Deal's Haitian Relief Effort

At Alice Deal our motto is think globally, listen compassionately, and act inclusively.  In this light, we would like to respond to the devastation that has occurred in Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti.  The country occupies a third of the Island of  Hispaniola and is  located approximately a few hours from the tip of Florida.  The island  suffered a massive earthquake on Tuesday, January 12 which has led to near complete destruction of infrastructure and untold human suffering.  In response to this tragic event, the World Language Department in collaboration with the Student Council would like to set up a Haitian relief effort.  On Tuesday, January 19 and Wednesday, January 20, we are asking that students and staff make cash donations which will be sent to the Red Cross for support of Haiti.  There will be envelopes in the homerooms and we would like students to take this time to aide those who have lost so much. Thank you.

Team La Paz Partners with the Smithsonian Museum of American Art
Team La Paz students will begin their special project with the Smithsonian Museum of American Art starting next Monday.  Suzannah Neipold, education coordinator for the museum, will meet with Ms. Szilagyi's English Language Arts classes on January 25 to review the process of art appreciation and good museum etiquette.  Team students and their teachers will travel on January 27 to visit the museum for on-site analysis of eight selected works and for a special scavenger hunt of the open stacks and the modern art collection.
 
Upon return, students will use their field trip notes to write original stories inspired by the art studied.  Deal art teachers Ms. Bustos and Ms. Kouri will lead students through Ms. Mostoller's history classes to illustrate their stories.  Every student then produces an individual page for a book published by the museum-a wonderful keepsake of our eighth grade year.
 
8th Grade Girl's Book Group
The 8th grade girls' book group will meet again on Wednesday, January 27 at 3:30pm.  We will be reading Who am I Without You? by Sharon Flake. Any 8th grade girl interested in joining the group should see Ms. Wylegala in Room C312 to pick up a copy of the book. Flake's stories promised to spark a great discussion! Come join us.

Team Cairo Celebrates DC-BAS Student Achievement and Enrichment
Team Cairo celebrated student achievement and progress on the DC-BAS recently with a team-wide pizza party.  The 60+ students who increased their overall English or Math scores by 5 or more percentage points on the DC-BAS were invited to a special celebratory pizza party lunch in Ms. Hampton's room.  Team Cairo would like to congratulate students again for their progress!  Keep up the good work!  We hope to have all 91 Team Cairo students at our next celebration!

Students in Team Cairo also participated in a team-wide DC-BAS enrichment day before Winter Break.  Students were challenged to complete tasks connected to standards from the DC-BAS in both English and Math.  All students were given tickets for completing the various challenges throughout the day and then these tickets allowed students to gain access to an "Enrichment Party" at the end of the day.  Students were able to work hard and also enjoy the skills practice as a team.  It was also a great experience for students to celebrate their hard work together just before the holiday break!  Great job, Team Cairo!

Students Helping Students
Team Cairo, Humanities students with fantastic grades volunteered to help their classmates study.   Students were given the opportunity to peer-tutor and get some advice and tips for test preparation during lunch and after school.  The tutoring sessions proved to be quite a success!  Thanks to all of you who participated!

 
Deal Library "Fine Free" Month in January
Library books are circulating to our enthusiastic readers, but are not often returned on time.  During the month of January, all library fines will be cleared from a student's record if overdue books are returned by January 31.  Please take advantage of this generous offer. Thank you!
 
6th Grade Chorus Upcoming Performance
The 6th Grade Chorus was invited to perform for a National Conference organized by the Child, Adolescent, and Family Branch of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Federal Agency. This performance will take place on Tuesday, February 9.  All students must return their signed permission slips this week.
 
Mark Your Calendar for the Alice Deal Mural Project!