Alice Deal Middle School

Think globally - Listen compassionately - Act inclusively  

 

The Weekly Bulletin 

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Our school mission:
Alice Deal Middle School inspires excellence, curiosity, and compassion through intellectual and social engagement.
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Interim Principal's Message...albright

  

This was my first 8th grade dance in four years at Deal. A combination of circumstance and bad luck left it off my calendar each year - but this year I wasn't about to miss out. I didn't have a date, I wore the same clothes I came to work with in the morning, and I had no plans to get my hair done in the afternoon, but this 8th grade experience wasn't one to forgo.

Teachers were busy planning the dance for weeks and then setting up for it as soon as Deal Day ended. At 7pm, the cafeteria was empty of students. A glance outside showed the field to be spotless - a magical sight after the carnival atmosphere of a Deal Day that filled that space earlier that day. The dunk tank was gone, finally. A night at the Academy Awards awaited the 8th graders - complete with music, food, and a chocolate fountain.

 

Outside Deal, students began to gather, waiting for someone to be the first one to go in. Once the ice was broken, a steady stream of strangers began to filter into the building. Strangers who were once 8th graders, because the transformation into dance-ready was complete. Every possible combination of styles was present - and all eras were represented (except for the reprehensible "flowery tuxedo" years I lived through). They were handsome and beautiful and grown-up and ready to go. They were unfailingly polite, generous, sweet, industrious, coiffed and wrapped and spangled. Miraculously, most of the young ladies had added a few inches to their soon-to-be-9th grade stature. If anyone could pull off both tottering and graceful, it was the young women from Deal at the dance.

And they danced and ate and laughed and had a good time. Amid the flash of cameras and the darting from cluster to cluster of friends, they had a great time. With teachers and administrators (and a few parents) gathered around them and wondering about their futures, they had a fabulous time. They were 8th graders who had almost, almost finished 8th grade.

In the midst of the party, a strange thing happened, something to remind us that in spite of the heels, tuxedos, hairdos, and swagger, they were still young kids. Wandering back down from the front of the building, I noticed that the dance had suddenly evaporated. Two or three students were still in the cafeteria and the music still throbbed, but the kids had left the building. Could it really be over in an hour? Didn't they realize they had two hours left?

The answer was outside. Like any lunchtime at recess, the 8th grade had decamped to the Deal field. Hairdos and all, they milled about where hours earlier they would have milled about, playing tag, frisbee, soccer, football, and chasing each other. The lure of playing one more time outside had, Pied Piper-like, made them forget what they were supposed to be doing. The DJ panicked and sent a crew out to round up his dancers. What is a school dance without the students? Back they came and resumed the semblance of an 8th grade dance (although not without asking me if they could play soccer first. Really.).

For a few minutes outside, however, they resembled much more the 6th graders they had once been - free spirits, reveling. With this last rush to freedom, they seemed to want to hold on to that feeling. As they streamed back inside, they crossed a bigger threshold than they imagined.

We will miss them.
 

Interim Principal Albright 

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Week of June 11, 2012 ringing
 
Bell Schedule

Monday -Bell I 
Tuesday - 8th Grade Promotion 
6th & 7th Grade
 Kings Dominion Trip 
Wednesday - Bell I 
Thursday - Half Day Bell Schedule 
Friday -No School 
Summer Break 
 

Upcoming Dates

 
June 11
6th Grade Textbook Collection
The Amazing MogaRace 

 

June 12
8th Grade Promotion - 10am 

 

June 13
Faculty Meeting

 

June 14
Last Day of School
End of Fourth Advisory

 

 Wilson Senior High School Update for Rising 9th graders    

Earlier this year, 8th grade students worked with their counselor to create a 4-year plan for high school on the Bridges' Individual Graduation Plan (IGP). Courses were selected for next year, as well as tentative course work for the entire four years of high school. 

 

On May 18, 2012, students' course selections for 9th grade were automatically transferred electronically into the Wilson High School scheduling computer from the IGP. 

  

Parents can expect to receive from Wilson High School (by the week of June 18th) an Option Verification Letter which will show the specific courses that their children are signed up to take in 9th grade, as well as directions and deadlines for what they should do if there are errors in their children's course selection. 

 

If parents have any other questions, they can email Wilson High School Assistant Principal Ms. Mary Beth Waits at  [email protected].

   

   Math Assessment Exam for Incoming Students for 

SY 2012-2013

    

Non-Feeder School Math Assessment for incoming 6th and 7th students will be June 15 at 10 am.  

