SCA is sponsoring Husky Fun Night on March 23rd from 7:00 - 9:00 PM. Tickets are $3.00 before the event and $5.00 at the door. SCA members will be selling tickets during lunch from March 20th - March 23rd.

Husky Fun Night will include Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), music, food, board games, and an open gym for basketball the last hour.

7th grade web design students have been working hard on their WebQuests and it shows. Take a look at these!

Students at MEHMS were treated to the premiere of "Save our History: The Search for George Washington". A brand new documentary chronicling efforts to discover what George Washington actually looked like when he was a young man. The documentary, which has only been shown twice, will air nationally on The History Channel on February 17th at 10:00 PM.

Spirit Week will be held February 12 through February 16th.

• Monday – Pajama Day
  
• Tuesday – Hat Day
  
• Wednesday —Valentine's Day (wear red, white or pink)
  
• Thursday – Wear MEH apparel or the colors:  light blue, green or gray. 
  
• Friday – MEH Around the World Day (Wear clothes from another country)

It is not too early for 7th graders to start thinking about next year. Please take a look at this document to learn all about the Rising Grade 8 Registration process.

Our next Literary Lunch Bunch will be held on Wednesday, February 21 in the Library Classroom.  We will discuss the following books:  Grade 5: Blue Fingers: a Ninja’s Tale   Grade 6:  Worth  Grade 7: Chinese Cinderella and the Secret Dragon Society

The official MEHMS bumper stickers are available for sale at the school store. The school store is available every day during the lunch period. The cost of the bumper sticker is $1.00. Get one soon!

The MEH counselors have implemented a daily tip for parents. The tips cover a wide range of helpful ideas regarding homework, test taking skills, reading skills and more. You can see these tips by clicking on the counseling link on the left side of the page or by clicking here. Make sure to check them out often since they change every day!

The latest version of the "Husky Happenings" is online and can be downloaded here. This issue contains grade level team news, parent tips and a note from each principal. Enjoy.

Two for the price of one! Please take a look at the November and December version of our student created newsletter known as "The Silver Flash"

Remember that Thursday is an Early Release Day (students dismissed at noon)! There will be no after school activities or late bus. There is no school on Friday!

Have a safe and happy winter break!

Get ready!  Get set!  READ!!  On Wednesday, December 20 during Block 1, the entire Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School will be reading.  Your terrific teachers, spectacular specialists, proud principals, Very Important Volunteers, pleased parents, SUPER support staff, caring cafeteria staff, and aMazing maintenance staff will all be reading with us.  Bring your favorite book and be ready to read.

Yes, it is only December but May will be here before we know it and with it will come the Virginia SOL tests. Please take a look at our SOL page under the Calendars & News link on the left to find out the dates and to explore practice tests and other resources. Good Luck!

Skatetime will begin on Monday December 11th during all Physical Education classes.  Remember to wear comfortable clothing and long socks on the days that you will be skating.  Skating helmets and wrist guards must be approved by your PE teacher, but you may NOT bring in your own skates.  The entire PE staff is looking forward to two weeks of roller skating fun!

As we near the vacation season, please remember to fill out this form if you know your child will be absent from school. Please use this form any time you know your child will be absent. Thank you!

News Flash! Check out Ms. Villarreal's December webpage!
Click Here to go there now.

The 2006 Virginia General Assembly passed a law which requires all 6th grade students to have a tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap) booster shot prior to entry into school this fall, if at least five years has passed since the last shot.

Please review your child’s shot record. If you have not already and only if their last shot was before September of 2001, this must be done by December 1, 2006.  This shot may be listed as T, Td, Dtap, and /or Tdap.  Call your doctor or local health department if you have questions. If your 6th grader has not received the Tdap booster (if they require the shot), they may not attend school the following Monday, December 4, 2006.

Shots may be obtained from your doctor, military clinics, or the health department. If your doctor has run out of the booster shoot, you will need to go to the Health Department to obtain the shot, exceptions will not be granted for notes from doctors who are out of their supply.  Please contact the Guidance Department, (703) 720-5706, to obtain locations if needed.  Documentation should be taken to the Guidance Department.

Our next Literary Lunch Bunch will be held on Thursday, December 7 during all lunch periods in the library classroom. 5th grade will be discussing the The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements. 6th and 7th grades will discuss The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place by E.L. Konigsburg.

Please join us on Friday, December 1st from 6 - 9 PM for the 8th annual MEHMS PTA Bookfair Night at Barnes & Noble at Seven Corners. There will be free goodies to eat and drink, musical and dramatic performances by our students and more. Story time for children between the ages of 2-5 starts at 7:00 PM in the Children's Alcove.

Students in Mrs. Seabridge's CTE class have recently completed a new project. They designed and built versatile "portable desks". They are used for playing games, drawing, writing and more. They even have built in cup holders. Take a look at a slideshow for this neat project here.

The Student Council Association (SCA) is sponsoring the Winter Wonderland on Friday, December 8th from 6:30 – 9:30pm in the MEHMS gym. Join us for many fun activities like: Dance Dance Revolution (DDR), crafts, a movie, music and games. Any MEH student is invited to attend, but students from other schools may not attend. This will be a fun event and will be a great time to spend with friends!!

