The Tiger Times
Dear CMIT South Families, Community Partners, and Scholars,
Our Character Word of the Month for October is Kindness, and here's a thought to carry with us this month:
"Be the one who removes the stone from the path." — Gabriela Mistral, Chilean teacher and Nobel Prize-winning author
A little kindness can make someone else's day easier. Let's look for ways to help each other, at school and at home!
📆 30 Days Down, 150 to Go!
We've made it through 30 days of our 180-day school year! We have a busy, short week ahead, so here's what to know.
🏫 No School for Students: Friday, October 16
School will be closed for students on Friday, October 16, 2026, for a Professional Development Day for our staff. Enjoy the long weekend!
🔬 This Week: Parent University, Part 2 — STEM Fair Informational Session
Join us Monday, October 12, 2026, for the second of our three Parent University sessions this year! This session will be virtual from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM. Please log in for important information and guidelines about the STEM Fair packets your scholar will bring home this week. Please check ClassDojo for the zoom link.
📸 Picture Day: Thursday, October 15
Say cheese, Tigers! 😁 Fall Picture Day is this Thursday, October 15th. Get those big smiles ready!
Scholars must wear their full uniform for picture day, including their white CMIT South ES logo oxford shirt.
📚 Read-a-Thon Rally Update
Our Read-a-Thon Rally is in full swing! 🎉 Watch our rally video here: Read-a-Thon Rally Video
Our fundraiser kicked off on October 1st, and we've raised $17,822 toward our goal of $30,000! Even better, we've done it with only 15% of our families participating. Imagine what we can do if we get close to 100%! Every gift, big or small, brings us closer to the finish line.
While the donations come in, our scholars are doing extra reading and working as a team to unlock exciting incentives and rewards. This is "Leveling Up the STEMTastic Way" at its best: building strong readers, teamwork, and Tiger pride all at once!
How to give: Click the link below and type in your scholar's name to find their special donation page. Please share it with grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, and friends. Every share helps!
Find Your Student's Donation Page
🏆 Leaderboard Shout-Outs
🥇 Top Class: Congratulations to Mrs. Matthews' 1st grade class for taking first place with $3,305 raised!
⭐ Top Reader: A huge shout-out to 1st grader Malcolm Bannister for raising an incredible $1,475!
Will they hold on to the lead, or will another class or Tiger take the top spot? Stay tuned! 👀
🧥 Annual Fall Coat Drive (Through October 16)
Please keep the donations coming! Our Annual Fall Coat Drive started October 5th and runs through Friday, October 16th. Last fall, our Tiger family collected 200 coats, and this year we want to make it our biggest year of giving yet!
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., which will host a community distribution day on October 24, 2026, at the Patriots Technology Gymnasium. If you'd like to attend, please register at beesbabiesessentials.org/register.
💬 Your Questions Answered: September PTO Meeting
Thank you to everyone who joined our September PTO meeting and shared your questions! If you have a moment, please take a look at the outstanding parent questions and our responses on slides 22–24 of the meeting presentation: View the PTO Meeting Slides
Thank you for all the ways you show kindness and support for our Tiger family. Let's finish strong this week!
