Congratulations to the following OUTSTANDING CMIT-ES Black History Poster & Essay Contest Winners on their featured Black History contributor:

Lower Elementary- Poster Contest Winners
Kindergarten
JESSICA MAGSALIN-----Rosa Parks 1st Place
AARAV BHUT-------------Mae Jemison 2nd Place

1st Grade
BROOKE IFILL-----------------Misty Danielle Copeland 1st Place
CHIMDI IKECHUKWU--------Dr. Patricia Era Bath 2nd Place

2nd Grade
CAYLA WAYTES-----------------Mae C. Jemison 1st Place
EBEN SMITH--------------------Matthew A. Cherry 2nd Place


Upper Elementary - Essay Contest Winners
3rd Grade
BRYCE ALBURY--------------------Dr. Percy Lavon Julian 1st Place
DADEN GROGAN------------------Lonnie G. Johnson 2nd Place


4th Grade
FATIMA MOSLEY-----------------------Out of This World (Mae Carol Jemison) 1st Place
NAIMA SAM-BOMAH------------------ Aretha Franklin 2nd Place

5th Grade
SYDNEY WYNN-------------------Dr. Hadiyah-Nicole Green 1st Place
CAMERON TAYLOR--------------Colonel Benjamin Alvin Drew, Jr. 2nd Place



The students were extremely creative in visual presentations and written essays. Thanks to the Chesapeake Lighthouse Foundation (CLF) for the sponsorship of the contest, student recognition at the CLF Reception on March 10, 2016 and the rewards of Amazon gift cards.

Mrs Respass
Principal

Wishing you all a relaxing, well-deserved, fun-filled Spring Break! It's hard to believe that only one quarter is left in the 2015-2016 school year. Thank you for your dedication, commitment and support to CMIT-ES!!! We appreciate the students' hard work and efforts in their school work. Our teachers are on break and need rest and relaxation. We all should be encouraged to pause and enjoy family and friends!

See you on April 5, 2016 at 7:30 a.m.!

HAPPY SPRING BREAK!

Mrs Respass
Principal

On Saturday, March 19, 2016, the University of Maryland, College Park Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering in conjunction with the School of Engineering hosted a Parent STEM Expo. The purpose of the Expo was to help guide parents through the different avenues of STEM - whether they are starting in elementary or high school. Parents had the opportunity to speak with experts on ways to encourage STEM in their homes, as well as career paths available.

Our very own Ms. SANTIAGO, Kindergarten Lead Teacher, spoke on a panel regarding Pathways to STEM for elementary level students. The conversations involved strategies and resources available to elementary school students, a deeper understanding of common core, and ways parents can get involved in their schools to help further STEM education.

For more details on the event, or to begin looking forward to next year's Expo, go to http://www.cmse.umd.edu/parent-expo.

Dear Parents/ Guardians,

CHESAPEAKE MATH & IT ELEMENTARY Public Charter School hosted three PARCC Nights to help connect parents and students with resources to prepare for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) assessments and gain knowledge of the Maryland College and Career Ready Standards.

The testing window for PGCPS students will begin April 18, 2016 and end May 31, 2016.

PARCC is Maryland’s new accountability program, replacing the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) in Reading and Math. It is the first assessment aligned to Maryland’s College and Career Ready Standards, and sets a higher bar for student learning. PARCC requires students to demonstrate critical thinking, problem solving, clear writing, readiness for more challenging academic work for elementary, middle and high school students, which is measured in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics.

PARCC Nights were hosted from 5:30 p.m. -7:00 p.m @ CMIT ELEMENTARY

The parent resources for PARCC are listed below:

Resources : http://parcc.pearson.com/
http://www.parcconline.org/resources/parent-resources
http://understandthescore.org/
http://www.parcconline.org/instructional-tools/formative-tools ( K-2)
http://understandthescore.org/help-your-child/parent-questions-answers/
http://www.parcconline.org/resources/educator-resources
http://bealearninghero.org/classroom/parcc
http://www.teachhub.com/how-prepare-students-parcc-tests
https://thejournal.com/articles/2015/03/03/what-tech-skills-do-students-really-need-to-take-parcc-assessments.aspx

Erkan Derin
Program Coordinator

The K-Kids Club of CMIT Elementary, after learning about the Flint Water Crisis, is gearing up to raise money for the Flint Child and Health Development Fund. The Fund will be used to aid in the immediate and ongoing health needs of children affected by the Water Crisis. The K-Kids have great ideas for fundraising, and will be implementing them after Spring Break.

Be on the lookout for these upcoming fundraisers and collection boxes! If you'd like to donate directly, go to www.flintkids.org!

