are due soon, so please encourage your scholar to submit their ideas if they haven’t already. The first quarter of first grade is quickly coming to an end!

Please take a moment to check Synergy each week to see how your scholar is doing and to stay informed about their progress.

Just a reminder—there will be no school on Friday, October 17, 2025.

Our annual Book Character Parade is coming up soon! Be on the lookout for more information about this Tigerific event.

Let’s continue to make this a STEMtastic school year!

Reading Updates:

We are finishing up our first unit in reading. This week, scholars will take a reading comprehension assessment based on the skills learned over the first five weeks. Throughout the week, they will also be learning about the components of writing a persuasive text.

Math Updates:

We have finished our current math topic and will be testing on Wednesday, October 15, 2025. Study guides will go home Monday. Math homework will be collected on the day of the test.

Health Updates:

Our new topic in health is all about the brain and the five senses! Scholars will learn how the brain helps us process information and how our senses work together to help us understand and respond to the world around us.

Grade Level Updates:

Our Third Grade Team had a busy week! Please continue reading to discover what your students accomplished over the last few days.

Reading Updates:

This week, Ms. Howard was out of the classroom completing DIBELS testing for all third-grade students. While she was away, students continued building their vocabulary by studying their spelling words and exploring base words and suffixes. We also read Cocoliso, focusing on how a character’s thoughts, actions, and words reveal their personality. Students practiced identifying character traits and were introduced to using context clues to understand unfamiliar words.

This week in Ms. Madison’s class, we started reading realistic fiction! We have continued to practice our writing. We will be going over vowel teams next week, so please be prepared.

Social Studies Updates:

We are learning about climate, weather, and forces of nature in Social Studies. Students learned about natural hazards such as volcanic eruptions, hurricanes, and earthquakes!

Math Updates:

In Ms. Hendy’s Math class, we worked on mental math strategies to solve addition and subtraction problems more efficiently. Students practiced using counting up, rounding, friendly numbers, and place value to check their work and find answers quickly and accurately.

Mrs. Flores’ mathematicians worked on addition of 2 and 3 digit numbers with and without regrouping. The students also practiced adding with partial sums. We are completing more problems where we need to ‘explain our thinking’ to sharpen our critical thinking skills.

Science Updates:

Ms. Hendy’s Science students explored electric force through hands-on experiments. They discovered how rubbing a balloon on a wall makes it stick and how rubbing an object on a blanket can cause pieces of paper to move. We also observed how electric force can cause plates to shift slightly—students were amazed to see invisible forces in action!

Mrs. Flores’ scientists also explored electric forces at work. The students used a plastic rod to move small pieces of paper. We then completed the investigation write-up. We are taking a deep dive into electrons and protons. The students are also learning when an object has equal charges is labeled ‘neutral.’

Health Updates:

In Health, both classes focused on the parts of the eye and learned how each part helps us see the world around us. Students practiced identifying the key functions of the cornea, optic nerve, pupil, iris, and retina and discussed how they work together to help us focus and see clearly. We connected our learning in Health by comparing how the eye functions to how a camera works. Students learned that both take in light and form images, helping them understand how vision and technology are connected. Some students also completed an eye diagram.

As we look ahead, don’t forget that the coat drive and candy wars are still happening. The anti-bullying spirit week runs from October 13 - 16. Please check the school’s newsletter for the schedule. Friday, October 17 is a ‘No School” day for the students. The Read-A-Thon has been postponed to a later date.

It was a wonderful week of discovery and growth! Thank you for continuing to support your child’s learning at home.

Grade Level Updates:

Greetings Team 4Ward,

We have made it through seven weeks of the school year. We have only three more weeks until the end of the quarter. At our school, we strive to create a positive, respectful, and supportive learning environment for all students. We encourage punctuality, preparedness, and active participation in class. These expectations help ensure that every student can reach their full potential.

In our classrooms, we will be working on a variety of assignments and projects designed to challenge and inspire them. I 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.

Field Trip:

We are excited to announce our first field trip to the National Aquarium on Thursday October 30, 2025. Permission slips will be shared with students on Monday October 6, 2025. All permission slips and payments are due by Monday October 20, 2025. Teachers will contact parents separately regarding chaperoning the trip. Payments must be made through MySchoolBucks. This link will be shared on the permission slip and Class Dojo on Monday.

