Dorothy Hamm Middle School PTSA
PHOENIX POST
Monday, November 22nd, 2021
Mark Your Calendar: Upcoming DHMS Dates
  • Monday, November 22nd - Parent Chat (in Spanish)
  • Wednesday, November 24th-Friday, November 26th - No School (Thanksgiving)
  • Wednesday, December 1st-Tuesday, December 7th - DHMS Book Fair
  • Monday, December 6th - Parent Chat (in English)
  • Tuesday, December 7th - DHMS Winter Orchestra Concert, 7:00pm
  • Wednesday, December 8th - Early Release (11:54am)
  • Thursday, December 9th - DHMS Winter Band Concert, 7:00pm
  • Monday, December 13th - Parent Chat (in Spanish)
  • Wednesday, December 15th - DHMS Winter Chorus Concert, 7:00pm
  • Monday, December 20th-Friday, December 31st - No School (Winter Break)

Visit the online DHMS Master Calendar for the complete 2021-22 calendar of dates.
Wishing our DHMS Community a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!
Enjoy your Thanksgiving Break from Wednesday, November 24th-Friday, November 26th!
One DHMS One Week 6th Grade Snack Bar Party
DHMS 6th graders enjoyed a fun Snack Bar Party last week for having the highest percent participation during One DHMS One Week to raise funds for the DHMS PTSA Phoenix Fund! Thanks to all the parent volunteers who helped to make it a success!
DHMS PTSA News & Announcements
Mark Your Calendar! DHMS Book Fair

The DHMS Book Fair will be here from Wednesday, December 1st-Tuesday, December 7th in the library!

Want to help? Parents can sign up to volunteer here. All volunteers must be approved through the APS Volunteer Application Process. Click here to fill out your application.

  • Students will come to the book fair with their Reading (6th grade) or English classes (7th/8th grade). The book fair will be open all day from 7:40am to 2:45pm. Students may visit during TA, lunch, or right after school.
  • We will have a Family Night on Thursday, December 2nd from 5:00-8:00pm.
  • Teacher wish lists will be available in the library and online.
  • Parents can also shop online. To set up your account:
  • Step 1: Go to bedfordfallsusa.com
  • Step 2: Click LOGIN at the top of the page
  • Step 3: Register as a PARENT and use this code to start shopping: DHMS1
  • Please contact DHMS Librarian, Jenny Shanker, with any questions.
Help Our DHMS Phoenix Family - Holiday Gift Card Drive

This holiday season, the DHMS PTSA and our school Social Worker, Christine Katcher, are organizing a gift card drive to support DHMS families in need who may not be able to afford gifts or meals. These DHMS families will enjoy a much brighter holiday because of your generosity! Our goal is to collect gift cards from grocery stores (Giant or Safeway preferred), or general gift cards like Visa, MasterCard, or AMEX. If you would like to support this important cause, we ask that you sign up below to assist with the administration of your kind gifts:


  • Please drop your gift cards off at the home of Christa Mansur (2115 N. Quinn Street, Arlington 22209) in a sealed envelope labeled DHMS or mail them to the same address so that they are received by no later than Tuesday, December 7, 2021.
  • Once all cards are collected, Ms. Katcher will deliver the gift cards to the appropriate families with a holiday greeting. Thank you in advance for your contribution. 
  • Please contact PTSA President, Kristen Shattuck, or Christine Katcher with questions.
Upcoming DHMS Parent Chats

Mark your calendar for the next Parent Chats with DHMS Principal, Ms. E. Smith! Stay tuned for the start times; the MS Teams links will be sent out via School Talk beforehand:

  • Today: Monday, November 22nd - Parent Chat (in Spanish) *Focused on High School information*
  • Monday, December 6th - Parent Chat (in English) *Focused on High School information*
  • Monday, December 13th - Parent Chat (in Spanish)
Virtual Author Visit - Thursday, December 2nd

Author Shani King will visit DHMS virtually on Thursday, December 2nd to discuss his book, Have I Ever Told You Black Lives Matter, and take questions from our students and staff. Students will attend with their class if their teacher signs up to attend.

If you would like to purchase his book, please use this order form. The order deadline is Thursday, December 9th. After the books come in, Ms. Shanker will pick them up at One More Page Books and bring them to DHMS to distribute to staff and students.
Congratulations, DHMS National PTA Reflections Contest Winners

Thanks to the DHMS students who submitted entries to this year's National PTA Reflections Contest supporting the theme "I Will Change the World By...":
  • Nisrine Badri - Literature Category
  • Egshiglen Ganbat - Literature and Visual Arts Categories
  • Nadia Lachhab - Literature Category
  • Mihika Sinha - Film Category
  • Evan Zhao - Visual Arts Category

Congratulations to Egshiglen Ganbat (Visual Arts), Nadia Lachhab (Literature), and Mihika Sinha (Film) who have been selected to move onto judging at the District level!
DHMS Hardt of Christmas Event for AFAC
Saturday, December 11th

DHMS classmates Brice (8th grader) and Cole (6th grader) Hardt are seeking your help this holiday season to collect food items and holiday treats as part of their charity Hardt of Christmas for 75 families in partnership with the Arlington Food Assistance Center. They are supplying the reusable grocery bag with the Hardt of Christmas logo but need your help filling 75 bags with these requested items:
  • 1 bottle vegetable cooking oil
  • 1 bag of granulated white sugar
  • 1 bag of flour (all purpose or masa)
  • Low sodium canned soups (any flavor)
  • Ground coffee (can or bag is fine)
  • Holiday item(s) such as gift cards, holiday treats, ingredients to make cookies, cookie cutters, and cookbooks to name a few ideas. 

