Thank you to all of our parents and drivers that have been so patient with us as we open the new school year! You help make CMIT North Middle School a safer place for our scholars. Please continue to adhere to the traffic patterns on the attached Traffic Flow Map. We are continuously working with those unaware of the procedures to ensure they are informed and comply. Some key points: 1. Only commercial bus and van riders are permitted to exit to the bus lot. 2. All other students are required to be picked up in the rear of the school building. 3. Do not pick up your student on the side of the road, round-a-bouts, or other parking lots. 4. Respect and obey the requests of school personnel directing traffic. Dismissal time is at 2:55pm each afternoon. On Thursday and Friday, student pick up was complete by 3:15. That's 20 minutes for 550 students to get to their lockers, exit the building, and for vehicles to exit the school grounds. We appreciate your patience. As these procedures become routine the process will become even more efficient.

Attachment(s)

Andrew Brauer, Acting Principal

This year Mrs Champagne will be mentoring an Art Education intern! Mr. Green is a graduate of the University of Maryland College Park. He majored in Studio Art and is currently enrolled at the university in the Masters of Education Certification program. Mr Green has had the opportunity to work with children ranging in age from six through adolescence during his undergraduate years at various camps through National Park & Planning and The Art and Learning Center at the university. Mr Green will be working alongside Mrs Champagnes 6th and 7th grade classes during the fall and spring semester as he hones his teaching skills.

Mrs Champagne

Parents, we have a truly talented group of parents at CMIT who have varied backgrounds and expertise. We as a community could benefit from drawing on that expertise. Therefore on October 13th, 2018 we plan to hold our first of several parent workshops. If you are have professional expertise, we need speakers on the following topics: Finance - Maximizing your Child's 529 account. Psychology - The developing Adolescent Brain/Mind and behavior. Cyber Security/Law - Monitoring your child's online life. The Dangers of Social Media and the Internet. Preparing your Child's College Resume in Middle School. Your discussion would only be 30 minutes long and logistical support in the way of presenter tools and devices will be provided. If you would like to present, please let me know at jscreven@cmitacademy.org. If not, we hope you can attend one or more of these informative discussions.

James Screven, Assistant Principal

For those who missed the first two meetings, there will be a general interest meeting for high school and middle school parents interested in sending their student(s) on a summer 2019 tour of London, Normandy and Paris. The meeting will be held at CMIT Middle School in room 108 at 6:00 PM September 13, 2018. Entry can be made at the back of the building near room 116. The trip will include seeing Big Ben, Parliament, The Tower of London, Churchill's bunker, the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, the Eiffel Tower, the Champs Elysee's, The Louvre and Louis XIV Palace at Versailles . Additionally, we will be seeing the beaches and U.S. military cemetery at Normandy, made famous during the U.S. - led invasion, where Nazi fortifications still exist. Please contact me at jscreven@cmitacademy.org if you plan to attend. You must RSVP if you plan to attend. If you have already RSVP'd there is no need to do so again. Thanks! James Screven, Assistant Principal

James Screven, Assistant Principal

The Chesapeake Lighthouse Foundation (CLF) invites you to participate in their annual Culture Fest on November 3rd. This year a celebration of culture, cider, cocoa, music, games, local vendors, silent auctions, raffles, and student performances will be included. CLF needs your help in getting the word out to family, friends, and your individual networks. Please share the attached letter with any and all interested parties. If you know of licensed vendors interested in reserving a space or have any questions please contact: Mark J. Sutherland Community Partnerships Director Chesapeake Lighthouse Foundation T. (301) 776.2300 x.104 E. msutherland@clfmd.org

Attachment(s)

CMIT Administration

Mark your calendars for Picture Day on October 17th. Order forms and additional information will be coming.

CMIT Administration

Back to School Night will take place from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 12th. Parents will be receiving an email on Monday with more information about their specific student's back to school night schedule with teacher sessions and classrooms. Please have this information with you when you come to back to school night. Please email Mrs. Linnenkamp at jlash@cmitacademy.org if you have any questions. See you on Wednesday!

CMIT Administration

Our school will be participating in National Run @ Work/School Day on Sept. 21st. On the 21st our students and faculty will be running a 3/4 mile course around the CMIT to promote health and fitness for our students. All students will be able to wear their P.E. uniforms on this day. Our students will be collecting pledge donations for each lap they run to support their grade to use for future events this school year. There will be more information regarding the pledge sheets in the next week. We are asking for donations of cases of water for this event. You can leave your donations at the front desk. Please contact Mrs. Linnenkamp at jlash@cmitacademy.org with any questions!

