CMIT South Elementary School

Dear CMIT South Elementary Families,

As we enter the final stretch of our academic year, I want to take a moment to commend our incredible students and thank you, our supportive parents and guardians, for your continued partnership in education. Your dedication to your children's learning journey inspires us daily.

Winston Churchill once said, "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." Our students have embodied this spirit of perseverance throughout the year, particularly our 3rd-5th graders who recently completed their MCAP assessments. Let's give them all a big round of applause for their hard work and determination!

Weekly Schedule Reminder

Please ensure your child follows their B-Week/Week 2 schedule for Creative Arts (CARTS) classes this week. As we approach the end of the school year, maintaining consistent routines becomes even more important for student success.

Assessment Update

With MCAP testing now complete for our 3rd-5th grade students, we are currently administering iReady and Dibels assessments. These important evaluations help us measure growth and ensure each student receives appropriate academic support. Please encourage your child to get plenty of rest and arrive at school ready to do their best.

Critical Safety Reminders for Morning Drop-Off

IMPORTANT SAFETY CONCERN: We have observed some concerning situations during morning drop-off that require immediate attention from all families. Student safety is our highest priority, and we need your help.

Please adhere to the following protocol:

• Staff supervision begins at 7:25 a.m. precisely

• Students must remain in vehicles until staff members are visibly present outside

• Never leave your child unattended outside the building – this creates a significant safety risk

• Unsupervised students are vulnerable to various hazards, especially in the parking lot area

URGENT SAFETY NOTICE FOR MORNING ENRICHMENT FAMILIES: We have observed a dangerous situation developing during morning drop-off that requires immediate correction. Parents and guardians of morning enrichment students, please be aware that:

• Vehicles are STRICTLY PROHIBITED in the designated student walking lane after 7:20 a.m.

• Driving in this pedestrian area creates a serious safety hazard for students who are walking to the building

• Please use only the designated vehicle lanes for morning drop-off

• The safety of our walking students must be prioritized by all members of our community

Your cooperation is not just requested – it is essential for maintaining a safe environment for our entire school community. We appreciate your understanding that these policies exist solely to protect our students.

Uniform Update

We are excited about our transition to the new school logo! Please note the following guidelines:

• All new incoming students must purchase uniforms featuring the new logo

• Current students may continue wearing uniforms with the previous logo throughout their time at CMIT South

• When purchasing new uniforms for the upcoming school year, please select items with the new logo

• Our uniform vendor has been updated with the new logo options

As always, we appreciate your support in maintaining our school's uniform standards, which help foster a sense of community and pride among our students.

Looking Ahead

The final weeks of school are filled with important learning opportunities and special events. Please continue checking your email and our school website regularly for updates. Your involvement in these final weeks makes a tremendous difference in your child's educational experience.

As we look ahead to the final weeks of school, remember that the STEM Journey Begins Here at CMIT South Elementary! Let's continue to fill this school year with exciting learning opportunities, personal growth, and impressive achievements for all our scholars. Every day brings new opportunities for growth and your partnership in education makes a profound difference in our students' success. We thank you for making CMIT South Elementary a vibrant and supportive learning community. Together, we're creating meaningful experiences for our scholars! Remember, we can't continue this STEM journey without you!

Let's make this year a roaring success! 🦁📚

Wishing you all a 🐾 PawwRific 🐾 day and see you all Monday, May 19, 2025!

With Tiger Pride,

Ms. Tauheedah N. Simmons-Lewis

Principal

Grade Level Blurb:

For the upcoming field trip students should have a bag lunch, with no glass or reusable items. Please ensure that your scholar's name is on the lunch. Also, all students should come dressed in their P.E. uniform. Chaperones should arrive at the cafeteria by 8:30am. Thank you for your help in making this trip a success.

Kindergarten students will continue to participate in the Countdown to Summer. Every Wednesday will be a different theme for students to participate in. Please check the link below for the calendar.

2025 Wacky Wednesday Countdown to Summer

This week continues Dibels testing and the Embroidery projects for Kindergarten. Please sign up to volunteer in your scholar’s class for the embroidery project if you can. This project will engage students in the world around them through nature and the use of their fine motor skills. This in school project will last a couple of weeks so there will be multiple changes for signing up.

In Spring, 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 we are entering warmer weather, please remember that Kindergarten's recess is early in the morning and students will still need coats. Also families, please have your scholar’s shoes tied when they come to school and continue to assist your scholar in their efforts of learning to tie their shoes independently. Students should have a school approved sweater or jacket to wear in the classroom, in case they get chilly.

Dates to Remember:

May 20: i Ready testing: Reading

May 21: Wacky Wednesday: King and Queen Day (Kindergarten students may dress down in their royal entire)

May 22: i Ready testing: Math

May 23: Save the Date: Field Trip to the DC National History Museum

May 26: No school

May 30: Career Day

June 6: Save the Date: Field Day

June 12: Kindergarten Promotion

Reading Updates:

UNIT 4- Week 4: Changing Laws, Changing Lives: Martin Luther King Jr.

