PTA Meeting: Tuesday, June 9 at 7:30pm
We will be holding the last virtual PTA meeting of the year on Tuesday, June 9 at 7:30pm. We will host the meeting using Zoom. Please tune in and participate!
Register in advance for this meeting.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
We will be voting on the proposed budget for 2020-21. You can review the proposed budget on the Treasure's page as of tomorrow. We will open voting online after the meeting and discussion. Votes will be held on the renewing budget items (as one) and then on separate, new line items. Only paid PTA members will have their votes counted, per the PTA Bylaws.
We need some new PTA Board members!If no one runs for our School Programs VP and Community Events Lead roles, the PTA programming next year will be very limited, so please consider running for one of these positions! They will be quite different next year, as we are all expected a different school year (at least through winter). You can bring your technology skills and creativity to helping bring some fun community-building events to our families and staff! If you are interested, please reach out to any member of the current board:
- VP for School Programs: Oversee and assist volunteers leading programs during and after the school day. (Enrichment, Reflections, Odyssey of the Mind, Hospitality Chair, Teacher Appreciation Week, Yearbook, Room Parents, etc.).
- Corresponding Secretary - Community Events Lead: Oversee and assist volunteers leading Community Events. (PumpkinFest, Family Movie Night, Bingo Night, DJ Dance Party, 5th Grade Promotion, World Heritage Night, Ice Cream Socials, etc.).
- Public Affairs: Provide updates to school community at PTA meetings and in weekly newsletters about APS, County and State actions affecting Discovery, including providing information on how the community can get involved.
Find more on the responsibilities of each position, along with the current contacts in each position,
on the website. Please reach out with any questions!
TODAY is the deadline. Don't miss your chance to get a 2019-2020 yearbook!!
Yearbooks are $15.
Order online here: Yearbooks Available
Contact Jennifer Taylor with any questions jennifer.taylor2@apsva.us
Celebrate Our Graduating 5th Graders
Help celebrate Discovery's graduating 5th grade class with a community car parade on Tuesday, June 9th starting at 6:30 from Discovery. Each participating Discovery 5th grader will decorate their family car and drive the specified route through the Discovery neighborhoods. Please check the route and come out and cheer for our graduating 5th graders from a socially distanced location. The parade will last approximately 30-45 minutes. The route map can be found HERE.
Book Drive for Arlington Students
Several Arlington Public Schools PTAs - including ours! - have started collecting books for grades PreK to 8 to distribute to families during the COVID shutdown of schools and libraries. Books are currently being distributed at the Key Elementary Grab-n-Go meals site and Dorothy Hamm Middle School and hope to expand to more sites soon.
Through One More Page Books' website, anyone who is interested in providing new books to Arlington families can do so. You have two easy options: 1) select individual books from the grade level lists below that were created with the help of some of our librarians or 2) select a $10, $30 or $50 bundle for books for elementary (preK-5) or middle (6-8) school students. One More Page will pick awesome books that total that amount to donate. Either way, all books will be made available at the Arlington school sites where book distribution efforts are underway.
One More Page will contribute an additional 5 books for every $100 worth of books purchased for this campaign.
Thanks to all for helping this effort to get more books into the hands of Arlington's students!
Discovery’s Got Talent
Encore teachers encourage all Explorers to submit photos and/or videos of themselves showcasing a special talent. This may include artwork, musical performance, athletic skill, or anything else that you are proud of!
Submissions must be uploaded to Google Classroom (you should see the "assignment" on your students' account) by Friday, June 5th. Reach out to any Encore Teacher for help!
Discovery's Vegetable Garden Needs Farmers
Please help take care of Discovery's vegetable garden over the summer! Sign up for a week during the summer to tend to our crops!
Responsibilities:
- water the plants (if it hasn't rained) every other day
- pick weeds and harvest vegetables one day.
The beds will be clearly marked where items have been planted to ensure the correct watering and weeding.
More info, and sign up form is here waiting for YOU!
* The vegetable garden is located behind the dining commons and close to the small turf field.
Baroody Camps and Free Classes
Registration is currently open for
Baroody Virtual Summer Camps! Each week has a different theme. Families can sign up for mornings, afternoons or the whole day. Early Bird discounts end on June 14th.
Explore and sign up here.
Baroody is also setting up some in-person, small group camps:
"Looking for small group activities for your child this summer? Baroody Camps will run in-person outdoor sport camps and indoor/outdoor general camps for small groups. This is ideal for a group of 4-8 friends who live in the same neighborhood or close to each other. Baroody Camps will send a qualified instructor who will bring sanitized equipment and materials." Complete their
sign up form to get started!
Teacher Appreciation Day Photos
Thanks again to everyone who helped make Teacher Appreciation Day special during this unique year! That's all of you who join the PTA and those who contribute dollars and time! And, thanks to the teachers and staff who tweeted some fun photos of their gifts and special deliveries!
Orientation/Transition Note to Rising 6th Grade Families
Managing the transition from elementary to middle school can be a challenge for students and parents. Due to school closures related to COVID-19, the WMS staff has had to condense what we would normally provide while still trying to meet the needs of our families. We are excited to offer a virtual orientation, for our rising 6th grade students! It includes information about the school day, teams, how to get involved after school and messages from Mr. Boykin, Principal, and Ms. Brenckle, School Counselor. We hope you find the presentation informative and helpful for your family in learning more about 6th grade at Williamsburg Middle School.
Additionally, we have updated our Rising 6th Grade Transition with a robust list of FAQs, for our rising 6th grade students and parents. Within the page, we have included answers about a typical school day to how lockers are assigned to students. If you have a question and it is not listed on the page, please complete the “Welcome to Williamsburg!†Google Form, and we will respond with an answer.
- The WMS Counseling Department
