Thanksgiving is a needed break in disguise. With your friends and family near, make this day as special as you can and thank them with your heart.

Happy Thanksgiving from CMIT Elementary!

CMIT Elementary

Please enjoy Superhero Day. Please ensure to view your students classdojo for the other days.

CMIT ES Staff

Because superheros READ too! This is our own resident Super Woman Ms. Ritchie.

Ms. Riley

The outcome of the election does not change our mission and vision. Nor does it change the direction for our school system. We will continue to stand with all of our Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) students and families in solidarity. Please be assured that our schools will continue to be places of learning where all students are welcome, safe, and valued.

Please see the attached letter for the entire message from Dr. Maxwell.

Attachment(s)

Ms. Riley

As a reminder we open our doors at 7:35 am. Parent and car drop off is at the cafeteria door and shuttle buses are at the front door. Drop off should be kiss and ride, as this is what will help keep the flow of traffic moving.

Food services personnel offers breakfast starting from 7:35 am every morning. Cafeteria doors are closed at 7:55. The students who are already in line will still receive breakfast but no more students will be accepted to the cafeteria for breakfast once the doors are closed.

Please ensure to arrive at 7:25 am to get in line in the parking lot. Doors open at 7:35 for students.

Thank you for your cooperation.

CMIT ES Staff

As we have amended our visitors and volunteers procedures, we wanted to ensure that everyone is aware of them and can still be apart of the CMIT Elementary community.

We encourage parents to volunteer with their scholars teachers. Parents are our partners and we look forward to working with you. If you are volunteering for an event please contact the event coordinator directly.

To ensure safety for all students and staff members in the building we have enforced the new administrative procedures provided to us.

All visitors in the building must present an ID and be badged to be in the building. Visitors will be escorted by a staff member to their destinations.

All persons who will be interacting with children will need to be fingerprinted. There are different types of fingerprinting available.

Due to a recent change in policy (Administrative Procedure 4215), commercial background checks can NO LONGER be utilized for field trips.

Cost of Fingerprint Background Check $56.57

Cost of Commercial Background Check $7.00 (not applicable for field trips) and must be accompanied by a PGCPS employee at all times while in the building.

Cost of Online Commercial Background Check $7.26 (not applicable for field trips) and must be accompanied by a PGCPS employee at all times while in the building.

Volunteers and chaperones must also view the mandatory reporting video and sign with Mrs. Virgil in the front office that this has been completed. Mrs. Virgil can provide this to you upon request.

To Volunteer please contact the teacher whom you will be working with so that they can provide your information for our volunteer calendar. Volunteers are assigned to a task, time, and teacher. This is for accountability and recording purposes.

For student shadowing please inform Mrs. Virgil and she will add you to the student shadow calendar. Student shadowing can occur up to 2x a month and you observing your scholar.

As a county we are working to ensure the safety of all students. We are airing on the side of caution. Here at CMIT Elementary we are doing our best to ensure that students and staff feel safe to provide the best learning environment that we can.

Thank you in advance for working with us and we look forward to growing as a community and family.

CMIT Elementary administration
Ms. Riley Acting Principal

This survey is about your child(ren)'s education and your ideas about how your school is using technology to improve teaching and learning.
We are also interested in how you and your child use technology for learning and communicating at home.

Please encourage your child to complete the Student Survey.
Your neighbors and co-workers can share their ideas by completing the Community and Business Partners survey, as well.

The survey will take 15 minutes or less to complete. Read the Overview page (https://sites.google.com/a/pgcps.org/speakup/about-speak-up) or visit the Project Tomorrow national site for more detailed information.

https://sites.google.com/a/pgcps.org/speakup/take-the-survey/parents

PGCPS

Chesapeake Lighthouse Foundation (CLF) is inviting students to submit an original writing piece or picture. Please ensure that you include your name, grade, and school name.

Send all submissions to Mr. Sutherland at msutherland@clfmd.org.

CLF

You are Cordially Invited to our 1st Quarter Awards Assembly on Tuesday, November 22nd, 2016

2nd & 3rd Grade will begin at 8:30am PROMPT
4th & 5th Grade will begin at 9:30am PROMPT

Principal’s Honor Roll students have at least a 4.0 GPA (see computing grade point average) with no grade on the report card
below an “A”. Honor Roll students have at least a 3.0 GPA or higher with no grade lower than a “C” and only 1 C can be present on the report card.

