Connor in 2nd grade is our reader of the Month for November. He has been honored with a book of his choice.

If you would like to be a part of Roaring Readers group all the information is here, http://cmitelementary.org/roaring-readers/.

Ms. Riley
Acting Principal

As we mentioned in the last newsletter, our staff has taken on a kindness challenge.

So far we have collected donations, donated to a children's charity, exchanged cards, notes of kind words, brought breakfast for a colleague, shared something homemade with the staff, sent ecards, and shared treats .

I have to say. Our staff is an AWESOME STAFF.
The Pictures are of staff members providing treats for each other. Ms. Mireno, formally known as Mrs. Dubon, declined from a picture.

But thank you to you all who continue to have a giving spirit.

Ms. Riley
Acting Principal

Parents/Staff, please mark your calendars and plan to attend the Governing Board for CMIT Academy meeting. There next meeting will be held on December 15, 2016 at 7 PM in the Board Room of Chesapeake Lighthouse Foundation locate at 6151 Chevy Chase Dr, Laurel, MD 20707.

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

CMIT Elementary loves a giving SPIRIT! A special THANK YOU goes to the all the 2nd Grade parents for their tireless volunteer hours in the classrooms and donations of classroom activities and fun stuff for recess! The 2nd grade team and CMIT Elementary can't thank you enough. We will enjoy using everything!

CMIT ES Staff

Dear CMIT Elementary Parents,
Please follow our morning drop off procedures. Remember that our drop off location is back side of the building, in front of the cafeteria doors. We start receiving students at 7:35 am. There is only one car line in the mornings. Join the car line and have your child(ren) ready to get off the car upon arrival at the door. Dropping off from the car shouldn't be taking more than 30 seconds. We need your cooperation in this matter. This will increase the pace of drop off in the morning.

Pick Up in the afternoon begins at 2:20 pm. Please ensure that you are entering from in front of the CLF building only. Parents are to remain in their vehicles. Students we are not picked up by 2:55 will be sent to Enrichment and charged an emergency fee due upon pick up.

PLEASE!!!! Do not use any neighbor's parking lot.

Thank you

CMIT Elementary

CMIT Elementary invited Dads to have lunch with their scholars at school. 50+ dads showed up to support and present male role models in the school.

Thank you to all the men and women that showed up to support the LIONS for Lunch effort.

Ms. Riley

Enrichment Program;

Please ensure that you pick up your child(ren) on time from the enrichment program. If you are late, a late fee will apply and payment is due upon your arrival. You will be asked to make payment in the front office. Only credit/debit cards accepted.

Enrichment Program new hours for early dismissal days: 1:00pm - 4:00pm.

Please provide healthy snacks with your child if you are an enrichment parent. Students start to the program with snacks time. There is also a wending machine available in the cafeteria for enrichment students.

Emergency Drop off Fee;

Students who picked up after 3:10 pm will be charged a $20 emergency drop-in enrichment fee and payment is due upon your arrival.

Arif Akpinar
Program Coordinator

Since November 5th, our Saturday Academy teachers working with students on Saturdays. Learning is continued non-stop at CMIT Elementary. We would like to thank to our teachers who come on Saturdays for their dedication and to our students and parents for their support.

Way to go CMIT Tigers...

Adam Akpinar
Program Coordinator

Reminder that the last Kiwanis Kids meeting for 2016 will be on Tuesday, December 13. There will be a special banner presentation by our sponsor, the Kiwanis Club of Ellicott City and we will be finishing up our blankets for the homeless!

The meetings for 2017 are as follows:
January 10
January 24
February 14
February 28
March 14
March 28
April 11
April 25
May 9
May 23

Remember, meetings are on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month. If any changes occur with these dates, you will be notified via e-mail.

