Parents/Guardians, Yesterday was Character Book Day @ CMIT South. Our students had a lot of fun. Despite the heavy rains that came after, I know that students will remember the parade with happy thoughts. So, if you have not already done so, begin to help your child create a home library. It does not have to be elaborate, it can be nook at a convenient spot in the home that will always be available for your child to read a book. Building a home library can be done on a budget. You use the following link to read the information on how to build a home library on a budget: http://www.booknerdmommy.com/10-ways-to-build-a-home-library-on-a-budget/ Keep the momentum of reading and talking about our favorite and also least favorite characters going. Thanks for your support as we build a vibrant literacy community.

L. Watkis (Assistant Principal)

Literacy is explicitly taught, and it is embedded in all subject areas including math. So, it is always a great moment to celebrate literacy schoolwide. Character Book Day is a focus activity that pushed the importance of reading a book and showcasing a character from that book. This is a fun time to celebrate the creativity of our students, teachers, and parents.

L. Watkis (Assistant Principal)

Parents of students in 1st grade. Please note.

L. Watkis (Assistant Principal)

Dear 1st Graders All first grade students in Prince George’s County will be taking the Otis Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT 8) on November 1, November 3 and November 9 The OLSAT is a verbal and non-verbal measure of abstract thinking and reasoning ability. The test will happen in 3 sessions on each days so students need to be at the school on all these days. The OLSAT test can only be administered in person in the school building. Parents of virtual students who wish their students to take this test must have their students come into the school building to test. This assessment must be taken over three separate days, therefore any virtual students coming into the building to take this assessment will need to come in three different times. Any virtual student who does not test this year will have an opportunity to test next fall. If you are a parent of a virtual student you wish to have tested, please contact the School Test Coordinator at your school by fatih.metin@pgcps.org and the homeroom teacher chanel.brown@pgcps.org. Results of this test are only one factor used to identify students for the Talented and Gifted (TAG) Program. Other factors include student achievement, teacher ratings in academics, creativity, task commitment, and other data relevant to individual students. Please avoid appointments that may take your child out of school during this time period. Also, it will help your child perform best if he or she comes to school with a positive attitude, a good night’s rest and a healthy breakfast. Results will be available in late January/early February.

Fatih Metin Testing Coordinator

Kindergarten Celebrates Character Book Day Kindergarten Madison's students showing their books Kindergarten Williams' students listen to a story being read.

L. Watkis (Assistant Principal)

Hello everyone! We are just finishing up another month heading into November on Monday! Character Day / the pep rally was SO much fun on Friday and we loved to see all the students dressed up and enjoying themselves! We will share pictures with you all soon! And a huge congrats to our student of the month winners, Harper Clerkley, Naomi Layne, Dylan Davidson, and Aiden Yancy! We are so proud of you! Make sure students are registered for the Read-a-thon! We sent home the flyers this past week and really would love all students to participate! Please use our Google Site as it has many helpful resources for you all! Here's the link to our google site: https://sites.google.com/pgcps.org/3rdgradeclasssite Finally, picture day will be coming up soon! It is scheduled for November 8, so we will give more information on that once it gets closer. Have a great weekend and we are looking forward to another great week next week! From your 3rd Grade Team! :)

Leah McDonagh Kylie Fleet Tamara Mathews Rashidah Balogun

Great Books bring people together. We had many students and teachers who share a favorite character. We feature two: -Assistant principal Lewis with a student. -New friends.

L. Watkis (Assistant Principal)

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L. Watkis (Assistant Principal)

Parents/Guardians, Please join the PTO The PTO needs you!

L. Watkis (Assistant Principal)

Thank you to all who participated and supported our CMIT Tigers in their Book Character Parade! Despite the rainy day the students and staff brought the sunshine sharing their love of reading, and favorite books to go along! It was a joy to see students both within the building and virtual as Marvel characters, Disney, President Barack Obama, Scientists, Athletes, Wizards, and more! Despite the character parade taking place once a year, continue to be readers year-round! Sharing the love for reading can last a lifetime! Quote of the day from one of our young readers as he marched proudly through our halls: “Wow! I love school” “Reading is the gateway for children that makes all other learning possible.” – Barack Obama

Mrs. Bradford

Our educators at CMIT South Elementary are continuously working to develop their professional practices. Fine-tuning and increasing their professional capacity allows for our educators to best meet the needs of our students. Each month the New Teacher Academy gathers to shift their focus to a particular topic, this month teaching to differences. Educators collaborated to delve into differentiation, in how we can best provide our instruction to meet all levels, and the learning styles of students. Thank you to all of our educators who work tirelessly to ensure rigorous and engaging STEAM instruction for our CMIT South Elementary students. We are looking forward to a year of continued learning and growing!

Dr. Donovan and Mrs. Bradford