Team Kendrick

Next week is our 8th grade spirit week! Coordinate with your friends to see which team has the best team spirit. The team with the highest participation will win the big prize! Every day during lunch, we will take a picture of our participants for the yearbook, so be sure to dress the part!

• Monday: Pajama Day

• Tuesday: Twin Tuesday

• Wednesday: Crazy Socks

• Thursday: Dress like Adam Sandler

• Friday: Team colors (your team will tell you which color to wear Friday)

To wrap up spirit week, our annual 8th grade talent show will take place during 7th period. We look forward to celebrating our talented 8th graders and announcing the winning theme of the 8th grade promotional dance. It will be a fun week!

The Jackson Reed High School team will hold a virtual meeting for prospective Deal parents on Wednesday, March 5th at 6:30 PM (link to attend). This meeting will cover important information about Jackson Reed academic offerings and the course selection process for rising freshmen.

While we recognize many students have not yet made a decision about their high school, we encourage all families to attend this meeting to learn more about our feeder high school.

Please use this link to attend: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZDU2MzA3MDUtZDk3Yi00NzExLTk1ZjQtNzYwNGY0ZmU5MmM0%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%222aa046ee-b34e-4a33-92b7-999df2bc0a32%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22bececf9d-7bdc-468f-ae22-f03cd2ebf4b7%22%7d

Next week, representatives from Jackson Reed High School will visit Deal 8th grade during the day to discuss the course selection process with our 8th grade students:

• Thursday, March 6th - Jackson Reed staff will lead an assembly during advisory

• Friday, March 7th - Jackson Reed staff will be at lunch to answer questions and speak with students

Regardless of their plans for next year, we will ask all 8th grade students to complete a course selection sheet for Jackson Reed High School.

One of the greatest joys of working with 8th grade students is supporting their big jump to high school. We are privileged to have a strong feeder school in Jackson Reed across the park and look forward to helping our students learn more about this strong, comprehensive option.

Departure dates are approaching quickly! Students who are registered for our international trips should plan to attend their trip's final, mandatory meeting on the following dates:

• Costa Rica - March 6th at 6:30 PM in the Deal auditorium

• Taiwan - March 6th at 6:30 PM in room W100

• Costa Rica (Humanities) - March 6th at 6:30 PM in room E100

Student Led Conferences will take place on March 13, 2025. This is our second conference day of the year, and our students have been working hard to prepare. Due to our first 8th grade International Trip to Costa Rica, there will be some shifts to which adults will be supporting students during conferences. Students will be supported by either their advisor, case manager or another one of their teachers. Each students' advisor and the adult supporting their conference on conference day (if different) will reach out to share instructions for how to make appointments beginning March 3rd.

Costa Rica travelers will not be present on 3/13, as they will be beginning their international adventure. If families feel strongly that they would like a Student Led Conference, they should reach out to their team teachers directly to schedule.

Congratulations to all 8th graders for completing their Community Projects! 8th graders worked hard to look outside themselves to take action to positively impact their community. Students should expect to see grades for their community project in ASPEN soon. Each core content class will count this project as a summative assessment based on the IB Criterion. If a student missed presentations this past week, students should talk to their advisory teacher to get put on the list for make ups. Ms. Daniels will be conducting make up presentations over the next few weeks. As always, please reach out with questions or concerns to your student's advisor and/or Ms. Daniels (caitlin.daniels@k12.dc.gov)

Calling all parents who loved International Night – we need you! Great events happen when families come together to support each other and our Deal Community. This is your opportunity to join an adventure that brings our families and worlds together!

International Night 2026 will be held on January 24th – Mark Your Calendars Now

Please join us for an informational and interest meeting on Wednesday, March 5th at 7pm. Link is below

We look forward so seeing you and talking more about International Night 2026!

Anastasia Khoo & Shannon Behm

Questions: shannonharrisbehm@hotmail.com

ADCA is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: International Night Interest Meeting

Time: Mar 5, 2025 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting

https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fus02web.zoom.us%2Fj%2F87272691280%3Fpwd%3Daat2HQI1UAoWp4ixeKvRG7rXLcyx3O.1&data=05%7C02%7C%7C142d44fc8fca4e9a90a608dd53efedb7%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638759012139845867%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=4eiWlTvACYhFCO82UEfD18KadEu4MWFNbUkTlt5HKJ8%3D&reserved=0

Meeting ID: 872 7269 1280

Passcode: 817101

With the start of the third advisory, we are officially at the halfway point of 8th grade. Where has the time gone? Who are these tall almost-high-schoolers walking our halls? What happened to those nervous 6th graders we met just two years ago?

As we look forward to our 8th graders' next big step, please save the following dates for promotion-related celebrations. Additional details, including logistics and costs, will be shared in the coming weeks.

• 8th Grade Spirit Week - March 3 to March 7

• 8th Grade Kings Dominion Trip - June 9 (all day)

• 8th Grade Promotional Dance - June 13 (5:00 - 7:00 PM)

• 8th Grade Promotion Celebrations (by team) - June 16 and June 17

Promotion celebrations will take place by team on June 16 and June 17. 8th graders will not have a typical school day for either of these days and will only report for their team's promotion. We look forward to celebrating this amazing class of students and will share more details soon.

