Parents/Guardians, Communication:-Can you believe it? We have almost completed the first quarter. In my welcome letter to you, I communicated the importance of keeping the lines of communication open. Many of you have done just that, and I would like to thank you for reaching out to us in a professional manner to critique, share and voice your concerns as it relates to everything that impacts your school. Please continue to do so. However, please be mindful that in our effort to meet the demands of teaching and learning, we may not get the opportunity to respond immediately, and/or even to respond. It does not mean that your concerns are not important. Please give us time to process the requests and send a response. What I am now realizing with everyone is that messages do get lost in the shuffle, so forgive us and reach out again. We will make every effort to keep the lines of communication open. Here are the best ways to keep those lines open:- Class dojo -please sign up and get in the loop Weekly Newsletter PTO Newsletter and attending PTO meetings Emails Phone calls Conferences/meetings Send a note in Thank you for choosing CMIT Elementary School as a choice school. We are glad you did. Respectfully,

L. Watkis (Assistant Principal)

Hello CultureFEST Crew Members! The CultureFEST countdown has begun! To get the party started early, CLF has decided to host CultureFEST workshop sessions every Friday until Nov. 2nd! These workshops are open to all students, parents, and staff from 8:00am to 4:00pm. Our team can adjust the timing of a workshop if we receive enough interest. Our workshops will secure time for us to build and laugh together as we march to the beat of CultureFEST. If 10 or more commit to a CultureFEST workshop, CLF will provide refreshments to keep our creative energy at 150%! Signing up for a workshop session is easy! Just reply to this email with the dates and times you plan to attend. Simple right?! Sign Up Today! Let’s Build CultureFEST together! Oct. 18: Review of CultureFEST festival grounds & poster & sign making Oct. 25: Decoration designation & inventory Nov. 1: Transporting materials to CMIT North High School & Setup for CultureFEST 8:00am - 4:00pm We encourage anyone interested in volunteering to follow the link below to our C-FEST Volunteer Sign Up Genius. This will allow you to sign up for a role/project that suits you. MAKE SURE TO BRING YOUR SSL FORMS WHENEVER YOU DONATE YOUR TIME TO CULTUREFEST! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0C4CADA623A4FA7-culturefest1 Help us transform CMIT North High School into the festival we all know and love by donating decorations to CultureFEST! Use the link below if you are interested in donating autumn/multicultural themed decor! If the items you would like to donate aren't on the list, email CLFPR@CLFMD.ORG with a photo of the items you would like to give! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0C4CADA623A4FA7-culturefest

CLF Community Partnerships

Dr. Beverly Donovan has been an educator for over 20 years in the British Virgin Islands, South Carolina, Prince George’s and Anne Arundel Counties, Maryland and Washington DC. She has had the distinct pleasure of working with scholars at all levels of education as a teacher, instructional coach, academic dean, adjunct professor and school leader. She has been recognized as an educator of excellence and has earned National Board Certification in Early Adolescence Science. Dr. Donovan is committed to the educational philosophy that the education provided to each of our scholars must be of high standard, must meet the needs of each learner and is supported by the forged relationship between teacher and student which then facilitates school, family and community partnerships. Dr. Donovan is excited to have joined the CMIT South Elementary School staff and looks forward to meeting and working alongside each of you as we accomplish our mission together.

Beverly Donovan

First grade is still hard at work! We have introduced 2D and 3D shapes to students this week, are closing out our unit on number sense and place value, continued writing fundamentals, learned about our government, and the lunar cycle (in addition to objects in the sky)! Students also had a blast learning about Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) on Friday and even got to enter the inside of an ambulance with their assistance! Please be advised that DRA testing will continue for certain classes next week. Feel free to contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions and have a wonderful weekend!

The 1st Grade Team

We had so much fun and learned so many things this week! Thank you to those who helped with our Harvest Fest Celebration by donating things, we really appreciate it! Have a wonderful weekend!

