THE CMIT-ES MULTICULTURAL FESTIVAL

We want to send a SPECIAL THANKS to...
MR. JOHN JOHNSON (PTO VICE PRESIDENT) AND MRS. ERIKA KELLEY (PTO TREASURER) for organizing the parent contributions to our first Multi-cultural Festival. We thank ALL parents and staff that supported the event through set-up/clean-up, serving, tasting, and presence.

The following cultures were represented by parents and staff with dishes, garb, and cultural artifacts:

America (Chili and Cornbread) by Mrs. Erika Kelley
America by Ms. Janin Willis
Cameroon by Ms. Shanin-Lucille Chiawah
Democratic Republic of Congo (Fried Plantains and Puffs Puffs) by Ms. Impa-Chiquita Tshibangu
Guyana (Curry Chicken) by Ms. Abigal Johnson
Ireland (Cabbage and Potatoes) by Mrs. Erika Kelley
Jamaica W.I. (Curry Chicken) by Ms. Inga Boyd
Native & African American by Ms. Caryn Pierce
Nigeria by Mrs. Bello
Philippines by Ms. Santiago
Southern US (Shrimp and Grits) by Mrs. Damita Wray
St. Vincent and the Grenadines by Ms. Sharice Hendrickson
Turkey (Turkish Delights) by Mr. Inci

You are GREATLY appreciated!

Mrs Respass
Principal

Pictured in Front Row (L to R): Justin, Samuel, Micah, Benjamin, Alexander
Back Row (L to R): Sapri, Jayden, Wasileh, Erniyah, Michael


Congratulations to our STEM Club members

ALEXANDER AKINMUTIMI
SAMUEL CALDWELL
BENJAMIN CHAMPION
WASILEH DIAMANT
MICHAEL DIXON
MICAH GERMAIN
JUSTIN MENSAH
JAYDEN RUSSELL
SAPRI SISE
ERNIYAH WATKINS


for participation in the Maryland MESA STEM Competition. The STEM Club is sponsored by Ms. Ahmed and Mrs. McCain.


Our upper elementary students won third place in the regional MESA competition for the Scratch Game. We are all very proud of them!

Maryland MESA was established in 1976 with just two schools in Baltimore City. Today, there are more than 100 participating schools from 9 regions throughout the state.

Maryland MESA is a structured, 3-12, precollege program designed to prepare students for academic and professional careers in mathematics, engineering, science, and technology. The program's goals are to 1) increase the number of engineers, scientists, mathematicians, and related professionals at technical and management levels, and 2) serve as a driving force in encouraging and assisting minorities and females in achieving success in these fields. We continue to strive toward our vision of providing a superior education process that enables all Maryland students to achieve and contribute to their full potential. We accomplish these goals by partnering with school systems, colleges and universities, industry and business, government, community organizations, families, and alumni. These partnerships provide enriching activities and programs for students in the fields of mathematics, engineering, science, and technology.

Maryland MESA provides services and programs to over 2100 students and 180 teachers from the following geographical areas: Baltimore City, Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Calvert County, Charles County, Howard County, Montgomery County, Prince George, and Talbot County. More than 24,000 Maryland students have been served since the program's inception.

Benora McCain

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE STUDENTS OF THE MONTH for FEBRUARY!

The CMIT-Elementary student of the month is chosen by the classroom teacher based on qualities such as character, leadership, and citizenship, not necessarily academics. The student of the month must be a diligent student, completing his/her assignments on time, showing strong effort to learn the subjects. The student of the month demonstrates excellent behavior inside and outside the classroom, is well mannered, and respectful to both peers and teachers. The student of the month displays excellent citizenship by aligning him/herself with the CMIT affirmation. Lastly, the student of the month shows exemplar character through his/her compassion, honesty, trustworthiness, responsibility, optimism, and loyalty in creating a positive school environment.

The Students of the Month will be recognized with a certificate, and will also receive special privileges (i.e. lunch with the principal, present morning announcements).

