CMIT North Middle School Science Olympiad Team is so excited to announce a huge success in CMIT history. The team received 11 medals and 8 ribbons last weekend, and there is no event where it has not received awards. It was worth seeing our scholars' and their parents' excitement while the results were announcing. AND Drum Roll Please!!!! We have advanced to the 2021 MSO State Tournament and will continue to work hard until Saturday, April 17. Many thanks to Ms. Lawal, Ms. Hinton, Ms. Crespo, and Ms. Nhyirani for supporting our scholars and making a difference in their lives.

Esra Kocaslan-Inci Science Department Chair

We are moving forward with the CMIT Middle School Yearbook despite being in the midst of a pandemic. School year 2020/2021 will never be forgotten. The Yearbook Club has been working very hard to create a unique yearbook that our scholars will want to share with family and friends for decades to come. The yearbook will reflect on many historical events that have taken place during this school year. Don't miss out on this monumental piece of CMIT history - ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK NOW!!! Click to Order: ybpay.lifetouch.com Thank you parents for submitting your scholars photos. The pictures coming in are awesome! For those who have not submitted their scholar's University Single Photo, it is still not too late. Please don't allow your child to be left out of this year's historical yearbook. Parents and students are welcome to submit a positive brief statement on behalf of their experience at CMIT North Middle School to be posted in the yearbook. We still need more pictures of our scholars in order to capture the essence of this year's yearbook theme, "This Is Us". Please forward pictures of your child logged into Google Classroom, Zoom Class, participating in classwork and homework, preparing projects, club activities, playing sports, enjoying the holidays, playing with their pets, singing or dancing to their favorite song, cooking, or just wearing their favorite face mask. In addition to the many pictures that were submitted, note that on the first day of school, we will take pictures of students returning back to school. We want to capture the best memories of this year despite the pandemic. Pictures are now being accepted through the deadline, Friday, April 2, 2021. Please send all photos to Mrs. Ronina Spence - Ronina.hodges@pgcps.org To order your child's yearbook, parents may go to - ybpay.lifetouch.com YEARBOOK ID: 12970821

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Ms. Spence

Middle School Families, The 3rd quarter is over halfway over. Checking your students' grades via SchoolMax and monitoring their google classroom for work submission is an important part of staying up to date with student progress. Directions on how to do both of these can be found below. Please see the following important dates for the 3rd quarter. March 11th - All Progress Report Grades Available for Parents to View April 9th - End of 3rd Quarter April 19th - Report Card Grades Available for Parents to View

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CMIT Administration

On Tuesday, March 23rd at 7:00pm your CMIT North PTO and Administration will host an Information Zoom Meeting to review aspects of the Reopening Plan and expectations for parents and students that have selected In-Person Hybrid Learning. Please join us. This meeting will be to go over the hybrid learning plan so that you know important information regarding the following: - When and Where to Drop Off/Pick Up Your Student. - Where do we do a late Drop off. - Parent School Visitation - Early Dismissal Procedures. - Safety Measure we Have Put in Place to Keep Your Scholar Safe. - Policies and Procedures for Students During the Day. - Parent/Guardian Supplied Items. - Student Meals During the Day. - Student Class Assignments. - Procedures for Identifying and Isolating a Student or Staff with COVID-19 Like Symptoms. - Parent Notification of Student Exposure to a COVID-19 Like Illness. Please plan to join us so you know the most updated information regarding your student's experience during hybrid learning. Please join us at the following Link: https://zoom.us/j/93351385200

Ms. Spence

Please save the date for our spring parent workshops. This year's spring workshops will be held on Saturday April 24th at 10:00 am to 12:30 pm. These workshops are designed to aid parents in understanding their middle schooler better. Parents will find useful information to help their student grow capacity socially, emotionally and academically. This event has always been a parent favorite and we look forward to presenting you with the tools you need to make your child more successful.

James Screven, Assistant Principal

Time to Climb is Nearpod's “game-like” learning activity that increases engagement with friendly classroom competition while assessing students' understanding. As part of the assessment activity on mutation, Life Science students played "Time to Climb". The pictures above show the top 3 students and some features of the said activity. Congratulations! Norfolk University 1st Place- Sperra Vittor 2nd Place- Boluwatife Abdulkareem 3rd Place- Erica Arthur-Williams Trinity University 1st Place- Jaden Sutton 2nd Place- Devin Thomas 3rd Place- Seleste Daye Alabama State University 1st Place- Kamsiyochukwu Nwadike 2nd Place- Kailyn Brown 3rd Place- Amirah White Drexel University 1st Place- Joshua Quijada 2nd Place- Gabrielle Williams 3rd Place- Myles Hagans

Mrs. Crespo-Montano (Science Teacher)

