• Friday, October 21st - NO SCHOOL for students (P/T Conferences)
• Monday, October 24th - NO SCHOOL (Diwali)
• Monday-Friday, October 24th-28th - One DHMS One Week Fundraiser
• Tuesday, October 25th - DHMS Lebanese Taverna Night, 5:30-6pm Pick-up @ DHMS
• Thursday, October 27th - DHMS Family Life Education Presentation, 7pm @ DHMS
• Monday, October 31st - Halloween Costume Competition & Candy Drive Awards 
• Wednesday, November 2nd - School Picture Re-take Day
• Thursday, November 3rd - DHMS Gifted Service Night, 6:30pm (Virtual)
• Monday, November 7th - End of 1st Quarter
• Tuesday, November 8th - NO SCHOOL for students (Grade Prep for Staff)
• Tuesday, November 8th - DHMS PTSA Meeting, 7:00pm
• Friday, November 11th - NO SCHOOL (Veterans Day)
• Wednesday-Friday, November 23rd-25th - NO SCHOOL (Thanksgiving Break)

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

DHMS News & Announcements

October is National Principals Month! Thank you to our amazing DHMS Principal, Ellen Smith! Take a moment to share your appreciation with Ms. E. Smith!

Next Week: One DHMS One Week!

Week of October 24th-28th

Get ready next week for One DHMS One Week! Show off your DHMS spirit each day by following the spirit day schedule below. Support the school by contributing to the Phoenix Fund and help your TA and grade level win the fundraising competition for highest percent participation. Check out the giving challenge details and get an early start on donating to the Phoenix Fund here to help us reach our fundraising goal of $28,000. Any donation amount helps! Although we have a target goal we hope to hit, we are striving for participation from everyone who can contribute. 

One DHMS One Week Spirit Week Schedule Monday, 10/24 - Monday, 10/31

• Tuesday: Hawaiian Shirt Day
• Wednesday: PJ Day
• Thursday: Represent your favorite Sports Team/Jersey Day
• Friday: Grade Level Color Day (6th: Red, 7th: Gold, 8th: Black)
• Monday (October 31st): Halloween Costumes - school-appropriate

Questions or interest in helping out? Contact Melissa Hardt, Phoenix Fund Lead.

Support the Phoenix Fund! DHMS Lebanese Taverna Night - Tuesday, October 25th

Place your order now for DHMS Lebanese Taverna Night coming up on Tuesday, October 25th! We are excited to partner with Lebanese Taverna to support Dorothy Hamm MS, where you will have a chance to order and pick up your dinner right at DHMS! Click below for details, and to place your order early to confirm your pick-up between 5:30-6:00pm at DHMS, and contact Olga Kasyan with questions.

***Place Your Lebanese Taverna Online Order***

Tuesday, 10/25 Pick-up @ DHMS between 5:30-6:00pm

Support Our DHMS Halloween Candy Drive!

It’s time for our first PTSA fundraiser. We know you’re going to buy Halloween candy, so might as well support our students and earn points towards a pizza party.

1. Shop Halloween Candy from the DHMS PTSA Store. The online store will be open through Thursday, 10/27.
2. Order candy for yourself, friends and family for delivery to your student’s TA. ***Remember to include your student's name and grade on your order form. Orders will be delivered every Friday through Friday, 10/28.
3. Check out and submit your payment online.
4. Every $1 spent earns points for your student’s TA.
5. TA with the highest gross sales gets a pizza party on October 31.

Order early to avoid delays and sold out stock.

October DHMS PTSA Meeting Follow-up

Thank you to everyone who attended the October PTSA General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, October 11th. If you missed the live event, visit dorothyhamm.apsva.us/ptsa/ptsa-meetings for the draft meeting minutes, and dorothyhamm.apsva.us/ptsa/budget-and-finance for the latest DHMS PTSA Budget Report. Mark your calendar for our next PTSA Meeting coming up on Tuesday, November 8th.

It's not too late to join the DHMS PTSA! Click here to join online, or to pay by cash/check, you can download the paper form: DHMS PTSA Membership Form. Memberships are $10/adult and $5/student, and sponsorships are available. Please email Laura Floros, DHMS PTSA Membership Chair, with any questions.

DHMS School Pictures Now Available!

School photos from DHMS School Picture Day on Wednesday, October 12th are now available to order!

Click to view and order photos (Find your student using event code FE5622):  https://shop.jostenspix.com

• 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.
• Wednesday, November 2nd - School Picture Re-take Day: Mark your calendar if your student missed picture day, or would like to retake their photo.
• Contact DHMS PTSA Picture Day Chair, Jennifer Meder, with any questions.

Deadline Extended to Thursday, 10/20! 

2022 PTA Reflections Contest

The theme for this year's PTA Reflections Contest is “Show Your Voice!” Interested students can submit their original work of art in one or more of the following categories: dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography, and visual arts. 

Submit your hard-copy entry to the main office by Thursday, October 20th or e-copy to reflections@dhmsptsa.org! TA Class with Most Entries Get FREE DONUTS!

(Note: Entries advancing to the county level must be in a hard copy (either physical artwork or USB for dance, film and music) and include the entry form. Please read the category-specific guidelines available on State PTA's website to make sure your submission complies with each category's requirements. Students can pick up the entry form (admin portion pre-filled by PTSA) and the submission guidelines from the main office.  