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 i (/i/) and long i (/i_i/)

• Review letters P and Y

• High-frequency words: good, open, could

• Story Vocabulary: laws, speech, country, marched

• 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

• Match sentences to illustrations

• 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:

Topic 11: Count Numbers to 100

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

• Show numbers in many way

• Count and write numbers up to 100 by counting by 10

• Represent groups of objects with a number to 20

• Practice counting on from any number within 100

Vocabulary: tens, ones, fifty, thirty, patterns

Science Updates:

TOPIC 5 LESSON 1: Needs of Animals

Essential Question: What do animals need to survive?

• Learn how the relationship between the animals and their environments

• Discover how animals fulfill their needs

Vocabulary: survive, pattern, shelter

Social Studies Updates:

Chapter 4 : Geography of the Neighborhood

Essential Question- How are the world and neighborhood alike?

• Understand different places and areas that are around us

• Look into the into a map as a tool

• What is absolute location

• The parts of a map

• Explore items and ways that keep us safe in our neighborhood

• Analyze how we get around in our neighborhoods

Vocabulary: street, address, absolute location, neighborhood, transportation, traffic symbols

Health Updates:

May Topic: Keeping Clean and Healthy

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

• Discover daily routines that people do to stay healthy

• 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 it means for the community to be clean and healthy

Grade Level Blurb:

Thank you for another successful week of partnership! Your continued dedication and support mean so much.This week, we have two exciting events lined up: our Slime In-School Field Trip and the Erosion Field Trip. We’re looking forward to these engaging learning experiences for our scholars. Additionally, i-Ready testing will take place this week. Please help ensure that your scholars come to school well-rested and ready to do their best. As always, thank you for all that you do!

Reading Updates:

Scholars marks the final week of Unit 4, and our scholars will be taking the Unit 4 assessment

Math Updates:

Scholars will be learning how to determine the value of a digit based on its place in a number.

Science Updates:

Scholars will learn how to identify ways in which some animals can help plants reproduce.

Social Studies Updates:

Scholars will learn about heroes from the past who have inspired positive change in the world today. Through their stories, students will explore how courage, leadership, and determination can make a lasting impact on society.

Grade Level Blurb:

We will have students take their iReady Diagnostic tests on Tuesday and Thursday! Students should arrive before 8:06am so we can start as soon as possible. Additionally, field day permission slips are due no later than Monday!

Reading Updates:

We have finished Unit 3! Our last week included regular and irregular plural nouns, poetry, and informational text.

Math Updates:

Students have been working on measurement! Specifically, we are learning about elapsed time and estimating weight. We will continue to do so next week.

Science Updates:

We are continuing to learn about animal adaptations and survival! This included a lab in which students identified how bird beak shapes can give us clues about the food birds eat.

Social Studies Updates:

We are finishing up chapter 3! Recently, students have learned about early Spanish, French, and English communities in North America. Next week, we will learn about the Revolutionary War.

Health Updates:

Students are learning about when human bodies have challenges!

Grade Level Blurb:

Greetings Fabulous Fourth Grade,

I hope this message finds you well. Progress report grades have been updated in Synergy for you viewing. Please look over your scholars grades and have a discussion with them around their work effort and completion in their various classes. Students are not earning the grades that we expect due to lack of work completion. Students are given opportunities to make up work in class but some do not take advantage of this. As the school year comes to a close students will continue to receive and be expected to submit work by the due date. Make-up work is only provided if a scholar has an excused absence.

Field Trip: We are excited to announce our second field trip of the year to the Smithsonian Natural Museum of History. During our visit students will explore how living things have adapted to survive in their environments. Permission slips were sent home this Friday and were due back by Friday May 16, 2025. Money is no longer being collected at school for the field trip. Please complete the Google Form if you scholar will need a bag lunch for the trip. https://forms.gle/zCdZ9CDUWUM1q4Yy7

We ask that you continue to talk with your student nightly about “glows and grows” from their day at school. We are helping students to be more reflective about their days and ways they can make improvements. This is the last quarter of Fourth Grade and our scholars have made great progress and are beginning their preparations to become the building leaders next year.

The character trait of the month of May is Perseverance. At times a task can be difficult but we think of ways we can persevere or find a way through. Students will have lessons in class around perseverance and how to overcome challenges we might face. Ways you can help is to share with your scholar times when you have shown perseverance in the face of adversity.. Please continue to read to get updates and important information from Fourth Grade.

Thank you for your continuing support and partnership.

Warm regards,

4th Grade Team

Important Upcoming Dates:

• 4th Grade Field Trip Thursday May 22, 2025

• Memorial Day Monday May 26, 2025- No School

Uniforms:

We are a uniform school. Students must be in the proper uniform each and every day. Students are expected to have mostly black shoes. They may wear a navy blue or school logo jacket or pullover during class. Students will be asked to remove any jacket or sweater that is not following the uniform policy.

