Jeanne Seabridge Appointed New Assistant Principal at MEHMS

 By FALLS CHURCH CITY SCHOOLS COMMUNICATIONS

June 10, 2010

Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School’s next assistant principal will be a familiar face to students and staff.   Beginning August 1^st, Jeanne Seabridge will move from her role as the school’s career and technical education teacher to assistant principal.  The Falls Church City School Board formally appointed Seabridge to her new post at tonight’s school board meeting.

“Jeanne has already demonstrated superb instructional and leadership capabilities in her role as a middle school teacher and as a K-12 Curriculum, Instruction and Resource Teacher (CIRT) in our school division,” Superintendent Lois Berlin said.  “Her child-centered approach, her proven ability to lead and her personal experience with the Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School culture make her an ideal candidate to serve as the school’s next assistant principal.”

Seabridge is a 27-year veteran teacher who was also a nominee for the 2009 Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher award.  Prior to signing on with the Falls Church City Public Schools in 2004, she taught at several elementary and middle schools in Lewisburg and Middletown, Pa.  She has also served as a staff development specialist with the Library of Congress.  She will succeed the school’s current assistant principal, Gail Lovette, who is leaving to pursue her doctoral degree at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.

“The Falls Church City School community is like a small family where we know and care for each other,” Seabridge said.  “Being selected to serve as the next assistant principal at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School is a real honor, and I look forward to being an integral part of the tradition of excellence that has served the school so well.”

Seabridge holds a Bachelor of Science degree in art education from Kutztown University in Kutztown, Pa.  She earned her Masters in Education degree in curriculum and teaching strategies from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and in August, she will complete her certification in K-12 administration and supervision through California University of Pennsylvania.

FRIDAY 6/4: 10 Tips for a Stress-Free Home? Sign Me Up!

The Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School PTA and the Falls Church Elementary PTA have a great deal for those looking for a free night out — and who would love to kick off the summer with some tips on creating a stress-free, calmer home.

Friday, June 4,  from 7 – 9 p.m. at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, nationally recognized parenting expert Kirk Martin will  present “10 Secrets to A Stress-Free Home: A Workshop for Moms, Dads (& Teachers, too).” The event is free.

Attendees will learn how to:

• Create a calm home—eliminate yelling and arguing.
• Improve focus, attention and behavior in school.
• Create stress-free mornings and homework time.
• Relieve anxiety, meltdowns and sensory issues.
• Eliminate defiance and disrespect.

What’s not to like? Mr. Martin has trained more than 100,000 parents and has a web site, www.CelebrateCALM.com, to learn more.

Although walk-ins are welcome, registration will help the PTA ensure adequate space and handouts. Please take a few seconds to sign up at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/57CZL32

Baxter, Lovette to Leave Falls Church City Schools

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

May 26, 2010

Last night, the Falls Church City School Board accepted the resignation of Thomas Jefferson Elementary School principal, Vincent Baxter, effective June 30, 2010.  Mr. Baxter became principal of TJ two years ago when the former principal, Trudy Taylor, retired.  He had previously served as assistant principal at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School.

In April, Gail Lovette, the assistant principal who was hired to replace Mr. Baxter at MEHMS, also submitted her resignation to the School Board. She is leaving MEHMS on June 30 to attend the University of Virginia to obtain her doctorate in Reading Education.

In a press release from FCC Public Schools, Mr. Baxter announced his decision to leave as “personal” and said:
“I’ve had four wonderful years here in Falls Church City . . . [my leaving] stems from a desire to work a little closer to home so that I can be more involved with my own children’s lives as well as the lives of the students I serve in school.”

Dr. Lois Berlin announced that Bob Palermo, assistant principal at TJ, would be promoted to principal and that the school’s Primary Years Program (PYP) coordinator, Mary Kay Howard, would assume the responsibilities of assistant principal at TJ.

“At this critical time, it is important that there’s a continuum,” Dr. Berlin said.  “Mr. Palermo and Ms. Howard have been a part of the school culture for many years, they are well-respected by the faculty, staff, students and parents, and they are well-versed in PYP and its attributes.  All of this will help ensure a smooth transition at TJ.”

Whooping Cough at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School

By CHRISTINE KILGORE
Falls Church Times Staff

May 25, 2010

Fairfax County Health Department officials have been working over the past several weeks to prevent the spread of pertussis in Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, urging parents to keep children with symptoms at home until seen by a doctor and encouraging preventive medication in some children deemed to have had close contact with an infected student.

Pertussis, or whooping cough, is a bacterial, communicable illness that can be especially serious for infants and young children who have not yet completed the primary series of DTaP vaccine that protects against infection.

