The Tiger Times

Dear Amazing Tiger Families and Community,

Can you believe we've already completed 89 days of school this year?! What an incredible journey we've shared together! Every single day, I witness our Tigers growing stronger, smarter, and more confident in their abilities. Your children are embracing challenges, supporting one another, and demonstrating the kind of resilience and determination that will carry them through life. Thank you for your unwavering partnership, your consistent encouragement at home, and your commitment to making every school day count. Together, we're building something truly extraordinary!

As we continue celebrating Confidence as our Character Word of the Month, I'm inspired by the empowering words of Malala Yousafzai: "I raise up my voice—not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard.". This month, let's encourage our Tigers to speak up with confidence, ask questions boldly, and believe that their ideas and voices truly matter!

❄️ Inclement Weather Reminder

As winter weather continues, please stay informed about potential delays, early dismissals, or closures.

How to Stay Updated: 📱 Monitor PGCPS official channels
📧 Check email for school announcements
📺 Watch local news
🌐 Visit the PGCPS website

📋 Review the complete Inclement Weather Guide: Click Here

Student safety is always our top priority. Plan backup arrangements now for potential weather-related schedule changes.

📅 Early Dismissal - Monday, January 26, 2026

Monday, January 26, 2026, is a Grading & Reporting Day marking the end of our Second Quarter (89 days of incredible learning and growth!).

Early Dismissal Schedule:

• Regular Students: 11:25 AM

• Star Students (Afterschool Enrichment): 1:00 PM

• Scholars Students (Afterschool Enrichment): 3:00 PM

Please make appropriate arrangements for pickup at these adjusted times. This early dismissal allows our dedicated staff time to complete report cards, analyze student progress, and prepare for an outstanding second semester.

Need clarification? Contact the front office or your child's teacher.

🚗 Important Morning Enrichment Drop-Off Change - Starting January 26, 2026

Enrichment Families,

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation. To help ease morning traffic congestion and ensure student safety, morning enrichment drop-off will move to a new location beginning Monday, January 26, 2026.

Please note the following important changes:

• Morning drop-off will no longer take place at the cafeteria.

• All enrichment students must be dropped off at Door #3, located at the front of the building on the far left near the entry gates.

• An enrichment staff member will be stationed at Door #3 to receive your child. Parents do not need to exit their vehicles.

• Staff will be present at Door #3 until 7:30 a.m. only.

Students will be supervised in the library until they are escorted to the cafeteria for breakfast or released to class.

Important: After 7:30 a.m., all students and staff will transition to the cafeteria, and no staff will remain at Door #3 to receive students. Late arrivals will need to follow the school’s standard morning procedures.

We understand that changes to routine can be challenging, and we sincerely appreciate your patience as we work to maintain a safe and efficient morning arrival process for our scholars.

Questions or Concerns?

Please don't hesitate to contact Mrs. Caple, Enrichment Coordinator, at kcaple@clfmd.org

Thank you for being partners who prioritize your children's safety and support our efforts to create the best possible learning environment for every Tiger!

📚 Read-A-Thon is HERE! Let's Get Reading!

Our AWESOME Read-A-Thon Donation Fundraiser kicked off Wednesday, January 21, 2026, and we are SUPER excited!

Our students will be doing extra reading while using teamwork to unlock incredible incentives and rewards! This is more than a fundraiser—it's an opportunity to build lifelong reading habits and confidence in our Tigers as readers and learners.

🎯 Our Goal: With 100% participation, we can reach our donation goal to update our technology lab and purchase instructional supplies that directly benefit every Tiger!

How to Get Started:

1. Visit Your Student's Personal Donation Page:
https://app.pledge-drive.net/Campaign/cmitsouth2025
Type in your student's name to access their page!

2. Watch the Daily Reading Challenge Video
Learn about what we're raising money for and how the program works!

3. Make Your First Donation

Set a good example for others to follow by making your family's donation first!

