The Tiger Times

Dear CMIT South Families, Community Partners, and Scholars,

We're so grateful for this Tiger family! To our families, thank you for your continued partnership and for showing up for your scholars. To our community partners, thank you for investing in our school. And to our scholars; you're doing an amazing job settling into your routines and growing every day. Let's keep the momentum going!

Our Character Word of the Month for September is Respectfulness, and it's a wonderful reminder for all of us this week:

"Politeness costs nothing and gains everything." — Mary Wortley Montagu

As you'll see below, respect shows up everywhere — in how we treat our grandparents, how we support one another, and how we care for our staff and each other during arrival and dismissal.

📆 12 Days Down, 168 to Go!

We've officially completed 12 days of school together, with 168 more to go this year. Thank you to everyone who came out to Back to School Night, it was wonderful to connect with so many of you! If you weren't able to make it, don't worry: copies of each class's presentation are available so you don't miss a thing. As always, please feel free to reach out to your child's teacher(s) directly with any questions.

A special thank-you to our presenters who made the evening so informative:

• Auston Anthony (4th grade) and Ms. Gloria, for presenting on the Patriots Elementary STEM Program — Patriots-TTC.org

• Ernie & Katy Lawley of Mathnasium Upper Marlboro, located at 7607 Crain Highway, Suite B-150, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772, reach them at uppermarlboro@mathnasium.com

• Our PTO, for hosting an info table and spirit wear — and don't forget, you can join PTO today at givebacks.com/causes/cmitelementarypto!

🎉 Celebrating Our Grandparents

Happy Grandparents Day to all the PAWW-rific grandparents in our Tiger family! Your love, wisdom, and steady support mean so much to our scholars and our entire school community. Thank you for all you do to help your grandchildren succeed and for being such important partners in their education. Having you as part of our school culture is a beautiful reminder of how much intergenerational connection and respect matter.

📊 Important Assessment Information

In the coming weeks, our scholars will take part in several key assessments that help us understand their progress and tailor instruction to fit their individual needs:

• Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA)

• i-Ready Fall Reading and Math Assessment (1st–5th Grade)

• MAP Growth Assessments — Reading and Math (1st–5th Grade), Science (2nd–5th Grade)

• DIBELS Assessment (K–3rd Grade)

More details on specific dates will be shared by your child's teacher.

🚨 Emergency Preparedness Information

Keeping our scholars safe is always our top priority. In line with Maryland state regulations and Maryland State Department of Education requirements, we hold regular emergency drills throughout the year so our staff and students are ready to respond calmly and confidently if a real situation ever arises.

Planned Emergency Drills for 2026-2027:

• Severe Weather Response

• Drop, Cover, and Hold (Earthquake)

• Lockdown Procedures

• Reverse Evacuation

• Shelter in Place (Secure)

• Standard Evacuation

A few important things to know:

• Staff are notified in advance of every scheduled drill.

• Teachers walk scholars through age-appropriate explanations beforehand.

• Mental health support and coping resources are available before and after each drill.

• Families will be notified once each scheduled drill is complete.

• Please consider this message your official notice of our emergency preparedness program for the year.

🚗 Safety Reminders: We Need Your Partnership

Keeping our arrival and dismissal process safe depends on all of us working together with respect and patience. A few non-negotiables:

• Listen to and respect our staff on duty — they're positioned exactly where they are to keep everyone safe.

• Never drop scholars off in the roundabout — this creates real danger for our children.

• Stay in the car line until you're properly positioned — please wait for staff to direct you before students exit vehicles.

• Treat every member of our community with respect — aggressive or threatening behavior toward staff will result in immediate removal from school grounds.

Our staff show up every day to keep your scholars safe. When we treat each other with patience and respect, we model exactly the behavior we want our Tigers to learn.

Thank you for everything you do for our CMIT South Tiger family!

Warmly,

Dr. Tauheedah N. Simmons-Lewis

Your PAWW-rific Principal

CMIT South Elementary School

Home of the STEMTastic Tigers 🐯

Grade Level Blurb:

Hello Tiger Families!

Thanks to all our families who attended Back to School Night, Kinder Back to School Night 26/27. It was great to see you. If you did not have a chance to attend, there will be more opportunities throughout the school year for you to visit. Please continue to work with your scholar to help them tie shoes and undo/redo belts independently.

This week Kindergarten will be starting KRA testing this week, see below for the exact date of each class. Students will need to bring in their computer for the KRA testing. KRA Parent Notification Letter_English_2627_a11y.pdf

As well as for them to continue getting into the habit of covering mouths when they cough or sneeze and to practice on tying their own shoes.

