I want to send a special thank you to all of the parents that come out for parent/teacher conferences. Although it was a long 2 days, we appreciate the patience and kindness parents show while waiting to hear about their student. Students and school staff have worked very hard this first quarter and set the bar high for the rest of this year. That in itself is a wonderful fact!
As we begin the second quarter and the beginning of the holiday season I want to encourage students and teachers to remember to take care of themselves. Our health is very important and a key to success in life and school.  Students who are fatigued can have a hard time paying attention to even the most exciting of lessons. If you do get sick, make sure you rest and return when feeling better. A simple phone call to a friend or an email to the teachers can help a student keep in touch with what they missed if they are absent from school. We want to make sure our Huskies stay healthy.
On a more scholastic note, I want to remind parents of our upcoming PTA meeting on November 12th where our guest speaker will be Ms. Vicki Galliher – Health/PE/FLE Curriculum Instruction Resource Teacher.  She will assist parents in learning more about healthy eating habits and nutrition of adolescents.  Ms. Galliher brings a wealth of experience in the fields of Sports Medicine and Health/Physical Fitness education.
Also this month, MEHMS and GMHS welcome Mrs. Sharon Pope as a guest speaker as we embark on exploration of the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (MYP). Like Ms. Galliher, Mrs. Pope brings practical experience from the world of Middle School and High School education as well as the International Baccalaureate Organization. Mrs. Pope worked in IB DP/MYP programs for 13 years in Henrico County.  I met Mrs. Pope at the Breaking Ranks In the Middle training last year and I am looking forward to hearing her speak to teachers and parents. These events are just some of the exciting things going on around the school with many more to come.

As I was watching the election results on Tuesday night, I was reminded of a line from an old Pearl Jam song (I know that I just aged myself!).  “All that’s sacred, comes from youth.  Dedications naïve and true.”  It was so inspiring to see the numbers of young people that were engaged and involved with the campaigns and the election.  I stood in line at my polling place at 5:45 in the morning surrounded by new voters, most of them sporting sweat pants and college apparel.  I spoke to a young woman who had turned 18 a few weeks prior.  She had campaigned passionately all over her campus and had worked to encourage her college classmates to come out and vote.   There was no trace of resentment and bitterness in her voice as she spoke about the months leading up to the election and the hardships that her age group are facing and will continue to face.  Instead, she had hope.  She was dedicated to having her voice heard and wasn’t at all discouraged by the long lines and the rain.  Moreover, there was an excitement and buzz in the air last week when MEH held a mock election.  The 7th grade civics students studied both of the candidates and helped our 5th graders to understand the election process better.  In my years in schools, I have never experienced such enthusiasm and anticipation for a presidential election by a group of students.  It speaks so highly of our youth and I felt very fortunate to be a part of history on Tuesday.