Upcoming Dates 

Community Information

  (Items in this section are not sponsored by Deal)  

Boys Camp Information Session and Dessert

Can you imagine your son canoeing and hiking through the Maine wilderness, learning to chop wood and make a fire, cook over a campfire, or sail a boat and build a canoe?  If the answer is yes, you need to know about a boy's camp called Flying Moose Lodge.  Situated in mid-coast Maine, Flying Moose Lodge has been in operation since 1929 and has been run by the Price family for last 70 years.  Boys between the ages of 9 and 15 spend 3-7 weeks living in the Maine woods and swimming and boating on Craig Pond.  In our overly structured age of parenting, it's a challenge to find a place where boys can test themselves and learn self-reliance.  A local camper from the 1930s said, "Flying Moose is a place where a boy comes into his own."

On Friday November 30, 7:00-9:00 p.m., Chris and Beverly Darnell are hosting an information session and dessert at 3213 Morrison Street NW, Washington DC.  The Camp Directors, Chris and Shelly Price, will be here to talk about the camp and show a brief video.  Current and former campers will be on hand to share their experiences.  Please join us for desert and learn more about this amazing place.  Please also visit www.flyingmooselodge.com to learn more about the camp.  Questions?  Please call 202-237-0458.

I Trained U Basketball Clinics

Basetball Clinics will be held in November and December on

Wilson Crew Holiday Wreath Sale 

Support Wilson Crew and get ready for the holidays buy purchasing wreaths.  Wilson Crew is selling fresh, fragrant 24-inch Frazier fir wreaths decorated with red velvet bows hand-tied in the USA.  You can purchase wreaths for $25 each from your favorite rower or by logging on to www.wilsoncrew.org.  Be sure to enter the name of your favorite rower when you purchase online so that he or she gets credit for the sale. Wreaths will be delivered the first week in December.  Wilson Crew is the only rowing program in DCPS and is open to all DCPS high school students and relies on the generosity of supporters like you to keep this sport alive for public school students in our city.  Pull for Wilson Crew!

Community Service Opportunity at Janney Elementary

Janney Elementary School is looking for 7th and 8th grade students who would be interested in partnering with Janney students as academic buddies, helping with basic math and English language skills as part of a supervised after school activity. This would require a regular commitment between 3:30-4:30 one or two days a week and would count towards community service hours. We are looking for students who are reliable and conscientious, enjoy working with younger kids and who love learning. If you are interested please contact Pippa Trench at [email protected].  202-724-8950.

Information of interest to the Deal community may be emailed for consideration to [email protected]  

Complete Lunch Form online at

 Mealsapp.dcps.dc.gov   

All families regardless of eligibility must complete a lunch form. This is important and helps determine some funding for the school.

Buddy Days at Deal are coming!

Every year the Alice Deal 6th grade students and teachers host a day for each of our feeder school 5th grade students and their teachers to visit for part of our school day. This is our chance to proudly present our school to future middle school students. We want to make every effort to have our visiting Buddies have a super positive experience.

The following schools are scheduled to visit from 8:50 to noon:

Lafayette

Tuesday, November 27

Shepherd

Tuesday, December 11

Non-feeder school students and their families should feel free to attend one of the upcoming Deal Tours or visit the school at any time. 

Student and parent information...   

New:  Thank you from the Student Council

The Student Council would like to thank everyone who helped make our Fall Dance/Party a great success! Thanks to the students who came, the teachers who chaperoned, the custodians who helped with the set-up and clean up, the PE Department for helping in the gym, the cheerleaders for the snacks, Ms. Redekopp and Mrs. Allen for overseeing board games in the library, Mr. Ngwa for letting us use his room, and anyone else we may have forgotten!

Thanks also to Mr. Otterstatter for helping us organize the annual Thanksgiving Food Drive and for delivering all the generously donated food!

New:  Deal Relief Council (DRC) 

The DRC would like to thank all those who gave paper, pencils, erasers, binders, books, and games (and various other items) to middle school victims of Hurricane Sandy. This was our first effort to provide relief to victims and we're off to a great start. We collected over 250 books for classroom libraries, 25 folders and binders, 54 packets of paper, over 300 pencils, 46 board games, and 1 backpack. If you still would like to give, please do! We will be shipping these items sometime in December. Stay tuned for more ways to help out others in need.

