Great News from Risse Brothers! We have received notification that all orders from our community have been fulfilled by Risse Brothers. This means that all families have received their uniform orders and that our CMIT South ES Tigers are Pressed, Dressed and Ready for Success! As all Risse Brothers orders have now been completed, CMIT South ES will expect full compliance from all students in regard to our uniform policy. As a friendly reminder our uniform policy can be found attached to this post as a PDF and in our Parent Handbook on page 19. Additionally please see the helpful pictures above of clothing items which are in compliance with the uniform policy. Thank you for your patience and assistance!

Attachment(s)

Lucy Waters-Sutherland Registrar/Secretary 1 CMIT South Elementary Lwaters@cmitsouthes.org 240-767-4820 http://cmitsouthelementary.org/

Parents, Getting your child here to school on time is vitally important. There were 201 students tardy this week. Here is the breakdown: 12/10: 35 12/11: 43 12/12: 38 12/13: 38 12/14: 47 Arriving late to school can also mean that students miss out on activities designed to build connections with their peers, potentially impacting their social interactions and creating a greater sense of alienation from their classmates. Source: https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/the-effect-of-student-tardiness-on-learning. The door in the back for the cafeteria closes at 8:00a.m sharp!!!! We start letting student's into the building through the Main Office at 8:00a.m. We will not let student's ENTER the building in the front until 8:00a.m unless you have a conference or meeting with a teacher/admin that works at CMIT South ES. Please remember that your child is consider late to school at 8:06a.m. A parent/guardian MUST come into the school to sign their student in on the late arrival sheet when your child is walking through the doors at 8:06a.m. Front Office Staff Stacy Williams, Receptionist swilliams@cmitsouthes.org

Stacy Williams, Receptionist swilliams@cmitsouthes.org

Parents/Guardians, Friday, December 14 ALL projects are due. Teachers may deduct points for projects that are turned in late. Students will present to their homeroom classes, and in addition other classes if the schedule allows it. Students will be invited to the Schoolwide STEM Fair in January if the project met the criteria on the rubric. No late projects will advance to the Fair. Please print the label page, fill it out with the pertinent information, and place it securely on the back of the project board; please complete all the parts. Link to the packet- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZUCIPLiZQYrzoNOwGTdCgpR9Ju4ORm1Af68spDPBQAU/edit?ts=59e1017b Friday, December 14- PTO sponsored Winter Carnival. Please come out to support our school. The carnival will begin at 6 pm and end at 9 9 PM. The brochure is on ClassDojo. December 21- Last day for school before the Winter Holiday. Winter packets: You can find winter packets on the PGCPS website at the following link:-https://www.pgcps.org/winterpackets/ This is a good opportunity to work with students on the standards that they have been doing since the school opened. Student Behavior:- Please encourage and support positive behavior at school. We need your support as we prepare students for the next class. Please call your child's teacher and find out ways in which you can support positive behavior. Let's be proactive and positive. Thank You Ms. Watkis

L. Watkis (Assistant Principal)

The winter season is a time for reflection. It is a time for grieving around those who have passed on. It is a time of gratitude and appreciation for the accomplishments and opportunities given. It is a time for meditation where we sit in silence and respect nature and revel in its power. From the CMIT South Elementary School family to yours, we wish you a happy holiday season and prosperous new year. May you find time to reflect, grieve, display spirits of gratitude and take a moment to feed your body, mind and soul with positive intentions. Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season,

Patrice Harrell-Carter
Principal

1st Grade has been working hard this week! We have been reviewing place value for our Unit 3 test, and worked on writing fundamentals including sentence writing, capitalization, and punctuation. We also made observations about different sounds, and continued measuring time in days, weeks, months, and years! For the field trip this Monday, our buses will be departing campus at 9:00 SHARP. If your child has medication that they take during the school day, please send it with your student to school in a zip-lock bag. Lunch will be eaten on the bus to and from the aquarium. We look forward to having our parent volunteers with us! The Winter Party permission slips are also due by this Monday. Have a wonderful weekend!

Ms. Brown, Ms. Fleet, Ms. Madison, and Ms. McDonagh

Happy Friday! We are so very close to Christmas break! Congratulations to the students who turned in their STEM Fair projects today, I know you have worked so hard on them and I am so proud of you! Next week will be the presentations of the projects and in Math we will also review the concepts that they have been learning this quarter. When we come back from break students will have an assessment that will include their fractions unit (what they've learned thus far) as well as reviewing some of the major concepts from their decimals unit. I have been receiving quite a few questions from parents about homework. There is always homework to be done. Students now have access to a new website zearn.org along with khanacademy.com. If your child ever insists that homework has not been assigned, these two websites are an excellent to use and it includes work that does get graded! Over break Math + Science Enrichment packets will be sent home as the official homework assignment for break. Students need to come back to school with it completed and in hand. Thank you for your support!