- Ms. Santiago

On December 13th order Papa johns, have your family members order Papa Johns, have your office order Papa Johns anytime. Simply save the receipt off the box with the price on it (send the regular receipt if you accidentally disgard it). Attach the receipt to a special fundraiser paper that will go home Monday December 12th. Send in your receipt December 14th (No later than December 16th). Order pizza from ANY Papa Johns in Maryland, DC, or Virginia. Our school will get a portion of the profit from all pizza sold. Thank you!

Benora McCain

The Mid-Atlantic fundraiser orders will be at the school on Monday December 12, 2016. The pick up time was previously 2:00-5:00 but I am pushing it back to 3:00-6:00pm. This way it will not interfere with dismissal. ALL orders must be picked up on Monday December 12th. Unclaimed items will be donated to a local shelter on December 13th! Please contact Mrs. McCain if you have any questions or concerns.

bmccain@cmitelementary.org

Benora McCain

ALL STEM Fair projects are due Jan. 3, 2017.

On December 13, 2016 at 3:30pm I will host a STEM fair conference call.
Call into 712-775-7031 use access ID 177-042.

The link for the STEM presentation is below. Please review it before the meeting.
http://prezi.com/cuhnzqyk4kkk/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

You can enter questions in the google form below.
https://goo.gl/forms/MJqbpwdNNWHlqTXH3

STEM Fair boards will be availble for purchase at the school. Small boards will be $3 larger board will be $5. Boards should be available December 19th through December 22nd. Look for a classdojo message if they become available earlier.

Upper Elementary should have...
Written their title, question, hypothesis, materials, and procedures. Students should have started their experiment. Students should been working on putting together their research paper.

Lower Elementary should...

Students should have written their title, new vocabulary learned, materials, and procedure for building diorama or model.
Students should practice reading and spelling new vocabulary. Students should also take pictures, create a data chart/graph.


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/

Variables
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLesk8fujH8

Direct all questions to bmccain@cmitelementary.org

Benora McCain

We will be having our Third annual CMIT Elementary STEM fair on January 7, 2017. We need volunteers. Please complete the link below if you are able to volunteer.
https://goo.gl/forms/BZGZihCsG8DOsbcU2

Benora McCain

CMIT Elementary scholars will take following assessments in near future.

January 9th - February 15th: ACCESS testing (ELL students only).
January 17th - February 3rd: MAP - Winter testing (K-5)
January 17th - January 27th: FAST #2 Science Assessment (5th grade only)

Arif Akpinar
Program Coordinator

On December 13th, 2016 the R.O.A.R Step Team will be hosting tryouts for students in grades 3-5. Students will learn a combination of steps and be evaluated on precision, energy, attitude and willingness to learn difficult pieces.

What is stepping?
Stepping is a rising art form and an important part of America’s artistic and cultural heritage. In stepping, the body is used as an instrument to create intricate rhythms and sounds through a combination of footsteps, claps and the spoken word.

If your scholar is interested, please complete the online interest form https://goo.gl/forms/1E8XJkg54zhGlSVp1

Bring your A+ game! See you on Tuesday!!

Yanisha Daniel

Our Student Spotlight is Katelyn in Ms. Santiago's class. Katelyn's favorite subject is Math. She especially loves learning about shapes. She also loves to read. She is a sweet girl in class who always follows directions!

This week in Kindergarten...
English Language Arts
We will read the story "Little Quack." It is a story about a little duckling and how he learns . We will be comparing and contrasting, working with initial and final /r/, and learning about verbs.

Mathematics
We will be finishing up shapes! We will analyze, compare, and create shapes from smaller shapes. After shapes, we will be moving to addition!
Please note: students should still practice finding 1 and 2 fewer. Be sure to get some extra practice at home! An easy way to incorporate this at home is during dinner prep or at the grocery. For example, "I have eight apples, but I need 2 more (or 2 fewer). How many will that be? Can you do that for me?" This will help make Subtraction and Addition much easier later in the year!

Science
Students will be learning about motion and magnets. What types of motion are there? What is force? How do we apply force?

