|
|
|
|
Week of:
March 1
Bell Schedule
Monday - No School (Parent-Teacher Conferences)
Tuesday - Bell I
Wednesday - Bell I
Thursday - Bell I
Friday - Bell III (Music in Our Schools Assembly)
|
| Upcoming Dates |
 |
March 1 Parent Teacher Conference, 12 -7 pm
March 3
Auditions (acting/singing) for the spring musical, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
March 4
Auditions (dance) for the spring musical, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
New to Deal Meeting, 3:30 pm
March 5
Music in Our Schools Assembly, Bell III
Auditions (acting/singing) for the spring musical, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
End of IMPACT Cycle 2
March 8
Callbacks for the spring musical, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
March 9 & 10
DC-BAS
Grade-level Department Chairpersons'
Meeting, 3:30 pm
March 11
Viking Time
March 12
Spring Dance, 3:30 - 6:00 pm
March 18
Faculty Meeting, 3:20 pm
March 23 - April 1
8th Grade Trip to France
March 26
End of 3rd Advisory
Students dismissed at 12:15 (periods 1, 6, 3, 4, and 5)
March 26 - April 2
8th Grade Trip to Spain
March 27
City-wide Math, Science and Technology Fair at McKinley Tech HS March 29
1st day of Spring Break
April 6
1st day back from Spring Break
April 15
Faculty meeting, 3:20 pmApril 19 -28
DC CASApril 29 & 30
Deal MusicalJune 22
Last day of school for students and teachers |
Stay Informed!
 |
Making up snow days
In
order to make up the lost snow days, the DCPS school calendar will shift as
follows:
Friday, March 19 will be a regular school day. This was
previously scheduled as a Professional Development Day for teachers, with no
school for students.
Monday,
May 17 will
be a regular school day. This was previously scheduled as a
Parent-Teacher Conference Day.
Friday,
June 18
will be a full regular school day. This was previously scheduled as a
half-day for students. It is now a regular full day of school.
Monday,
21 and Tuesday, June 22 will be regular school days. The last day of
school for students and teachers is June 22nd.
These were the
designated "make up days" built in to the calendar last year.
Monday,
June 28
is the first day of summer school.
|
Deal Tours
In order to accommodate continuing community requests to see Deal in action, the counselors and Mr. Albright have teamed up to offer "Visit the New Deal" days throughout the second semester. These bi-weekly sessions will allow families who haven't been able to visit us during our Open Houses to get a feel for the school and to meet with Deal representatives. The tours are from 9 - 10 am on the following days:
March 5
March 19
April 9
April 23
May 9
|
|
Parents!
Do you want help
talking to your teen about sex??
Learn from the expert on this topic Debbie Roffman. She will be at Deal to cover:
- How to give the right information.
- How to answer the hard questions.
- How to handle negative influences from popular culture.
- How to give clear messages about values.
Don't miss out on this opportunity to hear from Debbie Roffman, a nationally known author and sex educator.
When?
This Thursday
March 4th
6-8pm
Deal Cafeteria
Dinner & translation services will be available.
|
|
High School Updates .....
Wilson HS
Open Houses
Open Houses will be held from 9:00 am - 11:00 am in the Wilson library.
Friday, March 5
Friday, April 9
Students Applying to Private Schools
Please remember to give your teacher recommendation requests with ample time, as well as your transcript requests to Mr. Santiago. You must include a stamped envelope with the address of the school. | |
|
|
The Weekly Bulletin
"Think Globally. Listen Compassionately. Act Inclusively." |
|
Our Mission:
Alice Deal Middle School inspires excellence, curiosity, and compassion through intellectual and social engagement. |
|
Thought for the Week
"Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained."
~Marie Curie |
Message from Principal Kim
I was quite pleased to end my week last week with students on the slopes of Ski Liberty. We spent a gloriously snowy day on the slopes and inside the lodge. This is one of my favorite annual trips, as we always have a mixture of expert skiers and total beginners hitting the slopes together. Very much like the Hemlock experience, students get to shine and take risks in different ways, surprising each other and themselves. I am proudest of the first-time skiers who challenged themselves to face that ski lift and first run and had a fantastic time even with all of the falls!
We begin this week with parent-teacher conferences. This is an important time to connect with teachers about your child's academic progress. Please plan for parking time as you arrive to Deal. As always, because of the tight schedule we will not be able to accommodate unscheduled walk-in conferences with team teachers. However, all of the elective and world language teachers would be delighted to meet with you on a drop-in basis.
