• Friday, March 31st - End of 3rd Quarter
• Monday, April 3rd-Friday, April 7th - NO SCHOOL (Spring Break)
• Monday, April 10th - NO SCHOOL for Students (Grade Preparation Day)
• Tuesday, April 11th - DHMS PTSA Meeting, 7pm
• Friday, April 21st - NO SCHOOL (Eid al-Fitr)
• Monday, May 1st-Friday, May 5th - DHMS Teacher Appreciation Week
• Wednesday, May 3rd - Early Release (12:05pm Dismissal)
• Tuesday, May 9th - DHMS PTSA Meeting, 7pm
• Monday, May 29th - NO SCHOOL (Memorial Day)

Please visit the online master DHMS Calendar for all 2022-23 school year dates.

Wishing you a very happy spring break from the DHMS PTSA!

The Phoenix Post will return on Monday, April 10th.

DHMS PTSA Updates

Seeking DHMS PTSA Nominating Committee Volunteers

It's time to start planning for the 2023-24 school year! To kick off the process to nominate next year's DHMS PTSA Executive Board, the PTSA Board is looking for two additional DHMS PTSA members to server on the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee is responsible for identifying, vetting, and nominating the slate of qualified nominees for next year's elected PTSA officers. If you are interested, please send an email to DHMS PTSA Secretary, Angela Huskey, at secretary@dhmsptsa.org no later than Friday, April 7th. The PTSA Membership will vote to approve the Nominating Committee members at the Tuesday, April 11th PTSA Meeting, after which they will begin seeking interested volunteers to fill next year's DHMS PTSA officer positions.

In the meantime, please consider volunteering for PTSA leadership! Visit dorothyhamm.apsva.us/ptsa/committee-chairs for a list of all the board and committee positions that are open for election or appointment. New to DHMS families are also welcome. So if you know elementary school families who will be joining us next year, please share our call for volunteers with them. All experience levels, or none at all, are welcome; just a willingness to support our students, families, and faculty. Please contact DHMS PTSA President, Khal Monaro, with any questions or if you'd like to get involved.

DHMS News & Announcements

Congratulations on a great DHMS Spring Musical, Mary Poppins Jr! Thank you to everyone who contributed and all of the DHMS families who attended!

DHMS Author Visit: L. M. Elliott

Tomorrow! Tuesday, March 28th

Author L. M. Elliott will visit DHMS on Tuesday, March 28. If you would like a copy of her books, please visit this link to make a purchase from local bookstore, One More Page:

https://dorothyhamm.apsva.us/post/author-l-m-elliott-to-visit-dhms-order-books-here/

Arlington Student Filmfest

Submit Your Film by March 31st

The Arlington Student Filmfest is accepting student films until March 31. Many students attended an information session on March 9 to learn more about it. Please see Ms. Shanker for more information OR check out the link on the Student Information Canvas course.

Congratulations, DHMS Reflections Winner!

Last week, Virginia PTA announced the 2022-23 Reflections contest winners at the state-level. Congratulations to Oynzul Otgonbayar, DHMS 6th Grader, for earning an Award of Merit in Visual Art! Visit apsva.us/post/virginia-pta-announced-the-2022-23-reflections-winners for complete details.

Only Three More Weeks of the Trex Challenge - Keep Your Plastic Coming!

Saturday, April 15th is the last day to submit Trex collections! Keep recycling your plastic film as part of DHMS's 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.

4. Bring your plastic film to the Cherrydale Safeway, 3713 Langston Blvd, and place it in the white boxes outside the store or the plastic film collection box located just inside the store (where the carts are/candy machines are - it’s in the middle).

List of Acceptable Materials: https://nextrex.com/view/educate#materials1

Video: Plastic bag and Film recycling with NexTrex!

Community Updates

Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener for Grades 3-12 Coming Next Month

Beginning April 24, APS will conduct a universal SEL screener for students in grades 3-12. The screener collects information about students’ SEL skills and well-being and the results will be used to support our student’s academic, social and emotional growth. Families can opt out by Wed, March 29 if they do not wish for their student to participate. Individual schools will be setting a specific date for the screeners during a three-week period. More information is available online.

Yorktown HS Youth Soccer Clinic

Monday, April 10th 9am-2pm

Boys and girls between 2nd-7th grade are invited to register for the YHS Youth Soccer Clinic on the upcoming APS teacher work day, Monday, April 10th, from 9am-2pm at Yorktown HS. $95 per player, includes lunch and t-shirt. Register online at: https://yhsboosters.org/soccer-clinic, and see the flyer for additional details.

DHMS Basics: Office: 703.228.2910 / Clinic: 703.228.2940 / Attendance: 703.228.2911

​​​Get Involved: Join the PTSA / PTSA Meetings / Volunteer

Donate: Phoenix Fund / Amazon Smile (Search for "Dorothy Hamm Middle School PTSA)

Stay Connected: DHMS Calendar / DHMS Website / PTSA Directory / Morning Announcements

Engage With APS: APS Engage / Contact the School Board / Open Office Hours / Meetings / Agendas​​

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.