This is a reminder of the important DCPS grading policies regarding resubmitted and late work:

• Resubmitted Work:

• All resubmitted assignments must be submitted by the late work deadline as defined in Section IV.C.6 (Makeup and Late Work).
• Each piece of work can only be resubmitted once.
• Except for Required Curricular Tasks, the highest grade a student can receive on revised work is a “C.”

• Late Work:

• Teachers must provide an opportunity for students to make up work when they are absent from class.
• Late work must be accepted and graded.
• For assignments due before progress reports, all late work must be submitted by the end of the progress report marking period (March 3, 2025). Assignments due before this period will not be accepted after the deadline.

Staying on Track

Timely Submissions:
In the coming weeks, students must continue to submit their work on time to avoid receiving a WS (Waiting on Submission) score in Aspen.

Late Work Review:
I will review Canvas for late assignments at my earliest convenience and enter grades regularly.

WS Scores in Aspen:
A WS indicates that the assignment was not completed by the time I reviewed Canvas and entered grades.

Resubmissions & Retakes:
Since I am still not in the classroom, if a student does not receive a satisfactory grade, they should take the second attempt (if available). For classwork, both attempts will be averaged.

Summative Assessments:
Per DCPS policy, the highest possible grade on a retake is a C—unless the student retakes the RCT and earns a higher score.

Upcoming Assignments

• MON, Mar 3, 2025- Measuring Motion Gizmo
• TUES, MAR 4, 2025- Calculating Distance, Time and Speed
• WED, Mar 5, 2025- Speed, Acceleration and Time Problems.
• THURS, Mar 6, 2025- Brain Pop Acceleration and Force
• FRI, Mar 7, 2025- What is Force?

Support During My Absence

Office Hours:
Due to increased physical therapy appointments, I am no longer able to offer office hours.

Email Assistance:

• Students may email me with content-related questions, and I will respond as quickly as possible.
• I will not be responding to emails about grades. Please check Aspen and Canvas for assignment details and deadlines.

Extra Work for Students (Parent Request)

If you feel your child would benefit from additional practice, you may ask them to answer the following reflection questions in their science notebook for each daily assignment. These questions encourage critical thinking and real-world connections:

• Prior Knowledge:
  What prior knowledge about science concepts or processes did I use to help me understand this assignment? How did that knowledge guide my thinking?

• Challenges & Strategies:
  What specific challenges did I encounter while working on this assignment (e.g., interpreting data, understanding scientific vocabulary, or completing simulations), and what strategies did I use to solve them?

• New Concepts & Applications:
  What new science concepts or skills did I learn from this assignment, and how might I use them to explain everyday phenomena or solve real-world problems?

• Further Inquiry:
  What further questions do I have about this science topic, and how can I use experiments, research, or other resources to find answers?

How to Use These Questions:
Have your child bring home their science notebook and discuss their responses together. This practice reinforces learning, promotes scientific inquiry, and encourages meaningful discussions at home.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding during my recovery

Next week I am back from grand jury duty! I am excited to return to the class with everyone! We are continuing with content to wrap up our unit 4 westward expansion. On Thursday students will have a check for understanding formative assessment on everything covered in unit 4. I will review specifics on Monday. The topics for each day are below.

• Monday: Fort Laramie Treat & The Lakota People
• Tuesday: Southeastern Tribes & Trail of Tears
• Wednesday: Reparations Letter
• Thursday: Check for Understanding & Introduce Summative
• Friday: Summative

Last week in ELA students spent time researching the history that surrounds our next novel: "To Kill a Mockingbird". Students looked into the Great Depression and the Jim Crow Era to try and gain a deeper understanding of how these two forces influenced all aspects of life in the American south. We also began to discuss the idea of conformity and individuality. As we begin the book, students will track instances of conformity and examine the social and societal pressures that cause conformity.

This week, we are beginning a week-long argument writing mini unit. Students will be building an argumentative essay about which type of Candy Bar reigns supreme.

IMPORTANT: Students must bring their copy of "To Kill a Mockingbird" on MARCH 10th!! We are starting to read and annotating inside and outside of class and it is vital that students have a copy of the book.

Homework: This week students were assigned 3 vocabulary lessons and 2 reading lessons in Reading Plus.

This week, Math 8 students worked on the tail end of the functions unit. We also took a quiz on graphing stories where students had to create We will take a test on this unit this coming Wednesday. This will cover the different representations (graphs, equations, and tables in our workbooks while comparing functions with different independent and dependent variables. Students will receive a comprehensive review to use as a study guide. Math 8 students also have iReady lessons to complete which are due at midnight on 3-2-25.

Algebra 1 students used this week to continue practicing various methods of factoring. These students will have an RCT to take on Wednesday based on what we've been learning recently. Students will receive a comprehensive review to prepare.

If you would like to contact us, please feel free to do so using the links below. Expect a response from teachers, during school hours, within 1 to 2 business days, of the time your communication was received.

Teacher Email Addresses:

• Science: Charmaine.Thompson@k12.dc.gov
• History: Marlena.Wikander@k12.dc.gov and Mallory.Snodgrass@k12.dc.gov
• English: Catherine.Cunha@k12.dc.gov
• Math: Brandi.Anderson@k12.dc.gov

🌐Website: alicedealmiddleschool.org

📬Address: 3815 Fort Dr NW, Washington, DC, USA

📞Phone: 202-939-2010