This is a reminder if you want to VOLUNTEER in your child's class, the school building or chaperone on a field trip you MUST have a background check through Prince George's County Public Schools. Please see the attached flyer for additional and more detailed information. SCHOOL VISITORS MUST: - Undergo Security Process: scan of government-issued ID into Raptor Visitor Management System upon arrival to school in the front office - Wear Raptor system badge for duration of visit - Sign out at conclusion of visit - Be escorted and under the supervision of PGCPS employee at all times EXAMPLES: Parent-teacher conference or meeting, training, to observe or shadow a class, conference or event attendees; contractors VOLUNTEERS MUST: Go through PGCPS Security Process: Fingerprinting & CPS Clearance - Undergo same process as outlined for Visitors (above) - Undergo a fingerprint check - at least 15 business days in advance of volunteer activity - Undergo a Child Protective Services (CPS) clearance - at least 15 business days in advance of volunteer activity - Complete the required SafeSchools training modules each school year - prior to engaging in volunteer activity. (These trainings are MANDATORY for volunteers and staff) CLICK HERE TO ACCESS TRAINING: https://www.pgcps.org/required-training/ - Upon completion of the training print a copy and email it to evirgil@cmitelementary.org or bring/send a copy to the school. Please note: The CERTIFICATE MUST BE UPDATED EACH SCHOOL YEAR!

Attachment(s)

Ecola Virgil

Free or reduced-price meals are available to students based on household size and income (see chart in link below). If income falls below the amount listed below for household size, then students living within the household may qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Students are automatically eligible for free meals if the family receives assistance under the Food Supplement Program or Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) benefits. To apply, families must complete a new Application for Free and Reduced-Price Meals at the beginning of each school year. Students and their families do not have to be U.S. citizens to receive meal benefits. All students in the family should be listed on one application. Applications are available on the PGCPS website, and can be submitted at any time. Please use the link below to access the application: https://www1.pgcps.org/food-and-nutrition/cards/Apply-For-Free-or-Reduced-Price-Meals/ Applications can take up to 10 days to process. Families will be notified if they are approved or do not qualify for meal benefits. For more information, call 301-952-6517.

Ecola Virgil

OUR TARDIES ARE INCREASING! It’s Not In To Be Out of School!!! When it comes to attendance: every day counts! Did you know just two days out of school a month (about 18 days a year) can add up to 10 percent of the school year missed? Parent and guardians should take note of changes to PGCPS attendance policies and tips on ways to keep absences at minimum. Our THEME: It’s Not In To Be Out of School – #PGCPSAttendanceMatters. Our GOAL: Our goal is for every student to attend school every day, ON TIME! School HOURS: Arrival: 7:35 AM - 7:55 AM Departure: 2:25 PM - 2:55 PM See attachment for Parental tips on how you can take action.

Attachment(s)

Ecola Virgil

Hello Parents, Please click on the link below to sign up for our first Parent University of the school year ! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A084DAEA62CA3F85-parent Attached you will find the flyer to provide you with more details. Childcare will not be provided however, children are welcome to attend. Looking forward to seeing you at 6PM on October 10th

Attachment(s)

Ms. Morino (Reading/Social Studies Instructional Lead Teacher)

Please take a moment and sign up for clubs!! Clubs will start on October 14, 2019. Seats are limited, so one club per person. Sign-up will no longer accept entries after FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2019 at 2:55 p.m. Sign-up does not guarantee a spot in the club - this is a lottery. Students will be notified by Wednesday, October 9, 2019 by the club sponsor. Club Lottery: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Sz8MLrVVS44yLN4KNmGLIGBf6RJgM0ki2wRl-G8wyAI/edit Make sure you click on the link attached to the form to read a description of each club. Each description includes the grade levels of students being accepted, the day students will meet, and any costs associated with the club. If you have any questions or concerns please email Ms. Crosby at mtolbert@cmitelementary.org OR Mrs. Richardson at crhodes@cmitelementary.org. Image retrieved from: http://clipartmag.com/after-school-clipart