Awards Committee

Thank you to all our volunteers who helped out for our book fair. A special thank you to Ms. Ottman (parent of Christian Ottman) who worked tirelessly to ensure we had a successful book fair. A special thank you Ms. Powers who stayed late to help with financial support for our book fair. Thank you to Mr. Rashad who came in early and helped our with our book fair. We had a lot of parents who took off work and you are all Greatly appreciated. Thank you for your support!

More book fair stars include...
Mrs. Ward
Mrs. Wray
Mrs. Davis
Mrs. Garraway
Mrs. Hendrickson
Mrs. Imeokparia
Mrs. Caler

Benora McCain

The best way to reach any teacher during the school day is via their email address or ClassDojo. All of the CMIT Elementary staff email addresses are located on the school’s website, www.cmitelementary.org under the SCHOOL STAFF tab. PHONE CALLS WILL NOT BE FORWARDED TO THE CLASSROOMS DURING THE INSTRUCTIONAL PERIODS. The teachers have 24 – 48 hours to return your call/email. Thank you.

Front Office Staff

First Annual Father Daughter Dance being hosted by PGCPS Board of Education Member Curits Valentine and #Fatherhood Forum on December 9, 2016, at Largo High School from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

RSVP is requested by December 7, 2016, to amber.tate@pgcps.org.

Attachment(s)

PGCPS

Students had a great time on our field trip! Thank you to all our Chaperones. It really gave us inspiration for our future college endeavors.

Grade 3-5 teachers.

PGCPS will be offering an online webinar December 8, 2016 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. to help parents learn about the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) Individual Student Score (Home) Reports for their child. Please see attached flyer for details.

Note: PGCPS will also offer two PARCC Parent Nights on January 17, 2017 and on January 26, 2017. More information will be forthcoming. All events take place from 6-9 p.m.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Oxon Hill High School

Thursday, January 26, 2017
Laurel High School

Attachment(s)

Adam A. Akpinar
Program Coordinator

On November 30th students may dress down by walking in to the school with a new toy, a new or gently used coat, or a small box stuffed with daily needs or winter items (toothpaste, toothbrush, hats, gloves, etc.). You are greatly appreciated! Our goal is to help as many people as possible. Thank you for your support!

Benora McCain

CMIT Martial Arts Club is hosting a Holiday show on Sunday December 11th at the North Laurel Community Center [9411 Whiskey Bottom Rd, Laurel Maryland 20723]. The holiday show will help the club raise funds to cover the costs associated with traveling to and competing in the Kuk Sool Won tournaments. The show will be produced by Coach Comedy Productions, a professional comedy touring company that raises funds tens of thousands of dollars for College Teams, High School Teams, Autism, Band, etc.

Please help support CMIT club participants by purchasing tickets for the show. NOTE: Because of the diversity of the age of our students we are splitting the show into two components. Teens and adults will be treated to a comedy show and preteens and below will have a DJ, Santa, and games for entertainment.

To order tickets please contact KSW of Laurel at (laurel_ksw@kuksoolwon.com or 301-509-2030). Note: Cash or checks accepted only. Please have all checks made payable to Kuk Sool Won.

Adam A. Akpinar
Program Coordinator

Boards will be available at school November 29th - December 9th.

Upper Elementary should...
Have written their title, question, hypothesis, materials, and procedures.
Students should have their variables written. Students should have started their experiment. Students should be taking pictures of each stage of their experiment. Students should have completed research. Research papers should be started.

Lower Elementary should...
Continue researching history, interesting facts, or creating a model or diorama and taking pictures.
All pictures should include a caption. (ex.: This is a volcano and it erupts).

STEM fair book link!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kXZrB4lL3v-TE9mCMLG2D44gTZylA4jluIVoNmbAuNA

STEM fair topic ideas...
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project_ideas.shtml

The scientific method song...
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=bUa-ilQqEv0

Hypothesis...
https://youtu.be/XxbySfTvnB4

Testable question link...
http://www.kyrene.org/cms/lib2/AZ01001083/Centricity/Domain/895/Testable%20vs.%20Nontestable%20PPT.pdf