Pay here:

https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/prdembd?ref=ZZHVZTLU9O052WP_ZZ68I8GTPWZRZ7N

Please ensure that you have completed and updated your information for chaperoning for field trips. Only approved parents are able to attend field trips. Each year you must complete the Safeschools video and submit your completion to the school to be approved to chaperone. If updated Safeschool video completion is not shared with the school you will not be permitted to chaperon a field trip this year. Please follow the steps outlined by Prince George’s County Public Schools at https://www.pgcps.org/offices/ograc/volunteer#volunteer-process

Finally speak with your scholar each night about what went well today and something that they can improve. Ensure that your scholar’s computer is charged and brought to school daily. Also please be sure to monitor your scholar's YouTube and cellphones. As our students grow older and gain more independence it is imperative that our expectations match the changing world.

Educationally Yours,

4th Grade Team

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Anti-Bullying Week- October 13- 16, 20255

• Professional Development No School- Friday October 17, 202

• Field Trip to The National Aquarium- Thursday October 30, 2025

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 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.

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 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.

Reading Updates:

This Week:

The story of the week is called “Twins in Space.” In this magazine article we are reading about an experiment conducted by NASA using twin astronauts Mark and Scott Kelly. This week students will read the text closely to identify the main idea of the text and continue to discuss the text structure used by the author. Students this week will write an essay that explains why spaceflight is stressful. Also students will create an infographic that compares and contrasts life on Earth with life in space.

Next Week:

Next week we will read a text called “Life at the Top.” In this informational text students will read about a place where runners train and how this place produces some of the best runners of the world. This week students will read closely to monitor their inner conversations. Students will also analyze the text features given and explain how these features help support their understanding of the text. Finally students will make predictions and use details in the text to confirm their predictions. The word study of the week will be vowel teams in which the first letter of the team is a long sound. Students will also continue to draft their personal narratives.

Math Updates:

In Math, our 4th-grade scholars are continuing their work in Topic 2: Fluently Add and Subtract Multi-Digit Whole Numbers. Students are learning how to apply place value understanding and number sense to solve problems efficiently and accurately.

This week, fact fluency packets were sent home for Ms. Felton’s class. Consistent practice with these facts will strengthen each scholar’s computational fluency and build a stronger foundation for upcoming math concepts For Mrs. Pearson’s class, fact fluency practice can be satisfied through XtraMath, where scholars can log in to practice their basic math facts and build their “math muscle.” Letters with login details were sent home today.

Science Updates:

In Science, we are still exploring Topic 1, Experience 2: Collisions. Students are investigating how speed and energy affect collisions through hands-on activities, virtual labs, and multimedia lessons. They are learning to use evidence to explain how energy transfers when objects collide, a key part of understanding motion and forces.

Families are invited to join us for Parent University Night, where we’ll host a special STEM Fair Presentation for parents and guardians. During this session, we’ll review STEM Fair expectations, discuss how to support your scholar, and answer any questions or concerns you may have. All scholars should formulate a strong STEM Fair question and hypothesis and submit it to their teacher for review by Wednesday, October 22, 2025.

Social Studies Updates:

This week, students began Lesson 4: People and the Land and explored how people adapt to their surroundings and make changes to the environment in order to meet their needs.

Next week, students will continue Lesson 4: People and the Land. In this lesson, they will explore how people adapt to their surroundings and make changes to the environment in order to meet their needs. Students will learn about examples from different regions and discuss the ways human activity impacts the land and resources around us.

General CARTS Message:

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

Music:

Announcements

Chorus Club begins this week! Please be on the lookout for your acceptance letter and club details.

Remember that all students need a music journal! Please get one if you do not have one.

As we finish out this first quarter, Music classes will shift into performance mode. It’s time to prepare for our Winter Concert! Yay! I am very excited about this year’s presentation. Our program will be held on December 18th. The time is TBD. There will be one performance that will be streamed live on our YouTube channel. Our equipment has been upgraded so sound and picture should be ideal. Get excited!

Also, 3rd grade students need to keep in mind that we will be ordering recorders just before the winter break. Stay tuned for more details.

Technology: This week we learned about how to make web pages!

P.E.:

This week we learned about tracking our pulse so we engaged in high-intensity activities!

Lego:

Boomtown Build Challenge

Over the next few weeks, students will work in pairs to design and build a building that could be part of their community. Once all of the buildings are complete, we will bring them together to create our very own Boomtown!

Media:

This week: K-4: Continuing fairy tales and acting them out!

5: Presenters explained the expectations of middle school. Students asked questions and executed middle school peer building activities.

Art:

Students in grades 2-4 practiced fine motor skills and slowed down during art this week through origami, using a ruler to create straight lines, and yarn painting!

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