KINDERGARTEN:
Zane Kelley, Jala Scott, Kimiya Shields, Micah Von Hicks

1ST GRADE
Lukas Anderson, Cadence Bailey, Hannah Jones-Dove, Norrehc Nelson

2ND GRADE:
Maiya Coles, Syerra Gomez, Kamraan Sahibzada, Matthew Willis

3RD GRADE:
Daden Grogan and Michael Haynes

4TH GRADE:
Nehemiah Hilton-Bey and Stanislaus Vittor

5TH GRADE:
Adeyemi Chaytor and Sydni Samuels

ART:
Chima Amadi

MUSIC:
Trinity Bass

PHYSICAL EDUCATION:
Vy Huynh

TECHNOLOGY/LEGO:
Peter Abang and Jevon Daisey

Attachment(s)

Mrs Respass
Principal

Congratulations to the Staff Members of the Month for FEBRUARY:

MS. COOPER and MS. MARSH

The Staff of the Month has presented an above and beyond attitude through his/her compassion for the students, responsibility, optimism, and loyalty in creating a positive school and learning environment. The following staff have been chosen in particular for GOING OVER and; BEYOND this year's theme - MISSION POSSIBLE: BUILDING TECH SAVVY TIGERS TO CHANGE THE WORLD!!!

Attachment(s)

Mrs Respass
Principal

THANK YOU to all the students and teachers for a job well done! The presentation boards were awesome, and everyone enjoyed learning all the cool facts.

A HUGE THANK YOU to MR. JOHN JOHNSON (PTO Vice President), Mrs. Erica Kelley, and all the PTO members who put on an amazing Festival. The food was phenomenal, and it was great to learn more about one another and various countries around the world!

Dear Parents,

The school year is swiftly passing us and we encourage you to allow students to READ aloud to you daily. Also, please practice counting/spending money, measuring (e.g cooking) and monitoring time on a clock. These are a few real life math skills that our students can use and may definitely be reinforced by you. Lastly, make sure your child knows your telephone numbers and home address. It is important that students are aware of your contact information.

Below are a few reminders to support your child in school:

CHANGE OF CLOTHES:
Please send a change of clothes to remain in the classroom in case of an emergency.

LUNCH MONEY:
Please check your child's School Buck's account each week to ensure that your child has enough money for breakfast and/or lunch.

We appreciate your support and sending us YOUR BEST!!!

Mrs Respass
Principal

Thanks to all parents and students that participated in the Mid Atlantic Fundraiser!

Please pick up the fundraiser orders for your child on April 20, 2016 between 3:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. We will not be responsible for orders not picked up on time. Please plan on picking your items up this day and time ONLY! Thank you for all you support!

Benora McCain

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Please add PARCC testing dates to your calendar...

GRADE -3
ELA - English Language Arts:
APRIL 25, 2016
APRIL 27, 2016
APRIL 29, 2016

MATH:
MAY 4, 2016

GRADE -4
ELA - English Language Arts:
MAY 2, 2016
MAY 3, 2016

MATH:
MAY 6, 2016
MAY 9, 2016

GRADE -5
ELA - English Language Arts:
MAY 2, 2016
MAY 3, 2016
MAY 6, 2016
MAY 9, 2016

MATH:
MAY 12, 2016
MAY 13, 2016


* Tentative Calendar - Subject to change.

Erkan Derin
Program Coordinator

April 5, 2016 through April 29, 2016----------Pennies for the PTO
April 18, 2016 - May 27, 2016-------------------PARCC Administration Window (Schedules TBA)
April 19, 2016---------------------------------------PTO Chick Fil A Spirit Night
April 25, 2016---------------------------------------PARCC-3rd Grade
April 26, 2016---------------------------------------Schools & Offices Closed for Primary Elections
April 27, 2016---------------------------------------PARCC-3rd Grade & Administrative Appreciation Day
April 28, 2016---------------------------------------FIELD TRIP - 4th & 5th Grades - International Festival (DC) & American History Museum
April 29, 2016---------------------------------------PARCC-3rd Grade

Mrs. Respass
Principal

We had an amazing time at the USA Science & Engineering Festival on April 15, 2016! Fifth grade should be working on their business plans in small groups. Students will also take the lead and become a teacher for Teacher Appreciation Week. We will create a butterfly garden for Earth Day! We are very excited that our very own Jayden Russell and Sapri Sise created the Scratch Game that won 3rd place at the MESA competition. We are mastering decimals operations in math. We will be moving on to expressions with variables. We will have our next Promotion Ceremony conference call on April 22, 2016. Have a great week!

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.