Please note that DCPS has announced its plans for adding additional days to the school year. This will compensate for instructional time lost due to recent snow storms. Please see the left-hand column of this week's bulletin for specific information and adjust your schedules accordingly.
Finally, Deal is hosting a parent education meeting this Thursday from 6-8 pm. The forum will focus on talking about sex with your child and will be led by Debbie Roffman, who is a nationally recognized author and educator on sex education. Her work in the classroom and with parents has been featured in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Education Week, Teacher Magazine, USA Today, Parents Magazine, an HBO Special on parenting, and on NPR. She has also appeared on Nightline, The Early Show with Bryant Gumbel and on the O'Reilly Factor. I hop you will be able to join in this very important conversation.
Principal Kim
|
This week at Deal ...
Deal Musical try-outs begin this week!
Capitol Jazz Project
The students who are involved with the Capitol Jazz Project will be performing at the Kennedy Center prior to Wynton Marsalis today. The students will also be taking a field trip to Hardy Middle School on Tuesday for a workshop with Mr. Marsalis. A list of participating students will be placed in teachers' mailboxes.
No Robotics Meeting this Week
Robotics Club will not meet this week. Members are encouraged to go to room 217 at Wilson SHS Wednesday after school to observe their robot in action.
Women's Rights As Human Rights
Ms. Hampton's homeroom will make worry dolls in support of Women's Rights As Human Rights on Tuesday. Student Glenda Guidel will lead the homeroom in the voluntary creation of "worry dolls." Worry dolls are created to send a symbolic message to the Senate urging them to protect women's rights by ratifying the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
Throughout the world, discrimination against women and girls is pervasive, and its impact is devastating. CEDAW establishes international protections against these abuses: it offers women redress against violence, guarantees equal access to education, and commits nations to fighting maternal mortality.
More information regarding the cause can be found at http://www.amnestyusa.org/demand-dignity/international-week-of-youth-action/craft-60-worry-dolls-to-send-a-symbolic-message-to-congress/page.do?id=1021222
Ms. Popadich After School Tutoring
After school tutoring with Ms. Popadich will no longer be on Thursdays, but will continue Monday - Wednesday.
Late Valentine's Day Party For Spanish 1 Students
(Fiesta del Dia de Los Enamorados)
Students in Spanish 1 with exceptional behavior and performance will be invited by Ms. Cadavid and Ms. Ratliff to a fiesta after school on Tuesday.
Afternoon Studio Club
The Afternoon Studio Club will meet in C224 on Tuesday at 3:30 pm to discuss our next art project.
Lacrosse
Students who are interested in playing lacrosse this spring should see Coach Downing by Tuesday.
Team Singapore Science Tutoring
Need a little extra help in science? Stop by room E301 (Mr. Roose's classroom) on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30 to 4:30 pm.
DC City Science Fair Workshop
DC Science and Engineering Fair workshop will take place after school on Wednesday from 3:15 - 4:00 pm in Ms. Hampton and Ms. Lerum's classrooms. The DC Science and Engineering Fair will take place March 27 at McKinley Technology High School. This workshop is for students who were selected to represent Deal at the city fair. Students will complete the online registration. A review of the exhibit boards and oral presentations will also take place.
The International Cooking Club
Group B will meet on Wednesday. We will be making croque monsier.
Softball Tryouts
Girls' Softball tryouts will be held on Wednesday at 3:30 pm.
Boys' Baseball Tryouts
Boys Baseball Tryouts will be held on Wednesday at 3:30 pm.
Festival Choir Begins This Thursday
All 6th Grade Chorus and Concert Choir students going to Hershey Park must attend the Festival Choir rehearsals. They are mandatory! These after school rehearsals have been the tradition in the past and they have worked very well. All rehearsals will be from 3:30 - 4:30 pm in the choir room and the first rehearsal will be this Thursda.
Joe Corbi's Pick-Up Thursday
The orders for Joe Corbi's will be delivered Thursday between 12:30 and 3:30 pm. Please make arrangements to pick-up between the available times. Please note, all items must be picked up during the time slot.
Deal Murals
The final day for mural completion for all grades will be Friday at 3:30 pm. See you there! If you have any questions, please email dealartists@gmail.com.
Girls Basketball Uniforms
All members of the girls' basketball team should return their uniforms to Coach Downing no later than Friday.
|
Student and Parent information..