Let's GOOO, Tigers! ROAR! 🐯📖
Dr. Tauheedah N. Simmons-Lewis
Your PAWW-rific Principal
CMIT South Elementary School
Home of the STEMTastic Tigers 🐯
Please take note of these important calendar reminders:
- October 5-October 16- CMIT South ES Annual Coat Drive
- October 12- Parent University (STEM Fair)
- October 15- Fall Pictures
- October 16 Schools Closed for Students | Professional Development
- October 19- October 23- Anti Bullying Spirit Week
- October 19- October 23- Candy Wars
- October 27- Schoolwide Data Night 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (virtual)
- October 28- PTO Meeting
- October 30- Book Character Parade
- October 30- End of First Quarter (45 days)
- October 30- Early Dismissal for Students | Q1 Grading & Reporting Half-Day for Teachers
- November 3- Schools and Offices Closed (Election Day)
- November 4- Leveling Up with Principal Lewis (K-1st)
- November 5- Leveling Up with Principal Lewis (2nd-3rd)
- November 6- Leveling Up with Principal Lewis (4th-5th)
- November 11- Schools Closed for Students (Parent-Teacher Conferences)
- November 16- Parent University (STEM Fair)
- November 19- Education Support Professionals Day
- November 21- Substitute Educators Day
- November 25-November 27- Schools and Offices Closed (Thanksgiving)
School Meals
2026-2027 School Year Meal Prices
Elementary (Pre-K through Grade 5) *Price may change
Breakfast: $1.60/day
Lunch: $2.75/day
How to Pay
MySchoolBucks, owned and operated by Heartland Payment Systems, is an online payment service that provides parents the ability to securely pay for meals, monitor student cafeteria purchases, and receive email notifications for
low-account balances. With MySchoolBucks, payments can be made 24/7 using a Visa, MasterCard, Discover, credit or debit card, and mobile app.
Principal Lunch Account
ALL breakfast, lunch, and Principal lunch payments should be made via MySchoolBucks
All money comes/goes to 1 account (child's). All that is needed to set up an account (if not done) is the student's lunch PIN or student ID.
Free and Reduced-Price Meals
We encourage all families to consider applying for free and reduced-price meals! Visit Apply for Free and Reduced Priced Meals to apply online today!
To apply, you will need:
The name, school, and grade of your school-age children
The names of all adults living in the home
Income information for all adults living in the home
Student ID Numbers for your school-age children
Grade Level Blurb:
Students had a great time at the bookfair last week. Thank you to all the volunteers that helped out in making it a success. The Kindergarten team has been made aware of a misprint in the homework packet, the reading log is due on Oct 15 with the rest of the packet. The next packet will have some of the STEM Career project due with it, the parts that will be due will be stated in each homework packet. This is broken up into parts to make it easier for families to complete.
Also, we are halfway to our goal for a project on donorschoose, if you have the ability to donate or can spread the word that would be great. This project will benefit the whole Kindergarten team. THANK YOU ♥️!
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 the last week of Hispanic & Latin Heritage Month, so if you haven't checked out the books yet please do so. The following link gives 15 picture books that families could read together; https://www.readbrightly.com/picture-books-celebrate-hispanic-heritage/.
Important Dates
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:
Happy Sunday, First Grade Families! 🌟 We are excited to kick off another wonderful week filled with learning, growing, and making new discoveries! We look forward to all the exciting things our scholars will accomplish this week. Please be sure to read below for important updates and reminders to help keep everyone informed and ready for a successful week! 💛
📌 Important Reminders:
📸 Picture Day: Picture day is Thursday, October 15th! Students should come dressed in school uniform.
🧥 Coat Drive: Our annual coat drive is running now through October 16th. Please send in new and gently used coats for children in all sizes!
➕ Math Topic 3: Homework packets will be sent home this week. These packets will be due TENTATIVELY on or about October 27th. Please stay tuned for updates/due dates from your scholar's teacher.
🔤 Unit 1 Week 5 Spelling Homework: This homework will come home this week and will be DUE Wednesday, October 21st. This will also be the date of our spelling test.
🎃 Field Trip: Permission slips were sent home. Please complete and return there ASAP. Payment for this trip is DUE by this Friday, October 16th. After the 16th, MySchoolBucks will CLOSE and no additional payments can be made.Payment can be made here:
https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/prdembd?ref=ZZHVZTLU9O052WP_ZZ6CHZTY09VOY70
🔬STEM Fair: Students should begin thinking about which STEM career they would like to explore further. Begin working on your project a little each day to allow enough time for successful completion.
💻 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.
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 5
This week, students are exploring elements of procedural text. We will be working to answer the weekly question, "What does a neighborhood look like?" by reading "Making a Map."
🏠 How Can Families Help at Home?
