Dear Families,

On behalf of the Dorothy Hamm Middle School Parent, Teacher and Student Association (PTSA), I would like to extend a warm welcome to you for this 2022-2023 school year. I hope you had a wonderful summer break with plenty of opportunity for fun and relaxation!

The end of summer holidays can evoke mixed feeling for parents, teachers and students alike. On the one hand, my son laments the end of his “freedom,” of sleeping in late, flex meal times, and as much room for play as there is light in the sky. And I will surely miss those things for him as I reminisce on my summers at his age. But on the other hand, being back in school, seeing old friends again and meeting new ones, the smell of new school supplies, and the discovery of new school facilities, also spell excitement. My wish for him is that this and every school year will be full of opportunities to experiences that thrill.

With that in mind, your PTSA has been working hard to ensure more of those exhilarating school days; creating more opportunities throughout the academic year where our children are as eager to engage as on the first day of school. And we would like all our families and faculty as excited to be here as our children. We are aiming for more school-wide PTSA sponsored events that support our students’ development into good citizens, while also having fun. From candy drives to field trips to pizza parties, our list of activities will encourage our children’s creativity, competitiveness, entrepreneurial skills, and of course guarantee fun!

We will also continue our traditional support for our faculty as they prepare our students for academic success. From back-to-school lunch to classroom grants to teacher appreciation week festivities, we would like to thank our faculty for the time and love they endow on our children. If there is one lesson I have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that I am not teacher, could never be one, and that our teachers deserve more thanks than they get. The PTSA would like to make up for some of that.

I’ve already said it several times, but I cannot underscore enough that we are a PTSA. However, we previously have not had much opportunity to fully engage our student body. This year, we would like to fix that. To that end, the PTSA will lend its support to the promotion of the Dorothy Hamm Student Council Association (SCA). The SCA contributes to a positive and inclusive school climate, promoting school spirit and leadership. The PTSA will also support special interest groups, such as our other-than-English native speakers. Their role on the PTSA will be to advise the wider membership of issues affecting our students in their environments and advocate for the community they would love to be a part of.

But none of this is possible without your support. We need you! Please consider joining the PTSA this year. Your $10 per adult (parent and faculty) and $5 per student is for the whole year. To join online, visit dhmsptsa.org, or to pay by cash/check, you can download the paper form: DHMS PTSA Membership Form. Our PTSA serves all Dorothy Hamm families. Virtual students and their families are especially encouraged to join and engage so that their first day back inside our school building won’t feel like their first day in our community.

Subscribe to the Phoenix Post, our weekly newsletter, by texting PHOENIXPOST to 22828.

Engage with us. Visit our website https://dorothyhamm.apsva.us/ptsa/ to stay up-to-date on the latest PTSA events and sponsored activities. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter @dhms_pta.

Add PTSA meetings to your calendar. General membership meetings are hybrid, held every second Tuesday of the month at 7p.m.: in-person at Dorothy Hamm Middle School and virtually via Zoom.

Donate to the Phoenix Fund. The DHMS PTSA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All donations are 100% deductible. We welcome individual and corporate donations.

Volunteer for any of our open Committee positions available at https://dorothyhamm.apsva.us/ptsa/committee-chairs/ , and to support our monthly activities. Review our calendar of events and let us know how you would like to help. You can also keep an eye out for notices in the newsletter.

With your help, we can make the 2022-2023 school year as good as summer break! Do it for the kids!

Sincerely,

Khal Monaro, DHMS PTSA President 2022-2023