Can't find your student? Register them here

WE NEED YOUR HELP! Here's How to Maximize Success:

✅ Donate Now - Set a good example for potential donors
✅ Share Widely - Use the email function to reach at least 10 family members and friends
✅ Post on Social Media - Share on Facebook, send texts, post to all platforms
✅ Forward This Message - Send the link to everyone you know
✅ Track Reading Minutes - Log your student's reading time daily

Communication: The student donation website and email correspondence will be the primary method of communication throughout the program.

Fundraiser Dates: January 22 - February 11, 2026

Building Confidence Through Reading:
Every minute your child reads builds their vocabulary, comprehension, and most importantly—their confidence as a learner! When students see their reading minutes add up and watch their fundraising progress, they gain confidence in their ability to set goals and achieve them. Let's support our Tigers in becoming confident, capable readers!

☕ Principal's Chat & Chew - February 10-12

We invite you to join us in-person for our Quarterly Principal's Chat & Chew: Leveling Up with Principal Lewis!

What to Expect:

• Important school updates and achievements

• Grade-level successes and student progress highlights

• Answers to your questions and concerns

• Meaningful discussions on topics important to your family

Submit Questions & Confirm Attendance:
https://forms.gle/qLogQcF8NFC6JD3r8

Form Deadline: Friday, February 6, 2026, at 4:00 PM

Light refreshments will be provided!

2nd Quarter Meeting Schedule (8:30 AM - 9:30 AM):

• K & 1st Grade: Tuesday, February 10, 2026

• 2nd & 3rd Grade: Wednesday, February 11, 2026

• 4th & 5th Grade: Thursday, February 12, 2026

We can't wait to see you and hear your thoughts! Your voice matters, and these sessions are designed to ensure every family feels heard, valued, and informed.

Remember: We are Leveling Up the STEMTastic Way! Let's continue building confidence by encouraging every Tiger to raise their voice, share their ideas, and believe in their unlimited potential!

With Confident Tiger Pride and Endless Gratitude,

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

Grade Level Blurb:

With inclement weather expected this weekend, please check PGCPS’s website (https://www.pgcps.org/) for any closing or delays.

We have finished i-Ready and MAP Testing, but the testing season is still in swing. Up next is Winter Dibels Testing, please check classdojo for the specific date for your scholar’s class.

When your child has been absent please communicate to the teacher and complete the online document submission form, because we are not taking paper notes: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1lp2fJsfDLjWNINllvX10OKjiGDn443yAB8Hq8BMBa-E/viewform

IMPORTANT KINDERGARTEN DATES-

January 22- Kindergarten Winter Dibels Testing Starts

January 26- 3HR Early Dismissal

January 26- PTO Candy Gram Fundraiser Starts

January 28- PTO Meeting with Mr. Ak

January 30- Homework Due

February 6- Dress Down: Blackout

February 9- 100th Day of School : Students are invited to dress like they are 100 years old

February 13- 3HR Early Dismissal

February 13- Dress Down: Spread the Love

February 16- No School

February 20- Dress Down: HBCU Proud

Reading Updates:

Finishing UNIT 2- Week 5: Run, Jump and Swim and week 6: Pet Research

Essential Question: How do some living things make what they need?

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

Blend and Segment: Onset and Rime

• Phonics: Short /e/ middle sound and Letters W and Y

• Word Families: -op, -ot, -en, -et

• High-frequency words: go, from, yellow, blue, what, green

• Spelling words found in weekly readings: swim, push, climb, and carry

• Unit Vocabulary: grow, need, share, depend

Learning Goals:

• Learn what a persuasive text is

• Understand Informational Text Structure

• Find details in a text

• Capitalization for the beginning of a sentence

• Adjectives preposition and Verbs

• Rhyming Sort

Math Updates:

Topic 7: Understanding Subtraction

Essential Understanding: What types of situations involve subtraction?

• Show numbers in many way

• Express smaller parts of a bigger number with actions

• Represent subtraction as taking away from numbers up to 10

• Practice using an subtraction equation

• Show subtraction using number lines, ten frames and pictures

• Vocabulary:

Vocabulary: minus, take away, equal sign, take apart, left over, patterns

Science Updates:

TOPIC 4: Changes to the Environment

Experience 2: How do People change their environment?

