• To all teachers, students, and the counseling team (including our fabulous interns) for making the beautiful yellow brick road to peace!
• Thanks to Ms.Wells, Ms. Van Hanswyk (Sarah McCreary's mom), Ms. Feller (David Feller's mom), Ms. Wendt (Lily Cortez' mom), and Ms. Coykendall (Ethan Canon's mom) for organizing our fabulous international night.
• Thanks to Mr. Aguilera, Ms.Kelley, Ms. Ge, Ms. Wang, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Frye, and their students for putting together such energetic performances for International Night!
• Thanks to Ms. Hovancsek, Mr. McDowell, Ms. Mostoller, Mr.Klein, Mr. Aguilera, Mr. Santiago, Ms. Neal, Ms. Brooks, Mr. Aguilera, Mr. Kirshenbaum, Ms. Wells, Mr. Geremia, Ms. Sweeney, Mr. Dacoba, Ms. Streeter, Ms. Kelley, Ms. Wang, Ms. Bruce, Ms. Baxter, Ms. Ge, Mr. Brecher, Mr. Jackson, Mr. Frye, and Ms. Kinzer for their presence during International Night!
  

• All teachers will meet with a member of the admin team for the PPEP target conference this week.
  

• Murch Elementary School's 57 Buddies will be visiting us Tuesday.
• Lafayette Elementary School will send 67 Buddies to spend the day with us on Wednesday.
• Let's welcome our buddies and make them comfortable!
  

Homeless Walk-a-thon

• Presentation: today
  Site: Gymnasium
  Time: All Day in PE/Art/Music classes
  Teachers: Ms. Ortiz, Mr. Jenkins, Mr. Frye, Mr. Jackson, Ms. Washington, and Ms. Spann
  Students will receive permission letters to return to their teacher.
• Walk-A-Thon:  Wednesday

Jazz Combo Performance this Tuesday

• The Jazz Combo will be performing downtown for DCPS on Tuesday for the city's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. Students will be absent from 9 - 2:30 pm on that day. Students will be given excuses that should be signed by all their teachers.

Student Council Halloween Party

• Buy your tickets for the party this week at lunch, in the cafeteria, and after school, in Room 207.  Tickets are $4.  The Party will be held this Friday from 3:30-6.  It will be a Boo-rific experience.  Remember to wear your costumes.
• Teachers - Please let Mr. Kirshenbaum know if you will be able to join us for the Halloween Party on Friday.

Yoga Club

• Yoga is a great way to stretch and strengthen your body and relax your mind!  If you are interested in joining the yoga club, please sign up with Ms. Kelley in G3.  Yoga club will meet on Mondays from 3:30 to 4:15 in room G3.

Mathcounts

• Mathcounts will not be meeting after school this week. 

DCIAA Developmental Meet

• The Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams will participate this Saturday, October 25th, at the DCIAA Developmental Meet at Fort DuPont Park.  The bus will leave Deal early Saturday morning. Stay tuned for time details.  Approximate race times will be around 10:30 am.
  

DC BAS testing on October 28th & 29th

• You will have another opportunity to hone your test taking skills and practice improving your DC-BAS scores.  Visualize success!
  

Deadline for Costa Rica Trip

• Thanks to the many students and families who have already signed up for the 8th grade spring break trip to Costa Rica!  This is just a reminder that the deadline to sign up is October 31st.  If you sign up after this date, the price is subject to change.
   
  You can view our "Coast to Coast" trip itinerary, other important info, and even sign up at www.eftours.com.  You can also enroll by phone at 1-800-665-5364 or submit your paper application to Ms. Kelley or Ms. Sonick.
   
  Trip Enrollment Information
  Tour Number: 616887
  Group Leader Number: 15599419

AM/PM Announcement Times

• AM       9:40 am during Bell I, 9:30 am during Bell II
  

• PM       3:10pm, 3:05pm for 7th Period Distribution     

• Students who are traveling to Cleveland, please be advised that the next deposit, in the amount of $100, is due on November 6th.

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.  

Presenters Needed for Career Day

• Parents who are interested in being a presenter at our Career Day activity, please contact Mr. Santiago at the Guidance Office at 373-4435 or benjmain.santiago@dc.gov.
  The activity will take place Thursday, November 6.  The schedule will be: 
                Reception:          8:15 - 8:50 am
                Presentations:     9 -9:50 am
                                        9:55 - 10:44 am

We hope that many of you will be available to help our students increase their awareness of the world of work by sharing your career experiences.  THANK YOU.

• Teachers: the auditors will be completing our official enrollment count Monday, October 27th, at 9 am.  Please remind your students that we need everyone to be present and on time.  The audit will begin promptly at 9 am, and students will remain in 1st period until the auditors finish their count.  Please prepare for a longer period 1 class.
  

•  The team leaders meeting on Nov. 4th will be cancelled so that teachers can get to the polls and cast their votes in the presidential election.

