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DHMS PTSA Phoenix Post
Sept. 9, 2019



IN THIS ISSUE
September PTSA Meeting * DHMS Spirit Wear * Safe Routes Google Group
Thank You * Back to School Night * Join! Donate! Subscribe! * Volunteers Needed
Board Game Donations * PTA Night at the Nationals *
Reflections * Walk, Bike and Roll to School Day * APS Annual Online Verification Process
Parent Resource Center * ASEAC * Arlington SEPTA * Mark Your Calendars
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT DHMS
SEPTEMBER PTSA MEETING
SEPTEMBER 10 at 6:30 pm in DHMS Cafeteria

The first PTSA general membership meeting of the school year will be held TOMORROW at 6:30 pm in the DHMS Cafeteria. We will voting to approve the May 2019 meeting minutes and the audit of the 2018-19 budget .

We will have reports from Principal Ellen Smith and PTSA officers. We will also have some social time to meet one another. Remember - students are welcome to attend too and share their ideas! Please join us!
DHMS SPIRIT WEAR SHOP NOW OPEN!

The DHMS PTSA spirit wear online store is now open!


You will be able to place orders through September 30, 2019. The store will then close down briefly to fill orders. The orders will be delivered to your children in their TA classes.

More items will be added each season! Please contact Spirit Wear Chair, Holly Tennant Billy, at spiritwear@dhmsptsa.org with any questions!
DHMS SAFE ROUTES GOOGLE GROUP
 
The PTSA has set up a Safe Routes to School Google Group. This group was created for DHMS parents, teachers, staff, and students to share information about walking, walking groups, biking, driving, carpooling, parking, drop-off/pick-up, etc. at DHMS. In particular, please share problems or issues along your route.

To join, you must have a Google, Gmail, YouTube, or Google Plus account. Then, send an email to: dhms-safe-routes+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You will receive an email from the group - please click the Join link or send a reply email. The group administrator will then have to approve your membership.

Please remember that there are transportation updates on the DHMS website:

THANK YOU!!!!

The PTSA thanks everyone for coming out to the first-ever Back 2 School Block Party this past Saturday! We had amazing weather, and it was definitely a fun time!

Many thanks to all of the volunteers who helped with this event and especially our chair, Susan Omberg, and our fabulous DJ, Jeff Mercer! Thank you!!!
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT
September 19 from 7-9 pm

Save the Date! DHMS Back to School Night will be held on Thursday, September 19 from 7-9 pm. Please come and meet your child's teachers!
JOIN! DONATE! SUBSCRIBE!


  • JOIN! It's time to join the PTSA! NOTE - You must rejoin the PTSA each school year to be a member (so if you joined before June 30 and want to join the PTSA, you should join again).

  • DONATE! Our school needs YOUR donations! The DHMS PTSA is a brand-new PTSA, and we really need your donations to help our school this year with Classroom Grants, Community Building Events, Teacher and Staff Appreciation, etc.


You can check all of these items off your to-do list TODAY! Just click the button below! Thank you!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR PTSA POSITIONS

The PTSA is currently seeking to fill several chair and committee member positions for the 2019-20 school year as listed below:

  • CCPTA Representative
  • SEPTA Representative (need second one)
  • APS School Ambassador and External Affairs Chair
  • Community Building/Connection Committee Members (this will be a KEY committee in our first year as we build our DHMS Community!)
  • Historical Commemoration (we have one co-chair and need one more)
  • Grand Opening Celebration for Addition Committee (2020)
  • Beautification Committee – Internal
  • Green/Eco Committee

Please contact President Debbie Pearson at president@dhmsptsa.org or VP Programs Angela Huskey at programs@dhmsptsa.org you are interested in or have any questions about any of these positions!
DHMS TEACHERS SEEKING BOARD GAMES

Are your closets and shelves overflowing with board games that your family no longer plays? One of our 7th grade teams is currently seeking donations of gently used (and complete) board games, card games, puzzles, etc., and other teachers may also want to use games in their classrooms. If you have donations, please bring them to the DHMS main office. Thank you!
NORTHERN VIRGINIA DISTRICT PTA NIGHT AT NATIONALS PARK
September 28
 
The Washington Nationals are excited to welcome Northern Virginia District PTA Members and their Friends and Family to our PTA Night at Nats Park on September 28, 2019! The Nats will be taking on the Cleveland Indians at 4:05 pm!


  • RF Corner, Section 137 for $37 (includes $10 concession credit)

  • Scoreboard Pavilion, Sections 239 and 241 for $21 (includes $8 concession credit)

Purchase by 11:59 on September 20th to save! After that date, prices go up, and you aren't guaranteed to be with other PTA Members. For groups of more than 13 (to go as a group and sit together), contact Jennifer McCarty .