-Ms. Libebe

In Math Unit 2 has been pushed back to next Friday to allow students more time for comprehension. Unit 2 will include the following standards: 4.OA.A.1, 4.OA.A.2, 4.OA.A.3, 4.NBT.B.5, and 4.MD.A.3. This week we have been working on multiplying 2 digit numbers by 2 digit numbers and up to 4 digit numbers by a 1 digit number. In Language Arts, we have wrapped up our lesson on The Tiger and the Fox and finalized our persuasive review posters. Students have started Unit 2: Patterns in Nature. We reviewed various video and text resources as we continue to synthesize across texts. Standards: RI.4.1, RI.4.2, RI.4.5, RI.4.7, RI.4.8, RI.4.9, RL.4.2,RL.4.3 RL.4.4, RL.4.6, W.4.1, W.4.2, W.4.9, W.4.10 In Science we are continuing to learn about was the Earth’s surface changes, and will have our Unit exam next week. Please keep your eyes out for Science homework this coming week about Deposition Rate and The Last Ice Age. Homework may need additional resources to be completed accurately. As we reviewed and examine Chapter 2 Lessons 3-5, students gauged a greater understanding the Manifest Destiny, the Great Depression, the Civil War, the Industrial Revolution, and the growth of the United States post World War II. Students have demonstrated their mastery through Chapter 2’s summative assessment. Standards: D2.His.1.3-5, D2.His.2.3-5, D2.His.4.3-5. We will move forward to Chapter 3 this coming week and discuss Government in the United States. In Health students will begin learning about the digestive system for the month of November.

4th Grade Team

Seasons Greetings Parents / Guardians, Unfortunately the gymnasium was closed this week again due to the floor painting job taking longer than expected. There is some good news, it will be open this Monday to all classes to enjoy for the week before the holiday break ! We will be working on underhand throwing in all grades next week and I will see if there is enough time to try out the new 4-square courts since most kids I've talked to haven't had the pleasure of playing or learning the rules in the past. I wish everyone the very best wishes this holiday season !

Garrett Loomer P.E. Teacher - Department Chair CMIT South Elementary gloomer@cmitsouthes.org

In Math we will be introducing fractions! The standard we will be starting with is 4.NF.C.5 - Express a fraction with denominator 10 as an equivalent fraction with denominator 100, and use this technique to add two fractions with respective denominators 10 and 100. Exit tickets are being assessed at this time to overwrite previous assessments for better scores. A heavy emphasis will be on Science this coming week. In Reading, we have read the story The Fox and the Tiger. Students have identified the parts of the story. Students were assigned groups based on their opinion of the story and the video. Together each group will construct a persuasive presentation/poster which will be completed and submitted on Monday December 10, 2018. We also continued to identify the parts of speech and practice creating complete sentences through our interactive tool “Build-A-Sentence”. In Science, we are beginning to learn about fossils and rock layers. STEM projects due December 14th. December 17-19th students will be presenting STEM projects to CMIT classrooms. Lesson Roundup page 403 is due on December 17th, and Discover More page 399-400. In Social Studies, we have presented our Civil War Projects. We continued to reflect on A New Nation and Immigration, I took notice that the concepts were not comprehended as intended. We will review Chapter 2 in its entirety to properly prepare for Chapter 2 assessment. In Health, we are continuing to learn about the hazards of smoking. We are allowing students to turn in missing or incomplete work after break. Assignments will be given to your child to make up over break. Upon return late assignments will not be accepted unless it is due to an excused absence.

~The 4th Grade Team~

Hello Tigers! We are so excited that we ended the first quarter with a great start. Our students are doing a fabulous job in taking on the role of super second graders. We are so very proud of their many accomplishments. Science Fair projects are due next week, please inbox Mrs. Baynham if you have any questions. With the change in weather, we would like for students to come to school with a warm winter coat. Winter Class Parties are scheduled for December 21st. Please see the google permission form on classdojo to give your child permission to attend. Children will not be allowed to participate if this form is not complete. Please inbox the Second Grade Team to ensure that you have filled this out correctly. If you would like to volunteer time, food, games, or help to decorate please inbox your child’s homeroom teachers. We appreciate you for all that you do. Thank you so much. Enjoy your weekend.