  

Rising 6th Grade News   

 

  Summer Bridge 

 

Certain incoming 6th graders will be invited to participate in Deal's Summer Bridge. Summer Bridge is a three-week summer program that will provide math and reading support, as well as strategies for organization. Parents will be contacted by June 4 if their child should attend Summer Bridge. Summer Bridge will be held from  

July 2 - July 20 (not July 4)
Mondays - Thursdays from
8:30 am - 12:00 noon.
 
Library News
  

All Library Books Due  

 

All library books are due back at this time in order to be inventoried.

 

Library Media Center Hours   

 Before School 8:00 a.m. - 8:40 am

After School  3:30 p.m. - 5:00 pm
 
Students must have parental permission to stay after school

  

The Alice Deal Library welcomes students for reading and homework after school! Students must have a permission form on file in the library to use the space after school. Students may pick up a form in the library, or may download it from the library website (Library Pass).  The library is open until 5pm, and can hold 35 students.

Alice Deal's Promotional Sponsors for SY 2011-2012:

1. Steve Agostino of Taylor Agostino Group, Long and Foster Real Estate

2. Bertin Radifera, of Radifera Design Group, LLC

3.  Kimberly Cestari, of W.C. & AN Miller Realtors

4.  Broad Branch Market

5.  Pete's New Haven Style Apizza 

6.  Eldad Moraru, Long and Foster Real Estate

Interested in being a Deal Sponsor for SY 2011-2012?

  

Please contact Diana Rojas, [email protected] or Lisa Oakley, [email protected] 


Message from Nurse Pringle

 

Safety Tips for the Summer Months

 

Before prolonged physical activity children should be well-hydrated. While participating in strenuous activity, children should periodically drink water; for example, every 20 minutes, drink 8 oz cup of cold water even if the child does not feel thirsty. Children should wear light-colored and lightweight clothing limited to one layer of absorbent material to facilitate evaporation of sweat. Sweat-saturated shirts should be replaced by dry clothing often. If they are having practices or games played in the heat it should be shortened and more frequent water/ breaks should be instituted.

 

In the case of bug bites and stings. To remove a visible stinger from the skin, gently back it out by scraping it off horizontally with a credit card or your fingernail. Wearing combination sunscreen/insect repellent products should be avoided because sunscreen needs to be reapplied every two hours, but the insect repellent should not be reapplied. Use insect repellents containing DEET when there is a need to prevent insect related diseases such as ticks which can transmit Lyme disease, and mosquitoes which can transmit West Nile Virus and other viruses. The current CDC and AAP recommendation for children over 2 months of age is to use 10-30 percent DEET. DEET should not be used on children under 2 months of age. As an alternative to DEET, Picaridin (Bayrepel) has become available in the U.S. in concentrations of 5-10%. It is a more pleasant to use and cause less skin irritation.

 

Let's all enjoy these warm summer months outdoors but always remember to be safe!

 

 

Community Information

  (Items in this section are not sponsored by Deal)  

   

Summer Creative Writing Workshops

 

Writopia Lab (www.WritopiaLab.org), a Tenleytown-based nonprofit organization, invites all aspiring Deal writers to join us for our creative writing workshops this summer, offered every week from June 11 - August 31.  Our workshops are small (3-6 writers) and are led by published writers.  This year, through Writopia Lab, 4 Deal writers had their play produced by professional actors Off-Broadway in New York, and 2 more will be celebrated at Carnegie Hall as National Medalists in the Scholastic Writing Awards.  Join us!  We welcome all writers, regardless of writing experience, and we operate on a sliding scale tuition system.  Contact Kathy at [email protected] or 202-629-9510 for more information.

 

Lafayette Tennis Summer Camp

 

Full/Half Day Tennis Camp

Tennis Players Ages 6 -15

Lafayette Park, Chevy Chase, DC

(On M-4, E-1, E-2, E-6 Bus Lines)

 

8 Weekly Sessions, 1st Session  June 18 - 22, Last Session  August 6 - 10  

Special Alice Deal Teen Week is July 9 - 13          

 


This is a small, friendly tennis camp that focuses on improving the skills of all players.  The camp will be using the two upper tennis courts at the Lafayette Recreation Center at 33rd and Quesada Sts.  In addition to developing their tennis skills on the courts, kids can cool off in the refreshing Lafayette Water Daisy and with ice cold slushies from the delicious Broad Branch Market.  We will also make frequent trips to the Wilson Aquatic Center on hot days.  We will take advantage of kids' programs with The World Team Tennis Washington Kastles this July and at the new Citi Open Tennis Tournament July 28 - Aug. 5. Camp goes 9-4. For families with working parents we offer optional Pre-Camp Care and Post-Camp Care. 