Congratulations
Congratulations to the girls' basketball team for their city-wide 2nd place finish. The girls finished the season with 8 wins and 1 loss. Most importantly they displayed incredible teamwork throughout the season. Go Vikings!!!
Scoliosis Screening
Screening for Scoliosis (curvature of the spine) will take place at school on March 11 and 12 for 6th and 8th graders with parent's written permission. If you would like for your child to be screened, please call Nurse Pringle on 202-939-2009 no later than March 3 to receive a permission letter.
Guidance Lessons on Conflict Resolution and Bullying
This past week, members of the counseling department at Deal - Ms. McFarland, Ms. Hernandez, Ms. White (guidance intern), and Ms. Blakeway - conducted guidance lessons on conflict resolution and bullying for 6th and 7th grade health classes. Even though the incidence of serious bullying is very low at Deal, students definitely had a general understanding of bullying as hurting someone. We also found that many students did not understand that bullying is any physical or verbal action (including posting on social networking sites) that is intended to hurt someone, occurs repeatedly and involves some kind of power that one person has over the other.
We talked with students about the importance of reporting bullying behavior that they witness as a bystander and being an ally for students who seem to be excluded or bullied in some way. We asked students to report bullying behavior to a trusted adult: counselor, teacher, administrator, or parent. One group was especially concerned about the confidentiality of any information they report and we assured them that information they share will be treated confidentially.
We said that it important to all of us at Deal that every student is treated with dignity and respect and that no one should be hurt in any way by bullying or other harmful behavior. We hope that parents and all other adults in the Deal community will work with the counseling staff to report and handle any incidents of bullying or harmful behavior in supportive and effective ways.
Talent Show
Ms. Popadich and Ms. Epstein will be hosting an informational meeting about the Talent Show on Thursday, March 11. Come prepared to ask questions and hear information regarding when the talent show will be, auditions, and practice times.
LIBRARY BOOK CLUB
Students, do you like to read graphic novels? The Library Book Club will meet on Wednesday, March 24 during lunchtime to discuss Bone, by Jeff Smith, or a graphic novel of your choice. COME JOIN US!
OVERDUE BOOKS
PLEASE REMEMBER TO RETURN ALL OVERDUE LIBRARY BOOKS so that everyone can enjoy reading them. If you have overdue books, the library staff will contact you by telephone and your homeroom teachers will give you a written overdue notice. Further, books overdue by three months are considered lost and require immediate payment for replacement. It is VERY IMPORTANT that your library record be clear of overdue books and fines before the end of the school year.
Indoor Track Team Members
All Indoor Track Team members MUST turn in their entire uniform this week. No exceptions! The indoor track videos are ready, but you will not receive your DVD unless you have turned in your uniform.
We Need Your Used Tennis Shoes and Soccer Cleats
As part of our community and global outreach, we are collecting used tennis shoes and cleats to help eradicate poverty and support rainforest preservation. In conjunction with the Perpetual Prosperity Pumps Foundation (www.pppafrica.org), our students will be collecting used (not abused) shoes for this worthy cause. Please place shoe donations in the collection bins located in front of the Welcome Center and by the gymnasium. We look forward to your donations. If you have questions, please contact the Physical Education Department at alicedeal.pe@gmail.com or Coach Downing at coachdowning@yahoo.com.
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 roger.jackson@dc.gov.
|
Advance SMARTBoard Training
Advance SMARTBoard Training will be held on Tuesday, March 16. If interested please register in PD Planner at https://dcps.schoolnet.com/pdplanner/Activity/SectionDetail.aspx?SectionId=1161&PageSize=10&PageIndex=0&SortExpression=start_date&SortDirection=%20asc&RetainPage=facilitatingactivities.
DC-CAS Preparation Calendar
Thank again to all teachers for your thoughtful work in preparation for the DC-CAS. Representatives from the Cluster IV office have been provided with a copy of each teams implementation calendar and will be visiting our school weekly to observe our efforts as we prepare for the DC-CAS. Please email any changes to your team's calendar to Ms. Neal and your grade-level assistant principal in advance.
New to Deal Meeting
The New to Deal Meeting is scheduled for Thursday at 3:30 pm.
Library Team and Department Meetings
In the coming weeks, Ms. Isaacson and Mr. Hurst will begin attending team planning periods and department meetings. This participation will foster collaboration between the library media center and teachers, and will lead to shared lesson planning and incorporation of technological skills throughout the curriculum. We look forward to co-teaching with you!
