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Williamsburg Middle School PTA Newsletter
May 11, 2026
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THIS WEEK'S HEADLINES
Teacher Appreciation Week - This Week - Need a Few More Volunteers!
THANK YOU for your donations for Teacher Appreciation Week! We have met our fundraising goal!! We still need volunteers to help with things like picking up flower arrangements, receiving catering deliveries at the school, picking up bags of ice, etc. Please take a look at the Sign Up Genius and sign up to help!
Williamsburg PTA: Williamsburg Middle School Teacher Appreciation Week
PTA Meeting - Virtual - Wednesday, May 20 at 6PM
Join us for the next WMS PTA Meeting online next Wednesday! More details to follow. We will send a link on the day of the call.
WMS Parent Trivia Night - Clare and Don's Beach Shack - June 9
Back by popular demand, the WMS PTA will be hosting our second ever trivia night at Clare & Don's Beach Shack in Falls Church on Tuesday June 9 at 6:30 pm.
Our January trivia night was a huge success as parents and teachers got to know each other better, learned more about Washington DC, the Arlington deer population, and elephants, and had a lot of fun. Come out and celebrate the conclusion of another school year and show off your level of knowledge. And this time we promise much nicer weather. There will be no snow. If there is, the PTA Staff will sing and dance to "Anything Goes."
Any questions, please send an e-mail to president@wmspta.org
Magnet Orders
If you placed an order for a magnet and have not received it, please send an email to president@wmspta.org.
Join the WMS PTA!
If you haven't joined the PTA yet, it's quick and easy.
Click here, and then click on Memberships. Note that you have to rejoin each year. So if you haven't signed up this school year, you're not a PTA member!
Volunteer for Next Year's PTA Board
We are looking for volunteers to serve on next year's PTA Board. If you are interested or would like to learn more, please email president@wmspta.org.
Sign up for the WMS PTA Weekly Newsletter
If you received this newsletter as a forward, please sign up to get it weekly.
Click here, and then click on Get the PTA Weekly Newsletter.
WMS Morning Announcements
Keep up with the latest news that your kids are getting each morning.
Click here for the WMS Morning Announcements!
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*** The PTA provides support to the WMS community in many different ways, including helping with events like PALS days, funding Wolf Paw prizes and classroom grants, providing recognition for our teachers, and more. We can only continue to do so with your support. Please consider donating to the PTA to support our activities for the remainder of this school year and into the next. ***
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PTA Volunteers
If you are interested in getting more involved, please reach out to our PTA President at president@wmspta.org. We would love to hear from you!
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Teacher Appreciation Week - THIS WEEK - Need a Few More Volunteers!
THANK YOU for your donations for Teacher Appreciation Week! We have met our fundraising goal!!
We still need a few more volunteers this week to help with things like picking up flower arrangements, receiving catering deliveries at the school, picking up bags of ice, etc.
Please take a look at the Sign Up Genius and sign up to help!
Williamsburg PTA: Williamsburg Middle School Teacher Appreciation Week
Please act fast - activities began TODAY!!
For questions, or to volunteer to help with this special week, please contact Ingrid Gust at ingrid.gust@outlook.com.
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WMS 8th Grade Yards Signs are In!
We have received our WMS 8th Grade Yard Signs! Our team has been reaching out by email to confirm delivery.
If you have not received your yard sign, please send an email to mjhenneberg@gmail.com or nina.cribbs@att.net.
A big thank you to our WMS sign team:
Molly Henneberg Nagel, Betsy Churchill, and Nina Cribbs
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Message from YHS PTSA for 8th Grade Parents
Dear Rising 9th Grade Patriot Families,
The Yorktown HS PTSA would like to invite you to our last General Member meeting of the school year TONIGHT at 7:30 P.M.
The meeting will be virtual and on Zoom:
https://zoom.us/j/96855272085?pwd=LM97wGCC5QM0MZbwaHdNkNSzjIVszc.1
Meeting chat link
https://zoom.us/launch/jc/96855272085
Meeting ID: 968 5527 2085
Passcode: 412715
We have invited two guest speakers, Mike Krulfeld, Activities Director, who will share information for the upcoming Fall season for sports and clubs, and Roberta Henault, an attorney who will share information on what families need to know when your high school student turns 18. We also will be voting to approve our Summer budget. If you’re able to join, this is a great way to meet the PTSA Board and Dr. Clark, YHS Principal.
