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Dorothy Hamm Middle School PTSA
PHOENIX POST
Monday, February 13th, 2023
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Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming DHMS Dates | |
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Tuesday, February 14th - DHMS PTSA Meeting, 7pm (Virtual)
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Monday, February 20th - NO SCHOOL (Presidents Day)
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Friday, March 3rd - NO SCHOOL (Parent/Teacher Conferences)
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Tuesday, March 14th - DHMS PTSA Meeting, 7pm
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Wednesday, March 15th - Early Release (12:05pm Dismissal)
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Friday, March 31st - End of 3rd Quarter
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Monday, April 3rd-Friday, April 7th - NO SCHOOL (Spring Break)
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Monday, April 10th - NO SCHOOL for Students (Grade Preparation Day)
Please visit the online master DHMS Calendar for all 2022-23 school year dates.
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DHMS News & Announcements | |
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Proposed Revised DHMS PTSA Budget
Click here to review proposed changes to the 2022-2023 DHMS PTSA budget that will be voted on at the Feb 14 PTSA meeting and send any questions to president@dhmsptsa.org or treasurer@dhmsptsa.org. Proposed changes include:
- Decreasing the Phoenix Fund income line item by 40% due to lower than expected donations.
- Decreasing the Classroom Grants, Community Events, Counseling Department Fund, and Quarterly Prizes for Students line items because of reduced donations.
- Decreasing the Historical Commemoration, Check-in Program, and Fund for Students and Programs line items to $0 because we do not have a 2022-23 plan for these funds.
- Decreasing the Spirit Wear line item to $0 - no restocking this year.
- Decreasing various line items because they were overestimated to a more realistic amount or to the actual amount paid.
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DHMS No Place for Hate Update
For the month of February, DHMS will host two No Place for Hate school-wide activities. The student members of the committee chose to focus on school climate, which allows for discussions around respect, acts of kindness, and the impact of biased or offensive jokes. The school-wide event commenced the week of February 6th (Intentional Acts of Kindness) and February 20th (#THATSNOTFUNNY) during Phoenix Time, where students discussed how to show kindness in our community and how to respond to offensive jokes.
These activities allow us to reflect, recognize, improve, and acknowledge where we are as we move forward with this work within our DHMS community.
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Our PTSA Needs You! Donate to the DHMS PTSA Phoenix Fund
We've reached 21% of our goal!
Dear DHMS PTSA Families,
Your PTA has been hard at work promoting engagement among students, families, and the DHMS staff; supporting our staff in their efforts to improve learning for our children; and creating more opportunities for students to recognize school as a fun space. We've supported the teachers' back to school breakfast; sponsored a successful back to school block party; started what we hope will become an annual Halloween candy sales drive and costume contest; and hosted our traditional One Dorothy Hamm Week, and Reflections contest. We would love to build on our momentum!
However, as we roll into 2023, the PTSA is taking stock of our goals and achievements, and making some tough decisions on our slate of activities for the rest of the year. PTSA membership is down 7%. Phoenix Fund donations are down 49%. Spirit wear sales are down 24.5%. These revenue shortfalls have left a nearly $15,000 hole in our budget. And without the renewed support of our community, the PTSA will be forced to scale back our support to activities that directly benefit our students and staff. These include quarterly prizes for students (-100%); Staff Snack Attacks (-100%); counseling (-83%); classroom grants (-74%) awarded to staff for use in their classrooms; Staff Appreciation activities (-64%); library/author visits (-55%); and clubs and activities (-23%).
We would like to keep supporting all of these activities, but need your support. We encourage all our families who can donate to the Phoenix Fund to do so by visiting DHMS PTSA Open Donations. Our PTSA needs you!
Thank You, DHMS Families: We are now at 21% of our fundraising goal. Thanks to Luisana Guerra, Erik Johnson, Kristen Humphrey, Karen Freeman, and Kristi Tsiopanas for your generous support. Magnets can be collected at the front office any afternoon this week.
Show your love for DHMS! We are giving away a free DHMS magnet for donations of $50 or more until tomorrow, February 14.
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Amazon Smile Supports the DHMS PTSA
Last Week! Shop Through February 20th
Amazon is ending its Smile fundraising program on February 20th, but you can still shop on Amazon Smile to support our DHMS PTSA for the next month! Visit smile.amazon.com and search for "Dorothy Hamm Middle School PTSA" as your charity of choice. If you're already signed up and there's something in your 'Saved for Later' cart or Amazon Wish list that you'd like to give a second look, make sure to use the smile.amazon.com link with DHMS selected as your Smile charity when you make your purchase. Click here to learn more, and thank you for your support!
Some families have reported getting notices that their chosen charity is not registered and to choose a new recipient. Rest assured DHMS PTSA is correctly registered, but our profile updated in 2022 from Virginia Congress of Parents and Teachers to Dorothy Hamm Middle School PTSA. If you receive a similar notice from Amazon, please select Virginia Congress of Parents and Teachers (same tax ID).
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Support DHMS When You Order Your Valentine's Cards at Minted!
Support the DHMS PTSA when you order your Valentine's cards & gifts from Minted using our promo code FUNDRAISEDHMS. You’ll get 20% OFF your order, and 15% of every purchase made using our code will be donated back to us at the end of the year.