Ms. Crosby and Mrs. Richardson

We have finished our first month of kindergarten! As we enter into October, we are continuing assessments and will be finishing MAP testing. MAP results will be sent home when testing is complete. Remember scholars focus better when they have had a good nights sleep and a good breakfast. As we move into cooler weather, please send your scholar in appropriate clothing and that all sweaters and jackets have your scholars name in them. If you have not done so, send in a change of clothing. Scholars will need a writing journal for Ecology. If you have not done so, send in a primary writing journal with your scholar as soon as possible. We are planning on starting more activities and will need scissors for each student. If you have not already supplied your scholar with scissors, please do so as soon as possible. This week, we will continue working with the words the and little. Our story this week is Miss Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip with Kindergarten. We will be working on classifying and categorizing and letters Tt-Zz. In Math, we will be working on equal groups, greater than, less than, and comparing groups to 5 by counting.

The Kindergarten Team

Reading - We will be reading "How Do Apples Grow?" by Betsy Maestro. Reading skills: schema, apple life cycle, and author's purpose Phonics: ch and sh Math - We are continuing with Chapter 7, which is extending the counting sequence. (ex: counting by 10s to 120, counting by 1s to 120, using a number chart) Science - We are continuing our unit on Energy, focusing on heat, light, and sound. Social Studies - We are learning about rules and community laws. Health - We are continuing to learn about making good behavior choices. Reminders: --Apple Day is Friday, October 4, 2019 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. - please check Class Dojo for the sign up from your teacher. --Money for our field trip to Sharp's at Waterford Farm is due on Friday, October 4, 2019. Chaperones will need to pay $21.00 and ride the bus in order to attend.

First Grade Team

We had another great week in second grade! Next week, we will be continuing our reading unit on exploration! The question of the week next week will be, "What can we learn by exploring nature?" Throughout the week, we will focus on character and setting, as well as story structure. The spelling pattern for List A next week will be long consonant blends. In math, we will be finishing Topic 1: Fluently add and subtract within 20. We are currently planning on having our first topic test on Friday (10/4). As a reminder, it is recommended to be practicing basic addition and subtraction facts with flashcards regularly at home. As always, if you have any questions please reach out to your child's teacher via ClassDojo. Have a great weekend and we will see everyone on Monday!

- The Second Grade Team

We are just about finish with our beginning of the year assessments. Students will be grouped and individualized small group instruction will begin. Be on the lookout for MAP scores in Reading and Math in the upcoming weeks. This will provide information on where your scholar is at the beginning of the year. We urge that scholars pay attention to their homework sheets from both classes. Scholars should be writing their name and date on any work to be submitted. All homework should be turned in or completed on time. This week in Math, students will be learning various multiplication strategies. In Science, students will continue learning about weather. In Reading, students will be making inferences using text clues and background knowledge. In Social Studies, students will identify characteristics of the three types of communities. Upcoming Events/Reminders... - October 10th Parent Night

Third Grade Team

This week students have worked really hard at our Math and Reading MAP testing. In math, we talked about comparing whole numbers and are starting to talk about rounding numbers. Next week we will be working on rounding numbers and completing this section of math. In science we talked about inquiry and investigation. We will be working on understanding what tools scientists use and how they answer questions next week. In RELA, students worked on expository writing and their first essays! Next week we will be reading Lewis and Clark and Me and working on steps to take if our comprehension breaks down. In Social Studies, we will be discussing how to read maps.