Mrs. Jessica Linnenkamp

We'll chat more about it at Back to School Night this week, but if you're available to attend the Baltimore Book Fair you can earn extra credit! Find details here: http://www.baltimorebookfestival.com/

Danica Justsen, NBCT

Greetings to all parents and students of CMIT North MS! My name is Mrs. Natalie Crespo-Montano and this is my 6th year in the middle school. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Far Eastern University, and Master of Biology Education at Ateneo de Manila University. I hold a Maryland Advanced Professional Certificate (APC) in Biology. In my twenty-two years of teaching high school science in the Philippines and Arizona, I taught Biology, Advanced Biology, Honors Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Physical Science, Environmental Science, Experimental Research, General Science. While here at CMIT-North, I have taught Physical Science, Biology, Earth Science, Life Science, and a high school elective: Genetics. In addition to being a secondary school educator, I became a part-time college instructor and taught Zoology in B.S Physical Therapy class from 1997 to 1998. I became a research adviser overseeing hundreds of high school research/investigatory projects for 10 years in which many of my projects won in the regional level and reached the national level science fair competitions. I received the Science Project Adviser Award in the 2005-2006 National Science Fair. I coached students in Biology Quiz, and attended numerous science and technology workshops /seminars from the division to international level. I became a Research Trainer for secondary school teachers in Special Science Class Curriculum from 2005 to 2007. In addition to my science career, I became a Regional Master Teacher/Trainer of Intel Teach To the Future from 2002 to 2007. I have also collaborated with Northern Arizona University (NAU) fellow graduates to bring their leading research practice and findings into K-12 learning settings. Lastly, I am an active STEM Educator Participant in U.S. Naval Academy STEM Educator Training-Workshop since 2015 to present. “My educational philosophy is that each child is unique and capable of learning. Each child have different capabilities, thinking and learning styles. The teacher plays a big role in molding the child’s learning process. The teacher performs their job with hard work and heart. The success of the teaching-learning process involves effective and efficient teaching, support of the people around the child, some external factors, and the child himself.” Students from UMBC, Pitt, Berkeley, GW, UCONN, and Clark Atlanta, WELCOME to my class!

Natalie Crespo-Montano MS Science

Hello Parents of Technology 6th Graders We are learning a lot in tech class and the students are excited. This first week of school, the students have been getting adjusted to having new email accounts and passwords. The email accounts and passwords have allowed the students to view their work on Google Classroom. This is where the students will turn in their work. Currently we have been working in Microsoft Word using the Shape tool. As the year progresses we will begin to branch out in to other areas of technology development. Thank you parents for all your help. I especially appreciate the hand sanitizer and tissue boxes that the children have been bringing in for our classroom. As we near flu season, these products will be helpful in keeping illness to a minmum.

Mrs. Conde-Technology

Welcome to a new school year parents and students. The first week of the 2018/2019 school year is in the books. Every parent should have received a syllabus for my reading class; however, if you have not received the syllabus yet, it is located in Google Classroom. The first quarter's curriculum theme is Confronting Barriers: The Person Behind the Name; as a result, the students will read a variety of excerpts from biographical and autobiographical selections from our Holt McDougal Literature anthology. In addition, the students will read Bad Boy: A Memoir by Walter Dean Myers. The first assignment for Walter Dean Myer's memoir is located on Google Classroom and it is due Friday September 14, 2018. There is a bonus assignment worth 10 extra credit homework points due Tuesday September 11, 2018. The first week was primarily dedicated to completing the Students Learning Objective (SLO) Pre-test. Next week Monday, students will begin taking the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test. The test results will be shared with parents as soon as we get them. To provide some clarification about the pre-tests, the students are required to complete both tests to give us data that we can use to track students' progress in reading and to guide instruction in areas of need. The students will take post-tests later in the year to help us determine any improvement in their reading and writing skills. Looking forward to working with you all this year!

Mr. Conde RELA 7 Teacher

What can you do with 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow? To start the school year with an extremely fun and educational way to reinforce key concepts of practice and challenge is to emphasize to our students the progression in learning is usually from the concrete to the abstract. The Grade 8 Life Science classes created a free-standing structure using 20 strands of spaghetti, one yard of string, and one yard of tape to balance a big marshmallow on top using right angles. The fun activity encourages students to experience simple but profound lessons in key aspects of innovation – ideas generation, collaboration, creativity and teamwork. In addition, the students recognize the opportunity of teamwork across curriculum with a Technology and Engineering. Students were also reminded that in CMIT, we value the displays of working styles and team dynamics to bring together a whole range of different structures. By the end of the activity, the students were able to discussed their experience of working using scientific inquiry for this challenge and identified • some of the key challenges and benefits of working in a team • some of the key steps required that successfully completed the activity • some of the key behaviors required to successfully complete this activity • the nature of science using phenomenal events.

Gemma Y Bognot CLARKE, Ph.D Grade 8 Science Teacher Science Department Chair

Who knew Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, & Mathematics (STEAM) and Physics could be so much fun? We did! Making a Popsicle stick catapult design is an AWESOME STEAM activity to better learn the Nature of Science. Exploring Physics has never been so exciting because everyone loves to launch stuff into the air. As this activity meets engineering curriculum along with Next Generation Science Standards students also learn about force, accuracy, precision, angles and team work. Our Grade 8 science class taking HS biology reviewed the important science and math concepts crucial to their course. Students describe cause-effect relationships with some justification, using data and prior knowledge, and observe and explain reactions when variables are controlled (cause and effect). Students see that how a model works after changes are made to it may suggest how the real thing would work if the same thing were done to it and that choosing a useful model (not too simple, not too complex) to explore concepts encourages insightful and creative thinking in science, mathematics and engineering (models). What do you think we should do next? You guessed it – we are ready to design, build, dissect and test more science projects.