Eight grade students from Alabama State University, Norfolk, Drexel, and Trinity University are learning mutation.  In connection to the lesson, students worked in a group and analyzed an article about cystic fibrosis entitled "FDA Clears Drug for Leading Form of Cystic Fibrosis".  Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that causes internal mucus buildup, lung infections, and early death.  They learned about the new drug approved by the FDA.  Students discussed the article with their group, and answered the given questions. As part of the questions, students were asked to give feedback of their group experience. Here are some of students' response: I felt good about this group, they all did their work. -Christian Sherrod, Kailyn Brown, Bryce Albury (Alabama State University) The group was very cooperative and did not fuzz with each other. We were also very organized and we did our work smoothly. -Hailey Anye (Alabama State University) As a group, I feel like we did pretty good. We didn't argue or get upset at each other, so we were pretty smooth sailing. - Madison Hebron (Alabama State University) We worked well together. Everybody cooperated. - Ryan Ogoh (Alabama State University) It was fun, I learned things and my group members were smart. - Ashley Ayitey-Adjin (Drexel University) It was very interesting to learn about these things, and how it affects the body and people who have it. The group worked together to answer the questions. - Neyla Carr (Drexel University) I learned a lot from this and it was kinda fun also. - Akinsola Akinbami (Drexel University)

Mrs. Crespo-Montano (Science Teacher)

Biology students and Life Science students constructed an origami DNA model. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid is a long molecule that contains our unique genetic code. Like a recipe book it holds the instructions for making all the proteins in our bodies. This double helix structure was first discovered by Francis Crick and James Watson with the help of Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins. DNA has two strands, antiparallel, and helical in form like a twisted ladder. DNA is made of sugar-phosphate backbone- sugar "deoxyribose", and a phosphate group. The nitrogenous bases are the purines Adenine, Guanine, and the pyrimidines Cytosine and Thymine. Adenine pairs with Thymine, and Cytosine pairs with Guanine through complementary base pairing by hydrogen bonds. The following are some of student's responses to the question, "What did you learn from your experience in building your model?" What I learned from creating this origami model is that our DNA has a very interesting and eccentric structure yet having one of the most important jobs in our cells for our system.- Ethan Malcolm (UOM) I learned that it is important to be patient with origami and if you cut origami it is called Kirigami.- Samuel Adenola (UOM) Origami is harder than I thought. - Jonah Lewis (UOM) I learned more about the 4 bases (A-T, T-A, G-C, C-G). I learned where the sugar deoxyribose is on a DNA molecule. I also learned the order of the bases is what determines DNA’S instructions/ genetic code. - Leah Lykes (UOM) I learned more about the nucleotides and the placement of where each one goes in the DNA molecule.- Saloni Patel (UOM) I learned that folding is scary because I thought I was going to mess it up every fold.- Zachary Ward (UOM)

Mrs. Crespo-Montano (Science Teacher)

In addition to all of the flyers I have been providing throughout National Nutrition Month, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also has several videos on their website. As National Nutrition Month comes to an end, I encourage every one to look over the website and see what helpful videos you can find for your lifestyle. https://www.eatright.org/videos

CMIT Nurse

Health room updates during hybrid learning are provided in the slide show below. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have in regards to the health room during reopening. Karen Bates, Nursing Supervisor, will be on the telephone townhall Wednesday, March 24 at 6pm to discuss student health during the hybrid model. I encourage all parents of hybrid students to participate in the call. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Whw8CWzdYehhKZDJn8oVZmnePIM-_fLCJuZzNYlavI4/edit?usp=sharing Please contact Nurse Anthony at, crystal.anthony@pgcps.org should you have questions regarding health.

CMIT Nurse

Q: Is CMIT North MS a public school? 

A: Yes We are a public charter school who is staffed by PGCPS teachers and administration, and support staff who work along side of a limited CLF staff. We have access to PGCPS support but also benefit from additional guidance, management and financial support from Chesapeake Light House Foundation, whose educational concept this school is based on. 

Q: Do siblings get preference in applying to CMIT?

A: The process of gaining entry to any charter school in Prince George's County is through a lottery. However, siblings of already attending CMIT students are weighted differently during the lottery process. This different weighting gives preference to siblings. 

Q: What makes CMIT different then any other school in the district? 

A: Although we are a PGCPS public charter, we are given some autonomy over curriculum. This autonomy allows us to fast track students, who are academically ready, through selected high school courses in math, foreign language, science and technology. It is that fast tracking that opens up opportunity to more advanced  coursework on the college level while still in high school.  Additionally, we offer students supports and enrichments to every student, not available at most schools. Lastly, we are a uniform school which takes away the distraction, the competition and the social stratification that is brought on by non uniform dress in a school. 

Our test scores oustrip not only county averages but also state avaerages. This, along with other metrics has made us a 5 star school. 

Q: Do you offer everything the big middle and high school's offer? 

A: Unlike many school in Maryland, we do not have a  full spectrum offerings in sports.  Instead, our focus is on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics). Therefore, our sports offerings are more limited.  We offer, boys and girls soccer, basketball, girl's softball, boy's baseball and club lacrosse in the middle school. Additionally, boys and girls basketball, track/field and volleyball at the high school level. With that said we recently (2017) won the girls county basketball championship and made it to the playoffs in soccer. Our high school opened a multi-million dollar, state of the art gym complex, competitive with all schools of their size. The middle school has also added an indoor gym space.  Lastly, we do offer special educational services, but becuase we are a school of choice, the amount of service hours we can provide is limited to 7.5 hours a week, split between literacy and math. Services hours are delivered by special education teachers but are limited to literacy and math courses.