Hello Parents, Please complete the Parent Workshop Evaluation form to provide feedback of the different Parent Workshops that took place during the 2018-2019 school year. Your opinion matters as we are planning for more successful workshops during the 2019-2020 school year. The deadline has been extended to Friday April 26 ! Thank You https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc7aVSfSrEbcZSp6YYiAFpe77sWLTSbAQArDHuYriAY_0Z0Qw/viewform?usp=sf_link

Ms. Morino (K-2 ILT)

Held on the first Saturday in May, this will be the 3rd Annual MakerFEST, CLF's yearly STEAM Festival celebrating our community's inner genius! CLF schools are now eight programs and six institutions across the State of Maryland serving over 3,200 students K-12! MakerFEST invites these students to participate with staff, parents and our wider CLF STEM community partners to feel encouraged to exhibit and enjoy all the day's inventions, artwork, personal projects, experiments, robots, wild creations, noble attempts, fine solutions to typical problems, and makers making so much more! CLF will also have volunteer opportunities available for anyone who wants to help build the best MakerFEST ever! To register for an exhibition space visit https://www.clfadvancedstudies.org/makerfest For volunteer opportunities visit https://goo.gl/forms/y1qs5zfo8OPOuRo92 This year, the first Saturday in May happens to coincide with May 4th, often celebrated by fans of the widely popular Star Wars franchise. We fundamentally feel obligated since astronomy, space exploration fit all too well into the MakerFEST concept, so Community Partnerships is also encouraging all exhibitors to share their project progress with @CLF_CLF on twitter or @ChesapeakeLighthouseFoundation on Facebook with the hashtag #MayTheFourthBuildWithYou. Until next update, May The Fourth Be With You!

CLF Community Partnerships

IT IS SPRING BREAK! Spring Break is April 15-22nd. Classes will resume on April 23, 2019. Please continue to collect bottles of different kinds for a gardening/repurposing project that will occur after the break. Feel free to do IXL over break if you would like your scholar to continue practicing skills. Encourage your scholar to start working on 1st grade skills if you feel they are doing well with the Kindergarten skills. Have a wonderful Spring Break!

The Kindergarten Team

Reading - We are reading "Growing Frogs" by Vivian French. Reading skills: informative vs. narrative, fiction vs. nonfiction, and retelling. Phonics: short a - spelled 'al' (ex: tall, waltz, small) Math - We are continuing with chapter 13, which is telling time to the hour and half hour. Science - We are continuing our unit on Life Science. This week we will be exploring the life cycle of a frog. Social Studies - We are learning about the Earth and the three R's. (reduce, reuse, recycle) Health - We are learning about safety in the home. We are running low on some classroom supplies. We are asking for donations of glue sticks, erasers, and expo markers. If you can donate, it would be greatly appreciated!! Also, please make sure to check Class Dojo regularly for classroom updates!!

First Grade Team

We had a great week in 2nd Grade! Hope everyone has a fantastic Spring Break! When we get back 2nd Grade will be going on their field trip to Goddard Space Flight Center. Mr. Trippe and Mrs. Glasper's class will be going the day we get back on 4/23. Ms. Stollof and Ms. Cooper's class will be going on 4/24. If you have not submitted the permission slip, the school will be open over Spring Break if you would like to drop off during that time. I suggest calling before you make the trip to drop off. In Reading, we will be working on Unit 5 Week 3. The story of the week will be "Bad Dog Badger." Throughout the week we will focus on plot and theme, as well as background knowledge. The spelling pattern for list A is consonant pattern kn,wr, gn, mb. In math we will be beginning Topic 11. This topic covers subtraction within 1,000. Have a wonderful break and we will see you when we get back.

- The Second Grade Team

Scholars will be preparing for PARCC testing when we return from Spring Break. Please review the testing strategies with your scholar. Strategy 1: Process of Elimination This strategy shows you how to get rid of wrong answers and narrow down your choices. It’s easier to pick the right answer when you have fewer options to choose from. Strategy 2: Using Context Clues This strategy teaches you how to spot clues in the test item that will help you figure out the answer. Clues can be hiding in the directions, the passage, or the answer choices. Strategy 3: Read the Questions and Answers First This strategy helps you practice reading the questions and possible answers before reading a passage. Previewing the questions and answers helps you know what information to look for as you read. Strategy 4: Underlining Key Words This strategy teaches you how to locate important information in the test item. Underlining these key words and phrases makes them easy to see and helps you focus on the best answer. Strategy 5: Plug-In This strategy shows you how to “test out” each answer choice by plugging it into a sentence or phrase. You can then cross out answers that don’t make sense and find the answer that is the best fit. Strategy 6: Reread This strategy reminds you to reread the directions, a passage, or the answer choices when you need to. Rereading can help you clarify a question or find information that you need in order to find the best answer. Your scholar should also come to school well nourished, well rested, and on time during the week of testing. Upcoming Events: April 23 - Spring Break Packet Due April 23 - Math/Science/ELA/SS: TSW prepare and practice for PARCC testing April 23- May 3 Spirit Week May 7- May 13 PARCC testing https://www1.pgcps.org/springpackets/ https://parcc-assessment.org