Families can support learning about procedural text at home by involving children in everyday activities that require following step-by-step directions. Try reading recipes, craft instructions, board game directions, or simple how-to books together. Encourage your child to identify the purpose of the text, notice words such as first, next, then, and last, and explain the steps in the correct order. You can also have your child create their own simple how-to instructions, such as how to make a sandwich, brush their teeth, or get ready for school. These fun, hands-on activities help build reading comprehension, sequencing skills, and an understanding of how procedural texts teach us to do something!Phonics & Spelling
This week in Phonics, students will continue review words with the short /u/ sound as well as words with the /Rr/, /Ww/, /Jj/ and /Kk/ sounds. Our spelling words, this week, are the following: bug, dug, hug, tug, mug, as, he, three, to, with.
We will review the following high-frequency words as, he, three, to, with. 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.
Math Updates:
Topic 3
We are moving through topic 3! In this topic, students are learning strategies (counting on, open number line, doubles, doubles plus, making 10) to help them add to 20.
🏠 How Can Families Help at Home?
Families can support math learning at home by practicing addition facts within 20 using fun, everyday activities! Encourage your child to use strategies such as counting on, drawing an open number line, using doubles, doubles plus one, and making 10 to solve addition problems. You can practice while playing games, counting toys, adding items during grocery shopping, or using household objects to create simple math problems. Ask your child to explain how they found their answer and which strategy they used. Remember, the goal is not just to find the answer but to build number sense, develop problem-solving skills, and become confident mathematicians!
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:
Happy Sunday, Second Grade Families!
We hope you are having a wonderful weekend! Here are a few super important (and exciting!) updates and reminders for our second-grade superstars as we head into this week:
📝 Fall Testing Update... Almost Done!
We have officially started our DIBELS testing and will finish up this week! Once this is complete, we will be 100% finished with all fall testing! YAYYY!!! 🎊🙌 Thank you for encouraging your scholars and helping them bring their best effort!
💻 Tech Checklist: Fully Charged & Ready to Learn!
To keep our learning momentum going, please make sure your scholar brings these items to school every single day:
- A fully charged Chromebook ⚡ (Some scholars have been arriving with low battery, which slows down their day because they have to pause and plug in while the rest of the class gets to work on their online assignments!)
Working headphones 🎧 (Preferably wired with a built-in microphone!)
📸 Say CHEESE! Picture Day is This Week!
Picture Day is this Thursday, October 15! Scholars are encouraged to wear their sharp white Oxford button-down shirt if they have one. We can't wait to see all those bright, smiling faces! 😁
📋Medical Authorization Forms
If you haven't filled yours out yet, please complete and submit your scholar’s medical authorization form as soon as possible! 📄 This form is required for students to join us on any field trips this school year. If you need a new copy, just let your child's teacher know and we’ll happily send one home!
🚌 Field Trip Updates & Announcements
🎃 Pumpkin Patch Update: Unfortunately, due to tight time constraints and having to gather information from so many different sources, we ran out of time to pull off our Pumpkin Patch trip this year. 😔 We know how much everyone was looking forward to it—including us teachers! We sincerely apologize and promise to plan even more efficiently moving forward.
The Good News: We are currently cooking up a super fun alternative activity! We still want and need our amazing parent volunteers, so please stay tuned—we’d love for you to join us!
Thank you all so much for your constant support, understanding, and partnership! We hope you have a relaxing rest of your Sunday!
Warmly,
The Second Grade Team
Reading Updates:
Unit 1 Reading Update & Upcoming Test!
We are officially wrapping up our very first reading unit and will soon take our Unit 1 Test soon! This test will cover all the awesome reading and writing skills our scholars have worked so hard on during Unit 1, including:
Short Vowels & Long Vowels
Blends
Compound Sentences
Writing Skills & More!
✏️ Spelling Packet Reminder!
Scholars will continue to receive their printed spelling packets, which now include a brand-new reading comprehension page to practice at home! Please be sure to check the top of the cover page on each packet for its official due date.