Our Spirit Wear store is now open until May 15th - Click to order! The proceeds from this online pop-up sale will support the Yorktown PTSA and it's a great way to outfit your rising Freshman with official Patriot merch. All items purchased will be delivered directly to you by June 8.
We encourage you to sign up for the weekly PTSA newsletter. Click here to stay updated on our events and Yorktown happenings.
We’re also seeking volunteers for many of our PTSA Committees and programs next year. If you’re interested in helping or would like more information please complete the Volunteer form. Volunteering with the PTSA is a great way to stay connected, support our students and staff, and make a meaningful impact in our school community.
We look forward to seeing you at the meeting, otherwise we look forward to meeting you at the New Families orientation in August.
Congratulations and have a wonderful summer!
Jill Gaspar, PTSA President
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8th Grade - End of Year Activities - Schedule
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Boardwalk Beach Carnival at WMS - Friday, June 12
6 pm – 8 pm, parents to drop off/pick up at the school, children to dress in boardwalk/beach attire (no swimsuits)
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Kings Dominion Day Trip - Monday, June 15
8 am - 6 pm, buses transport children to/from school
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Graduation/Promotion Rehearsal at WMS - Tuesday, June 16
7:50 am, parents to drop off at school
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Graduation/Promotion Ceremony at WMS - Wednesday, June 17
8:30 am, parents to attend. Families receive 2 tickets only!
For the June 12 Boardwalk Beach Carnival, we will reach out closer to the event with a Sign Up to recruit parent volunteers and obtain donations to make the event fun and fabulous for our 8th Graders!
Please also consider donating to the 8th Grade Activity Fund. The budget for the above events comes directly from the activity fund. Donations to the 8th Grade Activity Fund can be made here: https://wmsptawolves.givebacks.com/shop
Additionally, if you are an owner of a local business or have a connection with a business, we are happy to take business sponsorships for any of our 8th Grade events. Please let the PTA know by emailing events@wmspta.org.
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YHS Football Information Session for Rising 8th and 9th Grade Families - May 12
YHS Football Information Session for rising 8th and 9th graders and parents.
Learn what to expect, including try-out information, practice schedules, equipment, and coaching style.
May 12
6:30 PM
Patriot Hall at YHS
Click here to register.
| | Upcoming Activities at Arlington's Central Library | | |
Message From the APS Advisory Council on Teaching and Learning - Kindness/Executive Functioning Survey Open till May 22
To support student needs, the Student Services Advisory Committee is currently collecting feedback in two areas for APS:
- Executive Functioning Skills. These include organizing and prioritizing work, time management, perseverance, problem-solving, and task initiation. Students of all ages, ability levels, and English proficiency backgrounds benefit from developing these skills throughout their education and beyond. Our survey invites your feedback on the importance of these skills and which areas APS should prioritize.
- Promoting Kindness in Our Schools. All students thrive in a culture of kindness, where they learn the social and emotional skills necessary for life. We want to hear how important this is to you and gather your "good ideas"—specifically free resources or initiatives—that can help every school flourish.
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More info on recommendations related to the above are available through these Presentation Slides.
- Your answers will be shared with APS, to help shape work in these two areas.
Survey Links:
This survey should take about 10 minutes
Survey Deadline: This survey will close on Friday, May 22, at 11:59 p.m. Please complete the survey by that time. Thank you!
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Code Ninjas of Arlington - Summer Camp Offerings
Please see the summer camp offerings from Code Ninjas of Arlington.
They recently attended our PTA meeting to speak on "AI Fluency and Responsible Usage for Middle Schoolers and Rising High School Students."
Click here to see their camp offerings.
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Summer Learn-to-Row Camp at W-L
Are you thinking about rowing in high school?
Rowing is one of the few sports that you can start in high school and become successful with very quickly!
W-L Crew's Summer Learn to Row camps are perfect for rising 7th, 8th, and 9th graders who want to give rowing a try!
Or join us for Green Days next fall!
Learn more about both on our website: www.w-lcrewboosters.org.
W-L Crew now rows out of Columbia Island Marina, which is very conveniently located on the Virginia side of the Potomac River near the Pentagon.
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Serve as a Democracy Intern with Learning Life
For kids who will be in 8th-12th grade in the fall...
- Need to complete community service hours?
- Interested in politics, government, and policymaking?
- Do you have a GPA of 3.5 or higher?
Apply to serve as a summer or fall Democracy Intern with Learning Life!
Click here for more information and to register!
About Learning Life: Learning Life is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit lab devoted to innovating education, democracy and diplomacy by spreading learning in everyday life beyond school walls. In our increasingly interconnected yet divided world, we develop inclusive learning communities in order to widen and deepen participation in democracy and diplomacy.