-Ms. Libebe

This week kindergarten finished up their line designs so we can paint them with watercolors next time! First grade is continuing their line landscapes, second grade is doing a line design of their own to create monsters, but don't tell them that; they think they're just drawing random lines for the fun of it! Third grade sketched out their object from home and the next step is to turn it into Pop Art, the fourth grade drew their own versions of "The Great Wave" by Katsushika Hokusai, and the fifth grade is going to take a break from monsters and start perspective drawings next week! Let's get creative!

Miss James

James Madison holds the distinction of being Princeton University's first graduate student. Former President Madison served as our country's fourth president from 1809-1817 and has the honor of having a university named after him, James Madison University.

Mr. Rowland

Another week down here in 2nd grade! This week in math and science we have started our new units on Measurement and Changes in Earth’s Surface. We’re excited to see how much we learn in the next few weeks. We’ve continued working on identifying story elements such as character and setting as well as main idea and details. Progress reports will be sent home so make sure to check your student’s homework folder for that. All other important announcements and reminders will be posted on Class Dojo. Have a great weekend :)

Ms. Fleet and Ms. McDonagh

Hello parents! We are happy to announce that testing has been completed and scores are now available. Ms. Lambert and myself will be conducting the parent teacher conference together on November 11, 2019. The signup sheet has gone out and it is full. We are doing everything that we can to accommodate our families. We will make ourselves available the week after so that we can meet with all who wish to speak to us. The times available will be from 7:30 am to 8:00 am. As the weather changes, please send the students with a light jacket or a sweater for recess. We are still in short supply of Lysol spray. As the seasons change, we would like to have parent volunteers to help with door decorations and the bulletin board. This shows your support of our school and makes the students take pride that their parents are involved. We are still in short supply of Lysol spray and would like to keep the classroom happy and healthy during the upcoming fall season. Please continue to donate to our classrooms so that the students will have abundant supplies

Ms. Michelle Phillips and Ms. Lambert

Greetings Parents, This has been a great week and students have worked and performed well. Be on the look out for upcoming information on Field Trips. Progress Reports go out tomorrow. Weekly Student work Xtra Math Khan Academy cK-12 Thanks for all you do!

Victor Hawkins

Dear Parent/Guardian of Third Grade Students: Third grade students in our school will be taking the Otis Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT 8) on Monday, October 14. The OLSAT is a verbal and non-verbal measure of abstract thinking and reasoning ability. This test is given each year to third grade students in order to assist schools in making placement decisions for the Talented and Gifted (TAG) Program. Results of this test are only one factor used to identify students for the 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 February, 2020.

Fatih Metin Program Coordinator & Testing Coordinator

Fourth Grade Parents, In Reading, we have begun reading a historical fiction text titled Lewis and Clark and Me. we have been focusing on the reading strategy of questioning and identifying the author’s purpose. We have studied long -a and -i sounds and how the multiple ways in which they are formed to help prepare for our upcoming spelling test on Thursday October 17, 2019. We have also added to our Amazing Oral Vocabulary to aid with comprehension of our text. Standard: RI.4.3, RI.4.4, RF.4.4.a, SL.4., SL.4.2, L.4.2.d, L.4.3 In Math, we are discussing multi-digit multiplication, and I plan to give a quiz Thursday, October 17th. We will then be moving in to division. Students have already had a chance to work with division, but this will be a more in depth experience with it. Standard: 4.NBT.5 In Science, we will begin discussing the changes of Earth’s surface, such as erosion and weathering. Students have individual login accounts for ReadWorks, and Science homework will be assigned on ReadWorks, and announced on Class Dojo. Standard: 4-ESS2-1 In Social Studies, students have demonstrated their competency of the geography basics by completing their first test of the year. We have continued our quest of becoming master geographers by studying the different types of maps along with their purpose. Next week, we will start discussing the regions of the earth the characteristics that set them apart. Standards: CCSS.SS.4.3 In Health, we will be having a guest teacher, Dr. BB, coming in on Fridays this year. Next week she will be discussing self-esteem/self-image. In Social Skills, we wrapped up our focus on responsibility but setting personal goals to become more responsible individuals at home as well as in school. We have began gaining a true understanding of what kindness is and ways we can be kind to others. Students were given a Kindness Log to record their acts of kindness throughout the week (1 mandatory act of kindness per day minimum).

