Thanks!
- Thanks to the teachers, parents, office staff, and students for doing your part for the new attendance procedures!
- Thanks to the Deal counselors for doing all that they do to support students academically! They are busy tutoring students after school, getting 8th grade transcripts together, meeting with teachers & parents for SST, supporting students in the cafeteria and at ZAP, and making attendance plans - just to name a few things!
- Thanks for using last week's "Food for Thought" article in team discussions and with students. Please continue that conversation with this week's article. Students should be aware of these meta-cognitive levers about their learning and development.
Teacher Reminders:
- Please remember to submit common assessment and projects to Ms. Kim as more are developed. I am still waiting for some departments to make their first submission.
- Please remember to have students sign in with you when you meet with them during your lunch period and after school. This information will be used for your final evaluations.
- Teachers please be reminded to practice BCRs with students on your designated days.
- Please make sure to not use the telephone while students are in class except for extreme emergencies.
- Please respond to all parent contact within 48 hours.
The Write Stuff
As we continue our efforts to improve students' literacy skills, we will begin administering school-wide writing prompts this month. Teachers will engage in collaborative scoring of all student responses and provide feedback to students. The first school-wide writing event will take place today.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Sean Kelly (Team Odyssey) for winning the school wide Geography Bee. Sean will advance to the District Bee on April 3rd. Good Luck Sean!! The Deal Community is very proud of you.
Deal conserves water with environmentally friendly toilets!
The new toilets in our bathrooms are water conserving toilets which use a lot less water per flush. But in order for them to flush properly, the flush handles were designed to be held down a bit longer. So please take the additional second to hold down the handle a bit longer so that all of the debris gets flushed properly! Thanks!
Student Council
Student Council Representatives please plan on attending a special meeting on Tuesday after school. We will have a guest speaker to support our upcoming Pennies for Patients campaign.
Video Exercise Class
Starting Thursday Ms. Simpson-Wayne's video exercise class will resume. Classes will meet every Thursday from 3:30-4:30.
Attention Knitters!
Deal Knitting Circle, a brand new knitting club, will begin at Deal Middle School this Friday! Knitting is a form of knot-making using yarn and wooden or metal "needles" to create something wearable like scarves, socks, mittens, hats, shirts, vests, hair bands, sweaters.... just about anything! Knitting is known to reduce stress and increase relaxation, increase coordination, and increase ability to focus! Remember, knitting IS for everyone so don't be shy, even if you are a beginner!
If you are interested in joining this elite group of knitters, please sign-up right outside of room 201 (Ms. Wells) in the West Wing any day this week. Space is limited so sign up fast!! Deal Knitting Circle will meet on Fridays from 3:30-4:30 pm. Students will need a permission slip filled out by a parent to participate in this afterschool activity.
The Deal Knitting Circle will also be a Bell II activity. Interested students should see Ms. Neal.
National History Day Help! Help! Help!
Students who need help with their National History Day projects are invited to come after school on Mondays from 3:30-4:30 pm for individualized advice and assistance from Ms. Mostoller. She can help you edit your annotated bibliography, write your outline, develop a successful thesis, or just provide advice about where to look for useful sources. Be sure your parents know you are staying after school, and bring all your notes and questions in writing so that we can maximize the benefits of your time.
Spelling Bee
Teachers should submit the names of two students who will represent their homeroom in the Spelling Bee to Ms. Hovancsek by Friday, Jan. 16th. The Deal Spelling Bee will be held on Monday, Jan. 26th at 3:30 pm.
Awards Assembly
Please update your calendar. The Awards Assembly will now be held on Friday, January 23rd. We will let you know the class schedule for that Friday soon.
Capital City Jazz Project Continues
The dates for the workshops are Jan. 13th & 27th , and Feb. 12th (the rest of the dates will be determined and posted). There will be two workshops on each day, the first during 5th period and the second at 6th. Students have been instructed to get their work completed early. Teachers, please keep the list of students that was placed in your mailbox for all Jazz project-related events.
"WPG Trio" Jazz Group Performs at Deal
The "WPG Trio" will perform at Deal in the Cafeteria on Jan. 29th. There will be two performances, 7th grade during 6th period and 8th grade during 7th. All classes are invited to attend. Students who participate in the Jazz Workshops should be excused from class if the teacher is not bringing down their class, thank you.
Joe Corbi's at Deal
The Music Department is selling Joe Corbi's in order to raise money for their trip to Cleveland, Ohio. Please support us by purchasing an item from any music student. The last day to place an order is Jan. 21st. All items can be picked up on Feb. 11th. Thank you for your support!
Department of Music Listserv
The Music Department uses a listserv in order to communicate information to its students and parents. All students involved with the Department of Music should sign up to be a member of this listserv. To become a member send an email mail to .
Indoor Track Forms
Any students interested in joining the Deal Boys and Girls Indoor Track Teams need to submit their forms as soon as possible. Forms should be delivered to Mr. Geremia. Any questions, please see Mr. McDowell.
Chinese New Year Field Trip
Mrs. Wang and 36 of her students will celebrate the Chinese New Year by having lunch at the Chinese restaurant, Uptown Cathay, on Tuesday, January 27.
Building An IB Middle Years Program Class at Deal
This Wednesday at 3:30 pm will be the second meeting of the "Building an IB Middle Years Program" class, a 10-week graduate level course being offered by our IB Coordinator. This week's class will be focused on "Using the Subject Guide to Deepen Your Instruction - How to fit the MYP pieces together?" The class will be exploring the role of the subject guide, how to use it to advantage, and evaluating instructional practices detailed in the guide. Last week teachers started the class series off with learning some basic information about the MYP, looking at some current research on the IB, and exploring the IB Programme Standards and Practices.
Lost and FOUND Textbooks
Jordan Blagburn - Spanish
Diona Boler - Science
Antonio Dawes - English
Vanessa Flores - French
Karen Herrera - History
Terrence Jones - English
Michael Kusnet - Science (Interactions)
Yannick Mafame - English
Marvin Mata - Spanish
Kali Murphy - Literature
Mai Nicholson - Spanish
Travon Parker - French
Jose Reyes - Science
Camille Titzell - French
Please take better care of your books - they are critical resources for our learning community!
Vision Meeting
Committee members: This meeting is now scheduled for Thursday, January 29th @ 3:30. See you there!
The LEGO SmartTM Creativity Contest
Now through August 2009, LEGO® Education is hosting an activity challenge for educators of all grades and subject areas! The LEGO SmartTM Creativity Contest begins with your imagination and ends with one Grand Prize and eight monthly winners, online recognition, and the chance to share your activity with thousands of students across the nation!
The task is simple. Create an activity using only the bricks included in a LEGO Smart Kit. Join the challenge! Log on to www.LEGOeducation.com/CreativityContest to request your free LEGO Smart Kit and submit your activity today!
Apple Demo of New Software and Hardware
On January 23rd at 2:00 pm Apple will have a demonstration of parallels and bootcamp. Apple will demonstrate the uses and interface with our Grade Book program and other programs Deal uses. Expected at this meeting/Demo: Mr. Dacoba, Mr. Mbayu, Mr. Simmons, Ms. Lerum, Ms. Wells, Ms. Mostoller, Mr. Mungai, Ms. Hovancseck and Mr. Jackson.
The demonstration will take place in Mr. Simmon's Room - Room # C-163. If others are interested, please contact Mr. Dacoba.
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We have a busy week ahead of us!