Questions? Contact  novadd@vapta.org
REFLECTIONS 2019-20
 
Each year, students create original works of art based on a theme for the Reflections arts competition. The theme for the 2019-2020 program year is Look Within. Students submit their completed works of art in one or all of the available arts categories: Dance Choreography, Film Production, Literature, Music Composition, Photography, and Visual Arts.

Our Reflections Chair, Alexandra Voigt, will share more details about the Reflections program once school begins in September. The deadline for submission is usually around mid- to late-October.
WALK, BIKE AND ROLL TO SCHOOL DAY
OCTOBER 2, 2019

Save the Date! Each year, Walk, Bike and Roll to School Day helps to raise community awareness about the importance of pedestrian and bicycle safety education, safe routes to schools, well-maintained walkways, and traffic calming in our neighborhoods and around our schools. DHMS is a walkable neighborhood middle school, and we hope to have a great turn-out!
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN APS
APS ANNUAL ONLINE VERIFICATION PROCESS

The Annual Online Verification Process (AOVP) is continuing.

  • If you do not have an active ParentVUE account, you can follow the instructions at the ParentVUE Access Center to activate your account. If you do not have an activation code, please contact the DHMS front office at (703) 228-2910.

  • PTSA DIRECTORY AND EMAIL LIST!!!! In the section called "PTA Student Directory - Opt in," you must click the box and select "Yes, Please provide my student/family information" to be included in the online PTSA Directory and to be automatically added to the DHMS PTSA email list.

  • Please make sure to update your information in ParentVUE as soon as possible! The final deadline is October 31, 2019.
APS PARENT RESOURCE CENTER EVENTS

The APS Parent Resource Cemter (PRC) is a resource and infor mation center for families, staff and community members. Although the PRC primarily offers support for those with children with disabilities and unique learning needs, many of the programs offered by the PRC are valuable learning opportunities for all parents.

To check out the programs offered by the PRC, please check out PRC Events Page. In particular, please note the following upcoming events:

ARLINGTON SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ASEAC)

ASEAC invites all interested citizens to participate in its monthly public meetings. At the beginning of each meeting, ASEAC welcomes comments from the public regarding the needs of students with disabilities in APS.

The first ASEAC meeting of the school year will be on September 24, 2019 from 7-9 pm. For more details, please see the PRC Events Page.
ARLINGTON SPECIAL EDUCATION PTA ICE CREAM SOCIAL & EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES FAIR
SEPTEMBER 28 FROM 2-4 PM

Arlington Special Education PTA (SEPTA) is a community-wide organization that represents all of APS schools and programs, not a single school. Arlington SEPTA focuses on special education issues and advocacy for children with disabilities.

Join Arlington SEPTA on Saturday, September 28th from 2-4 pm for its first meeting of the new school year. Enjoy ice cream and popsicles for the whole family, mingle with friends old and new, and meet a variety of local extra-curricular activity providers for children of all abilities.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
September 10 - PTSA General Membership Meeting at DHMS, 6:30 pm

September 19 - DHMS Back to School Night at DHMS, 7-9 pm

October 2 - Walk, Bike and Roll to School Day

October 4 - DHMS Dedication Event at DHMS, 3-6 pm

October 11 - School Picture Day

October 14 - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - COLUMBUS DAY

October 15 - PTSA General Membership Meeting at DHMS, 6:30 pm

October 16 - EARLY RELEASE FOR STUDENTS AT 11:54 am

October 24 - Parent-Teacher Conferences at DHMS (evening, times TBD)

October 25 - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS and Parent-Teacher Conferences at DHMS (times TBD)

November 4 - APS High School Information Night

November 5 - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS - ELECTION DAY

November 11 - NO SCHOOL - VETERANS DAY HOLIDAY

November 19 - PTSA General Membership Meeting at DHMS, 6:30 pm

November 21 - School Picture Retake Day

November 27-29 - NO SCHOOL - THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
PHOENIX POST SUBMISSIONS  
The DHMS PTSA Phoenix Post is a weekly email newsletter that informs our community about DHMS, PTSA, and APS, APS schools and Arlington County events and news . Due to space constraints, the Phoenix Post will NOT include other information or events (such as sports leagues, scout groups, community events not sponsored by APS or the County, etc.).

Please submit entries for publication to newsletter@dhmsptsa.org . All information must be in plain text (preferably in a Word document), edited with all wording exactly as you want it to appear. Note - your content may be edited for space considerations. Photos, links, or pdf documents can be included. During the school year, the Phoenix Post will go out weekly on Monday mornings. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. the Saturday before you want your item included.
PTSA EXECUTIVE BOARD 2019-20
President - Debbie Pearson
VP Programs - Angela Huskey
VP Community - Heidi Gibson
VP Communications - Lara Johnson
VP Administration - Ellen Smith
Secretary - Adena Porter
Treasurer - Daniel Lyons
Spirit Wear - Holly Tennant Billy