The National PTA is also searching for future reflections themes - the winning entry gets a $100 prize! The theme search entry form (admin portion pre-filled by PTSA) will also be available in the school main office. Please reach out to Reflections Chairs, Jean Choi or Rashmi Sadana, with any questions, or parents, if you can help with this exciting committee! Find out more about this year's reflections contest by visiting pta.org/home/programs/reflections or https://vapta.org/programs/student-programs/reflections.

Save the Date: Halloween Costume Competition on October 31

Let’s close out October with a day of Halloween festivities on October 31. DHMS students are welcome to dress up (or down) for Halloween. Students are welcome to wear their easy-on/easy-off costumes to school, subject to accessibility requirements. Students will be expected to remove costumes during PE. No weapons (fake/toy guns, knives, swords), no blood, no face masks, and PG-13-only costumes allowed. Students will compete across multiple categories:

• TA Class with the most costumes worn (% population, inc. both students and TAs)
• Best costume per grade (6^th, 7^th and 8^th)
• Best overall costume
• Best faculty/staff costume

Announcing the 2022-23 DHMS PTSA Directory

The online DHMS PTSA Directory for 2022-23 is now available: DHMS PTSA Directory 2022-23

• To be included, opt in via ParentVUE as part of the APS Online Verification Process (AOVP). You can opt into the directory under "PTA Directory Information").
• Additional information and resources are available on the Annual Online Verification Process webpage, including instructions for activating your ParentVUE account.
• The online DHMS PTSA Directory allows parents to communicate with other DHMS parents. You can search by Name, Grade, or TA for students who choose to opt into the PTSA Directory. For additional details, visit: dorothyhamm.apsva.us/ptsa/ptsa-directory, and contact directory@dhmsptsa.org with any questions.

Follow DHMS Student Services on Twitter!

DHMS Student Services has launched its official twitter account. Throughout the school year, the Student Services department will be sharing important news, announcements, and updates about what our school is doing to support students and families. This will be a great way for the DHMS counselors, social worker, psychologist, and registrar to get the word out about happenings on Vacation Lane, along with resources and opportunities for students and families. Click here to view the account a give them a follow!

Dorothy Hamm MS 2022-23 Science Fair

Save the Date! The DHMS 2022-2023 Science Fair will be held on Thursday, January 19th from 6:00 to 8:30pm in the cafeteria.

Judges Needed: Guardians and community members interested in being a judge for this year’s fair can sign up using this Google form: https://forms.gle/VcDHBXSgbY1uq9K78

DHMS Library Volunteers Needed

Volunteer to help out in the DHMS Library! See details in the link below and volunteer for as many days as you'd like. Feel free to come between 9am and 12pm for an hour or two (you can let Ms. Tsai know in the comments), and contact Ms. Tsai with any questions. Reminder: Make sure to submit your APS Volunteer Application BEFORE you volunteer.

DHMS Library Volunteer Sign-up - Fall 2022

Support the DHMS PTSA When You Shop!

Support the DHMS PTSA every time you shop on Amazon! Bookmark smile.amazon.com and search for "Dorothy Hamm Middle School PTSA" as your charity of choice. Make sure you always shop Amazon using the smile.amazon.com link, and the DHMS PTSA will earn a percentage of sales with every purchase you make. Click here to learn more, and thank you for your support!

SEPTA Superintendent's Team Chat

Wednesday, October 26th

Superintendent's Team Chat on Wednesday, October 26th - please see the flyer for details. If folks are interested in submitting questions they may do so until October 19th.

Monthly SEPTA Meeting

Thursday, November 10th 7:30pm

Guest speakers Beth Poss and Chris Bugaj are educators, speech/language pathologists and authors who are passionate about making education inclusive and accessible for ALL learners! Please join them at the Arlington County SEPTA meeting on November 10th at 7:30pm to hear them share ideas for nurturing an inclusive mindset, along with strategies to support access to education at school and at home, based on their book, Inclusive 365 EdTech Strategies for Every Day of the Year. Their book is available for purchase on Amazon and other online retailers. Go to https://inclusive365.com/ to order or for more information. They will be available to sign books after their presentation. Google form to sign up is here: https://forms.gle/RDun3VVkGftJmAJf7, and click here for details.

Virtual High School Information Night

Attention 8th-grade families! The Virtual High School Information Night will take place on Tue, Nov. 1 at 6:30 p.m. Join in to learn about the transition to high school, core classes and electives, option schools/programs, neighborhood transfers, and the option/transfer application and lottery process. Families can watch the event online (the link will be posted before the event). Between November and January, each high school will host an information session for families to meet staff, learn about the school, and ask questions. Dates and times for these information sessions will be announced during the Virtual High School Information Night.

Equity Profile Dashboard Community Conversations

The Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion will host Community Conversations on the Equity Profile Dashboard. The dashboard provides data and transparency related to student opportunity, access, and achievement. The community conversations will include key takeaways about student demographics, student success, and college & career readiness. The community conversations will also allow the community to provide feedback on the dashboard.

The community conversations will be held virtually on the following dates:

• Wed., Oct. 19 at 7 p.m.
• Wed., Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.

For additional information or to register to attend one of the community conversations, visit the Equity Profile Dashboard Community Conversations webpage. 

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

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

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

Engage With APS: APS Engage / Online Form / 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.