DEAL MS LIBRARY NEWS!
August 2026
What's going on in the library?
Greetings Families,
Welcome to students for the 2026-27 school year! I look forward to meeting the new students and reuniting with those returning. We have a lot of exciting experiences, books and media to share together. New titles for this year arrived in May of last year, we have about 14,000 physical titles in our collection with a growing collection of materials in a variety of foreign languages, formats, and reading levels. We have a large digital collection in SORA, and access to 1000s of additional titles and resources accessible digitally through the DC Public Library. For comic lovers, we have a great collection of Manga and graphic novels.
Students will all be visiting the library for orientation and book checkout during the month of September. We have brand new books to kick off the year as well as all of the old favorites! Students will also periodically visit the library to work on research projects and collaborative lessons. Students will all check out at least one book in September and will be notified if it becomes overdue in October, December, and June.
Students also have the opportunity to visit the media center whenever classes are not using the space to use makerspace activities, explore coding, graphic design, music, video, and audio production tools, robotics, use our 3-D printer, play cards and games, create art, or just find a quiet place to read and relax. Students have access most days during their recess period or before and after school.
Stop in to meet Mr. Reichlen and see the library media center during our upcoming Back-to-School Night! You can also reach out with questions by clicking the contact link at the bottom of the newsletter.
Rotating book displays!
New and notable books are regularly updated to keep plenty of great choices front and center!
During August and September the displays will feature our new arrivals, Hispanic Heritage Month titles, and books that celebrate Banned Books week!
New media and production equipment to spark new ideas for media creation!
Students have opportunities to experience a variety of technology and media production when they visit the library space. Embedded in these spaces are books and resource links to take the students further on their creative endeavors!
Book Recommendations
Mr. Reichlen creates a new display of book recommendations each month. Also, students and families have the opportunity to make featured recommendations for the library displays by filling the linked form: https://bit.ly/DealMSLibraryRecommend
More information about the Must Read lists and digital resources on the web at the Library's LibGuide Page: https://bit.ly/DealMSLibGuide
Give additional feedback using the Deal Library Survey Form:
The SORA app is located in Clever, the DCPS hub for digital learning. Students have access to thousands of e-books, audiobooks, interactive readers, and magazines! New titles are added on a regular basis. Students can access SORA through the app available for iOS, Kindle, and Android platforms in addition to accessing through the web. Click on the image to learn more.
Mr. Reichlen is the lead coach of Deal Robotics. We have participated in First Robotics programs in the past. This year we will have one competitive FTC league team, one scrimmage team, and a robotics club. While the competitive team requires a significant time commitment, the scrimmage team and club options offer a less formal experience.
Deal Robotics will be slightly different this year as the leagues are changing. Unfortunately, because of these changes, I have made the tough decision to drop our FLL teams and focus on FTC. I will hold an information meeting for new members during the second week of school. More information will be communicated in upcoming team newsletters. Stay tuned!
Library Checkout Policies
Students at Deal will be checking out books during the month of September during our beginning of the year library orientation. Students are allowed to have up to 5 books out at a time and will begin to receive overdue notices after 30 days. Mr. Reichlen sends out two emails to families per year. One will go out before the winter break and one goes out at the end of May or early June. There are no fines for lost or damaged books but books that do not get returned will end up on the student's record through high school unless the student or family communicates with Mr. Reichlen. The library will also accept donations of new or gently used hard cover books published within the last 5 years and age-appropriate for 6th grade students. Students will never be disciplined for lost materials and it will not affect future checkouts as long as Mr. Reichlen is notified. To read the full library policy document, click on the image.
