Student & parent information New: 6th grade Parent Workshops On September 3rd and 4th (6:30 - 8:00 pm both evenings), Deal will offer parent workshops for 6th grade parents. All 6th grade parents are strongly encouraged to attend. The workshops will provide an opportunity for parents to gain insight into life in middle school and to learn strategies for ensuring their child's successful transition to Deal. There will not be a general opening session. Parents will report directly to the workshop of their choice at 6:30 pm.
- Special Education at Deal
- Edline: Basic Set-up and Use
- French Interactive Notebooks (FINs) and Immersion
- ¿No Hablas Español?
- Athletics at Deal
- Understanding IB Rubrics for Mathematics
- The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IB MYP) at Deal
- Challenging (but expected) Development: Middle School Years
- What to Expect from Your Reader and Writer - 6th Grade English at Deal
- Organization and Communication at Deal
- Band and Choir at Deal (information table
New: 7th and 8th grade New To Deal Parent Workshops On September 3rd at 6:30pm (the same time as the 6th grade parent workshops above) Deal administrators will meet with parents of new 7th and 8th grade students. This will be an informal meeting to answer questions and provide needed information. No need to sign up - just come to the school (parking will be tight) and follow the signs. New: SRI Testing All Deal students will be taking the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) one day this week during their Language and Literature Classes. The SRI is a computer assessment that assesses reading comprehension. This test allows teachers to assess student's reading progress throughout the year. The schedule is as follows: September 3rd: 6th grade testing September 4th: 7th grade testing September 5th: 8th grade testing New: Deal Peer Mediation Program Peer mediation is a process of conflict resolution in which trained student (or adult) mediators assist disputants to discuss and resolve their conflict. Mediation is available at Deal for student (and adult) disputes on a referral basis. If teachers or students are having a conflict or want to let someone know about a potential conflict situation, they can refer the situation to Ms. White, the Peer Mediation coordinator. Mediation referral forms can be picked up from the bookcase outside the counseling suite and can be left with a counselor or in Ms. White's box. Parents can refer a conflict situation by calling Ms. White (202) 939-2012. New: Peer Mediation Interest Meeting Next Week! The peer mediation program is also recruiting students from all three grades who were trained to be peer mediators at Deal last year or in their elementary school. Students can also sign up with their counselor during lunch. Special training for mediating disputes at the middle school level will be provided. Peer mediators will have two meeting opportunities on Friday to choose from each week. The first two interest meetings will be held on Friday, September 12th from 8:00-8:30 a.m. and 3:30-4:00 p.m. - location TBA. This is a great opportunity for students to contribute to their school community by helping others resolve problems that cause conflicts in relationships with peers and adults in our school.
New: Transitions Group for Grades 7 and 8
In support of our new 7th and 8th grade students, Ms. White and Ms. Hernandez will host three after school sessions on Monday's during the month of September. These after school group sessions will provide the extra support and knowledge to help students build their confidence navigating this new environment. Topics will include organization/time management techniques, using Edline, and much more. The first meeting will be Monday, September 8th at 3:30 pm.