Testable question video link...
http://youtu.be/WUNKpAFxogQ

Famous scientist...
http://www.famousscientists.org/list/

People in STEM links...
http://stemploy.com/25-stem-women-you-should-know/

http://www.usasciencefestival.org/newsletter-volume-3-number-15/recognizing-african-american-stem-innovators-of-the-past-and-present,-including-the-festival-s-nifty-fifty-speakers.html

Direct all questions to bmccain@cmitelementary.org

Benora McCain

November 22 Honor Roll Assembly
November 23-25 Holidays* – Thanksgiving – Schools and Offices Closed
December 7 Lunch with Dad and PD – 2-Hr. Early Dismissal for Students
December 21 Second Quarter Progress Reports Released
December 23-30 Winter Break* – Schools and Offices Closed

Ms. Riley

CMIT Elementary will be holding two open house sessions for parents of students who are interested in applying to the lottery for CMIT Elementary for the 2017-2018 school year. This sessions will hold as follows:

Saturday December 17, 2016 @ 10:00 am

We encourage all prospective families to join us for this event. We will be discussing our instructional program and offerings.

Hope to see you there. Share with your family and friends.

CMIT Administration and Staff

We are so proud of our scholar's accomplishments! The first quarter awards assembly will be held Tuesday, November 22, 2016 in the school cafeteria. Please come out and help us congratulate them on a job well done.

2nd & 3rd Grade will begin at 8:30am PROMPT

4th & 5th Grade will begin at 9:30am PROMPT

Mrs. Bello

Student of the Month Spotlight

Our Student Spotlight this week is Janae Jenkins from Ms. Miller's class! Janae says she loves Math because she loves learning and loves answering math questions. She also really loves doing homework! Congratulations on earning Student of the Month, Janae!

This week in Kindergarten we will be spending the two days reviewing topics we have learned so far this year. We will also be working on some Thanksgiving activities to get ready for the holiday!

On Tuesday, November 22, we will be creating "disguises" for turkeys to keep them from getting eaten on Thanksgiving! We will have construction paper, glue, and crayons, but we would love more items! If you can, please send items like feathers, cotton balls, beads, or other craft items that students can use to create their turkey disguises on MONDAY. Check out this link to see examples of what we will be doing: https://www.pinterest.com/handmadekidsart/turkey-disguise-project/

High Frequency Words
Here are our sight words we have learned so far. Remember to practice reading and writing these words regularly! (When reading at home, if you see these words, have your child point it out!) All of the words we will learn this year are available on our grade level website under "Sight Words."

I, am, little, to, a, have, is, the, we, my, like, he, for

REMINDERS
- Homework is due on FRIDAY each week. Remember to look for their new homework packet on Fridays. Homework that is not submitted by the due date will be given a ZERO.
- Please read regularly! Remember that just 20 minutes a day can boost your child's reading levels!
- If you would like to chaperone any future field trips, you must have a fingerprint background check. This can be obtained from the Fingerprint office at the county building 14201 School Lane, Upper Marlboro, MD Monday-Friday from 8:00am-3:45pm. For more information or to contact the fingerprinting office, please look at the fingerprint office website: http://www1.pgcps.org/fingerprinting/
- Please remember to send an extra pair of uniform clothes to keep in your child's cubbie at school in the event of accidents or spills.
- Uniform is enforced daily, including uninterrupted black shoes. Please go to http://cmitelementary.org/uniform-policy/ for more information.

The Kindergarten Team
www.kindergarten.cmitelementary.org

With the fall colors all around us students took a nature walk during our 70' weather to look for evidence of nature.

Mrs. Rhodes class

Have a Happy Thanksgiving day! Fourth graders should ensure all work gets submitted to Mrs. Mccain before our holiday break! All homework packets, ballon powered cars, vision boards, and math logs must be submitted. Students will not have math or science homework for the week of November 21st. We hd a great time at our field trip to the university of Maryland basketball game. They had a win of 106:42! Students were excited about their future college experiences.

Benora McCain

We are greatly pleased to announce that CMIT-ES will compete in PGCPS' 2016 Science Bowl Competition. The 5th graders in the picture, Jonathan P., Zaveon G., and Toluwani A (front row) will be competing. Stanislaus V. and Cory W. (back row) will serve as alternates. The live taping and competition date is Tuesday, November 29, 2016. It will air on local television on January 23-29, 2017.

Thank you, parents, for allowing your future Scientist to remain after school to participate in the Science Bowl Club and for studying at home! We wish our contestants great success, but above all, we want them to have FUN -- Go... TIGERS!