March PTA Newsletter
The deadline for the March issue is Friday, March 5. Deal parents should receive this issue in the mail around March 12. Please send your submissions to dealnewsletter@gmail.com
| |
|
|
|
|
| Before & after school activities this week... |
Monday - Parent Teacher Conferences (No School For Students)
Tuesday AM
Jazz/Concert Band, 7:45 am
6th Grade Chorus, 7:45 am
Tuesday PM
Science Tutoring, 3:20-4:15 pm - RM C315
Team Nairobi Tutoring, 3:30 - 4:30 - RM E201
Team Athens Tutoring/Homework Help, 3:30-4:30 pm - Team Athens Hallway
Gardening, 3:30 - 4:30 pm - RM C309
Video-Audio Visual Club, 3:30 pm - gallery
Tutoring with Ms. Popadich, 3:30 - 4:30 pm - RM E105
Math tutoring with Ms. Hutter, 3:30 - 4:30 pm - RM E307
After School tutoring with Ms. Brown & Ms. Bruce, 3:30 to 4:30 pm
Knitting Club, 3:30-4:30 pm, RM E306
Team Rome Tutoring/Homework Help, 3:30 - 4:30 pm- RM E204
Indoor Track Practice, 3:30-5 pm - gym
Team Singapore Science tutoring with Mr. Roose, 3:30 - 4:30 pm - RM E301
Organization Help, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, RM W106
Drumline, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Afternoon Studio, 330 - 4:30 pm - RM C224
Cheerleading practice, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Wednesday AM
Spanish tutoring, 8:10 am - RM C310
Concert Choir, 7:45 am
Jazz Combo, 7:45 am
Wednesday PM
International Cooking club group B, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, faculty lounge
Deal Dance Team, 3:30 - 4: 30 pm
Roman Holiday, 3:30 - 4:30 pm RM C212
Team San Francisco After-School Academic Assistance, 3:30 - 4:30 pm,- RM W101
Team Beijing Tutoring, 3:30 - 4:30 pm - RM E105
Improv Club, 3:30 - 5 pm - RM E307
Alice Deal Science Olympiad Team, 3:30 - 4:30 pm - RM E101
Indoor Track practice, 3:30-5 pm - gym
Show Choir, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Cheerleading practice, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Team Athens Tutoring/Homework Help, 3:30-4:30 pm - Team Athens Hallway
Tutoring with Ms. Popadich, 3:30 - 4:30 pm - RM E105
DC Science Fair Workshop, 3:15 - 4 pm
Girls' Softball Tryouts, 3:30 pm
Boys' Baseball Tryouts, 3:30 pm
Auditions (acting and singing) for the musical, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
Thursday AM
6th Grade Chorus, 7:45 am
Jazz/Concert Band, 7:45 am
Thursday PM
Cheerleaders practice, 3:30 - 5:30 pm Team Beijing Tutoring, 3:30 - 4:30 pm - RM E103 Deal Dispatch, 3:30 - 4:30 pm - cafeteria Team Beijing Tutoring, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, RM E103
Team Rome Tutoring/Homework Help, 3:30 - 4:30 pm- RM E206
Photography Club, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, RM W204
Girl Power, 3:30 - 4:30 pm, Cafe
Indoor Track practice, 3:30- 5 pm
Student Council, 3:30 - 4:30 pm - RM E205
Real world, real relationships, real solutions to solving conflict, 3:30 - 4:30pm - Counseling Suite
Festival Choir, 3:30 - 4: 30 pm
Friday AM
Concert Choir, 7:45 am
Peer Mediator meeting, 8:00 am, RM E103
Team Cairo tutoring with Ms. Mazzone, 8:10 am - library media center
Friday PM
Gay/Straight Alliance meeting, 3:30-4:30 pm - RM W104 3:30-4:30 pm
Cheerleaders practice, 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Deal Mural Project, 3:30 pm
Auditions (dancing) for the musical, 3:30 - 5:30 pm
|
Food for thought...
This week's reading has been brought to you by the Deal counseling department and Ms. Blakeway.
What Parents Need to Know About Bullying
What is bullying?
Bullying among children is aggressive behavior that
is intentional and that involves an imbalance of power or strength. A child who
is being bullied has a hard time defending himself or herself. Usually,
bullying is repeated over time. Bullying can take many forms, such as hitting
or punching (physical bullying); teasing or name-calling (verbal bullying);
intimidation using gestures or social exclusion (nonverbal bullying or
emotional bullying); and sending insulting messages by phone or computer e-mail
(cyber bullying).