Ms. Michelle Phillips and Mrs. Baynham

School delays or closures greatly impact our students, families and staff. The decision to delay or close schools is not taken lightly. A delay or closure is based on a variety of factors including National Weather Service reports and recommendations from Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) transportation supervisors who survey county road and weather conditions. Our decisions are collaborative efforts involving PGCPS staff and Prince George’s County agencies, as well as neighboring school districts. Our top concern in closing or delaying schools is safety for buses, motorists and students who walk to school. It is our long-standing practice to remain open as long as roads are safe, open and passable, and predicted to remain so. In the event of inclement weather, the decision to open or close schools will be made prior to 5:30 a.m. on the day in question and communicated as soon as possible to the media, parents and staff. For the latest updates, check out the following: PGCPS website (www.pgcps.org) Social media sites (facebook.com/pgcps, Twitter and Instagram: @PGCPS) PGCPS-TV (Channel 96/38) Local media outlets for updates E-alerts PGCPS Weather Line 301-952-6000 (option “1”) View Emergency Weather Codes and Plans. Source: https://www.pgcps.org/weather/

Patrice Harrell-Carter
Principal

January 21, 2019: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day January 25, 2019: End of 2nd quarter January 28, 2019: Professional Development for Teachers (2hr. early dismissal for students) As well, look for information coming from the PTO regarding how we want our school community to recognize the day of service. https://www.nationalservice.gov/serve-your-community/mlk-day-service

Patrice Harrell-Carter
Principal

While the receptionist will share the tardy count for this week, I needed to underscore her plea to get your children to school on time. This week we had 200 tardies. If you equate that to student names, that is 50% of our student body population. Being tardy can disrupt a child's entire day. They are missing their morning routine, the class warm-up (which is typically a review of material taught ) and the opportunity to center and ground themselves for a day of instruction. Please get your child to school on time.

Patrice Harrell-Carter
Principal

OUR FIRST ORDER OF SPIRIT WEAR SHIRTS ARE BACK! Parents that are in attendance at the Winter Carnival can pick their shirts up tonight. The other shirts will be ready for distrobution on Monday December 17, 2018. Parents, if you ordered shirts, please send an email to pto@cmitsouthes.org with your child's name and teacher info. We will ensue that the shirts are given to your child to place in their bag. For those who did not get a chance to purchase, we'll be placing more orders soon, as well as adding additional designs.

"The" CMIT PTO Board

https://conta.cc/2S6SnYE

"The" CMIT PTO Board

Last Chance! We'll be taking orders at the Winter Carnival tonight! Sale ends at 11:59PM Friday 14 December. Don't miss out! https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pdLWUIlakCi6xeG-fufKcckDbPcgIfJc?usp=sharing

