Welcome to Team Almaty

Mon. Aug. 25: First Day of School

Mon. Sept. 7: Labor Day, No School

Tues. Sept 8 & Wed. Sept 9: 6th Grade Family Workshops

Wed. Sept 16: Back to School Night (6pm)

Sat. Oct. 3: 6th Grade BBQ

It was great to meet most of Team Almaty today! Thank you so much for making time in your schedules to attend.

There are two things you can help your new middle schooler with over the weekend that will help them have a smooth(er) first week of school!

One of the trickiest things about the first week of middle school is opening a combination lock. Students will be assigned a locker & combination lock on Monday. If your child can practice on a lock at home over the weekend, it will take a lot of stress off them come Monday morning.

While students will leave their backpacks in their lockers during the day, they can use a simple canvas tote bag or a string cinch bag to carry their computers, agendas, and other materials between classes.

While it may be hot outside, the temperatures inside vary room to room. Some rooms might be a little chilly for some students.

Students will receive a new schedule when they arrive Monday morning. There may some corrections or small changes made over the weekend. They can toss the schedules they received at orientation.

To be eligible for participation in the KRF program, each student must be:

• A resident of the District of Columbia, and
• Ages 5 through 21, and
• Enrolled in an elementary or secondary public, charter, private, or parochial school located within the District, or a youth in the care of the District.

Cards will be available in room C115, located on the center east side of the 1st floor of the main building. Students will receive a date according to their team to come to the office between 3:15-4:15pm during the first week of school.

• Almaty - Monday, August 24
• Chirilagua- Tuesday, August 25
• Nara - Wednesday, August 26
• Oslo - Thursday, August 27
• Antananarivo - Friday, August 28

Returning Deal students already have cards that do not expire until September 30, 2026. They will receive cards before that date at room C115.

Hi! I am excited to teach Geography and World Cultures this year! I have been teaching in DCPS since 1999 and joined Deal in the fall of 2012. I am originally from Michigan, but I’ve now lived in DC longer than I did in Michigan! I’ve attended Kalamazoo College (BA), The George Washington University (MA), and Pace University (MA) and adjunct in the School of Education at American University and at Bay Atlantic University.

A Fun Fact about me: I love to garden and have been enjoying harvest bounties of basil, tomatoes, and all types of hot peppers. My favorite foods are chickpeas and potatoes!!! I’ve been vegan since 2012.

During our first week in Geography, we are getting to know each other, learning the systems of the school and each class, making class agreements, and beginning to dive into our geography world curriculum.

Students should have supplies by Monday, August 31 and also have a world map quiz on Thursday, September 3.

Supplies needed for geography class:

• A 1 or 1.5 inch binder (this will be kept in Geography class and only used for Geography class)
• Five dividers
• Pens and pencils
• Colored Pencils
• Loose leaf paper in binder

Amy Trenkle

amy.trenkle@k12.dc.gov

Classroom Wishlist

Greetings. I am happy to teach Mathematics (Accelerated 6 and Math 7). I have been teaching in DCPS 20+ years and joined the Deal family in the fall of 2023. I am a native Washingtonian, and a proud graduate of Alice Deal Middle School.

During the first week of school, we will take time to get to know each other and the class expectations. Students will also calculate operations with decimals, fractions, and whole numbers in preparation for BOY Assessments on September 1.

Students should bring their supplies as soon as possible, but certainly by Monday, August 31. See below for supplies.

Supplies needed for class:

• 2 composition notebooks
• 24 pack of pencils
• 3 large erasers
• 1 ruler
• Pack of graph paper
• Pack of lined paper
• Highlighters
• 100 index cards
• Post its
• 1 Pencil Case
• Calculator

Marcus Brown
marcus.brown@k12.dc.gov

Hello, Scientists, and welcome to 6th Grade!

My name is Shanishka Johnson, and I am thrilled to be your science teacher for an amazing year of exploring Earth and Space Science.

During our first week, we will be training for success by learning and practicing classroom norms, expectations, and procedures. Establishing these routines early will help us create a safe, respectful, and engaging learning environment where all students can succeed.

We will also complete a fun first lab, The Gab Lab, which is designed to help students get to know their classmates and begin building a strong classroom community.

As we approach the first day of school, all I ask is that you make sure you have all of your science supplies ready. I cannot wait to meet you and begin an exciting year of scientific discovery together!

Your supplies include:

• One 3 ring binder

• One notebook

• 5 tab dividers

• Pencils or pens

• Colored pencils

• pencil pouch

• Handheld pencil sharpener

• Tissues

• Paper towels

Shanishka.Johnson@k12.dc.gov

Amazon Wishlist

Hello 6th Grade Families,

This year marks my 5th year at Deal, 8th year with DCPS, and 19th year of teaching. After spending a decade in upper elementary, I made the switch to middle school ELA, teaching 7th and 8th before moving to 6th. I’m originally from California and taught there as well as in Bend, Oregon. My 10th grade son is a Deal grad and currently attends Jackson Reed. My daughter is a 5th grader just blocks away at Murch. If you see me around at Orange Theory, at Politics & Prose, cheering for the Washington Spirit, or out walking our two golden doodles, say hi!

In the first week of school, we will take time to get to know each other and the classroom routines. Students will also check out books from the classroom library. By Friday ask your student what they picked and how they are enjoying it.

Students should bring their supplies as soon as possible, but certainly by Monday, August 31. See below for supplies. If you are in a position to help out an additional student and buy an extra composition book, binder, or copy of either book, it would be much appreciated.

Katy Byrns

katy.byrns2@k12.dc.gov

Amazon Wish List

Politics & Prose Wish List

Hello!

I'm Brandon Shufelt and I'll be the Special Education teacher for Team Almaty. I work with Ms. Byrns and Mr. Brown in ELA and Math and this year I will be teaching ELA Resource. This is my second year at Deal and DCPS, and I'm looking forward to meeting and working with all of you! I'm originally from New York, but I've lived in Florida, Spain, and Texas before moving to DC a few years ago.

Next week, we will be getting to know each other, practice classroom routines, and go over expectations for the year. For students in Resource ELA binders will be provided, but students should bring the following additional supplies by Monday, 8/31: highlighter, pens and/or pencils, and a composition notebook.

brandon.shufelt@k12.dc.gov

Meet Deal's librarian Mr. Reichlen! Learn about the great things happening this month at Deal's library. Check out great books and media, read about events at Deal and around the city, and stay connected with Deal's Library:

https://app.smore.com/n/9unb1