A 10% discount is available on the 2nd or 3rd child in the same family signing up for the same camp session. Weekly fee for full-day camp week is $300 & half-day camp week is $200. Go to 

www.LafayetteTennis.org 

to get the registration form, space availability and additional information. Camp registration is through the Lafayette Tennis Association, a USTA Community Tennis Association. 

Paul Rosenbaum (Lafayette, Deal, Wilson Parent) Camp Director

Lafayette Tennis Association 

 

Register Now for the  

2012-2013 School Year 

 

All students (even 8th graders) must register here at Deal for the upcoming school year.  Please remember to bring the required proof of residency when you come in. Student registration affects our budget for the upcoming school year, so please register your child NOW. Thank you! 

Student and parent information...   

  

New: Summer Reading for Wilson SHS

Attention 8th graders attending Wilson this fall: the summer reading assignment is "Enrique's Journey," by Sonia Nazario. There is a Dialogue Journal assignment that goes with the reading. Please see the handout you received at school for details. The assignment is due the first day of school; make sure to start off high school right!

 

New:  PC Laptop Donations for the Dagara Music Center

Mr. Assael, the host of the African Drumming and Dance Club, is working hard to bring the Saakumu Dance Troupe to Alice Deal Middle School next year. This performance group focuses on traditional Ghanian music and dance, touring around the world to illustrate the culture and traditions of Ghana through musical performances and classes. The leader of Saakumu is Bernard Woma, who is also the director of the Dagara Music Center. As a former student of Mr. Woma's, Mr. Assael is looking forward to sharing this experience with Deal. 

 

To support the children who live near the Dagara Music Center, located outside of Accra in a small village called Medie (find it on a map!), Mr. Assael is organizing a PC laptop donation effort. The community needs as many PC laptops as possible to help the children. Therefore, if members of the community have working PCs that have Internet capability and a working charger, Mr. Assael will collect them this week until June 14. A traveler will be carrying them on from Deal to Ghana very soon and made this opportunity aware only recently. 

 

If you have a PC that can be donated, there will be a box for donations in Mr. Assael's classroom (E204). Thanks for any help you can provide! 

 

New:  Last Tuesday's grilling was a SUCCESS!

Thank you to the over 200 members of the Deal community who came and had dinner with us. Big thanks go to Mr. Ngwa, Mr. Otterstatter, Mr. Assael, Ms. Gill, Mr. Martini, Ms. Purcell, Ms. Wilson, Ms. Mason, Mr. Washington, Ms. Bustos , Ms. Zanelli, Ms. Meserole, Ms. White, Ms. Kinzer, Mr. Geremia, Ms. Allen and Ms. Lang for greeting and grilling, and a big thank you to Ms. Lerum, Ms. Popaditch, Mr. Albright and Dr. Pough for joining us for dinner.

 

Additionally, we pulled four names for the awesome raffle prize of a MogaFeast and the winners were:

 

Alex Mountfield

Addie Elliott-Joy

Ben Korn

Angela Gant-Curtis

 

Please see Ms. Ofodile to claim your gift certificate.

 

The grilling was awesome and we thank you for your support. Look for information about the non-profit our students selected and the amount we will be donating to them; we can't wait to see you next year!

 

New:  Deal Donates 43 Bikes & $490 to Kenya/Bikes for the World 

On Saturday, Deal sponsored its 7th annual Bikes for the World bicycle collection. Team Timbuktu collected 43 bicycles, $490 and lots of bicycle accessories. These bikes and accessories will be shipped to a partner charity in Kenya. Team Timbuktu would like to thank the Deal community for its generous donations. And a special thanks goes to ELL student Leo Ma and his Boy Scout troop for all the hard work they did preparing the bikes for shipment to Kenya.   

 

New:  Spanish Language Trip

Registration for the upcoming 2013 Spring Break trip to Costa Rica is now open! If you are interested in traveling with Alice Deal during the 2013 spring break you can register for the trip by visiting Eftours.com and typing in the tour number: 1187626. There you will also find information regarding the itinerary and a price quote. If you know you will be traveling with us, register as soon as possible in order to lock in the lower rates and set up a payment plan. In addition, all student travelers who enroll by June 15th will be entered to win a $350 scholarship towards the cost of the tour. Please contact Ms. Henderson at [email protected] if you have any questions.

 

New:  Debate Team

Ms. Henderson and Ms. Ruiz would like to send their gratitude out to all the Deal students who made the 2011-2012 Debate season truly one to remember. As in previous years, Alice Deal students went head to head with some of the most seasoned and best debate teams in the DC Urban Debate League. Our students lived up to our reputation as a serious contender within league ranks. For those debaters moving on to high school, we wish you the best of luck and encourage you to come visit our practices and share your skills with our future teams. For returning debaters, we look forward to an even more successful and triumphant year in 2012-2013. Have a great summer, read the newspaper, and think critically! 