New: Fencing Club Begins Wednesday, Sept. 10 The Deal Fencing Club begins Wednesday, September 10th after school in room E106 from 3:30 until 5 o'clock. Deal supplies all the equipment: weapons and protective uniforms. You need no experience. The club is open to all Deal students. You must have a signed permission slip to attend, which you may pick up from Mr. Hughes in room E206 or Mr. Martis in room E106 any day after school. New: Welcome Team Shanghai Students! Mr. Burt, Ms. Hailfinger, Mr. McDowell, Ms. LoFaro, and Ms. Wisniewski are excited to welcome back our Shanghai Stars for week two of 6th grade! Team Shanghai study hall will be held on Tuesdays this year and begins September 9th! If you would like to contact our team, please email us as dealshanghai2014@gmail.com New: Team Athens Families Please visit http://goo.gl/j1QV8b and fill in your student's information so that you will receive our weekly email. Thank you! New: Team Seoul Study Hall Mr. Martini, Ms. Quinn, Ms. Azimi, Ms. Culp, and Ms. Jackson will be available to provide academic support to all Team Seoul students every Monday from 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm in Room C128. Please feel free to come for help or simply for a quiet place to work New: Music Department Welcome to an exciting new school year at Deal! The Music Department would like to welcome Ms. Suslov, our new music teacher! We are asking that all students who are enrolled in music classes to please come prepared with a one-subject spiral notebook, a two-pocket folder, and pencils. If students are interested in joining a music ensemble (band, choir, orchestra, percussion ensemble) please visit the following link and complete the form: http://bit.ly/ADMSmusic We look forward to a wonderful, music filled year! New: Deal Spanish Theatre Club! Attention all Spanish students (or really any interested student): This year is the inaugural year for the Alice Deal Spanish Theatre Club! Join and practice your Spanish by reading, rehearsing, and performing a play entirely in Spanish! We will read several works and explore the cultures and societies of various Spanish-speaking countries through theatre. We will also travel to the Gala Hispanic Theatre to learn from professionals! The Deal Spanish Theatre Club will meet on Wednesdays from 3:30 - 4:30 beginning September 10th. Location is TBD. If interested, please send Maestra Henderson an email at anna.henderson@dc.gov. New: Sixth Grade Soccer Club Sixth grade students interested in playing and discussing soccer in a casual, non-competitive setting are welcome to join on Mondays after school from 3:30 - 4:30 pm beginning September 8th. We will start in room W105 to discuss club expectations, then head outside to play a few games. If you have any questions, please see Ms. Hailfinger in room W105. Beginners welcome! New: Student Council Elections Student Council will start soon and elections are coming! All students interested in running for school-wide office (Student Council President, Vice President, Secretary, or Treasurer) must attend a brief meeting after school this Tuesday, September 2nd in Room E205. If you are interested but cannot make that meeting, you MUST come see Ms. Wickersham in E205 as soon as possible. Students who are interested in representing their homeroom on Student Council should stay tuned - elections will be happening in homerooms within the next week or two. The first regular meeting of Student Council will be the week of September 15th. New: Creative Writing Creative Writing at Deal will begin Monday, September 8th. Please join us in room W307 as we explore the world of creative writing. We will create poems and short stories and enter as many contests as we can find! We look forward to seeing all of you! New: Volleyball Try-Outs All young ladies interested in trying out for girls volleyball should pick up a consent and emergency treatment form from Coach Spann. You will not be allowed to try-out without the proper documents. New: Open Studio Session Interested in Art? Come join us Monday afternoons from 3:30 - 4:30 pm in room C217 for an open studio session. Work on your own ongoing projects, experiment with new materials, or create a mixed media masterpiece! New: 8th Grade Parent Writing Workshop The 8th grade English department will host a parent workshop on Thursday, October 2nd at 6:30 pm in room E304. This workshop is open to all parents with 8th grade students interested in learning the writing methodology taught this year. Deal teachers use Edline, an online system, to communicate class information and student progress with Deal families. Returning students and parents will use the same Edline screen names and passwords as last year. We have had an Edline accessibility issue preventing student and parent log-in this week, but expect that the issue will be resolved shortly.
New 7th & 8th grade families should have already received Edline activation codes, and 6th grade students will bring their new account information home on Tuesday. All new Edline users are invited to attend one of the Edline sessions at this week's parent workshops for assistance with account set-up or tips on how to use Edline to best support student success.
Teachers will post homework and out-of-class assignments to Edline already this week. The first progress reports of the school year will be uploaded on September 8th.
Have questions about Edline? You can email DealEdline@gmail.com for information or account support.
New: Announcing the Fall Session of Period 8
Deal will continue to offer Period 8 courses this year. These extra-curricular, blended-learning classes will meet in-person once a week after school beginning in September and running through mid-November. In addition, students spend 1-2 hours outside of class each week engaged in online coursework and activities. The following courses will be open to 7th and 8th grade Vikings this fall (6th graders will be able to enroll in the winter session of Period 8):
Understanding Comics - Ms.Redekopp - Mondays
Computer Programming - Ms. Wellersdick - Mondays
The Stock Market - Ms. McCarron - Tuesdays
Mapmaking - Mr. Martini - Tuesdays
Philosophy - Mr. Custer - Wednesdays
The Science of Happiness - Mr. Martis - Fridays
Hemlock Field Trip - 6th Grade Teams All 6th grade students will participate in our 12th annual community-building outdoor educational enrichment activity at Hemlock Overlook Center in Clifton, Virginia this month. At Hemlock, students participate in physical activities designed to help them form relationships with their peers and teachers. Through these activities, students get to know each other better and gain trust in each other.