• Review living vs non-living things

• Inquiry about the relationship between people and where they live.

• Demonstrate the relationship between the needs of people and the places they live, which together make up a system.

• Describe habitat relationships using relational language and simple adjectives.

Vocabulary: environment, system, model, change

Social Studies Updates:

Chapter 4 : Geography of the Neighborhood

Essential Question- What is the world like?

• Understand different places and areas that are around us

• Look into the into a map as a tool

• What is a globe?

• The parts of a map

• Analyze how we interact with jobs that help the community and the location of places

Vocabulary: street, community, neighbors, map, neighborhood, globe, legend

Health Updates:

January Topic: My Body is Special

• Demonstrate respect for different types of bodies

• Encourage self confidence by discovering one’s own special qualities and talents.

• Describe basic routines necessary to keep one’s “special” body healthy and safe.

• Explain why it is important to tell a trusted adult about situations involving personal safety.

Vocabulary: special, private, respect, trust, and daily habits

Grade Level Blurb:

🎉 Hello Second Grade Tiger Families! 🐯

💻 Chromebook Reminder
Please continue to send your scholar to school daily with a fully charged Chromebook

🌦️ Weather & Wellness Update 🧼
As the weather continues to change, seasonal germs are making their way around . Please remind your child to wash their hands frequently and practice good hygiene. If your child is feeling unwell, please keep them home to rest and recover.

📚🚌 Second Grade Field Trip Update! 🚌📚

We’re excited to share that second grade has a field trip planned for Tuesday, January 27, 2026! 🎉 If weather impacts our plans, we will send out updated information regarding rescheduling.

We also have many more field trips coming up in the next few months! Any approved volunteers are welcome to revisit the volunteer interest form or look for it again when we begin planning our next trip.

Parents who would like to become an approved volunteer should complete all required steps as soon as possible and then contact Ms. Reese at lreese@cmitsouthes.org once requirements are completed.

Thank you for your continued support—we’re looking forward to lots of learning and fun outside the classroom!

Reading Updates:

We are wrapping up our unit on folktales, fairytales, and fables—and your child has loved exploring these classic stories!

At home, try reading different folktales or fairytales with the same characters (like various versions of Cinderella or The Three Little Pigs) and talk about how the stories are the same and different.

Happy reading and storytelling together!

Math Updates:

We’ve wrapped up our Topic 3 math test on addition strategies—great job, mathematicians!

Now we’re moving into our next topic, where students will apply those addition strategies to solve a variety of addition problems. This means lots of practice choosing smart strategies, explaining thinking, and building confidence with numbers!

Thank you for supporting our learners at home!

Science Updates:

✨ Second Grade STEM Fair Update! ✨
All STEM Fair projects have been presented, and our scholars have been selected to participate in the school-wide STEM Fair!

If your scholar was selected, you should receive communication with next steps about the school-wide fair very soon.

👏 Great job to all of our second grade scientists! We are so proud of your hard work, creativity, and curiosity!

Social Studies Updates:

We are still engaging in government in our classroom! Scholars are learning about what government is and why it is important for our communities.

💬 Please talk with your scholar at home about the importance of government and how it helps keep people safe, organized, and heard. Every conversation helps build strong thinkers and citizens!

Health Updates:

💖 Wrapping Up Our Lessons of the Heart! 💖

Second graders are finishing up our Lessons of the Heart! We’ve been learning all about why the heart is so important and how it helps our bodies every single day.

At home, take a moment to talk with your scholar about why the heart matters and how we can take care of it by making healthy choices.

Thank you for helping us grow healthy hearts and healthy minds!

Grade Level Blurb:

The students had a busy week full of learning. Thanks to all parents who submitted the field trip permission slip and payment. We are looking forward to attending our first out of school trip.