-Mrs. Michaela Moon, Fourth Grade Lead, Green Team Lead, Green Kiwanis Club Sponsor

Hello Parents! We have made it to the end of September already, wow! Next week student will still be learning about the galaxy and all that entails, this includes the orbit of the earth, changing of the season and relative distances of stars. As for Math, we will still be working on place value, from models, to rounding, converting between fraction and decimal form, extended notion and adding, identifying place values themselves and adding and subtracting decimals. Students' monthly projects will be due on October 7th and a new one will be passed out for the month of October the same week. Weekly homework have already started and are passed out on Mondays and due the following Mondays. Classwork, students have a morning math packet that is due every week by Friday. No packets should be taken home, this is what those hefty binders are for, to keep these graded packets and classwork organized. If your kiddo has taken any class work home please make sure they bring it back. ELA: Students will begin the week by taking their assessments from the following week. Since there was no school on Friday we will take the assessments on Monday. This week students will begin reading the story " Island of the Blue Dolphins". They will focus on the skill of Theme and Setting. Students will also be learning about dependent and independent clauses. Students will begin reading chapters 4-6 in our quarter 1 novel Frindle. Social Studies: We are now onto chapter 1 lesson 3, which focuses on Native American Cultures. Students will dig into the daily lives and roles of each member within a Native American tribe. REMINDERS/UPDATES October 3- September Book Project Due ***No late projects are accepted*** October 7- Math Project Due **No late projects accepted**

5th Grade Team

Hi Tigers' Den! I wanted to share this great resource with you. . . This is one of the many blogs I follow, and I felt that this list of 35 phrases really and truly resonated with a lot of the work we do each day at CMIT-ES. We all work to help shape a collective understanding in the character development of our Tigers, while celebrating their unique traits (including our, at times, challenging, headstrong tiger cubs!) I've included the beginning of the article here, with the link to read the rest below. Happy re-phrasing! :) "Parenting strong-willed children can be difficult when they're young, but if properly directed and parented, they can become awesome world changers. Although [parenting] a headstrong little one seems like a huge task (that doesn't seem to get easier as they get smarter), it's doable. Just remember—they respond warmly when they're heard and understood. COMMUNICATION: 1. "I can see you didn't hear me the first time. How about when I say it to you, you whisper it back to me?" Having your child repeat back what he hears solidifies your message. Varying the volume adds an element of fun to the request. 2. "I hear you. Can you come up with a solution?" Asking your strong-willed child to come up with a solution places the responsibility back on them. Next time they're complaining, ask them to brainstorm solutions. Remind them there are no wrong answers, and the sillier they are, the better. 3. "This is a tough one, huh? We're going to figure this out together." When children are digging in their heels, it is important to understand why. This phrase reinforces the idea that you are on the same team, working toward the same goal. HITTING AND THROWING: 4. "When you throw your toys, I think you don't like playing with them. Is that what's going on?" This speaker/listener technique is designed to help communicate feelings in a non-confrontational manner. Not only does this keep the lines of communication open, you are modeling how to phrase a situation from your perspective, which in turn gives your child a chance to rephrase events in their perspective. 5. "It's okay to be angry, but I won't let you hit. We need to keep everyone safe." This gets the message firmly across that the emotion is okay, but the action is not. Separating the two will help your strong-willed child learn what they can and can't do. CALMING DOWN: 6. "Let's go to our calm down space together." This flips the script of "time out" to "time in," allowing for reconnection instead of isolation. 7. "I'm starting to get frustrated, and I'm going to be right here calming down." Teach children how to label and govern their emotions by modeling this in real time..." READ MORE HERE!: https://www.mother.ly/child/phrases-to-say-to-a-headstrong-child?utm_source=newsletter

Graciously, Your School Counselor [Mrs. Whitney Green]

While I hope some of you will be able to stop by, pop in, and chat with me on Monday morning (Sept 30, 2019) anytime between 8:30-9:30am (pajamas and coffee cups welcomed, as this is a wildly informal chat!)... I am also providing the link to the curriculum we are using this year, and hope you will all take some time to explore it! https://www.sanfordharmony.org/ Please read the beautiful story of the founder, as well as peak at the curriculum "in action" in the videos the website offers. As always, I invite any and all comments, curiosities and collaborations, so please don't hesitate to reach out to me! (either via DoJo: Whitney Green, PSC; or email: writchie@cmitelementary.org)