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, me, with

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!
- As the weather gets colder, remember that we still go outside for recess when the weather is above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Please ensure that your child is dressed appropriately!
- 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

Sneezy The Snowman


Reading skills – Prediction, cause and effects, connections and opinion

Phonics – long o spelled ou and ow

Sight words – would, should, only, be, or

Vocabulary Words– swirled, believe, shivering, gigantic, freezing, melted, cocoa and sneeze

Grammar Skills – Singular and plural nouns
Commas in a date



Math
We are working on counting by 10’s and 1’s up to 120.


Social Studies
We will be learning about different cultures.


Science
We are continuing to work on the phases of the moon.


Gingerbread Man Project
The Gingerbread Men projects are due on Monday, December 12, 2016
Gingerbread Houses
We will be making gingerbread houses the last week of December. More information to come

STEM Fair
The STEM fair project is due January 3, 2017


Fun Activities to do at home
Breaking Up Words into Syllables. As you read your leveled book, break the longer words into syllables to sound them out. Notice that when the syllable ends with a vowel, the vowel typically makes its long sound. If the syllable has a vowel in the middle of two consonants, the vowel makes its short vowel sound. Example: hop-ping, ho-ping. Extension: Use your knowledge about vowels in syllables to spell these two syllable words: clapping, redo, and lion.


It’s all in the Details. Read your leveled book. Stop periodically to talk about the story. When the story is finished, retell the story, and include key details. What is the message or lesson from this story? Extension: Make connections to the story. Does this story remind you of another story?
Does this story remind you of an experience you have had?

Counting On. Have an adult say a number such as 78. You start at 78 and continue counting up to 120. Have an adult say another number such as 24. You start at 24 and continue counting up to 120. Continue the activity until it is no longer fun. Extension: Have an adult say a math equation such as
62+3. You start at 62 and then count up 3 (62…63,64,65).

Attachment(s)

1st Grade Team

Student of the Week: Shayne Thomas
We interviewed Shayne and learned his favorite colors are blue and red. He likes to learn math and play Sonic. Shayne wore his sonic costume to school two times in a row!

By: Aaron Stills

Math
In math we have been learning about regrouping addition and subtraction. Regrouping is when you put a tens amount of 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,or 9 to the tens place if it is in the ones place.(left side is the tens place) regrouping is also when you borrow from the tens place if the bottom number is bigger than the top number in the ones place(right side is the ones place).Bigger bottom beter borrow!

By: Shayne Thomas

Reading
Next week we are going to read Rosa and Blanca. We are going to learn about words from other languages that means that we are learning about different languages instead of english. Also, next week we are learning about vowel patterns that are i, ie, igh, y. For example: weigh, white, why. Next week are also learn about predictions and setting purposes to help us comprehend texts. Predict means to guess what is going to happen next.

We wrote a pen pal letter to Mrs.Ahmed’s class and they wrote one to us! Our class is going to write a letter back to Mrs. Ahmed's class answering their questions.

By: Seyi Agboola

Second Graders have been working on friendly letters this week as part of our Creative Communication unit in RELA.

Some of our classes have started a Pen Pal letter exchange, and students are writing some very cordial correspondences! We teachers are proud of their work, and they will continue to improve their writing skills through this meaningful activity. Please encourage your child to write letters beyond school as well.

In math, we are continuing to work on measurement skills and using units from both the standard system and the metric system. Please assist your child at home with measurement activities and accessing tools such as rulers, tape measures, and metersticks (yardsticks are available at hardware stores). A creative solution could be to measure out and mark a piece of string in lieu of a ruler. There are many books related to measurement available in the public library. We read "How Big is a Foot?" by Rolf Myller, but there are many more.

Please be sure to work on supporting your child's progress through the STEM fair project of their choice. Remember, it is due right after winter break. We have some very inquisitive scientists in second grade who are off to a great start on their projects.

