DHMS PTSA Phoenix Post
Sept. 2, 2019

#PhoenixFirst
#DHMSbelongandbecome

IN THIS ISSUE
First Day Clap In * Transportation Updates * Back 2 School Block Party
Join! Donate! Subscribe! * Volunteers Needed * September PTSA Meeting
Board Game Donations * Reflections * APS Annual Online Verification Process
 Mark Your Calendars
WHAT'S HAPPENING AT DHMS
DHMS FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL CLAP IN
 
Principal Ellen Smith has invited DHMS parents to come to help "Clap In" our DHMS students on the first day of school! Please plan to arrive by 7:30 am on Tuesday, September 3, if you wish to be part of this special first-day ever event!

The Clap In will be taking place on both sides of the school! Wear our school colors red, black and gold, bring welcome signs, and celebrate the first day of school at DHMS! #PhoenixFirst #DHMSbelongandbecome
PHOENIX FLYER TRANSPORTATION UPDATES
 
There are several APS Transportation Updates posted on the DHMS website. Please check them out before the first day of school, and make sure you and your child know the best and safest route to school.

BACK 2 SCHOOL BLOCK PARTY
SEPTEMBER 7 FROM 11:00 AM TO 1:00 PM at DHMS

Celebrate the new school year, and join the PTSA and the DHMS community for a Back 2 School Block Party!

Highlights include music, food vendors, art activities, lawn games, Cherrydale Library info, selfie booth, etc. You can join the PTSA and buy a DHMS magnet! Also, you can see your children's classrooms.

BRING A BOOK! The PTSA will be having a Book Drive at the Back 2 School Block Party. Please bring your gently used books for grades 6-8. The books are being collected for a Book Swap later this year - you do not have to bring a book to be part of the Book Swap!

Please sign up to help: Back 2 School Block Party Sign Up

Check out the flyer for more details! Back 2 School Block Party Flyer

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, and it will take you to our online E-Z Form. You will also be able to join/donate/subscribe in person at the Back 2 School Block Party. Additionally, your student will be bringing home a paper form during the first week of school.

More details are online! 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!)
  • English Learners Parent Liaisons
  • Historical Commemoration (we have one co-chair and need one more)
  • Science Fair/STEM Committee
  • Grand Opening Celebration for Addition Committee (2020)
  • Beautification Committee – Internal

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!
SEPTEMBER PTSA MEETING
SEPTEMBER 10

Save the Date! Please make plans to join the PTSA for its first meeting of the school year on Tuesday, September 10 at 6:30 pm (location TBD). More details coming soon!
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!

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.
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN APS
APS ARLINGTON ONLINE VERIFICATION PROCESS

***Please read this section carefully as the transition to the new online verification is a bit complicated.***

NEW! This year, APS will implement an Annual Online Verification Process (AOVP) to replace the paper first-day packets.

All families will BE REQUIRED to have active ParentVUE accounts in preparation for the AOVP. 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!!!! When completing your information in ParentVUE, 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 PTSA cannot finalize the online directory and the email list until a significant portion of families have completed their updates on ParentVUE!

For more information about ParentVUE, please check out the ParentVUE AOVP website.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
September 3 - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

September 7 - Back 2 School Block Party at DHMS, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm

September 10 - PTSA General Membership Meeting at DHMS, 6:30 pm

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

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)
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