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WMS Food Bus to Assist AFAC
The Helping Hands club is bringing the AFAC Food Bus back! Each school day, students are encouraged to place unopened and/or unused food in the dedicated AFAC fridge or bins in the cafeteria, which is transported to AFAC in a bulk delivery at the end of the week. This partnership provides for our community's food insecure, diverts food waste, and promotes a culture of giving among the entire student body.
We need parents (and their students) to help to make this possible by collecting and transporting the food from WMS to AFAC (2708 S Nelson St, Arlington, VA 22206) at the end of the school week (usually Friday afternoons).
It is SUPER easy, a great lesson for our children, and it feels good to give!
Please consider volunteering to drive the food donations to AFAC!
CLICK HERE to sign up!
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Outdoor Lab Seeking Board Members; Summer Camp Info
Outdoor Lab Seeks Board Members: The Arlington Outdoor Education Association (AOEA), the volunteer-run nonprofit that owns and supports the Outdoor Lab in partnership with APS, is seeking new Board member candidates. We particularly need a volunteer with finance/accounting experience to serve as Treasurer. Learn more on our website and contact vp@outdoorlab.org with questions or to express interest.
Outdoor Lab Summer Camp 2026: Outdoor Lab Summer Camp 2026 is a fantastic opportunity for students who have a passion for nature, love spending time outdoors, or have an interest in animals. Our camp is hosted at the Phoebe Hall Knipling Outdoor Lab, offering a week-long immersive experience that combines fun and learning in a beautiful natural setting.
New this year, APS is offering two weeks of Outdoor Lab Summer Camp for Middle School students (current grades 6-8), the weeks of July 6-10 and July 13-17. Registration opens at 6pm on March 6 and is first-come, first-served until spaces are filled: https://www.apsva.us/curriculum/outdoor-lab/
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Main Phone Line: 703-228-5450
Attendance Line: 703-228-5444
Technical support: 703-228-2570, Monday through Thursday from 7 am - 9 pm, and Friday from 7 am - 6 pm
Technical support information: click here.
ParentVue: click here.
Morning announcements: click here.
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APS & COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS
Upcoming APS Community Engagement Opportunities:
APS Launches Adopt-a-School: Building Strategic Partnerships for Student Success
Learn more about the Adopt-a-School program. Complete the interest form.
Thu, May 14 School Board Meeting: Recognition of Asian American and Pacific islander (AAPI) and Jewish American Heritage Months; Strategic Plan Priority – Operational Excellence (Focus on Information Services); Information on VSBA Legislative Positions & Superintendent’s Proposed FY 2027-36 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP)
7:00 pm Watch School Board meeting online, on Comcast Ch. 70, Verizon Ch. 41 or at Syphax Education Center, 2nd FL, 2110 Washington Blvd. 22204
Fri, May 15 Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed for adults who regularly interact with adolescents (age 12-18), hosted by APS for staff, families and community members.
9 am – 3 pm Register prior (link needed). Wakefield High, 1325 S Dinwiddie St, 22206
Tue, May 19 School Board Work Session with Advisory Committees: End-of-Year Reports
6:30 pm Watch Work Sessions Live or at Syphax Education Center, School Board Room, 2nd FL, 2110 Washington Blvd. 22204
Thu, May 28 School Board Meeting: Recognition of JROTC; Strategic Plan Priority – Student-Centered Workforce (Focus on Professional Learning); Action on Final FY 2027 Budget (Tentative) and VSBA Legislative Positions
7:00 pm Watch School Board meeting online, on Comcast Ch. 70, Verizon Ch. 41 or at Syphax Education Center, 2nd FL, 2110 Washington Blvd. 22204
More at: Community Engagement Opportunities with automatic translation into: Español Монгол አማርኛ العربية (Other languages)
Arlington Community Opportunities and Events:
Tue, May 12 Author Talk and Indonesian Cooking Demo with Pat Tanumihardja—including a free tasting!
6:30-7:30 pm Arlington Central Library, 1015 N Quincy St, 22201
Fri, May 15 Bike to Work Day hosted by BikeArlington
Register here. Receive a FREE T-shirt and find Pit Stops set up across the region.
Sat, May 16 Neighborhood Clean-up Day | Dispose of bulky household items and metal with County assistance.
7 – 11:00 am Green Valley Neighborhood. Contact: Jorge.Laura@arlingtonva.us
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