Key reminders:

• Please use kvs for pick up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfU-XGgWqq1_tM7guqAg0UaO8_l33VnpJryrqccOSCS9q98yA/viewform

• Communicate about any changes in dismissal before 1 pm

• Continue to practice holding a pencil and writing skills

• Important Forms: If you haven't already, please take a moment to complete these required links:

• 📋 Digital Emergency Contact Form

• 🍎 Free/Reduced Lunch Application

• 🤒 Student Absence Notification

Important Dates

September 14: Ms. Mammon’s Class KRA testing, Computers needed

September 16: No School for Students

September 17: Ms. R. Lewis’ Class KRA testing, Computers needed

September 18: Ms. Young’s Class KRA testing, Computers needed

September 18: Ms. Windsor’s Class KRA testing, Computers needed

September 21: School Closed

October 2: Early Dismissal

October 5-9: Scholastic Book Fair

October 15: Fall Picture Day

Reading Udates:

UNIT 1 WEEK 2- Going Places

Essential Question- What is exciting about moving to a new place?

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

• Genre: Realistic Fiction

• Phonics: Short Aa, Consonants Ss

• High-Frequency Words: like, to, a

• Spelling words found in weekly readings: crawls, peeks, unpacks, plunks

• Unit Vocabulary: map, move, land, special

Learning Goals:

• Ask and answer questions about plot in literary text

• Demonstrate phonological awareness.

• Identify and match the common sounds that letters represent.

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

• Identify real-life connections between words and their use

• Describe plot

• Parts of a Book: Front Cover, Back Cover, and Title Page

Math Updates:

TOPIC 1 - Numbers 0 to 5

• Count objects up to 5

• Counting tells how many are in a group, regardless of their arrangement or the order in which they were counted.

• Understand that counting is cumulative.

• There is a unique symbol that goes with each number word.

Vocabulary: count, one, two, three, four, five, number, zero

Science Updates:

TOPIC 1 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

Social Studies Updates:

CHAPTER 1 LESSON 2- How we work together?

Essential Question- How do people best cooperate?

• Identify ways children act at school

• Recognize why people share and make good choices

• Analyze what it means to take turns

• Recognize why people cooperate

• Identify and solve problems

• Analyze ways of sharing

Vocabulary: school, learn, choices, cooperate, problem, solution

Health Updates:

SEPTEMBER TOPIC: How to Stay Safe

• Understanding safety rules at home and school

• Acknowledging safety helpers at home, school, and community

• Tell how to avoid certain unintentional injuries at play

• Explain how to show respect for the safety of oneself and others when playing

• Demonstrate safety routines and how you would respond to danger

• Predict what happens when one plays in safe and unsafe ways

Vocabulary: stay, safe, helpers, danger, emergency

📝Grade Level Blurb:

Dear First Grade Families,

We are elated to begin another wonderful week of learning, growing, and fun! We have lots of exciting things happening in first grade. Be sure to read on for important updates and reminders to help us have a successful week! 💙🐯

📌 Important Reminders:

• 🔤 Spelling Bingo: A new spelling bingo came home last week. The UPDATED due date for this assignment is Tuesday, September 22nd.

• ➕ Math Homework: Students should be working, nightly, on their math homework packet. This entire packet is due on Friday, September 18th.

• 💻 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.

• 📝 MAP reading and math assessments will take place on Thursday, September 17th and Friday, September 18th. All students will need a fully charged chromebook, WIRED headphones, and a good night's sleep! Please support their success by providing the above mentioned items and ensuring they are at school on time and ready.

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 as we begin this exciting academic journey together. We are looking forward to a fantastic week of learning, growing, and achieving in first grade!

With gratitude,

The First Grade Team

Reading Updates:

Unit 1 Week 1

This week, students are continuing to work through Unit 1 of MyView Literacy by exploring the elements of realistic fiction through engaging stories such as “A Neighborhood Walk" and “Henry on Wheels." Students will focus primarily on the setting of these stories.

🏠 How Can Families Help at Home?

Families can support learning by reading stories together and talking about the elements of realistic fiction. Ask your child to identify the characters, setting, problem, and important events in the story. Encourage them to think about whether the events could really happen in real life. You can also ask questions like, “What makes this story realistic?” or “How do you know?” 📖✨

Phonics & Spelling

This week in Phonics, students will review words with the short /i/ sound as well as words with the /c/, /n/, and /p/ sounds. Our spelling words, this week, are the following: it, miss, mitt, sit, Tim.