"The" CMIT PTO Board

Follow us on Twitter: @cmitsouth Follow us on Instagram: cmitsouth_es

Patrice Harrell-Carter
Principal

Hello Thee CMIT Family Hope everyone had a great week and is enjoying all the lights and excitement preparing for winter break. This week I attend Suicide Prevention and Intervention training conducted by the Department of Student Services. Unfortunately, I also had to communicate with young scholars who have shared his/her feelings of harming or ending his/her life. However, when communicating with parents, I realized the importance of having this conversation in Elementary School. There are parents who feel his/her scholar does not understand the meaning of suicide, however, as I communicate with students it is evident they are fully aware of the meaning and are also crying out for guidance, love and positive support. In preparation for the holiday/winter break, I understand it becomes hectic and busy, but I ask you to take a moment and communicate with your scholars, as to how he/she is truly feeling, and his/her thoughts. Find out what makes him/her happy..maybe a date night of doing something he/she enjoys. Listening to his/her opinions and making him/her feel important. Parents: Suicide is the second leading cause of death among school age youth. However, suicide is preventable. Youth who are contemplating suicide frequently give warning signs of their distress. Parents, teachers, and friends are in a key position to pick up on these signs and get help. Most important is to never take these warning signs lightly or promise to keep them secret. When all adults and students in the school community are committed to making suicide prevention a priority-and are empowered to take the correct actions-we can help youth before they engage in behavior with irreversible consequences. Suicide Risk Factors Although far from perfect predictors, certain characteristics are associated with increased odd of having suicidal thoughts. These include: Mental illness including depression, conduct disorders, and substance abuse. Family stress/dysfunction. Environmental risks, including presence of a firearm in the home. Situational crises (e.g., traumatic death of a loved one, physical or sexual abuse, family violence). Suicide Warning Signs Most suicidal youth demonstrate observable behaviors that signal their suicidal thinking. These include: Suicidal threats in the form of direct ("I am going to kill myself") and indirect ("I wish I could fall asleep and never wake up again") statements. Suicide notes and plans (including online postings). Prior suicidal behavior. Making final arrangements (e.g., making funeral arrangements, writing a will, giving away prized possessions). Preoccupation with death. Changes in behavior, appearance, thoughts and/or feelings. What to Do Youth who feel suicidal are not likely to seek help directly; however, parents, school personnel, and peers can recognize the warning signs and take immediate action to keep the youth safe. When a youth gives signs that they may be considering suicide, the following actions should be taken: Remain calm. Ask the youth directly if he or she is thinking about suicide (e.g., "Are you thinking of suicide?"). Focus on your concern for their well-being and avoid being accusatory. Listen. Reassure them that there is help and they will not feel like this forever. Do not judge. Provide constant supervision. Do not leave the youth alone. Remove means for self-harm. Get help: No one should ever agree to keep a youth's suicidal thoughts a secret and instead should tell an appropriate caregiving adult, such as a parent, teacher, or school psychologist. Parents should seek help from school or community mental health resources as soon as possible. School staff should take the student to a school-employed mental health professional or administrator. The Role of the School in Suicide Prevention Children and adolescents spend a substantial part of their day in school under the supervision of school personnel. Effective suicide and violence prevention is integrated with supportive mental health services, engages the entire school community, and is imbedded in a positive school climate through student behavioral expectations and a caring and trusting student/adult relationship. Therefore, it is crucial for all school staff members to be familiar with, and watchful for, risk factors and warning signs of suicidal behavior. The entire school staff should work to create an environment where students feel safe sharing such information. School psychologists and other crisis response team personnel, including the school counselor and school administrator, are trained to intervene when a student is identified at risk for suicide. These individuals conduct suicide risk assessment, warn/inform parents, provide recommendations and referrals to community services, and often provide follow up counseling and support at school. Parental Notification and Participation Even if a youth is judged to be at low risk for suicidal behavior, schools may ask parents to sign a documentation form to indicate that relevant information has been provided. Parental notifications must be documented. Additionally, parents are crucial members of a suicide risk assessment as they often have information critical to making an appropriate assessment of risk, including mental health history, family dynamics, recent traumatic events, and previous suicidal behaviors. After a school notifies a parent of their child's risk for suicide and provides referral information, the responsibility falls upon the parent to seek mental health assistance for their child. Parents must: Continue to take threats seriously: Follow through is important even after the child calms down or informs the parent "they didn't mean it." Avoid assuming behavior is simply attention seeking (but at the same time avoid reinforcing suicide threats; e.g., by allowing the student who has threatened suicide to drive because they were denied access to the car). Access school supports: If parents are uncomfortable with following through on referrals, they can give the school psychologist permission to contact the referral agency, provide referral information, and follow up on the visit. Maintain communication with the school: After such an intervention, the school will also provide follow-up supports. Your communication will be crucial to ensuring that the school is the safest, most comfortable place for your child. Resiliency Factors The presence of resiliency factors can lessen the potential of risk factors to lead to suicidal ideation and behaviors. Once a child or adolescent is considered at risk, schools, families, and friends should work to build these factors in and around the youth. These include: Family support and cohesion, including good communication. Peer support and close social networks. School and community connectedness. Cultural or religious beliefs that discourage suicide and promote healthy living. Adaptive coping and problem-solving skills, including conflict-resolution. General life satisfaction, good self-esteem, sense of purpose. Easy access to effective medical and mental health resources. Articles: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/alabama-9-year-old-dies-suicide-after-racist-taunts-bullying-n946411 https://www.islandpacket.com/news/local/education/article222961790.html http://www.fox32chicago.com/news/national/girl-9-commits-suicide-after-classmates-bully-her-for-having-white-friend-family-says https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/08/28/preteen-suicide-concern-school-mental-health/1119752002/ Suicide Prevention Hotlines: National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273- TALK (8255) The Trevor Project 1-866-488-7386 Maryland Crisis Hotline 1-800-422-0009

DM Davis, Professional School Counselor, CMIT South ES, ddavis@cmitsouthes.org