- Ms. Santiago, K-Kids Advisor

4th Annual CLF Culture Fest
WHEN: APRIL 16, 2016 at 2 P.M. - 4 P.M.

PLACE: Sheraton Columbia
Town Center Hotel
10207 Wincopin Circle
Columbia, MD 21044

COST: $2 in Advance
$3 at the Door

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW AT THE FRONT DESK!!!

Mrs Respass
Principal

March 28, 2016-----------------------------------------Schools & Offices Closed for Easter
March 29, 2016 through April 4, 2016------------Schools Closed for Students & Teachers for SPRING BREAK!!!
March 29, 2016 through April 4, 2016------------Schools Closed for Students & Teachers for SPRING BREAK!!!
April 5, 2016 through April 29, 2016---------------Pennies for the PTO
April 11, 2016--------------------------------------------Maryland Science Center Assembly
April 12, 2016--------------------------------------------Nando's Peri Peri Spirit Night Laurel Towne Center
April 15, 2016-------------------------------------------- CMIT-ES Multi-cultural Festival
April 16, 2016--------------------------------------------CLF Multi-cultural Festival (2 p.m. - 4 p.m.)
April 19, 2016--------------------------------------------PTO Chick Fil A Spirit Night
April 26, 2016--------------------------------------------Schools & Offices Closed for Primary Elections
April 27, 2016--------------------------------------------Administrative Appreciation Day

Mrs. Respass
Principal

Ms. Santiago and Mrs. Valera's classes will be taking home seeds they have planted! They will also be going home with a Plant Journal to complete during the Spring Break. Remember to have students water their plants and record their observations!

Please bring the journals back when we return on April 5, 2016. (You can keep the plants at home!) We can't wait to see the results!

Have a Spectacular Spring Break!

- Ms. Santiago and Mrs. Valera

A message from CMIT Elementary YearbookClub:

Some of you may already know that yearbooks are on sale! We worked really hard to keep the price the same as last year while almost doubling the pages in the yearbook! The yearbook is only $20 (If ordered online and soon. They are $25 if you use the life touch envelope that was sent home and pay by check or money order. We opted to do a $5 discount if you order online to encourage tech savvy ordering!)

Get the orders in soon because all prices increase by $5 when early bird ordering is over!

Please go to: ybpay.lifetouch.comybpay.lifetouch.com
Yearbook ID Code: 12368416

Please email me with any questions at mbreckenridge@cmitelementary.org

Erkan Derin
Program Coordinator

Congratulations to fifth graders for completing the MSA! Students will create a business plan for fourth quarter! Students should be practice the math and reading PARCC practice assessment. The fifth grade PARCC night was held on Monday March 21, 2016 from 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. For more practice, please visit:
http://parcc.pearson.com/practice-tests/

Benora McCain

Transportation: Student Drop Off /Pick Up and Early Departure
Note: The parents/guardians are responsible for the daily transportation of their child(ren). CMIT-Elementary does not provide transportation during student arrival or student dismissal. Please update the authorized person(s),including the bus company or the childcare business, that will pick up your child(ren)by submitting an email or written notice to the School Registrar, Crystal.Dubon@pgcps.org and the Principal’s Secretary, Stefanie.Powers@pgcps.org.

Q: What is the earliest that I may drop off my child?
A: 7:30 a.m.

Q: Where should we drop off students in the morning?
A: All car riders should be driven to the rear of the building and dropped off at the cafeteria entrance. Parents must remain in the car in order to keep the process constant and mobile. Carpoolers that include 3 or more students may be dropped off at the main office entrance along with the bus riders.

Q: What is the earliest time that I may pick up my student?
A: Student dismissal begins around 2:30 p.m.

Q: What is the latest time that I may pick up my student?
A: Student dismissal ends at 2:55 p.m. Otherwise, students will be sent to Enrichment and charged Enrichment late fees.

Q: Where should we pick up students in the afternoon?
A: All car riders should be picked up in the rear of the building at the cafeteria entrance. Parents must remain in the car in order to keep the process mobile. Please notice the flow of traffic and refrain from stopping in the middle of the pathway. If you need to buckle in your students we ask that you do not block the flow of pick up so that we can dismiss all students in a timely manner.

Q: What is the latest time that I may pick up my student for early departure?
A: Students should be picked up from the Main Office no later than 2:10 p.m. To expedite the process, please send an email to the classroom teacher, the receptionist, Mrs. Virgil, EVirgil@cmitelementary.org the School Registrar, Crystal.Dubon@pgcps.org and the Principal’s Secretary Stefanie.Powers@pgcps.org or submit a handwritten note in order to expedite the process. No advanced notice is needed.