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

We will have a spelling test on Tuesday, September 22nd.

Math Updates:

Topic 1

This week, we will be wrapping up Topic 1 and taking our assessment!

🏠 How Can Families Help at Home?

Families can support learning by practicing addition and subtraction in everyday situations. Ask your child simple questions such as, “If we have 5 apples and add 2 more, how many do we have?” or “We have 8 crayons and take away 3. How many are left?” Encourage your child to draw pictures, use objects, or explain their thinking to solve problems. You can also practice comparing groups by asking, “Which group has more? Which has fewer?”

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:

Students are continuing through our monthly issue, “Keeping Our Great Body Safe.” Students are learning simple, age-appropriate ways to make safe choices, protect themselves, and take care of their bodies at school, at home, and in their community.

🏠 How Families Can Help at Home?

Families can help by talking with their child about making safe choices at home and in the community. Discuss important safety habits such as knowing trusted adults, following rules, using objects safely, and knowing what to do in an emergency. Encourage your child to explain why safety rules are important and practice safe choices together during everyday activities.

Grade Level Blurb:

We have officially completed 8 out of our 180 days of school, and we are moving right along! 🚀 Our scholars are doing a fantastic job adjusting to our daily routines.

Here are a few quick and important updates to keep us moving toward a successful school year:

📁 Daily Communication Folders Scholars are now using their green daily communication folders, which include their behavior chart/calendar. Please be sure to check and review this folder with your child every single day!

📚 Homework Update Due to some unforeseen resource shifts, we are revamping our homework system! Instead of sending home weekly reading, spelling, and math paper packets, homework will now be available online. Keep an eye out for more details soon as we finalize an organized system that works best for our second-grade community.

💻 Chromebooks & Daily Preparation ⚡ Now that we have dived deep into our curriculum, it is crucial that your child brings a fully charged Chromebook to school every day.

• Limited Loaners: The school has a very limited supply of backup Chromebooks to borrow. They are handed out on a first-come, first-served basis, so scholars without their devices may be left unprepared for learning.

• IT Programming Required: To set all of our scholars up for success, their devices must be programmed by our school's IT Department. We are unable to access necessary lessons or assignments on unprogrammed Chromebooks, which will directly impact grades—and we definitely want to avoid that!

🎃 First Field Trip Planning: Pumpkin Patch! 🚜 We are currently in the works of planning our very first field trip of the year to the pumpkin patch! If you are interested in joining us as a parent chaperone, please make sure you complete all required background check steps according to the PGCPS volunteer requirements. Once you have completed all the necessary steps, please follow up directly with Ms. Reese in the main office so we can get you on our list!

Thank you so much for your partnership, flexibility, and support as we set our scholars up for an amazing year! 🌟

Reading Updates:

We have officially dived into our second-grade reading curriculum! Scholars have been introduced to our first genre, Realistic Fiction, as we explore and answer our big essential question: "How does our community affect us?"

You can help reinforce this learning at home! As you go about your daily routines and travel through your neighborhood, take a moment to talk with your scholar about the different places in your community and why each one is important. Connecting these real-world conversations to what we are reading in class makes a bi

Math Updates:

In math, scholars are hard at work solving addition and subtraction equations within 20! We are focusing on using multiple strategies to build strong mental math and problem-solving skills.

How to help at home:

As you go about your daily routines, challenge your scholar to solve simple addition and subtraction problems! Ask them to explain how they found their answer and encourage them to show off different strategies, such as:

• ➕ Doubles Plus One (e.g., for $6 + 7$, think $6 + 6 = 12$, then add $1$ more to get $13$)

• 🔟 Making a Ten (e.g., for $8 + 5$, take $2$ from the $5$ to make $10$, then add the remaining $3$ to get $13$)

Talking through these strategies together helps build confidence and deepens their math understanding! 🔢 Dynamic math games or quick mental math warm-ups are great ways to keep it fun!

Science Updates:

We are kicking off an exciting new science unit where scholars are discovering the three main states of matter: solids, liquids, and gases! They are learning how everything around us is made of matter and how objects can change from one state to another.

No-Prep Activities to Try at Home:

• 🧊 Ice Melt Race (Solid to Liquid): Put an ice cube on a plate or in a bowl and watch it melt into water! Talk about how heating a solid (ice) turns it into a liquid (water). Bonus challenge: Put it back in the freezer to show how cooling turns a liquid back into a solid!