To participate, purchase the items and bring them to their bag stuffing event on December 11th at 9:00 a.m. in the DHMS parking lot (near the soccer field). You’ll get to fill a bag with your items that will be delivered to a family in need on December 16th. That Hardt’s be providing holiday snacks to all participants! Please RSVP to Brice and Cole at mhardt14@yahoo.com or 571-535-6063.
Order Your 2021-22 DHMS Yearbook

The 2021-22 DHMS Yearbook is available to order! Click below to purchase yours today. Contact DHMS Yearbook Advisor, Abbey Gwydir, with any questions.
Check Your Plastic Bags Before Donating!

Thank you for collecting and dropping off your CLEAN AND DRY plastic film bags* as part of the Trex Plastic Film Recycling Challenge to help DHMS earn the chance to win a Trex composite bench for our school!

Our Phoenix mom volunteers have noticed quite a bit of contamination in the plastic film that is being dropped off in the recycling boxes at their homes. As a reminder, before donating, please check the flyer for what can be recycled, and show some care by respecting these guidelines in particular:
  • ALL plastic that is donated should be STRETCHY, so no clear flower wraps, no clear soap bar wraps, no bread bags that are other than Wonder bread type bags
  • No paper or mixed media, so, for example, no paper envelope with bubble wrap inside, no receipts, no packing slips, no napkins
  • No silver anything, so, no mylar tape on mailers (cut that part off), no foil/silver bubble wrap, no snack bags
  • No food residue (such as leaky sauce in take out bags), no dirt

We appreciate your enthusiastic participation, but remind you that contamination can ruin an entire box of plastic film. So, please take care and remember you are dropping off a product that someone else will be using, like a gift. Thank you!
DHMS Drop-off Locations:
  • 2115 N. Quinn Street
  • 3500 21st Ave North
  • 4324 17th Street North
*Click here for the list of acceptable items. Please contact green@dhmsptsa.org with questions. Thank you for your help to reduce waste!
Take the Recycling Challenge Quiz! 
Your students were given an option to learn about recycling in TA last week, in recognition of National Recycling Day, November 15th. Do you know where things go? Watch this brief video, and take this short school item focused quiz and discuss with your kids! A great activity to help recycle right in Arlington over the holidays! Please contact green@dhmsptsa.org with any questions.
DHMS Library Volunteers

Want to volunteer in the DHMS Library? Please complete your APS Volunteer Application and then sign up for hours here. We welcome volunteers for a couple hours each day. Currently, we have morning hours, but if these do not work for you, please email Ms. Tsai to see if another time can be accommodated.
APS & Community News
Arlington School Board Meeting

Watch the Arlington School Board Meeting (11/16/21) for the latest updates from APS Superintendent, Dr. Duran, and the School Board, including the Superintendent's Announcements and Updates (11/16/21) with updates on winter weather procedures for 2021-22.
APS Student Services Newsletter
November 2021

The APS Student Services Department publishes a monthly newsletter. This month’s newsletter shares information on the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) focus for this month: Social Awareness. Check it out: apsva.us/student-services/student-services-newsletters
2022 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Literary and Visual Arts Contest Now Open

Arlington Public Schools students are invited to take part in the annual “Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Literary and Visual Contest.” Entries are due by 5 p.m. Thu, Dec. 16.

COVID-19 Vaccinations 5-11 Year Old Students

Arlington County’s Public Health Division (ACPHD) is offering COVID-19 vaccines for the 5-11 age group at Walter Reed Community Center and Arlington Mill Community Center. Appointments are encouraged but walk-ins will be accepted on weekdays from 2:00p-6:45p and on weekends 9:00-4:45p now through Wednesday, November 24th. Walk-ins may experience a wait, some of which might be outdoors. 

  • Schedule an Appointment through VAMS
  • If you need ADA accommodations or require assistance scheduling an appointment, call 703-228-7999. 
  • Please note: Children ages 17 and younger must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to receive their free COVID-19 vaccine.
High School Options & Transfers Information for SY 2022-23

For the 2022-23 secondary options and neighborhood transfers application process, there will be two separate application timelines for high school option programs and neighborhood transfers, as follows:
  1. Option High Schools & Programs: Families interested in attending an option school or program will be able to apply between Nov. 1, 2021 - Jan. 21, 2022. 
  2. Neighborhood Transfers: After the Superintendent’s Annual Update on enrollment is published in January, the availability of neighborhood transfers will be shared with families. If there is availability for neighborhood transfers, families will be able to apply between Feb. 21, 2022 - March 11, 2022. 

All options and transfers applications are available through the online application portal. Additional information on the application timeline and process is available on the options and transfers webpage.

Middle School Information Night Follow-up 

Virtual Middle School Information Night was held on Monday, October 25th. Select the following links to view:

Visit apsva.us/school-options/middle-school-choices for details, including middle school options & transfers application information and school information sessions.
DHMS PTSA Reminders
DHMS Basics: Office: 703.228.2910 / Clinic: 703.228.2940 / Attendance: 703.228.2911
​​​Get Involved: Join the PTSA / PTSA Directory / PTSA Meetings / Volunteer
Engage With APS: APS Engage / Online Form / Open Office Hours / Meetings / Agendas​​
APS Health & Safety: COVID Testing / Health Screening
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 Thursday at 10am for inclusion in the following Monday's Phoenix Post.