Q: What is the process for walkers?
A: CMIT-Elementary does not recognize walkers since there are no residences within walking distance. Please call the Main Office at 240.573.7240 if you have unique circumstances relevant to the pick up of your child. Please consider that CMIT-Elementary does have a student body of 450 and we are unable to accommodate 450 different unique circumstances.

Uniform Policy
Q: How do I order uniforms?
A: All uniform shirts and tops are handled by the Abstractees. Please call 410.360.1527. All khaki or navy uniform bottoms may be purchased at any retail store that sells uniform pants, shorts (except cargo pants), skorts, etc. Full dresses are not allowed for females. The CMIT-ES logo must show during the school day. The website for Abstractees is http://cmit.abstracttees.com.

Q: When will the uniform policy be enforced?
A: The uniform policy will begin during the first week of school. Please ensure that students are wearing a burgundy or royal blue polo until official uniform tops are received prior to September 21, 2015.

Q: When does the student wear the Physical Education uniform?
A: Please confirm the day of the week that the students enrolled in Grades 3 – 5 will have the Physical Education class. Then, students report to school and wear the gym uniform all day. Parents may wish to send the students with wipes for sanitary purposes.

Q: Must the uniform shoe have all black?
A: Yes, the shoe worn with the uniform must be black. Students must also wear uninterrupted black during the Physical Education class. No white, no red or any color besides black should appear in the shoes.

Visitations and Volunteers
Q: How does a parent make an appointment to visit a class?
A: Please email EVirgil@cmitelementary.org to request an appointment. Please allow up to 48 hours for a response to the email. All classroom observations will be limited to 15 minutes.

Q: How does a parent volunteer for classroom assistance, chaperone of field trips, etc?
A: Please email the classroom teacher to express an interest in volunteering. The classroom teacher will contact the parent to establish a date, time, and the nature of the task(s). however, we ask that parents participate in a brief orientation sponsored by the PTO prior to volunteering. Please contact the PTO at cmitespto@gmail.com for assistance.

Parent’s Corner

Parent Teacher Conferences
Q: How is a Parent Teacher Conference scheduled?
A: Please email the classroom teacher to request a conference date. The parent will have no more than 30 minutes to meet with the teacher. The conference date scheduled by PGCPS is November 11, 2015. Any other conference requests must be scheduled with the teacher.

Parent Teacher Organization
Q: When will the Parent Teacher Organization Meet?
A: The PTO is scheduled to meet the first Thursday of the month from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. except when a holiday, school closing and/or early dismissal has been scheduled. The following dates have been designated for PTO meetings: September 3, 2015; October 8, 2015; November 5, 2015; December 3, 2015; January 7, 2016; February 4, 2016; March 3, 2016; April 7, 2016; May 5, 2016; and June 2, 2016.
Student Academic Performance

Q: How do I know if my student is missing assignments and/or homework? How do I follow up on my student’s progress in the class?
A: Please check the School Max website first. If there are further questions, call 240.573.7240 to leave the teacher a voicemail message and/or email the teacher for information on your child’s academic progress.

Q: To whom do I express my concerns about academics?
A: Please contact the teacher first. If the teacher fails to respond, then contact the Program Coordinator, ProgramCoordinator@cmitelementary.org. The next line of communication is the Trespass@cmitelementary.org.

Home Visits
Q: When will the home visits begin?
A: Parents should submit a request to the teacher. A teacher and/or staff member will contact the parent to schedule a date and time that is convenient for the parent and the CMIT Staff. Note: The home visits are scheduled during afterschool hours if you did not experience a home visit during the summer.

Student Breakfast/Lunch

Breakfast/Lunch
Q: What time does breakfast begin?
A: Breakfast is served from 7:30 a.m. to 7:50 a.m. in the cafeteria. Students arriving at 7:50 a.m. or later should have breakfast prior to being dropped off.

Q: How much are the breakfast/lunch?
A:

ELEMENTARY (Kindergarten - 5)
	Daily	Weekly	Monthly
Reduced Price Breakfast	$0.30	$1.50	$6.00
Full Price Breakfast	$1.60	$8.00	$32.00
Reduced Price Lunch	$0.40	$2.00	$8.00
Full Price Lunch	$2.75	$13.75	$55.00

Q: How do I pay for the breakfast/lunch?
A:

METHODS OF PAYMENT
Cash	Send Cash payment to the school cafeteria so your child’s account can be updated.
Online Payments using a debit or credit card	Visit www.MySchoolBucks.com to set up, review, and add money to your child’s account. The account balance follows the student as long as they are enrolled in a Prince George’s County Public School.

Q: Where can I find the menu for the breakfast/lunch?
A: Please click on the link for the School Menu.