Ms. Cooper & Ms. Ahmed
Science Bowl Club Team!

Group Pic-Caleb, Oluwabusoye, Imani, Kefira, and Camille –Go Tigers!
Solo-Jonathan Tiger Reads!

Lessons Learned-

This past week fifth graders celebrated with Super Hero Day, Career Day, Character Day, (choosing favorite character), Pajama Day, and attending a basketball game at the University of Maryland.
These activities have undoubtedly impacted students’ understanding that success brings joy, excitement, and celebration. As we move towards the Thanksgiving Break, please take a moment to explain, and show our students that we can learn even while we are having fun. For example, show the connection of STEM/Literacy as you plan, shop and fulfill the requirements for you and your families’ celebration. Valuable lessons can be learned from making these ‘real life’ connections.

Our November Students of the Month: - Oluwabusoye Okunuga and Genesis Edwards

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving Holiday! Mrs. L. Watkis

Our Fifth Grade website-http://grade5.cmitelementary.org/

Lesma Watson Watkis

In an effort, that has been proven by science(!), to be even happier than I already am, I am committing to an attitude of gratitude! Will you join me?

Check New Blog Post!:
http://guidance.cmitelementary.org/

Graciously,
Your School Counselor

November 1st through 30th – Pennies 4 PTO Class Competition . It times for pennies wars. Please send you child to school with any loose change you may have....Remember the winning class gets a special treat! Teachers, if you need a jug, please email CMITESPTO@gmail.com. Parents, if you have a clean jug, please send it in with your child. Thank you!!

December 6th PTO Meeting - 6pm - The two potential uniform companies (Flynn O'Hara and Risse Brothers) for next year will be showcased with representatives in attendance. The PGCPS mandated volunteer training on Child Abuse and Neglect reporting will be shown at the end of the meeting. Refreshments will be provided and so will child care!! If you can not make it there is a call in option as well (712) 775-7031 , Access ID: 177-042. Call in starts at 6:15pm

December 12th through 17th – Secret Shop - Open for Children’s Gift Shopping. Its the most wonderful time of the year. While us adults have tons of shopping to do why not make it easy and let the kids shop at school for the family. This shop will be filled with inexpensive items for the children to purchase for their loved ones. The PTO is requesting donated wrapping paper, tissue paper, tape, ribbon, small boxes and gift bags. Please leave with the front office staff. Volunteers needed! Please sign up: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/805054da5a923a57-childrens

December 17th – Parent Talent Show and Silent Auction 3PM - Please submit Audition Videos by December 3rd
Lets not fool ourselves any longer. These wonderful, bright, beautiful kids of ours got it from somewhere....right??? Well its time to show them why they are so talented.... Join us for the ultimate parent show down and remember we will be hosting a silent auction that night as well. Auction items currently include gym memberships, theater tickets, children's birthday party packages, movie admissions and the list keeps growing! This is one event you don't want to miss. Please send in a video of your act to CMITESPTO@gmail.com

Attachment(s)

PTO

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 , 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: 7:35 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: Student dismissal ends at 2:55 p.m. Otherwise, students will be sent to Enrichment and CHARGED ENRICHMENT DROP IN FEES (PAYABLE UPON PICK UP).

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 and the School Secretary, Crystal.Dubon@pgcps.org and the Principal’s Secretary Stefanie.Powers@pgcps.org or submit a handwritten note in order to expedite the process.

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 500 and we are unable to accommodate 500 different unique circumstances.

Uniform Policy
Q: How do I order uniforms?
A: All uniform shirts and tops are handled by the All American Wear. Please call 301-459-5000. All khaki or navy uniform bottoms may be purchased here or 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.

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 19, 2016.

Q: When does the student wear the Physical Education uniform?
A: Please confirm the day of the week that the students enrolled in 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 ALL BLACK. Any tennis shoes can be worn for PE and PE only.

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, 2016. 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 on Tuesdays 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 13, 2016; October 4, 2016; December 6, 2016; February 7, 2017; ; April 4, 2017; and June 6, 2017.
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, email the teacher for information on your child’s academic progress or call 240.573.7240 to leave the teacher a voicemail message.

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 administration.

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.

Student Breakfast/Lunch

Breakfast/Lunch
Q: What time does breakfast begin?
A: Breakfast is served from 7:35 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.