On the day of the activity, students should wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing that they won't mind getting dirty and sneakers or footwear that is appropriate for a day in the woods. Students are also encouraged to bring a poncho or raincoat in case of rain. Flip flops, sandals, large earrings, long necklaces, and accessories will not be allowed. Students should pack a lunch with a couple of bottles of water.
On the day of their trip, students should arrive to school by 8:00 am so that our buses can leave on time. Students will return to Deal by 6:30 pm.
Monday, September 15 - Istanbul (dealteamistanbul@gmail.com)
Tuesday, September 16 - Baku (dealbaku@gmail.com)
Wednesday, September 17 - Shanghai (dealshanghai@gmail.com)
Thursday, September 18 - Seoul (deal.team.seoul@gmail.com)
Students will be given the permission slip for the trip on the first day of school. If you have any questions, please contact your child's team.
Attention all 6th and 8th Grade Students!
- An important message from your art teachers -
All 6th Grade Students:
You will have art for one quarter at some point during the academic year. Please keep in mind when shopping for school supplies that all 6th Grade students should purchase a blank bound sketchbook. The book should have 50 pages and be 8.5 x 11 inches. Please try to purchase a book that is either spiral bound or hard bound - glued edges similar to a pad will fall apart. You should be able to find this type of book at any stationary store, school supply store, school supply aisle in a pharmacy or grocery store, etc. Please bring the book to the first day of class along with a pencil.
All 8th Grade Students:
All 8th Grade students have art either 1st or 2nd semester. Deal purchased required IB sketchbooks for all 8th Grade Students. There is a $10 fee for the sketchbook which you can give to your art teacher during class. Checks should be made out to Alice Deal Middle School. Please bring your $10 and a pencil to the first day of class.
We are looking forward to seeing you!
Composting & Recycling Starts Day 1!
Beginning already the first day of school we will collect compostable and recyclable materials during lunch. Students: help make Deal as green as possible by sorting your waste.
Compost: all food waste and anything made from paper (napkins, cardboard, trays, etc.)
Recycle: EMPTY plastic bottles and containers, cans, milk cartons, juice/milk boxes, foil pouches (Capri Sun, applesauce, etc.) Speech and Debate Team
Welcome back to another great season of speaking and arguing! Last year the Deal speech and debate team was the TOP middle school debate team in DCPS and ranked 22nd nationwide!
If you are new to Deal or thinking about joining the speech or debate team now is the time to get involved. In order to make sure that everyone--experienced and inexperienced folks--have an understanding of what our year looks like and what it means to be involved in either speech or debate activities we will be offering three information sessions open to ALL students! Students will learn what representing Deal on the speech and debate team entails, find out from last year's team members 'what it's really like,' and pick up the necessary paperwork for participation. All information sessions will be held in W206 from 3:30 - 4:15 p.m.
Information Session Dates:
7th Graders - September 2nd, 2014 (Tuesday after Labor Day)
6th Graders - September 9th, 2014
All-Comers ("I couldn't make it on the day my grade met") - September 12th, 2014
Our first competitive opportunity in speech and debate events are in early October! The team is looking forward to ALL interested folks getting involved!
Speech and Debate Team Parents
Mark your calendars now! You won't want to miss it! We will be holding a face-to-face meeting of all parents whose children are a part of the Deal speech and debate team on September 30th, 2014 at 6:30 pm in room W206.
Yearbook Pictures
Have pictures you want in the yearbook?
I need YOUR pictures! Please send your first day photos, trips, events, ANYTHING and EVERYTHING Deal related to:
dealyearbook@gmail.com
Cafeteria Pay Pal Kiosks Machines are Temporarily Out of Service
If you would like to add money to a student account in the meantime; there are 3 other options that can be used.
1. By paying with cash at the cafeteria BEFORE or AFTER lunch service.
2. By paying with a credit or debit card at www.mylunchmoney.com, an online prepayment service.
3. By sending check or money order made payable to D.C. Treasurer to the following address:
DCPS Office of Food and Nutrition Services
1200 First Street NE, 11th Floor
Washington, DC 20002
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