Gemma Y Bognot CLARKE, Ph.D Grade 8 Science Teacher Science Department Chair

Welcome back to school and to an exciting final year at CMIT Academy North Middle School! The first week has gone well, and students have been quite productive already. Most of our days together this week were spent planning and developing an "Autobiographical Infographic." After exploring various examples (some good, some not as effective), students individually determined the most significant and interesting information about themselves, drew rough-drafts of how they'd like to visually convey that data to a large audience, and then utilized Canva (a web 2.0 tool) to display their personal data. Their final products are DUE on Monday, 09/10, so please remind them to finish these over the weekend. At the beginning of class on Monday I'll show students the best ways to download their infographics and submit them to Google Classroom (but there will not be time for adding to them or making further adjustments). The checklist (with point values) for the infographics (their first mini-project) is posted on Google Classroom and attached to this post. My goal is to have each of these infographics printed in color and displayed around the 8th grade hallway, so we can all get to know the wonderful set of 8th grader leaders we have this year (and so students can discover similarities they have with each other while interpreting data and enhancing their abilities to "represent and interpret data" -- a standard in both Math and English). Next week we'll take our Fall MAP-R assessment to determine students' starting reading levels and set semester- and year-long personal goals for growth. We will also select Independent Reading Time texts and begin our routine of reading for an extended period of time a couple of times each week. Finally, we'll introduce the first Article of the Week (AoW), and students will practice (or learn more about) annotating to prepare for our novel studies. Attached to this post please also find the syllabus. If you have ANY questions or concerns as the year progresses, please do not hesitate to reach out to me via email: djustsen@cmitacademy.org. At the close of our first week together, I feel exhilarated by the energy and willingness to learn and EXPLORE that students have exhibited. BE ON THE LOOK-OUT FOR... Our #TIGERSread18 Challenge and details on how to participate. Information coming soon! It's going to be a GREAT year!

Attachment(s)

Danica Justsen, NBCT

What can you do with 20 sticks of spaghetti, one yard of tape, one yard of string, and one marshmallow? To start the school year with an extremely fun and educational way to reinforce key concepts of practice and challenge is to emphasize to our students the progression in learning is usually from the concrete to the abstract. The Grade 8 Life Science classes created a free-standing structure using 20 strands of spaghetti, one yard of string, and one yard of tape to balance a big marshmallow on top using right angles. The fun activity encourages students to experience simple but profound lessons in key aspects of innovation – ideas generation, collaboration, creativity and teamwork. In addition, the students recognize the opportunity of teamwork across curriculum with a Technology and Engineering. Students were also reminded that in CMIT, we value the displays of working styles and team dynamics to bring together a whole range of different structures. By the end of the activity, the students were able to discussed their experience of working using scientific inquiry for this challenge and identified • some of the key challenges and benefits of working in a team • some of the key steps required that successfully completed the activity • some of the key behaviors required to successfully complete this activity • the nature of science using phenomenal events.

Gemma Y Bognot CLARKE, Ph.D Science Teacher Science Department Chair

6th Grade Book List Students will be responsible for acquiring the following books for the year. Both hard copies or eBooks or PDFs are acceptable. Local libraries tend to run out of these since they are popular with middle schoolers, so be sure to secure your copies well in advance. Book Club Books The reading for these books will be done both at home and during Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) in class. Homework for the readings is assigned bi-week and due the day of the literature circle discussion. Books will be assigned and completed in the following order: Hoot, by Carl Hiaseen Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls Number the Stars, by Lois Lowery The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norman Juster Hatchet, by Gary Paulson The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien Holes, by Louis Sachar In Class Novels Two novels will be taught in class in addition to the regular curriculum. These novels will be read in class, with additional reading assigned as necessary. 2nd Quarter: The Giver by Lois Lowrey 3th Quarter: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton Please email me if you have any questions.

Mr. McSparron RELA 6

I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all of my students and their families. It has been a pleasure getting to know my new scholars this week. I am excited to guide them through the exploration of language as they become fluent readers and writers. As we move forward, please remember to check Google Classroom for assignments and announcements. I hope to see you all at Back to School Night on Sept. 12th.

Amy Sumor

Q: Is CMIT North MS a public school? 

A: Yes We are a public charter school who is staffed by PGCPS teachers and administration, along with CLF staff. We 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 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.

Q: Do you offer everything the big middle and high schools offer? 

A: Unlike many school in Maryland, we do not have a  developed tradition in sports. 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, boy's softball, boy's baseball,  boys and girls track/field at the high school. With that said we recently (2017) won the girls county basketball championship and made it to the playoofs in soccer. Our High school recently opened a multi-million dollar, state of the art gym complex. Additionally, we 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 and in only literacy and math courses.