Thank you for helping your scholar practice these skills at home—we can't wait to see them shine on their test!
Math Updates:
Our second-grade mathematicians are making great progress! Here is what’s happening in math class:
Topic 2 Test & Moving to Topic 3!
Scholars will be taking their Topic 2 Math Test: Working with Equal Groups very soon! Right after, we will jump into Topic 3: Add within 100 Using Strategies this coming week.
📄 Math Packets & Homework Updates
Pick a Project: We will no longer be doing the "Pick a Project" activities for math.
Topic 3 Hard Copies: Scholars will receive a printed hard copy of their math packet for Topic 3.
Extra Practice Worksheets: In addition to their packet, scholars may occasionally bring home extra worksheets to give them targeted practice on the specific lesson we covered that day!
🏠 Fun Ways to Practice Addition Strategies at Home!
You can help your scholar build strong math skills in everyday life! Here are a few simple and fun ideas to try together:
🛒 Grocery Store Math: Ask your scholar to add two double-digit items (or estimate prices) while shopping (e.g., "If the cereal is 25 cents and the juice is 30 cents, how much are they together?").
🎲 Dice & Card Games: Roll two dice or pull two number cards to build two-digit numbers and add them together using strategies like breaking numbers apart by tens and ones (e.g., 34+25=30+20+4+5).
🧸 Counting Collections: Have them group items like Lego bricks, coins, or snacks into groups of tens and ones to practice mental math!
Thank you for supporting your scholar's math journey at home!
Science Updates:
It’s STEM Fair season! Here are the crucial steps and reminders for our second-grade scientists:
📝 Step 1: Topic & Question Approval (Due This Week!)
Before starting any experiments or project work, scholars must submit their STEM Fair topic and question to their classroom teacher for approval.
Teachers sent home a Google Form to families with the specific deadline for submission this week—please check that form for your scholar's exact due date!
📚 STEM Fair Packets
Each scholar has received a hard copy STEM Fair packet to serve as a complete guide and reference for finishing every step of their project. Please keep this packet in a safe place at home!
⚠️ Important Requirement
Please keep in mind that completing a STEM Fair project is mandatory for all scholars. Because this is a core part of our science curriculum, not submitting a project will negatively impact your scholar’s science grade. 📉
Thank you for encouraging your scholar's curiosity and helping them stay on track as they explore the exciting world of science! 🌟🥼
Social Studies Updates:
Get ready to explore! We are gearing up to dive into our next Social Studies chapter, Chapter 6: Our American Culture.
Your scholar's classroom teacher will be sending home information about the Pick a Project for this chapter soon, along with important details and reminders!
🏠 At-Home Activities to Support Chapter 6!
You can help bring American traditions, history, and culture to life right at home! Here are a few fun ways to support your scholar's learning:
🍲 Share Family & Cultural Traditions: Talk about your family's favorite traditions, holidays, or recipes, and discuss how different cultures contribute to our community and country!
📖 Explore American Symbols & Folktales: Read books or watch short educational videos together about famous American symbols (like the Statue of Liberty or the Liberty Bell) or legendary American figures and stories.
🏛️ Virtual Museum Tour: Take a quick "virtual field trip" together online to explore national monuments, historical landmarks, or museums across the United States.
🎶 Listen to American Music Traditions: Listen to different genres of music that grew out of American culture, such as jazz, blues, country, or folk music, and discuss how music tells stories!
Thank you for partnering with us to make learning engaging and fun for our scholars! 🌟
Health Updates:
This month in Health class, scholars are diving into the fascinating topic of How We Think! 💭 We will be exploring the different parts of the brain, learning how our brains control our thoughts, feelings, and actions, and discovering all the amazing ways we use our brains every single day!
🏠 Fun At-Home Activities to Reinforce Brain Health!
Here are a few engaging ways you can practice and discuss brain power with your scholar at home:
🎨 Draw & Label a Brain: Grab some paper and crayons! Draw a brain together and talk about how different parts help us with memory, emotions, movement, and problem-solving.