• 🔍 State of Matter Scavenger Hunt: Give your scholar 60 seconds to find 1 solid (like a book or a toy), 1 liquid (like juice or milk), and point out 1 gas (like the air in a balloon or steam coming off a warm bath/cooking pot).

• 🫧 Bubble Blower Fun (Gases in Action): If you have bubbles or even just dish soap and water, blow a few bubbles together! Ask your scholar what state of matter is trapped inside the bubble (air/gas).

Connecting science to everyday household items makes learning stick! Have fun exploring together! 🌟

Social Studies Updates:

While we are currently waiting on a few of our official social studies curriculum resources to arrive, we aren't letting that stop our learning! We are jumping right into our first topic: Family: Past and Present. Scholars will be exploring how families live today compared to how families lived long ago, including traditions, technology, and daily life.

Fun Ways to Jumpstart Learning at Home:

• 📸 Look at Old Family Photos: Pull out a photo album or scroll through old pictures on your phone! Show your scholar photos of parents, grandparents, or relatives when they were younger. Talk about what was different—from clothing and hairstyles to the cars and houses.

• 🗣️ Share a Family Story or Tradition: Tell your scholar a story about your favorite childhood memory, a game you loved playing at their age, or a tradition that has been passed down through generations in your family.

• 📜 Compare Then and Now: Pick an everyday object (like a phone, TV, or stove) and ask your scholar how they think families used or did that same task long ago without modern technology (e.g., writing letters instead of texting!).

Connecting history to your own family stories makes social studies come alive! Thank you for helping us launch this unit at home! 🌟

Health Updates:

This month, our class is learning all about important ways to keep ourselves safe both inside and outside of the home! From practicing basic household safety rules to staying alert while playing outside, we are building habits that help scholars stay happy, healthy, and safe.

Quick & Easy Activities to Support This at Home:

• 🚪 Practice Your Home Emergency Plan: Walk through your home together and identify two safe exit routes from each room. Make sure your scholar knows your family's designated meeting spot outside (like a specific tree or neighbor's porch) in case of an emergency.

• 📞 Review Important Contact Info: Practice memorizing phone numbers! Quiz your scholar on your phone number or full home address. Remind them when and how to call 911 in an emergency.

• 🚲 Outdoor Safety Gear Check: Before heading out to play, do a "safety sweep" together! Practice adjusting bicycle/scooter helmets for a snug fit, review looking both ways twice before crossing the street, and discuss stranger safety rules.

• 🛑 Spot the Safe Choice Game: Take a walk around your home or neighborhood and ask your scholar to point out safe vs. unsafe situations (e.g., “Is a hot stove safe to touch?” or “What should we do before crossing the driveway?”).

Taking a few minutes to talk through these scenarios at home gives scholars the confidence they need to make safe choices every day! Thank you for your partnership! 🌟

Grade Level Blurb:

Greetings from Team Third Grade,

It was nice meeting so many of you at Back to School Night. Hopefully, the evening was informative for you as you received a glimpse into your child’s third grade year.

The students did complete iReady testing this week. Testing will continue over the next several weeks of September. Please make sure your student comes to school with a charged computer and headphones on a daily basis.

It was another great week filled with learning, reflection, and growth!

Reading Updates:

This week, students explored different genres, focusing specifically on the differences between fiction and nonfiction. We also began Unit 1 of our reading curriculum, where we discussed how people travel through different environments. Students began reading our first story, the traditional tale Grandma and the Great Gourd, and analyzed its plot and setting. We also introduced VC/CV syllable patterns.

Students also completed the final drafts of their first writing assignments! Throughout the writing process, we focused on using a graphic organizer to plan, creating a rough draft—or what I like to call our “sloppy copy”; using proofreading marks, understanding the power of editing and revising, and producing a polished final draft, our “real deal!”

Lastly, I held an individual conference with each student to discuss their i-Ready Reading diagnostic results. We reviewed the level they tested at, celebrated their strengths, identified areas for growth, and discussed what we will work on throughout the school year.

Math Updates:

This week our mathematicians continued forming arrays to find answers to multiplication facts. We also explored the meaning of division. The students discussed the relationships between division and multiplication and division and subtraction. We focused a lot of our class time on completing our iReady tests.

Science Updates:

In Science, the students continued to learn about forces. We demonstrated balanced and unbalanced forces as well as contact forces. We used balances/scales to demonstrate those concepts. We also learned that simply standing up from our chairs and then sitting back down demonstrates force.