~The 4th Grade Team~

This week the Kindergartners visited the library! We watched a video about library rules/expectations. After the video students repeated the rules/expectations they learned. This weeks library activity involved the students creating and coloring their own bookmarks.  In an effort to add more creativity to the library, Ms. Middleton and I are asking for you to donate any school appropriate books that are old, torn and tattered. Upon receiving these old books we plan to re-purpose them in an artistic way. 

Tyra Robinson

This week in third grade students practiced for the OLSAT. They did very good with the practice test and will be taking the official test on Monday, September 14th. There has been a lot of testing at the start of this school year but students have done a wonderful job working so hard on these. We are very proud of them and you should be too! Students did a wonderful job on their "What's the Weather" dioramas and a wonderful job presenting them! It was so great to see how creative they are! Awesome Job!!

Ms. Cunningham

Anti Bullying Spirit Week October 21st-25th Monday: Faculty and students will wear their favorite hat to show they “Put A Cap on Bullying”. Tuesday: Faculty and students will wear colorful socks to indicate we will “Sock it to Bullying”. Wednesday: “Mismatched Day” Faculty and students will wear mismatched socks, shoes, and clothes to show it’s ok to be different. Thursday: “Be a Buddy, Not a Bully” Students and Faculty will become twins or triplets with a buddy for the day Friday: Faculty and students “Unite Against Bullying” by wearing orange for national anti-bullying day.

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Deidra Chandler Professional School Counselor

Character Education Day will be held November 1st 2019. Please see attached for more information!

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Ms. Cunningham

Dr. Sullivan-Williams, (aka Dr. BB) is delighted to empower the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders with the knowledge of Character Education which falls under the umbrella of Life-Skills. Here are some of the things she will be working on with these grade levels. 3rd Graders - Self-Esteem: To empower students what self-esteem is and how it is develop ed. To make students aware of the fact that they can do things well, even though they are young. Objectives: Students will: * Define self-Esteem. * Identify how self-esteem is developed. * Difference between positive and negative self-esteem. *Identify things that they can do Summary: Self-Esteem is important because it reflects how we feel about ourselves. We need to give ourselves credit for everything we can do. Instead of feeling negatively about what we can't do, we can try to improve the things we don't do so well. Remember, practice makes perfect. 4th Grade Self-Esteem To empower students to feel better about themselves by looking with a broader perspective at what they have already achieved and at what it is possible for them to achieve in the future.. Objectives: Students will: * Identify short term goals they hold for themselves. * I Identify long term goals they hold for themselves. * Discuss the relationship between risk behavior and goal achievement. Summary: A person who sets and achieves realistic short-term goals is a person who will feel successful and competent who will have higher self-esteem as a result. Setting long-term goals can help people remember what it is they hope for in the future. Hopefully, people will remember what can happen to those goals if risk taking behavior occurs. 5th Grade - Self-Esteem: To empower the students of what self-esteem is and how it is developed. To make students aware that they are unique and should feel good about it. Objectives: *Define self-esteem * Identify how self-esteem is developed. * Identify things about themselves that they share and don't share with others. * Discuss what makes each child develop into a unique person. Summary: Sometimes children feel negative about themselves and have low self-esteem because they think they don't fit in. They believe they are different from other children and the won't be liked. It's important to remember that every person has some qualities that are different from those of other people. That's because every person is unique. People should be happy that they are unique. This means that they are special and no one else is exactly like them. They are one of a kind. No one should feel like they don't fit in, because to a certain extent no one else fits in completely. On the other hand, if you still feel like you don't fit in, remember that we are all alike in some ways too.

Deidra Chandler Professional School Counselor