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Dorothy Hamm Middle School PTSA
PHOENIX POST
Monday, January 23rd, 2023
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Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming DHMS Dates | |
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Friday, January 27th - End of 2nd Quarter
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Monday, January 30th - NO SCHOOL (Grade Preparation Day)
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Wednesday, February 1st - DHMS Dines Out - The Simple Greek, 4:00-8:00pm
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Thursday, February 2nd - DHMS Historical Commemoration, 5:00-6:00pm
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Wednesday, February 8th - Early Release (12:05pm Dismissal)
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Tuesday, February 14th - DHMS PTSA Meeting, 7pm
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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)
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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Our PTSA Needs You! Donate to the DHMS PTSA Phoenix Fund
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: Thanks to Elizabeth Ryan, Kristin Cohen, Matthew Dodge, Thomas Coleman, Heather Ignatius, and Jacqueline Java for your donations to the Phoenix Fund the week of January 16th!
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Amazon Smile Supports the DHMS PTSA
Shop Now 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!
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DHMS Dines Out! The Simple Greek Wednesday, February 1st 4-8pm
Save the date for The Simple Greek dine-out event on Wednesday, February 1st from 4:00-8:00pm - 1731 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22209. Click for details: https://www.groupraise.com/events/239988
Please Note: Make sure to enter "DHMS" as part of your last name when you order so our PTSA earns a % of sales (i.e. "Smith DHMS).
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DHMS Historical Commemoration
Thursday, February 2nd 5-6pm
Come Walk with Us to commemorate the desegregation of Stratford Jr. High: Drop in anytime between 5:00 and 6:00 PM. Proceed to Door 1 for instructions! Bring a few dollars to purchase a hot drink and sweet treat! All proceeds will support the DHMS PTSA.
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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 Library Volunteers
The DHMS Library does not currently have a need for volunteers. We will re-visit the need in the next quarter. Thank you so much to all the parents who have volunteered countless hours in the first semester.
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DHMS Picture Re-Take Photos Now Available
DHMS student re-take photos are now available for viewing and ordering! Click to get started: VIEW AND ORDER PHOTOS HERE (https://shop.jostenspix.com)
- If your photos don't appear in your gallery, find your student using event code FE5622.
- You can personalize your photos with a variety of backgrounds and text.
- Photos are shipped directly to your home.
- High-res digital downloads are available.
- If you have more than one child, you can order together and pay once.
Contact DHMS Picture Day Chair, Jennifer Meder, with any questions.
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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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APS Library Program Evaluation
Please take a moment to reflect on and share your thoughts about the library program in Arlington Public Schools – and our DHMS library. APS is soliciting your feedback through the end of January.
Secondary Family Library Survey: https://survey.k12insight.com/r/LibSecParents
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APS Attendance Calls – A change!
Beginning Tue, Jan. 17, APS began sending text and voice notifications to all families regarding unverified absences beginning at 11 a.m. Additionally, all middle and high school families receive three additional text message alerts at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to notify them if a student has an unverified absence for a specific period. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we implement these changes.
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Mom's Holiday Lights Recycling
Drop off your broken holiday lights for recycling any time through January 31st at MOM's Organic Market (located at 1901 N. Veitch St. Arlington, VA 22201). We get an extra boost of cheer knowing. MOM's customers diverted 17 tons of holiday lights from the landfill! Recycled lights are broken down through melting and shredding to recover raw materials that are repurposed into roofing and construction materials, piping, car batteries, other electronics, lead wheel weights, flatware, jewelry, and more! Click here to learn more.
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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. | | | | |