Graciously, Your School Counselor [Mrs. Whitney Green]

Spanish https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jDaXhZ7QvXF_l5keOad8SxAY7LV-ypmUIK_ooDxvR4E/edit?usp=sharing Ecology Scholars had a great time in Ecology learning the Engineer design process. We engineered boats. For parents interested in supporting Ecology please see the links below. Introductory letter: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Bav0G31iFfUhmJf_DtIBCHuzVuqDvR-m6x1GdhbUSxA/edit?usp=sharing Donor-choose link to projects https://www.donorschoose.org/MrsMccain5thgrade?utm_source=dc&utm_medium=page&utm_campaign=teacher_profile&utm_term=teacher_2870376&rf=page-dc-2019-09-teacher_profile-teacher_2870376&challengeid=20573570&projects=true Amazon prime wishlist https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3L9K2MUA5Y1PI?ref_=wl_share Physical Education Students will continue to complete their fitnessgram pre testing for grades 4 & 5. Grades K-3 will continue to work on locomotor skills with spelling scavenger hunt. Technology This week we practiced keyboarding during our Technology class. 1st-2nd-3rd-4th-5th: https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/articles/z3c6tfr KG: http://www.abcya.com/kindergarten_computers.htm#more-cat Music This week in music class, maestros in grades 3-5 have put their rhythm knowledge to the test! They're performing rhythms in standard notation in small groups and as a large group. If their class passes....they get to move on to instruments! 5 classes have passed this test. Maestros in grades K-1 are working with the BEAT. Finding a beat, counting beats, and deciding where the strong beat is. We're having fun with songs that teach us about the beat! Second grade maestros are using ear training to find melodic direction. We're singing fun songs that show direction and travel by skips and steps. Art During week 4 in Art class, we expanded our line experience from last week to include a focus on repetition and patterns. They identified examples of patterns in their environment to include: text/handwriting, a proper line in the hallway, and hair braiding. Lego We are continuing with cubelets for 3- 5 grade and K-2 students built their happiness with lego.

Creative Arts Team

Hey Tiger Family! Thank you to all of the parents and teachers who came out to the PTO meeting on Wednesday night! We hope you found the information presented to be helpful and we look forward to partnering with you as the year progresses! We'd also like to thank all of the parents and teachers who attended the Back to School BBQ as well as the parents who donated food! The event was a great success! We have a few events coming up in the next few weeks and we need your support!! Upcoming Events: Sept 25-Oct 21: Mid-Atlantic Fundraiser Monday, Oct 7th: Panera Bread Spirit Night, Bowie MD Monday, Oct 14th: Donuts with Dad and Dudes VOLUNTEERS NEEDED (Sign-up for Dads and Dudes coming soon)! Volunteer Opportunity: Donuts with Dads an Dudes: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090e44afa82ea2fb6-donuts Keep in touch with other parents in your scholar's grades with Facebook! The parent Facebook groups for each grade are: K: CMIT North Kindergarten Parents https://www.facebook.com/groups/2413541675559386/ 1st: CMIT North 1st Grade Parents https://www.facebook.com/groups/272030423584283/ 2nd: CMIT North 2nd Grade Parents https://www.facebook.com/groups/734210993692405/ 3rd: CMIT North 3rd Grade Parents https://www.facebook.com/groups/1998798360146939/ 4th: CMIT North ES Class of 2021 https://www.facebook.com/groups/CMITESCLASSOF2021/ 5th: Class of 2020 CMIT ES Parents https://www.facebook.com/groups/Classof2020CMITES/ Please note, since these groups are concerning our children you may likely be asked a security question before joining the group. And finally, join the PTO! We can't support our scholars with items such as IXL and SmartBoards without your support!. http://www.cmitelementarypto.com/store/c2/PTO_Membership.html

CMIT Elementary PTO