🧩 Memory & Brain Gym Games: Play classic memory-matching games, puzzles, or Simon Says! Talk about how these games build "strong brain muscles" and improve focus.
🧘 Practice Mindfulness & Deep Breathing: Discuss how taking deep breaths helps the brain calm down when feeling stressed or overwhelmed. Try a 1-minute quiet breathing exercise together!
🍎 Talk About "Brain Foods": While eating meals or snacks, discuss foods that help nourish our brains, like berries, nuts, water, and veggies!
Thank you for helping our scholars build healthy habits inside and out! 🌟
Grade Level Blurb:
October is on the move, and so is our school with many activities! Picture day is this coming Thursday, October 15. That means it's time to look your finest and put on your best smile. The school’s coat drive and Read-a-thon continue. Don’t miss out, be sure to check our school’s weekly newsletter for all of the current and upcoming events.
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.
Reading Updates:
Ms. Howard’s students read Cocoliso and practiced identifying story elements and showing their understanding through a reading skills check. Students also reviewed their i-Ready reading data, identified strengths and areas for growth, and set goals for improvement.
Writing: We worked on descriptive writing and adding details to our writing. Students used graphic organizers and descriptive words to write about their butter squishy designs, then exchanged descriptions with a partner to see how clearly their words helped someone picture their design. They also designed their own Butter squishies to take home!
Ms. Madison’s students have started reading realistic fiction! We will complete our close reading session of our latest text Cocoliso, on Monday and Tuesday. We are also working on reading and spelling words with roots/base words and suffixes!
Math Updates:
Students are getting ready to conclude Topic 2 on Patterns and Multiplication Facts. There are several more multiplication topics to come. Make sure students are learning their facts!!
Science Updates:
This week, the students concluded Topic 1 on force and motion. Next week, we will be ready to dive into Topic 2: Electric and Magnetic Interactions.
Social Studies Updates:
In social studies, we are continuing to learn about landforms and bodies of water, but we have also introduced students to weather, climate, and forces of nature (i.e. natural disasters).
Health Updates:
In our Health classes, the students continue to learn about the eyes. Students learned how our eyes take in light and send information to the brain, which processes the upside-down images formed in our eyes and allows us to see the world right side up.
How to Help Your Third Grader at Home
There are many simple ways to support your child's learning at home! A little practice each day can make a big difference in building confidence and strengthening important skills.
Read for Pleasure: Encourage your child to read something they enjoy every day! Whether it's a chapter book, comic book, magazine, or graphic novel, the goal is to develop a love of reading. Take time to talk about what they are reading.
Make Writing Fun: Encourage your child to keep a journal, write stories, create comic strips, make lists, or write letters to family members. Writing doesn't always have to be a formal assignment. Let their creativity shine!
Practice with IXL: IXL is a great resource for reinforcing math, science, and language arts skills. Even 10–15 minutes of focused practice can help strengthen skills and build confidence.
Use i-Ready: Encourage your child to complete their personalized i-Ready lessons. These lessons target individual learning needs and provide opportunities for growth.
Master Multiplication Facts: Third grade is an important year for learning multiplication facts! Practice skip counting, use flashcards, listen to multiplication songs, or play multiplication games. Just a few minutes of daily practice can make a big difference.
Remember: Learning at home doesn't have to feel like more schoolwork! Keep activities short, positive, and enjoyable. Consistency is more important than the amount of time spent. Most importantly, celebrate your child's effort and progress along the way! Thanks for your continued support of your child’s educational journey.
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 concluded our beginning of the year diagnostic testing with just a few students left to finish. Data reports for i-Ready and MAP were shared with our scholars this week. 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
Important Upcoming Dates:
Professional Development Schools Closed Friday October 16, 2026
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 Work is provided to students upon their return to school with an excused absence.
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 classes said farewell to Mark and Scott Kelly, the astronaut brothers. Students explored the text and determined that spaceflight is stressful on the human body. Students composed an opinion essay that explored the effects of spaceflight on the human body. Students also concluded the week by completing a story quiz that focuses on events and vocabulary from the text.