 

New:  Baseball Uniforms

Please return all baseball uniforms to Coach Downing. 

 

New: Student Council 

We would like to thank all the students, teachers, parents, staff, and administrators that helped with a wonderful Deal Day! 

 

 

This week at Deal...   

 

Monday - Friday:  After School Activities 

All after school activities have ended for the year. Have a great summer.  

 

Monday (6th grade):  Textbook Collection

6th grade textbook collection is Monday, June 11. 

 

Monday: Deal Eighth Graders Compete at National History Day Today

We extend our best wishes to the eighth graders with projects in competition at the national contest for National History Day at the University of Maryland this week. They will meet students from all 50 states, four territories, Department of Defense schools, and several other countries all vying for prizes to be announced on Thursday, June 14. Their projects have already been reviewed at the classroom, school, and citywide levels and are being evaluated this week by professional historians, museum curators, documentarians, website designers, and journalists.

 

We congratulate them for having come this far and for continuing to improve their work at each step. Good luck to Gillian Page, Miro Furtado, Sofia Laguarda, Nina Clemente, Meredith Sherman, Andrew Mahaffie, Michael Vigdor, Ayah Arafat, Rowan Campbell, Lizzy Kapscinski, Johanna Siegel, Toby Shapinsky, Julia Nessman and Ben Topa.

 

Monday: The Amazing MogaRace

The Amazing MogaRace is on Monday and we are EXCITED! If you are a MogaChaperone or a MogaGameKeeper, please remember to be at Deal by 11:00 am. If you are helping with the after party, please be at Deal by 12:30. If you are able to help and have not let us know as yet, email us at [email protected]. See you on Monday!

 

Tuesday:  8th Grade Promotion 

Our annual promotional exercises will be held on Tuesday, June 12, at 10am. We will begin promptly, so please arrive on time; parking will be extremely limited. Students should arrive, as usual, by 8:45. Boys must wear collared shirts, ties, and long pants (no jeans); girls must wear the equivalent dressy clothes. Students will receive two tickets for their families in advance (at the rehearsal on Monday); no additional tickets or seating will be available. Congratulations to our 8th graders and their families!  

 

Tuesday:  6th & 7th Grade Kings Dominion

The Kings Dominion field trip is Tuesday, June 12. Students, please do not forget your snacks for the bus, and money for food. Make sure to be at school no later than 7:50 am. Parents, students going to Kings Dominion need to be picked up by 8:00 pm. at Deal. 

 

Wednesday: 6th Grade Team Awards Ceremony 

Teams Seoul, Moga, Jo'burg, and Timbuktu are so very proud of the progress and and success of our 6th graders this year. Team awards will be presented to 6th graders at 9:15 am on Wednesday, June 13 in the auditorium. Congratulations to all 6th graders for a great year!

 

Thursday: Half-Day

Thursday is a half-day for students. Please make sure to make a plan with your child or to pick up him or her up at 12:15. 

 

8th Grade Students

Jump Start Your High School Career 

 

To better prepare students to transition from 8th to 9th grade, DCPS will offer a five-week Summer Bridge program for eligible students. The goal of the HS Summer Bridge program is to provide academic enrichment in English and mathematics as well as an advisory program focusing on social-emotional support and high school success skills. Successful participants will receive 0.5 elective credits towards graduation. 

 

The HS Summer Bridge program will be offered at two sites. Students in the Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) can be placed at one of the Summer Bridge sites. SYEP applicants will not receive the 0.5 elective credit. Summer Bridge is June 25 - July 27, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m.- 2p.m. Both breakfast and lunch will be provided for attending students. 

 

How to Enroll

Enrollment forms are available from Ms. Hernandez or Ms Coleman, and also available at DCPS Summer SchoolFax all completed forms to Derek Brown at 202-535-2337. The program site for Deal students is at McKinley Technology High School, located at 151 T Street NE. The other Summer Bridge site is at H.D. Woodson High School, located at 540 55th NE. 


Staff information. . . 

 

Our First 6th-8th Grade Class is Moving On!

During the promotion rehearsal on Monday, June 11, there will be an opportunity for 6th and 7th grade teachers to bid farewell to the 8th graders. We will be in the auditorium during 3rd and 4th periods. Please consider coming to wish them well, or, with other teachers at your grade level, plan some reflective remarks (yes, they are much taller than when you taught them!).

 

Check-Out Procedures 

We will have a final check-out staff meeting on Wednesday at 3:30 in the cafeteria. Please make sure that you keep track of the check-out forms. Note that Mr. Gibson will be available during periods 3-5 on Wednesday in the teachers' lounge so teachers can complete repair request forms and get his signature.