FUNDRAISEDHMS is valid toward all Minted orders, excluding fine art prints, commissioned art, customizable fine art, all products purchased from the “direct from artist” section of our website, fabric goods, Minted More membership fees, Photo Op or styling or customization services. Discounts may be applied towards any Disney-branded merchandise, however Minted does not pay donations on these orders. Discounts and donations do not apply to shipping charges or tax, and cannot be combined with any other offers or promotions, including discounted credit.
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DHMS Corporate Donation Drive
DHMS families are invited to share our corporate donation drive with their employers, local business, and friends and family. More information is available in our MemberHub store: "Support a culture of teamwork, cooperation, and appreciation of sacrifice with your tax deductible corporate donation to the Dorothy Hamm Middle School PTSA!"
https://dhmsptsa.memberhub.com/store/items/64998
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DHMS Yearbook Photos Needed!
Please help the DHMS Yearbook team by uploading fun photos from fall activities at DHMS. Sports games, club meetings, Driveway party, hanging with friends. Upload photos directly to Josten’s DHMS photo site by following the instructions below, or clicking here for more details.
LOG ON TO: images.jostens.com
Enter Login ID: 0s7ogMI5ev2uUTscS5kdSvA
- Click on “Select My Images.”
- Browse to select the photo(s) you wish to upload.
- Click “Upload Chosen Images.”
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Contact DHMS Yearbook Lead, Ms. Richardson, with any questions.
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Resolve to Reduce Waste in 2023!
Is reducing waste a goal for you in 2023? One way to help is to recycle your plastic film. DHMS is participating in a challenge to collect plastic film to be reused in composite decking. Here’s what to do:
1. Collect plastic film listed on the acceptable list.
2. Weigh your plastic film. (Kids on a bathroom scale with and without the plastic film is a great way to weigh!)
3. Email the weight of your plastic film to green@dhmsptsa.org. Tip: a 64-gallon garbage bag of plastic film weighs about 6 pounds, so your film may not weigh very much. But it all adds up!
4. Bring your plastic film to the Cherrydale Safeway, 3713 Langston Blvd, and place it in either the white boxes outside the store, or the brand new plastic film collection box located just inside the store (where the carts are/candy machines are - it’s in the middle).
Remember! Recycling only works when someone will purchase what you wish to dispose of. A lot of single-use plastic, like chip bags, contain multiple layers of plastic that cannot be seen by the human eye, and cannot be broken down after they have been chemically bound together. Try to eliminate your use of as much single-use plastic as possible. For the plastic stuff you can't eliminate, try to buy stuff that does have a market for reuse, such as the plastic film that is accepted for reuse by private companies, like Trex, which uses plastic film on the acceptable list to make composite decking materials, which are intended to last a long time.
List of Acceptable Materials: https://nextrex.com/view/educate#materials1
Video: Plastic bag and Film recycling with NexTrex!
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W-L HS Speaker Event: Author Michelle Borba
Monday, February 13th 7:30pm
Dr. Michelle Borba, the author of Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine, will be speaking Monday in an online presentation, following our regularly PTA meeting at 7 p.m. Borba has done an extensive study into how students build resiliency and cultivate positive mental health attributes, applying to all ages. There will be simultaneous Spanish translation.
Borba’s presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m. The event is open to the APS Community. A small supply of books will be available for free to parents and for school resources. Contact president@w-lpta.org for details or with any questions.
Zoom Meeting Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83377931614?pwd=bUQxZEh1YTc5ZkdxWjJVVktIZVdpUT09
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APS Summer Activities Fair
Thursday, February 16th, 6-8pm
Kenmore Middle School (200 S Carlin Springs Rd)
APS and the Arlington County Council of PTAs (CCPTA) invite you to the annual Summer Activities Fair! The fair presents a wide range of local and regional opportunities for students of all ages in academic, cultural enrichment, outdoor adventure, sports, exploration, and virtual activities. Various programs also offer volunteer and employment opportunities for teens! Click here for details.
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2023 Outdoor Lab Summer Camp
Do you have a student who loves nature, enjoys spending time in the outdoors, or is interested in animals? Then they might enjoy SUMMER CAMP at the PHOEBE HALL KNIPLING OUTDOOR LAB!
The Outdoor Lab offers a week-long overnight science enrichment camp that provides a number of nature-related activities and experiences to Arlington Public School students who have completed grades 4 through 8.
The APS Outdoor Lab webpage has more information, including dates, program descriptions, tuition, and how to apply. You can also visit the Outdoor Lab Summer Camp table at the APS Summer Activities Fair on Thursday, Feb. 16th from 6 - 8 p.m. at Kenmore Middle School! APS students can apply for camp via a short Google form on the APS Outdoor Lab webpage starting at 6 p.m. on March 3, 2023.
If you have questions about summer camp activities or registration, please click here or contact: Lab Coordinator Rochelle Proctor at rochelle.proctor@apsva.us or 540.347.2258.
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The DHMS PTSA Phoenix Post is a weekly newsletter that informs the DHMS community about DHMS, PTSA, and relevant APS and community news. Please send any newsletter submissions to newsletter@dhmsptsa.org by EOD Thursday for inclusion in the following Monday's Phoenix Post. | | | | |