Reading Updates:

This week in reading, we focused on prefixes — specifically pre-, re-, dis-, un-, in-, im-, and mis- — and how prefixes can change the meaning of words. Students practiced breaking words apart and using context to understand new vocabulary. We also began Unit 3, which focuses on historical fiction, and discussed different genres. Also, we started reading Below Deck: A Titanic Story as our unit text. Some students read historical fiction related to the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960/ American South!

Math Updates:

We officially wrapped up Topic 10 and are preparing to move into Topic 3: Properties of Multiplication. Students will soon be exploring patterns, strategies, and rules that help make multiplication more efficient and meaningful.

Additionally, some of our mathematicians are working on learning their division facts by relating them to multiplication facts. Once again, it’s crucial that our students learn their multiplication facts.

Science Updates:

Students completed a hands-on lab as we began investigating how relish seeds and lima beans grow. We are observing changes over time and practicing making predictions, recording observations, and asking scientific questions. We also explored life cycles, comparing and contrasting how plants, animals, and humans grow and change. Students worked hard to identify similarities and differences

and deepen their understanding of how all living things develop.

Some of our third grade scientists worked on the adaptations and survival unit. Students learned about some unique animal adaptations that allow these animals to survive and thrive in their environment. They concluded the week with a hibernation STEM

challenge.

Social Studies Updates:

In Social Studies, students received their African American Heroes Project. Each student was assigned an African American hero and began learning about their impact and contributions. Additionally, the students have been learning about early explorers for social studies! Specifically, we are learning about explorers from Portugal, Spain, England, and France, and the effects that the age of exploration had on indigenous communities in North and South America.

Health & Environmental Awareness

In health, we discussed ways we can recycle and take care of our planet. Students learned how reducing trash and pollution helps make Earth a healthier place to live and brainstormed simple actions they can take at home and school to help protect the environment.

In conclusion, we hope all our third-grade families stay safe and warm through whatever

winter weather event comes our way! Take care!

Greetings Team 4Ward,

I hope this message finds you safe and warm in the house. We hope you and your family have an opportunity to enjoy the snow. The second quarter is now at an end and final grades are being entered into Synergy. Please check Synergy weekly to stay up to date with your student’s progress in their classes.

We have concluded our winter diagnostic testing on i-Ready and MAP. i-Ready data was sent home with scholars this week. Please review the information that was sent to help you support your child. Please ensure that your child gets at least 45 minutes of math and reading practice each and every week to grow their skills.

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.

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

Thank you for your ongoing support in your child’s learning journey. We are grateful for the partnership between home and school — together we help every student thrive.

Warmly,

Team 4Ward

Important Upcoming Dates:

• Half Day Dismissal at 11:25- Monday January 26, 2026

• 4th Grade Museum FridayFebruary 6, 2026

• President’s Day Monday February 16, 2026 No School

Fourth Grade Information:

i-Ready:

i-Ready is a computer based math and reading program that is available for all of our scholars. Scholars have completed their diagnostics and are working on programs based on their areas of need. This program will be available all summer for students to continue to utilize in both reading and math. Please help your child complete at least 45 minutes of math and reading to grow their abilities.

Absences:

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

If your scholar is absent, please complete the CMIT South ES Absence Google Form within 3 days of your scholar returning back to school. https://forms.gle/euXzCpDvNGbLwb8U6 In order for students to receive make-up work you must provide a note stating; the student’s name, the date of absence, and reason for absence. Work is provided to students upon their return to school with an absence note.

Communications:

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

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

Grading:

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

It is imperative that work is complete and turned in on time in order to receive full credit. Our district has set policies regarding assignment completion and make-up assignments. Only students that have an excused absence will be given an opportunity to receive and complete missing assignments.

Uniforms:

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

Reading Updates:

We are in Volume 2 of our textbooks Unit 4: Impacts. Within this unit students will explore diverse literature styles from all over the world.This year writing is a main focus within our school. As we enter the second quarter scholars' writing will increase in frequency and length. We are expecting them to write at least 8 sentences per essay. How they organize and how clearly they share their points and ideas will also be important in scoring their writing.