Washington Teachers' Union

• A meeting of the WTU Deal Chapter will be held on Wednesday at 3:35 pm in room N-101.  All ET-15s and EG-09s are invited. 

DC Teacher Night at the US Botanic Gardens

• Please mark your calendars for DC Teacher Night at the US Botanic Gardens on Thursday, October 30th, from 6 to 8:30 pm. They will have 40 environmental organizations exhibiting, tours of the Conservatory and Discovery Carts on hand. Please R.S.V.P. no later than October 24th to:
  Kevin Schabow, D.C. Environmental Education Consortium
  Kevin.schabow@noaa.gov
  410.295.3145

Save The Date: DEAL PARENT EDUCATION WORKSHOP 

• "KEEPING YOUR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS OUT OF TROUBLE" THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, at 7 pm. Deal's PTA is pleased to welcome back Dr. Neil Bernstein, a psychologist, author, and speaker. He is a nationally recognized expert who has worked with youth and families for more than 25 years. He will speak on "Keeping Middle Schoolers Out of Trouble" -- limit-setting, entitlement, what kids do under the radar (online experimenting and risk taking) and whether or not parents should spy on them. It promises to be an informative evening.  Mark your calendar!!

Celebrate Solar Week -- Oct. 20-24th

• Solar Week provides a weeklong series of Web-based educational classroom activities and games geared for upper elementary, middle and high school students, with a focus on the Sun-Earth connection. Students learn about solar eclipses, sunspots and solar storms through a series of activities, games and lessons.
  
  Solar Week is ideal for students studying the solar system, the stars, and astronomy in general. Students will also learn about solar scientists and other science career choices. The Web site is for all students, but it is especially designed to spark the interest of pre- and early-teen girls with activities and interaction with leading scientists at the forefront of Sun-Earth research.
   
  To learn more and to register to participate, visit http://www.solarweek.org. 

ISS EarthKAM Fall 2008 Mission 

•  Middle school educators are invited to join NASA for the International Space Station EarthKAM Fall 2008 Mission on Oct. 28-31st. Find out more about this exciting opportunity that allows students to take pictures of Earth from a digital camera on board the International Space Station.
  
  ISS EarthKAM is a NASA-sponsored project that provides stunning, high-quality photographs of Earth taken from the space shuttle and International Space Station. Since 1996, ISS EarthKAM students have taken thousands of photographs of Earth by using the World Wide Web to direct a digital camera on select spaceflights and, currently, on the International Space Station.
   
  For more information about the project and to register for the upcoming mission, visit the ISS EarthKAM Home Page: www.EarthKAM.ucsd.edu.

 
American Revolution Essay Contest

• The American History Chairman for our Daughters of the American Revolution Descendants of '76 Chapter in Washington, DC, is looking for students, staff, parents, et. al. interested in entering this fall's essay contest.

The 2008-09 Topic for Grades 5-8 is, "What message did the Gettysburg Address communicate to our war-torn nation in 1863? How are the ideals articulated in the speech still relevant for our country today?"

Individual students are welcome to enter the contest, as well as entire classes.  The DC Chapter will work closely with the teachers of the participants, and they also find that reading the essays and meeting the students face-to-face to award the medals and certificates to the students is tremendously rewarding. In the DC Chapter contest, the winner at each grade level receives a bronze medal and ribbon.  Every participant receives a handsome certificate of participation.  The winner in the 5th grade at Oyster School a few years ago went on to receive a silver medal as the DC "state" winner for his grade.

To receives copies of a reading list and a list of online resources, as well as a fact sheet with the contest guidelines (300-600 words for Gr. 5; 600-1000 words for Gr. 6-8), contact Linda Ethington, American History Chair, DAR Descendants of '76 at 703-455-6007 or wee2@cox.net.  The deadline for entries is Friday, December 5.

TLC's hit lifestyle makeover show, Home Made Simple, is casting its fifth season in the DC area! Home Made Simple is the show with simple and easy solutions to your everyday domestic challenges. Our series is based on the easy principles featured on the popular website www.homemadesimple.com.

• Our goal:  To create homes families love to live in.  Our handyman, interior designer, and chef can help.
• Do you know a friend or family member who could use help in her home?
• Does she face obstacles that make it hard for her to get ready for a big event?
• Is she so generous that she deserves someone taking care of her for a change?
• Does she need to organize clutter? Or creating time-saving and healthy, nutritious, and yummy meals?
• Does she have an unusual career getting in the way of her home?

 If you have a friend who could use a hand at home, tell us about her, and be a part of Home Made Simple! Nominate her and if we choose her, she'll be the star of an episode of the show. You and a friend can also join our Home Mavens and help her simplify, beautify and organize her home life.

Nominees should own their homes, have an interesting story to tell, and be between the ages of 25 to 45.  Please email us at: HomeMadeSimple@hotmail.com and include snapshots of your friend, her family and house, and rooms that need help.  Please make sure we can see all faces in the photos!