Occurs about a month into the school year.  Has had different formats over the years.  Sometimes this is a presentation in the cafeteria followed by a visit to the student's classroom.  Other times it is entirely in the student's homeroom and the teacher provides all the information.  In either format, this is an opportunity to see what your child has started learning and what is planned for the school year.  It is not recommended that you bring your student to this event as the classrooms get very crowded and there is no activity geared towards children.  Sometimes this is for all grades and other times it is for Grades 1-5 only as the younger grades have this built into their orientation.

Details TBD

The PTO sponsors a Fall Picnic as a thank you to all our families.  This typically takes place after school (5:30-7:30) on a Friday.  We all gather at the CMES playground for food, games, and fun.  We supply hotdogs, snacks, drinks, and cotton candy.  Sometimes we are able to get a Kona Ice truck or something similar.  Games include things like tug-o-war, potato sack races, and ring toss.  We make sure to have games that work for kids of all ages!

Typically held in the Early Fall, this is exactly what it sounds like.  The PTO puts on games and activities for the kids and provides hambugers, hotdogs, drinks, and snacks for the whole family.  This is an event that needs a lot of volunteers, so be on the lookout for messages from the PTO!

Mo Gaba, was a Baltimore sports superfan from Glen Burnie who inspired many around the Baltimore area. He gained attention after he started calling into 105.7 "The Fan" beginning in 2015 to share his sports knowledge with listeners. Gaba, who was just 14 years old when he died in June 2020, battled bone cancer most of his life, starting when he was just nine months old. He was also blind. In 2019, he became the first person to announce an NFL draft pick written in Braille.

Schools and organization across Maryland, including AACPS, celebrate the ideals of Mo such as positivity and perseverance.  You can read more about Mo's life here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mo_Gaba

You can help celebrate by wearing purple or orange on this day.

The PTO will sponsor a movie night at the school.  We all gather in the cafeteria/gymnasium to watch a popular kid-friendly movie.  A drink, a snack, and a sweet treat are provided for our kids.  Parents will need to stay with their child throughout this event.  We recommend bringing a towel or blanket to sit on.

Occurs in December, usually just before Winter Break.  Students can wear pajamas to school and sometimes are allowed to bring a stuffy.  They watch the movie Polar Express in their classroom and enjoy hot chocolate and some winter treats.

A PTO event that typically occurs the week before school, around 5:30pm, at the CMES playground.  It is a way for incoming Pre-K and Kindergarten families to meet each other and socialize.  The PTO provides popsicles for the kids and usually has an information table to help the parents navigate their first year.

The PTO sets up restaurant fundraisers.  It's usually a pizza, burrito, or burger restaurant.  For a set period of time, all orders to that restaurant will result in a portion of the profits going back to CMES.  Nobody has to cook and CMES gets money - it's a win-win!

A series of events that allows families to become familiar with the school, visit classrooms, meet teachers, and other stuff.  The agenda for this often changes each year and sometimes CMES will combine the events.  Typically, you can expect the following in some fashion or another:

• A Pre-K and Kindergarten orientation specifically for those families.  Typically held in the evening, in the cafeteria, and includes a PowerPoint presentation, a chance to meet teachers and staff, and sometimes a tour of the school.  It is typically recommended that children not attend this event as it's geared towards providing parents and caregivers with information and children will likely be bored.  There are no activities for children.

• A new student orientation for students in Grades 1-5 that are new to CMES.  Typically held in the evening, in the cafeteria, and includes a PowerPoint presentation, a chance to meet teachers and staff, and sometimes a tour of the school.  It is typically recommended that children not attend this event as it's geared towards providing parents and caregivers with information and children will likely be bored.  There are no activities for children.

• Sneak-A-Peek, which allows students to see their classroom, locate their desks, drop off initial school supplies, etc.  Teachers are often in the classrooms during this event but have limited time to chat with families.  This is typically held during the day, in the 1pm-3pm range, and broken up into multiple sessions by last name.

A crowd favorite!!  Once a month, on a Friday, we all gather at Skate Zone on Route 3 in Crofton for a night of CMES-only skating.  The hours are typically 5pm-7pm and anybody affiliated with CMES and their friends/family are welcome.  A portion of the proceeds are provided back to CMES.  There is always a theme and, if dressed appropriate, kids will get a coupon to redeem at the prize counter.  Themes include pajamas, rainbow, mix & match, etc.

Note: Skate Zone recently redid their floors and will no longer allow scooters during any event.

The PTO sponsors Kevin Martin of Rock Creek Steel Drums. There will be assemblies for all grades about steel pans and the steel tongue drum art form of Trinidad and Tobago.  BUT...the 5th graders get to experience a one-week residency where they learn to play the drums, culminating in a concert by them and their teachers.

For more information on Kevin Martin and Rock Creek Steel Drums, please visit: www.rockcreeksteeldrums.com.

There are a handful of Unity Days throughout the year to bring awareness to bullying.  On these days, students are encouraged to wear orange.  More information on Project Unity can be found on the AACPS website at the bottom of: https://www.aacps.org/Page/7848.

Held every year on October 31 (or the nearest school day to it).  Students select a word, design a costume around that word, and parade around the school.  This typically takes place in the morning, about 30 minutes after the start of the day, and the kids parade around the parking lot.  Families are encouraged to come by and cheer for the students.  Teachers and staff also get into costume and march with the kids.

There are no real rules to what word or costume a student can have, outside the typical school code of conduct.  All words are approved by teachers to ensure appropriateness.  For example:

• Careers like Meteorologist, Volcanologist, or Paleontologist are all great vocab words that can be turned into costumes.

• Other careers can be used if the word describes the job or the person performing it.  For example, dressing a firefighter for the word combustible or inferno.  Or, dressing as an astronaut for the word atmosphere or gravity.

• Some costume are made up of examples of the vocab word.  For example, putting a bunch of shiny objects on the costume for the word dazzling.  Or, only wearing a single color for the word monochromatic.

• Lots of kids use their Halloween costume and find a suitable word to fit.  Dressing as a ghost? Use the word apparition.  Dressing as a cartoon character? Use the word animated.  Dressing as a knight or superhero?  Use the word valiant.

Each child must display their chosen word and its definition.  Since this is meant to stretch their vocabulary, students are encourage to pick words they do not know.  Additionally, they are encouraged to pick "juicy" words.  Use lavish instead of fancy.  Use agile or nimble instead of fast.