This Week:

This week students read a Historical Fiction called “The Secret of the Winter Count.” A historical fiction is a story that has narrative elements but the story is set in the past. This story is about a girl named Emma who tries to help her family find water during a drought. In this story students will seek to answer: how can what we learn from stories guide our actions? We will work on determining the theme of the text. This week our word study words have prefixes -im, -in, -ir.

Next Week:

We will revisit the Historical Fiction story “The Secret of the Winter Count” Students are seeking to answering how can what we learn from stories guide our actions. This week students will determine the theme or the lasting message that is given in this story. Also this week students will write a sequel to the story we have been reading. Our students will also have a word study assessment on the prefixes -im, -in, and -ir.

Math Updates:

As we return from the break, we will continue with our Multiplication Focus. This week and next in Math, scholars continued working through Topics 3 and 4, focusing on using strategies and properties to solve 1-digit and 2-digit multiplication problems. Please continue to build math fluency through repetition of basic math facts to build speed and math confidence.

Please encourage scholars to practice their facts at home using Prodigy, IXL, i-Ready, and XtraMath to boost automatic recall. A few minutes of daily practice goes a long way!

Science Updates:

In Science, scholars are focusing on STEM Fair presentations! This week we took time to showcase each scholars’ hard work with an in-class STEM Gallery walk, touring each board exploring the different STEM topics. Next week, we will begin STEM presentations and choose our top 3 classroom representatives for the STEM Fair.

In addition to the STEM Fair, in Science we will begin our next topic, Human Use of Energy. In this topic, scholars will describe how fuels humans use for energy are derived from natural sources. They will learn that some of these resources are renewable over time, and others are not, and that human use of these energy resources can affect the environment in multiple ways.

Social Studies Updates Updates:

This week students brainstormed an important American who helped shape the U.S. nation to prepare for their in class quest presentation project.

Grade Level Blurb:

Hello Families!

We had a great week of testing! 🎉 We are so proud of our students’ growth, focus, and hard work. As the quarter is coming to an end soon, this is a great time to finish strong! 💪🏽

Reading & Writing Updates:

Students are working on prefixes and verb tense while reading and writing informational text, focusing on key ideas and supporting details.

Social Studies Updates:

Continuing Chapter 4, Lesson 5: The French and Indian War.

Mrs. Mitchell led a game board activity using informational text.

Ms. Agbaniyaka led a Kahoot review to reinforce learning.

Math Updates:

Topic 7 — adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators. Students are practicing finding common denominators, following all steps, and simplifying answers.

Science Updates:

Chapter 6 — Earth’s systems (hydrosphere, atmosphere, geosphere, biosphere) and how they interact.

General CARTS Message:

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

Music:

This week we took a short pause from our discussion about confidence to engage in some discussion about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The students were very inquisitive about many of the aspects of Dr. King’s life and the work he did. I encourage you to share any experiences and information you have that will help students learn about and connect with the civil rights movement.

Ms. Flores’ class participated in an arts integration lesson learning and using tableau to gain a deeper understanding of vocabulary used during the civil rights movement. This class will be doing more with tableau as the school year progresses. I look forward to sharing their progress.

Next week:

Kindergarten - High & Low, Long & Short Sounds

1st Grade - Solfege and Tempo (Presto & Largo)

2nd Grade - Solfege and Dynamics (Piano & Forte)

3rd Grade - Standard Treble Clef Notation and Tempo

4th Grade - Rhythms using dotted quarter, eighth notes and ties

5th Grade - Syncopation and The 4 Voices (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass)

We are sure to have a fun time with these lessons!

3rd Grade Reminder - Recorders are due in class by February 7th!

Media:

Don't forget to get your calendars and stomachs ready! The Cookbook Extravaganza presented by Library/Media is happening Thursday February 16!

2025-2026 School Calendar

School Meals

School Violence Resources and Support

PGCPS TV

CMIT South ES Enrichment Program

Vendor Managed Child Care

Parent Handbook

Students’ Rights and Responsibilities Handbook.

Synergy ParentVUE Support for Parents and Guardians

Student Absence Form