Additionally, my classes explored how to create detailed diagrams supported by written explanations. Students watched a short video to learn a little about the history behind the subject of their diagrams. We also looked at examples of diagrams and written responses representing different grading levels so students could see what strong work looks like. If you’d like to see what the students diagrammed, along with a few examples of their work, be sure to visit my class website!

Social Studies Updates:

In Social Studies, students continued working on their 50 States anchor charts, researching state names, capitals, and abbreviations.

Health Updates:

We continued our exploration of what makes a home safe. Students investigated ways to stay safe around wild animals and learned important fire safety practices for the home. We also discussed what to do if someone gets a burn and the proper steps to take right away.

Grade Level Blurb:

Greetings Team 4Ward,

☀️We hope that message finds you well. I hope that everyone enjoyed our four day weekend. We were so glad to see many families at Back to School Night this week! Your partnership and dedication to your scholar’s education will make this school year successful. This week we have finished our i-Ready Diagnostic testing in both reading and math. There are still some students that need to complete their diagnostics. Once all students are finished, scholar's data reports will be provided to families for viewing and planning.

🎮 Indoor Recess:

All classes could use donations of indoor activities for recess such as board games, blocks, coloring materials, and card games. If your family is able please donate any gently used or new items to your scholar’s homeroom class. This will help our scholars work on their cooperative and social skills.

🏫 Parent Volunteers:

Team 4Ward loves going on field trips and in the past have taken a number of trips during the year. In order for field trips to occur we need approved volunteers that are able to chaperone. Some trips are at risk of being canceled if we do not have enough parent volunteers. Only Prince George’s County Public School cleared volunteers will be able to go on trips and support in the building. If you have already completed your background check in previous years, all you must do now is complete the SafeSchool Videos. Once these are complete please share your completion with Ms. Reese at lreese@cmitsouthes.org.

📋 Please click this link to get more information about supporting the classroom by becoming an approved volunteer: https://www.pgcps.org/offices/ograc/volunteer#volunteer-process

💻 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.

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 grow together!!

Warmly,

Team 4Ward

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Professional Development No School Wednesday September 16, 2026- No School

• Yom Kippur- Monday September 21, 2026- No School

• MAP Reading Diagnostic Wednesday September 23, 2026

• MAP Math Diagnostic Thursday September 24, 2026

• MAP Science Diagnostic Friday September 25, 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/euXzCpDvNGbLwb8U

Reading Updates:

This Week:

We brought a close to our first story by completing an opinion writing. In fourth grade there is an increased requirement for writing. Students are expected to write at least a paragraph when answering simple or routine writing questions. We will complete essays each time that we complete a story. Reading teachers will spend the next few weeks modeling the writing process and how to fully unlock and answer a prompt. Students also completed their first Word Study Assessment and Story Quiz this week.

Next Week:

In the next two weeks we will read our next story, “Rare Treasures.” In this biography we will learn about Mary Anning who is considered “the mother of paleontology." In this story students will determine the main idea while they monitor their inner conversations to understand the text. The next group of words we will study are also contain suffixes (ty “state of” or “quality” (noun) -ity “state of” or “quality” (noun) -ic “relating to” (adjective) -ment “action or process of” (noun).

Math Updates:

Wrapping Up Topic 1: Generalized Place Value

We are wrapping up our first math topic, Generalized Place Value! Throughout this topic, students have been building their understanding of how the value of a digit depends on its place in a number. We have been working with place value relationships, reading and writing numbers, comparing numbers, and representing numbers in different ways.

As we finish up this topic, students are continuing to practice explaining their mathematical thinking and using place value strategies to solve problems. Please check agenda books for the assessment due date.

📊 i-Ready Diagnostic

This week, students completed their i-Ready Math Diagnostic. This assessment gives us valuable information about each student's current skills and helps us identify areas of strength as well as skills that we will continue to work on throughout the year.

📝 MAP Diagnostic

Looking ahead, students will also be taking their MAP Math Diagnostic during the week of Yom Kippur. This is another opportunity for us to learn more about students' mathematical strengths and areas for growth.

Please remind your child that these assessments are simply a way for us to see what they know and how we can best support their learning. Encourage them to take their time, do their best, and remember that they are not expected to know every answer!

🏠 Math at Home

As we move into our next topic, you can continue supporting your mathematician at home by asking questions such as:

• “How do you know?”

• “Can you explain your strategy?”