Effects of bullying
Bullying can have serious consequences. Children and
youth who are bullied are more likely than other children to be depressed, lonely, anxious; have low self-esteem; be
absent from school; feel sick; and think about suicide.
Reporting bullying to parents
Children frequently do not tell their parents that
they are being bullied because they are embarrassed, ashamed, frightened of the
children who are bullying them, or afraid of being seen as a
"tattler." If your child tells you about being bullied, it has taken
a lot of courage to do so. Your child needs your help to stop the bullying.
What to do if your child is being bullied
1. First, focus on your child. Be supportive and
gather information about the bullying.
Never tell your child to ignore the bullying. What
the child may "hear" is that you are going to ignore it. If the child
were able to simply ignore it, he or she likely would not have told you about
it. Often, trying to ignore bullying allows it to become more serious. Don't blame the child who is being bullied. Don't assume
that your child did something to provoke the bullying. Don't say, "What
did you do to aggravate the other child?" Listen
carefully to what your child tells you about the bullying. Ask him or her to
describe who was involved and how and where each bullying episode happened.
Learn as much as you can about the bullying tactics
used, and when and where the bullying happened. Can your child name other
children or adults who may have witnessed the bullying? Empathize with your child. Tell him/her that bullying is
wrong, not their fault, and that you are glad he or she had the courage to tell
you about it. Ask your child what he or she thinks can be done to help. Assure
him or her that you will think about what needs to be done and you will let him
or her know what you are going to do. If you
disagree with how your child handled the bullying situation, don't criticize
him or her. Do not encourage physical
retaliation ("Just hit them back") as a solution. Hitting another
student is not likely to end the problem, and it could get your child suspended
or expelled or escalate the situation.
Check your emotions. A parent's protective instincts
stir strong emotions. Although it is difficult, a parent is wise to step back
and consider the next steps carefully.
2. Contact your child's teacher or principal.
Parents are often reluctant to report bullying to
school officials, but bullying may not stop without the help of adults. Keep your emotions in check. Give factual information about
your child's experience of being bullied including who, what, when, where, and
how. Emphasize that you want to work with the
staff at school to find a solution to stop the bullying, for the sake of your
child as well as other students. Do not
contact the parents of the student(s) who bullied your child. This is usually a
parent's first response, but sometimes it makes matters worse. School officials
should contact the parents of the child or children who did the bullying.
Expect the bullying to stop. Talk regularly with your
child and with school staff to see whether the bullying has stopped. If the
bullying persists, contact school authorities again.
3. Help your child become more resilient to bullying.
Help to develop talents or positive attributes of
your child. Suggest and facilitate music, athletics, and art activities. Doing
so may help your child be more confident among his or her peers.
Encourage your child to make contact with friendly
students in his or her class. Your child's teacher may be able to suggest
students with whom your child can make friends, spend time, or collaborate on
work. Help your child meet new friends outside
of the school environment. A new environment can provide a "fresh
start" for a child who has been bullied repeatedly. Teach your child safety strategies. Teach him or her how to
seek help from an adult when feeling threatened by a bully. Talk about whom he
or she should go to for help and role-play what he or she should say. Assure
your child that reporting bullying is not the same as tattling. Ask yourself if your child is being bullied because of a
learning difficulty or a lack of social skills? If your child is hyperactive,
impulsive, or overly talkative, the child who bullies may be reacting out of
annoyance. This doesn't make the bullying right, but it may help to explain why
your child is being bullied. If your child easily irritates people, seek help
from a counselor so that your child can better learn the informal social rules
of his or her peer group. Home is where the
heart is. Make sure your child has a safe and loving home environment where he
or she can take shelter, physically and emotionally. Always maintain open lines
of communication with your child.
References
Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying At school: What we know
and what we can do. Cambridge, MA:
Blackwell. Snyder, J. M. (February, 2003) What
Parents Can Do About Childhood Bullying.
Schwab Learning Center, (www.schwablearning.org)
Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation. Retrieved August 12, 2005, from http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.asp?r=697
What Parents Should Know about Bullying (2002). South Deerfiled, MA.
(1-800-835-2671.
The information presented is from the Stop Bullying Now Website:
http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/what-is-bullying.aspx
|
| |
|
