Mr. Sparrgrove/Tech 5 & 6
Lots going on in technology classes here at MEH.  In Tech 6, students finished up an exciting, multi-dimensional project that had they designing food packaging, recording radio ads and working on persuasive selling skills.  See these project in more depth at Mr. Sparrgrove’s webpage. Tech 5 students continued working on keyboarding skills and learned more about the potential of Microsoft Word by illustrating an essay and creating a resume.  You can also read more about these on Mr. Sparrgrove’s webpage.

Ms. Baird/Art
Ms. Baird’s art classes had a very successful nine weeks. The 7th grade classes learned how to do still life drawings, work in the cubist style, create ceramic buildings that are actually candle holders, make prints from linoleum blocks, and discovered that nylons, wire hangers, wood and paint could be transformed into a free form sculpture.
Her 6th grade classes learned they could draw trees and add light and shade to give them volume, that optical illusions could be created by tracing their hands and adding straight and curve lines, that an artist named Matisse cut shapes from colored paper to make designs and they used his style to create a design with their name and shapes to symbolize their interests, learned watercolor techniques that were then used in a landscape painting, and that clay could be wrapped around a balloon and transformed into a silly “Chubby Critter”. The 5th grade classes designed personal logos to advertise their interests, made wind chimes from clay, created watercolor wash silhouettes and learned about positive shape and negative space with chalk pastels.

Mrs. Jenkins/Band & GM7
Band classes have begun working on concert pieces. Students should practice these and continue scale and rudimental studies.  Practice records are due each week.  The band program still needs tuba players in the 6th and 7th grade and baritone players in the 5th grade.  Contact Mrs. Jenkins to set up after-school tutoring for any instrument.  Forms for the optional activity of 7th grade All-District Band auditions are due Nov. 13.  The 7th grade band and chorus trip money and forms are due Dec. 10.  Chaperones are also needed.  Check the FCCPS Calendar for upcoming concert attendance opportunities!
Music for 7th grade will focus on reading pitch notation in 2nd quarter. 

Mrs. Piscopo/Theatre 
5th Grade –   We ended our quarter singing and doing choreography from the Jungle Book.  Students had the chance to try all of the Jungle Book characters as we performed costumed versions of the songs. Students were even brave enough to get up in front of the class and try singing solos.
6th Grade – “Be a Clown!”  Students created costume &  make-up designs as well as humorus skits incorporating the  elements of humor. It was now time to perform!!  Students applied clown make-up and the fun began… slapstick, misunderstandings, flinging pies  and lots more. Students performed their skits for classmates.
7th Grade –  Students learned anti-drug songs for “Red Ribbon Week”, which we taped and had shown on  the morning announcements.  We ended our quarter with small groups creating original “Who Dunnit?” mysteries.  We all enjoyed watching our fellow classmates act out and solve the mysteries.

Ms. Glass/Chorus & Gen Mus
Chorus - We have been working very hard in preparation for our Winter Concert on Wednesday, December 17th at 7 p.m. in the Cafetorium. The 7th grade band and chorus trip money and forms are due Dec. 10. 
Gen Mus 5 - We have been learning how to identify notes on the staff and studying 4/4 time.
Gen Mus 6 - We just began our Stomp! unit. Please allow students to bring in "instruments" from home for this very cool music opportunity.
Gen Mus 7 - We have been studying various music from around the world through rhythm. We have been studying acoustics and the science of sound. Did you know elephants can hear lower frequencies than humans?
Please remember to check out Ms. Glass's website for all of this information and more: http://laurenmglass.googlepages.com.

Sra. Barry and Sra. Stigall/Spanish 5
The fifth graders finished the first quarter with a cultural study of Day of the Dead in Mexico. During the second quarter, we will study pronouns, the verb SER (to be) and adjectives. The students will then use their vocabulary to describe people and things in Spanish.