Tickets will be on sale in the cafeteria, during lunch, from December 4 to December 8. Tickets purchased before the social will be $4. Tickets purchased at the door the night of the social will be $6.  Profits will be donated to Falls Church sister city, Kokolopori. 

**Please remember, the school dress code will be enforced. 

The Husky Humanitarians are having a coat drive!

We’re collecting used coats, sweaters, sweatshirts, etc. (especially children’s items) to be donated. There will be a box in the main office and in Mrs. Benedick's room, room 318. We’ll be collecting items through the month of November.

Our 7th graders in Publications have completed the second issue of The Silver Flash.  Like the inaugural issue, there’s something of interest for everyone.  Go ahead check it out!!

If you are interested in participating in the PTA sponsored reflections essay contest, please take a look at the official rules here. The deadline for this is November 10th.

Every Monday, we will be putting out a weekly calendar titled, "This Week @ MEH". This calendar will list after school activities, evening events, field trips, etc. You can download a print a copy of this calendar by using the "This Week @ MEH" link under the Stay Informed heading on the left side of this page.

PE classes will be going outside for most of the year.  Students are encouraged to bring items that will help them keep warm while they are outdoors.  Clothing such as sweatshirts, long sleeve t-shirts and underarmor are encouraged along with sweat pants, warm-up pants, leggings or long underwear.  Students are also allowed to bring in a ski cap and/or gloves to wear while they are outside.  These items can be left in their PE locker along with their uniform.

Spirit and Red Ribbon week starts MONDAY, OCTOBER 23rd .

Monday - Pajama Day
Tuesday - Crazy Hair Day
Wednesday - Sports Day
Thursday - Costume Day
Friday - Sock it to them Huskies!

Students who show spirit AT LEAST four of the five days will receive an ice cream treat during lunch on FRIDAY!

1.  Students should be sure to dress up as something that will not be a distraction to him or her as well as other students.

2.  Students are NOT ALLOWED to carry any sort of prop that even resembles a weapon and should consider not carrying any prop at all.

3. Wigs and hats relating to the costume will be allowed on Costume Day ONLY. 

Many important FCCPS forms, including some frequently used medical forms, can now be found online. There forms can be downloaded and printed when they are needed. You can find these forms here.

Our 7th graders in Publications have taken on the role of reporters.  They brainstormed ideas for the title of their 7th grade newsletter.  Out of the eleven entries, The Silver Flash received the most votes.  Our 7th grade Publication class monthly newsletter is therefore officially called, The Silver Flash.  There’s something of interest for everyone.  Go ahead take a peek!

Learn about the TAAP Program (The Academically Advanced Program) at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School at the October 23rd PTA meeting, 7:30pm in the MEHMS cafeteria. Pam Wilkie will be on-hand to discuss the TAAP program for our 5th-7th graders.

Paralyzed Veterans is holding its National Veterans Day Poster and Essay Contest for a third straight year. This year's contest theme is "Veterans: A History of Service and Sacrifice". More information and the entry form can be found here.

On Saturday November 4 and again on November 18, the Northern Virginia Writing Workshop will be conducting a young writers' workshop. The deadline for registering is October 20. There is a registration fee for this program. More information can be found online at the Northern Virginia Writing Project website.

The Husky Humanitarians are collecting items to send to an orphanage in China. This is a way for children from MEHMS to help other children in need. The children in the orphanage need everyday items such as school supplies (crayons, pencils/pens, paper, stickers) and toiletries (toothbrushes/toothpaste, soap, wash cloths). Please donate! Items are being collected in boxes in Mrs. Benedick’s room (318), the main office, and the cafetorium.

Guinness World Record Holder David Fisher (AKA "the Rope Warrior") will be presenting his jope rope ability on Tuesday, September 26th in the MEHMS gymnasium. This exhibition is free and all parents and students are invited. See you there!

Do you have a student who rides the bus to school? If so, please take the time to download the new bus schedule. *Please note* The Timber Lane/Parker Avenue stop that was previously on Bus 20 is now on Bus 21.

Download the schedule here

The basic structure for the website has been finished and we have added many areas that should be helpful to parents and students. Thank you for the many compliments and helpful suggestions that some of you have sent to us. Over the next couple of weeks we will be adding more content including grade level team information, pictures of student work, links for students and more. Please be patient, these updates take time. A team of 7th grade students will also be helping to create and maintain parts of the website. If you have any suggestions on how we can improve the site, please email Brett Sparrgrove.

The MEHMS Library offers several ongoing programs during the 2006-2007 school year:  Our ALL MEHMS READS…The story of my life: an Afghan girl on the other side of the sky, which parents, students and staff will read, followed by a visit from the author in March; The Virginia Readers Choice contest, in combination with our monthly Literary Lunch Bunch, and Husky Picks…student reviews of their favorite books to share with their peers.

The City of Falls Church is conducting their annual student art calendar contest and we hope that all of our students choose to participate. The deadline for submission is Friday, October 6th, 2006. For contest rules and more information, please download this entry form.