Next Week:
We are moving into our next text “Life at the Top.” In this informational text students will answer: What are the advantages of living in different places? In this text we will read about runners from Africa and how will they live could help them be some of the best runners in the world. In this text we will monitor our inner conversations and make and confirm predictions as we read. We will work on the reading skill of identifying text features to gain more information about the words that appear in the text.
Math Updates:
📚 Math: Topic 2 — Adding & Subtracting Multi-Digit Numbers
We have been working hard in Topic 2: Adding and Subtracting Multi-Digit Numbers! Students have been building their understanding of regrouping, including using partial sums for addition and subtracting across zeros.
We will continue working through this unit next week with the goal of finishing the topic and preparing for our assessment the following week. Please continue encouraging your scholar to practice the strategies we are learning in class and explain their thinking when solving problems.
📚 Pick-Up Project
Students will be receiving a Pick-Up Project this week. If your scholar has not already received one, they will receive it by Friday. All project information and directions can be found in Canvas.
🧠 Vocabulary to Reinforce at Home
Addition
Sum
Regrouping
Partial Sums
Subtraction
Thank you for continuing to support your scholar’s learning at home. We are working hard, growing our mathematical thinking, and getting better every day! ⭐
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:
Happy Sunday, families! We had a fantastic, productive week full of great learning and enthusiastic student participation across all subjects. As you plan out your schedules for next week, please keep in mind that there is no school for students next Friday! We hope everyone gets to enjoy a well-deserved long weekend! Thank you as always for your ongoing support at home. Please note that our Pick a Project assignment has been officially released and is due on Monday, October 19, 2026 📌. Additionally, students should begin preparing for our upcoming Unit Test scheduled for Tuesday, October 20, 2026 📝.
Reading Updates:
In Reading this week for Unit 1, Week 4, our young authors dove into the world of poetry! 📄✨ We explored how poets use descriptive words to create imagery and evoke emotion, focusing on writing original poems centered around the theme of kindness . Throughout this unit, students learned to identify and apply various forms of figurative language—such as similes, metaphors, and personification—to make their creative writing more vivid and impactful! 🎨
Math Updates:
In Math, our focus was on Topic 3, Lesson 4: Multiplying 2-Digit by 2-Digit Numbers . Students are developing conceptual understanding and fluency when multiplying larger numbers using strategies like area models, partial products, and standard algorithms while paying close attention to place value alignment and regrouping . Please keep in mind that the Pick a Project is due on Monday, October 19, 2026 , and our Unit Test will take place on Tuesday, October 20, 2026 .
Science Updates:
This week in Science, scholars wrapped up Topic 2, Experience 1: Physical Changes in Matter and began Topic 2, Experience 2: Chemical Changes in Matter. Scholars will conduct hands-on investigations, using standard units of measurement to collect and record data demonstrating the conservation of matter. Through these investigations, scholars will discover that even when a chemical change occurs, the total mass of the substances remains the same.
Social Studies Updates:
In Social Studies, we began Chapter 3, Lesson 1: Setting Up Colonies in Virginia . We started investigating early European settlements in North America, studying the daily lives, unique challenges, and lasting historical impact of the early Virginia colonies 📜.
Health Updates:
We explored Topic 2, Lesson 2: Brainstorms! Your Nervous System . Students investigated how the brain, spinal cord, and nerves work together as the body's communication network to process information, make decisions, and keep us moving every day! 🚴♂️
CHESAPEAKE MATH AND IT SOUTH ELEMENTARY
• Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 2:25 p.m.
• Grades: K-5
• Uniform: Yes
• Before After School Enrichment: Yes
http://clfmd.org/enrichment-2/
• School Colors: Orange and Black
• Uniform Colors: Hunter Green, Navy Blue, or white Oxford tops and Khaki or Navy Blue bottoms
• School Mascot: "Roary" the Tiger• School Website: http://www.cmitsouthes.org
For more information