Have you ever wondered what kind of natural resources are found in different parts of the United States? Well, our third graders did their research. Students picked a state of their choice and identified 2 natural resources that can be found in that state. Boy did we learn a lot. Did you know that game fish can be found in Mississippi or gold can be found in Montana? Students really worked hard on their projects. Good job scholars!


This week, students will be asking and answering questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers and distinguishing their own point of view versus the author’s point of view. In Science and Math, students will be discussing the effects of different forces on an object’s motion and interpreting data.


Let’s have an awesome week!

Yanisha Daniel

Students had a great week! Students should be finishing up their STEM fair projects. ALL STEM fair projects are due Jan. 3rd. Congratulations to Alexander C., Alexander A., and Christian S. for being great scholars. They all had birthdays the past week. Please ensure all work is submitted by due dates. Students do not have Winter break packets for science or math. The focus should be STEM fair. Students will not have reading packets. The focus should be research papers that go with the STEM Fair. Please remind your child to be on their best behavior. We will be working on the scientific method in science, and data in math. Have a happy holidays.

Benora McCain

Pictures above show fifth graders working in cooperative groups in science/math-Courtesy of Mrs. Inci and Mrs.Glasper

Celebrating all fifth graders who are becoming responsive writers across all genres.
I am celebrating the works of all my students. We talk about when things go wrong, but today I am celebrating fifth grade writers who have been doing so well in unlocking writing prompts, and writing across a variety of genres.

Writing helps students develop their reading skills. Parents-you too can help your child develop writing skills at home. Provide opportunities for your child to keep a reflective journal, listen to them read, and provide valuable feedback.

Students are writing daily here at school, please encourage them to share their ideas, and possibly read/dramatize a story/play that they have written.

Students are also working in cooperative groups in science/math. Please include math and science into daily discussions at home. You would be surprised at how much you can do to help your child in these areas.

http://grade5.cmitelementary.org/



-

Lesma Watson Watkis

Hello Tech Savvy Families,

As we zoom through this school year our art supplies are depleting. If you are in the giving spirit please consider sending an item from our Amazon Wishlist. Any items ordered will be shipped directly to the school and will be used by all students at CMIT Elementary. Our highest needed items are paint brushes, crayola markers, watercolor paints, and dry erase markers. It would be so much fun to get clay and model magic for upcoming projects! Please consider viewing and sharing this link.

CMIT Elementary Art Wish List
Link: http://www.amazon.com/registry/wishlist/U7XK6HO2UMBJ

The sharpies and zentangle cards are a favorite of many students!

This month I am happy to announce that Saniya Hardy is our student of the month! She is always focusing on her tasks. She tries her best and does an amazing job ROARing! Way to go, Saniya!

Megan Breckenridge

Dear Parents and Students,

We live in a world surrounded by technology. And we know that whatever field our students choose to go into as adults, their ability to succeed will increasingly depend on understanding how technology works.

But only a tiny fraction of us are learning how technology works. Fewer than half of all schools teach computer science.

That’s why our entire school is joining in on the largest learning event in history: The Hour of Code, during Computer Science Education Week (December 5-11). More than 100 million students worldwide have already tried an Hour of Code.

Our Hour of Code is making a statement that CMIT Elementary is ready to teach these foundational 21st century skills. To continue bringing programming activities to your students, we want to make our Hour of Code event huge. I encourage you to volunteer, reach out to local media, share the news on social media channels and consider hosting additional Hour of Code events in the community.

See http://hourofcode.com/us for details, and help spread the word.

Sincerely,
Technology Teacher

Attachment(s)

Mrs. Avsar

Attached is the CMIT Silent Auction Catalog. The silent auction sheets will be in the front conference room during the Children's Shop. All bidding closes at 6pm on Friday, December 16th.

CMIT Children's Shop Hours:

Monday 8AM to 6PM
Tuesday 8AM to 2:15PM
Wednesday 8AM to 2:15PM
Thursday 8AM to 6PM
Friday 8AM to 6PM

Attachment(s)

Ms. Riley
Acting Principal

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.