New:  Paced Interim Assessments (PIA) 2  

Please be reminded that all Deal students will take the PIA Reading (ELA) on Tuesday, December 4nd and Math on Wednesday, December 5th. We will need the cooperation of everyone in the school to ensure that this test is administered in the same manner as the DC CAS. Some teachers will be assigned as test administrators and some as proctors in order to support our students.

New:  Painting for the Soul Club

Painting for the Soul will next meet again on Wednesday, January 9, promptly at 7:45 am. Be creative between now and then!

This Week at Deal...   

7th Grade Field Trips This Week

7th graders will attend an interdisciplinary field trip to the Natural History Museum on the Mall. Tuesday - Team Rome; Wednesday - Team Alexandria; Thursday - Team Mumbai; Friday - Team Sparta. Trips will take the full day. Students should bring their own lunch unless they have notified their teachers otherwise.

8th Grade Field Trips this Week

8th graders will attend the We the People Trolley Tour next week!  All permission slips should be turned in to Humanities teachers no later than Monday, November 26. Team Mecca will attend on Tuesday, November 27, Team Firenze on Wednesday, November 28 and Team LaPaz on Friday, November 30. On Thursday, November 29, the 6th period classes from each team will attend.

On the Trolley Tour students will learn about the Constitution within the boundaries of our own federal city. Students will make stops at the Capitol, Lafayette Park and the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Supreme Court and the National Archives. Students will travel on an Old Town Trolley and tours are led by Cousin Sam, a distant relative of Uncle Sam.

Need another permission slip?  Please check Edline! Interested in chaperoning?  Please contact your child's Humanities teacher!

Monday: Craft Club 

Come one, come all to Deal MS Craft club every Monday until 4:30! For the month of December, Ms. Reynolds will be demonstrating different ways to make beads using colorful polymer clay. Materials will also be provided to turn these wonderful beads into necklaces and bracelets. Please join this new club on Monday for some fun, hands-on crafts in E300 after school.

Monday:  The Afterschool Outdoor Basketball Club 

We will meet on Monday, November 26 at 3:30 pm behind the school on the court next to the "Cottage." Dress for cold weather. In the event of rain, we will meet in Mr. Namian's room (W205) at 3:30.

Monday:  Photography Club 

We will meet in E104, Mr. Gueltig's room on Monday from 3:30-4:30. Be prepared to upload and edit your photos for our upcoming photo show.

Tuesday:  Girls on Track

This coming Tuesday, November 27th the Girls on Track will be completing a service project and having a celebration of our fabulous season. Then on Sunday, December 2, what we have all been training for: the 5K! Please see Ms. Purcell or Ms. Wisniewski for all the details.

Wednesday:  Literature-to-Film Series 

The 2nd film in our series will screen Wednesday, November 28, at 3:30 in the library. Bridge to Terabithia is the adaptation of the classic novel by Katherine Paterson about friendship, imagination, and the pain of loss.

Thursday and Friday:  Spelling Club

Mental Health Matters!

An Attitude of Gratitude: 

Tips for Fostering Gratitude in Children

How often do we remind our children to appreciate what they have or be thankful for the good things in their lives?  Parents and teachers should make it a point to encourage the experience and expression of gratitude in our children.  Research has shown that people who experience gratitude have more positive emotions, fewer negative emotions, higher levels of connectedness, improved relationships, improved achievement, and greater progress toward goals.  Factors that promote gratitude include positive thinking, empathy, humility, and problem-solving skills, whereas factors that inhibit include a sense of entitlement, preoccupation with materialism, lack of self-reflection, and lack of resiliency. Fostering gratitude can help students become more mindful of the positive aspects of their lives, engage in more pro-social behaviors, and become more aware of strengths in themselves and others.  Gratitude is a learned behavior, thereby one which parents and teachers can foster through a variety of simple acts:

1. Model gratitude.  Allow your child to see you behaving gratefully to family, friends, neighbors, and others.  Explain why you are saying thank you, not just because "it's the right thing to do."
2. Encourage your child to write thank-you notes after receiving gifts or special assistance from a friend, family member, or teacher.  Have them reflect on why they are grateful and include it in the note.
3. Reinforce grateful behavior.  Identify when you see your child behaving gratefully and reinforce it. 
4. Make time daily to share gratitude.  Whether at breakfast, the dinner table or before bed, make time for the family to share at least one thing for which each person is thankful.  Starting or ending the day with gratitude can reinforce positive connections.
5. Have your child keep a gratitude journal.  Regularly have your child write down 3 or 4 positives that they are grateful for and why.  Encourage your child to think of experiences, people, and events, not just material possessions.