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Third Grade Team

Ms. Webb: Math: We will continue studying fractions and decimals. We will compare and order them. Feel free to watch videos on youtube or Kumon, and study your notes nightly! There are practice PARCC test at https://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/ . Let’s get prepped! Science: We will continue Earth/Space Science based on Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). We will continue to discuss natural resources and how humans positively and negatively affect the Earth’s resources. Health: We will continue our discussion of the Digestive System. Ms. Ahmed: Spring Enrichment packets are due after the Spring Break and will count for extra credit in math and science classes. Any online PARCC practice unit tests taken will also count for extra credit, but I need parent notification either on the April math log or by ClassDojo message (How many tests taken). Here's the link for the online testing: https://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/math/ Math: Thanks for helping make our Fractions Fun Party a success on Friday, April 12! In math class, we are wrapping up our fractions unit and beginning our geometry unit starting with angles and using protractors to measure angles. Please make sure to complete all math homework: PARCC practice packet for Unit 2 (Unit 1 packet was due before break), April math log, thirty (30) minutes of IXL (Set P skills are fractions and need to be completed), and PearsonRealize Practice Buddy for 9-6 and 9-7. Science/Health: In science, we will be creating Solar Houses as a STEM lab related to our energy unit. Some of our students are preparing for the MakersFest on May 4th, but any other student projects may be submitted to me for presentation at the MakersFest. In health, we had a "scentsational" time conducting a smell-test lab prior to break. This week, we will explore the sense of feeling/touch. RELA/Social Studies: We have begun our Inquiry Unit on Immigration. Throughout fourth quarter we will be exploring the many ways and reasons that people from around the world have immigrated to the United States. We have already began to talk about Ellis Island and Angel Island and will continue with this theme after Spring Break. Spring Break packets may be printed out at home and completed over break for extra credit in RELA. Please submit these no later than Friday, 4/26. WSSC Field Trip: Our WSSC field trip to the Supplee Recreational Area is on April 24, two days after break, and this will be related to conservation of resources. Students must be ready to hike outdoors with appropriate footwear, and I highly suggest bug repellant to be applied by parents at home in the morning (since I cannot as their teacher). Students should wear sneakers to this trip and should also wear their PE uniform so they are comfortable outside. Please submit the permission slip, photo release document, and $5 ASAP.

4th Grade Team

Hello Parents! We made it to Spring Break ! After spring break it will be all math PARCC review and science we will cover more on cells and the phases it undergoes to multiply normally and abnormally. ELA: Students will be reading the story Exploding Ants. They will go over how to write a formal letter with the proper components. They will also review homophones and possessive pronouns. Please remember that these skills are not new for students. They are to review as they have learned them throughout the year. Students will also continue to read our 4th quarter novel "Maniac Magee. Social Studies: Students will continue to learn about the American Revolution. They will learn this week about how the United States won its independence from the British. REMINDERS/UPDATES: April 23- Return from spring break April 30- April Poetry Projects due ***NO LATE SUBMISSIONS ACCEPTED** PLEASE CHECK SCHOOLMAX REGULARLY. GRADES ARE PUT IN WEEKLY.

5th Grade Team

Hellooooo Tigers' Den! Recognizing that report cards went out for our 3rd quarter this week, our students are navigating some BIG feelings! Some of those feelings are pride, and others disappointment. This is a pivotal time for use to jump in and support our Tigers on BOTH ends of the emotional spectrum. Below I have shared some fabulous articles with discussions on this very topic: pride, discouragement, behaviors, motivation, and mindsets! As always, I invite you to reach out to me with follow up thoughts or questions on any of these! If there is one thing I love most: it is talking with you all ;) (writchie@cmitelementary.org) Some teasers... "A child’s expectation of feeling proud or ashamed therefore decisively influences her choices - those situations she actively seeks and those she avoids. Shame - our emotional response to exclusion and failure - lowers aspirations. Pride — our emotional response to acceptance and success — raises aspirations. The evolutionary psychologist Glenn Weisfeld succinctly explains, 'We anticipate pride and shame at every turn and shape our behavior accordingly.'" "We therefore need to let our children know, as often as we can, that we are proud of them — for their effort and for their accomplishments. And we should not be afraid to “spoil” them with this form of praise." Keep Reading Here!: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pride-and-joy/201205/understanding-children-s-emotions-pride-and-shame Another GREAT article!: https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/you-think-you-re-so-good-how-pride-can-help-kids-20180520-p4zgg5.html "I know how powerful it can be when implemented and understood correctly. Education can be very faddish but this is not a fad. It’s a basic scientific finding, I want it to be part of what we know and what we use... "...the kids who had more early process praise—relative to person praise—sought more challenges and did better in school. The more they had a growth mindset in 2nd grade the better they did in 4th grade and the relationship was significant; [a correct understanding of and application of a growth mindset] is powerful.” THIS ONE IS TOPS! Giving us the proper language to use and shape with our children, not "empty praise"... https://qz.com/587811/stanford-professor-who-pioneered-praising-effort-sees-false-praise-everywhere/ Attached is an awesome visual from (my favorite) My Big Life Journal.

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Graciously, Your School Counselor [Mrs. Whitney Green]

We had a great time hosting the 1st Annual CMIT Math Tournament on April 6, 2019. Six different elementary and middle schools from PG County were in attendance with great scholars executing their math skills. Students had a great time competing with each other and playing dance-off game. Suitland Middle, CMIT North elementary, and Carmody Hills elementary have received 1st place team awards in different grade levels. Congratulations to all teams and coaches. See you next year on 2nd Annual CMIT Math Tournament in April 2020.

Technology Team