Fourth Grade Reminders:

• Sugar Cubes and small jar Donations.

i-Ready:

i-Ready is a computer based math and reading program that is available for all of our scholars. Scholars have completed their diagnostics and are working on programs based on their areas of need. If scholars have access to a computer at home, we recommend that your scholar is getting at least 45 minutes of practice a week in both reading and math. Please encourage your child to complete lessons and ensure they complete the lessons independently to accurately improve their skills. i-Ready is accessed through clever.pgcps.org, and scholars will use their PGCPS logins to access the program.

Absences:

This is a friendly reminder that late work is only accepted if a student has an excused absence! If a scholar is absent and does not bring a note they will earn a 0 on the assignment that was missed. Please read the reminders to ensure that you are partnering with your scholars to make them successful for school. If a scholar leaves early or arrives late to school and it is not excused they will earn a 0 for all work that is not completed.

If your scholar is absent, please share a note with the homeroom teacher and attendance managers within 3 days of your scholar returning back to school. In order for students to receive make-up work you must provide a note stating; the student’s name, the date of absence, and reason for absence. Work is provided to students upon their return to school with an absence note.

Communications:

Students must bring their agenda book each day. Teachers will note the agenda book and it should be signed nightly by the adult at home.

Please allow up to 48 business hours for all responses to emails and Classdojo messages. Teachers are not actively monitoring their emails during the day because we are engaged in instruction. Emails are not monitored over the weekend or in the evening hours when teachers have gone home. If the message sent relates to dismissal changes please call the school directly to leave a message with the front office.

Grading:

Please check Synergy weekly to see scholar’s updated grades. Canvas is a Learning Management System in which scholars utilize to complete assignments and get access to materials.The grades provided in Synergy are those that will be used to calculate progress reports and report cards.

Parent Teacher Conferences:

Conferences with teachers are available with families as needed. Please reach out to the homeroom teacher about scheduling a parent teacher conference.

Reading Updates:

All texts that are being read in the classroom are also available for students to reread at home in their Vol. 2 textbooks. Please have students continue to read and discuss with you information that they find in the text. Students should always read a portion of the text and share any thoughts or questions they had while reading. Students should also note the text underlining, circling, and highlighting parts of the story that were important to know. Homework continues to be sent home on a weekly basis on the first day of the week.

This Week: The novel students began reading is called “The Hero Two Doors Down,” by Sharon Robinson. This is a realistic fiction story written by the daughter of Jackie Robinson. This story talks about the friendship between Jackie Robinson and a Jewish family after Jackie begins playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. This week students focused on the character traits of the main character Stephen.

Next Week: Students will continue to read our novel “The Hero Two Doors Down.” This week students will work with on point of view and main idea. Students will continue to watch how the character grows and changes throughout the story. We will also explore how character actions will affect events in the story.

Math Updates:

This week we will focus on Topic 7, Factors and Multiples; 4.OA.B.4 and 4.NBT.B.5).Our Essential Question for this topic is; “How can you use arrays for multiplication to find the factors of a number? How can you identify prime and Composite numbers? How can you find multiples of a number?”

At home, please continue practicing with basic math facts focused on multiplication and division to support math fluency and the computation strategies for this topic.

Science Updates:

This week we will close Topic 4 Earth’s Features with a Topic quiz and then transition into our next Topic, Topic 5, Natural Hazards. In Topic 4, Earth’s Features we discussed the causes of Earth's physical features and how to distinguish the difference between landforms. In this next topic, we will take the learning from our previous topic and apply that to Volcanoes, Earthquakes, Hurricanes, and other recurring natural hazards. The objectives for this topic are to; describe the impacts natural hazards have on the lives of people, describe how hazardous weather can affect humans and solutions to reduce the impact of natural hazards.We will be focusing on the skills, observation, weather island erosion, and on analyzing and interpreting data. Key vocabulary from this topic for lesson one; fault, earthquake, tsunami, volcano, and eruption.

Please check Synergy ParentVue and Canvas with your scholar to ensure completion of assignments

Social Studies Updates:

This Week: Students completed their MCAP testing this week. We worked on test taking strategies and ways to manage stress.

Next Week: We will resume using our Social Studies Textbooks in “Economy of the United States.” We will explore how global trade affects our lives. Students will explore importing and exporting and identify places around the world from which we get our goods.

5th Grade Weekly Buzz

We are proud to announce that our students have finished MCAP testing this week—great job to all of our scholars for their focus and effort!

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What’s Next:

Next week, students will begin their i-Ready Reading and Math Diagnostics. This is another opportunity for them to show their growth and hard work this year.

Upcoming Event:

Our 5th Grade Bowling Field Trip is scheduled for this Friday. Please be sure all payments and permission slips are submitted.

Please Note:

There are no subject updates this week due to MCAP testing. Regular learning updates will resume after testing is complete.

General CARTS Message:

Please continue to check your students’ work/grades on both Canvas and Synergy for CARTS classes!

2024-2025 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