• “Is there another way to solve it?”

• “What does this digit represent in this number?”

Thank you for your continued support as we build confident, curious, and capable mathematicians! 🔢✨

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, we learned about the five regions of the United States and explored what makes each region unique. Students used maps to identify the different regions and learned about the landforms and bodies of water found throughout the United States. We also discussed how geography can influence the environment, communities, and way of life in different areas.

Next week, we will be learning about weather and climate! Students will explore the difference between weather and climate and examine how weather patterns can vary from one region to another. We will also learn about different types of weather, climate patterns, and how scientists observe and collect information about Earth’s weather.

Grade Level Blurb:

Hello Fifth Grade Families!

We have had a wonderful week in class! Our students have officially finished their i-Ready testing and have been working exceptionally hard. We are so proud of their focus, effort, and determination.

It was a true pleasure meeting so many of you at Back to School Night yesterday! Thank you for coming out to support our classroom community. We encourage you to chat with your children this evening and ask them, "What are you learning in class right now?" You might be surprised by how much they have to share!

Reading Updates:

In Week 2, we are focusing on Text Features. Students are learning to better understand informational texts by analyzing key components like headings, captions, diagrams, bold words, and sidebars to deepen their comprehension.

Math Updates:

We are wrapping up Topic 1: Understanding Place Value. The students have done a fantastic job diving deep into decimals, powers of ten, and place value relationships. Please note that students will be taking their Topic 1 Math Assessment on Tuesday. Encourage them to review their notes and practice problems over the weekend!

Science Updates:

We are moving on to Lesson 1-2: Modeling Matter. In this lesson, students are exploring how small particles make up everything around us and learning how scientists use physical and conceptual models to represent matter that is too small to see with the naked eye. Expect some great discussions about atoms, molecules, and states of matter!

Social Studies Updates:

We are diving into Chapter 1: Ancient American Indians. Students are working to identify and describe the diverse ways of life, cultures, and environments of early American Indian groups.

Health Updates:

We are currently learning all about First Aid. The students have been engaging in thoughtful conversations and discussions about basic safety, how to respond in common emergency situations, and how to stay calm and helpful when someone gets hurt.

Have a wonderful weekend, and thank you for all your support!

Best regards,

The 5th Grade Team

General CARTS Updates:

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

Music:

*Last call for those 3rd - 5th graders wanting to participate in the County Honors Chorus. I need to submit your names and information by Friday, the 18th.

**Also, ALL 3rd - 5th graders should have a music- specific journal by now. Points are being deducted if they are unprepared for class.

(Second graders do have journals, but they are still learning how to use them. They are not losing points.)

This week…

We are off on Wednesday, 9/16/2026 for Professional Development!

Kindergarten is working on fast and slow.

1st grade will learn to create rhythms.

2nd grade will find the meter sign.

3rd grade will identify standard notation.

4th grade will add 16th notes to standard notation.

5th grade will review standard notation and understand the meeting of ties in music.

Have a great weekend!

LEGO:

Students are building, creating, and problem-solving through hands-on LEGO challenges! Stay tuned for exciting projects and STEM learning happening in our LEGO classroom.

Maker’s Lab:

K-1st: Learning about different STEM careers

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

Technology:

What's Happening in Technology:

Students got hands-on experience with our new desktop computers! Kindergarteners began exploring and getting familiar with the keyboard layout. Students in grades 1–5 took a typing assessment to establish their baseline words-per-minute (WPM) speed. I will test them throughout the school year to monitor their growth and progress. To keep things fun and engaging, classes will compete against other grade-level teams to see who can make the most progress!

Tech Tip for Parents: Why Setting Healthy Screen Time Boundaries Matters

As technology becomes a bigger part of learning and play, helping children build a balanced relationship with screens early is essential for their overall well-being. Here is why setting healthy boundaries is so important:

* Supports Brain Development & Focus

* Encourages Physical Health & Better Sleep

* Fosters Social & Communication Skills

PE:

Hello Families!

We are practicing identifying personal space and general space within the contents of Spatial awareness.

Art:

Hello CMIT families!

Everyone is starting with a project that is related to either line or color. Please refer to Canvas for more details. Here are the 4th graders using their classroom resources for their study guide!

2026-2027 School Calendar

School Meals

School Violence Resources and Support

PGCPS TV

CMIT South ES Enrichment Program

Vendor Managed Child Care

Parent Handbook

Students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.

Synergy ParentVUE Support for Parents and Guardians

Student Absence Form