It is a reportable illness (physician and hospitals are required to report diagnosed cases) that, at least in Fairfax County, uniformly generates a public health response.  And paradoxically, it’s a vaccine-preventable illness whose rates have been rising since the 1980s rather than falling.

And then there’s the fact that pinpointing suspect cases among  children who are coughing from allergies, asthma, colds, and other infections is no easy feat.

As my 11-year-old daughter said recently, “everyone is coughing!”

Her class—the 5^th-grade—has borne the brunt of this episode.  The medical community has learned over the years that the immunity created through vaccination wanes over time—and for the past 4 years, students have been required by state law to have a booster dose of pertussis vaccine to enter 6^th grade.

For at least some families, getting the booster is still on the ‘to-do’ list—and consequently, the 5^th grade overall is the most susceptible to waning immunity and the spread of infection.

“We used to see kids in the 6^th and 7^th grade getting pertussis, but now we’re seeing less of that,” said Fairfax County Health Department’s Dr. Peter Troell in an interview last week. “Now we see cases still among the 5^th graders, and among some of the older high school kids who didn’t have to meet a [6^th-grade booster] requirement.”

It’s “not uncommon” for the health department to investigate cases of pertussis in schools, said Dr. Troell, medical epidemiologist for the health department.  “Generally, when we see pertussis, we see 1, 2 or 3 cases [in any school].”

Pertussis in adolescents and other individuals who were vaccinated earlier in life often is mild, and according to Dr. Amin Barakat of Northern Virginia Pediatric Associates, may even go “unrecognized” in mild cases.

Often, Dr. Troell explained, “those who are vaccinated have only a little bit of feeling bad before the cough onset, maybe a bit of a runny nose, and then go into a cough that’s milder than what’s described for the classic case of pertussis.”

It can be difficult sometimes to distinguish pertussis from, say, allergies that aren’t well treated, but generally the cough associated with pertussis is more persistent, he said.

Classic pertussis is characterized by a period of cold-like symptoms that progresses to bursts or spasms of severe coughing and characteristic whooping that can be severe enough to induce vomiting. Before killed whole-cell pertussis vaccine was introduced in the 1940s, whooping cough was a major cause of infant death worldwide. (The safety of whole-cell pertussis vaccines prompted development of the acellular vaccines used today.)

Today, there are still reports of major complications—from hypoxia and pneumonia to encephalopathy and death–among children who are unvaccinated or too young to be vaccinated. Vaccination and preventing spread through communities are thus key public health goals.

MEH Principal Dr. Ann McCarty informed MEH parents in mid-April about a case of pertussis and asked that children with persistent cough see their physician and, if pertussis is confirmed or suspected, stay home until 5 days of an antibiotic regimen is completed. This month, parents of children who were deemed through “contact tracing” to have had close contact with an infected student were asked by the FCHD to “see a physician for preventive medication.”

(In this case, prophylaxis is identical to the treatment—the same antibiotic regimens. Though not without any controversy, judicious use of antibiotic prophylaxis for household and close contacts is a common public health recommendation.)

The most accurate test for pertussis involves a nasophayngeal swab, Dr. Barakat says. Results can be ready in 48-72 hours.

The increase in pertussis since 1980 has disproportionately affected adolescents and adults, and for several years now the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended “catch-up” use of a pertussis-containing booster vaccine in adolescents who did not receive a booster at 11-12 years old. Adults younger than 65 who haven’t had pertussis-containing vaccine as an adult can also substitute one of their tetanus-diphtheria boosters with  a Tdap vaccine.

Such advice holds weight for me: A friend of mine had pertussis last summer and it wasn’t easy. Before being diagnosed and treated, she had a difficult time with posttussive vomiting. According to an infectious disease report I recently read, numerous studies have suggested that pertussis comprises 20-30% of all cases of persistent cough among adults lasting two weeks or longer.

Interestingly, though, pertussis is no longer contagious after a person has been coughing for more than 21 days, Dr. Troell said.

And certainly, there are many questions still challenging physicians and researchers—about pertussis pathogenesis and immunity in adolescents and adults, for instance, as well as how to best prevent and control outbreaks.

It Takes a Village… to dig out a playground

By ANNETTE HENNESSEY
Falls Church Times Staff

February 19, 2010

An e-mail blast was sent.  People responded.  And students at MEHMS enjoyed recess outside for the first time since the Big Snows of 2010.  And that’s the way it works in The Little City.

Read the full story on the MEHMS website or watch and listen to the Rockin’ talents of MEHMS Technology Specialist Brett Sparrgrove.

Special thanks to Kathleen Donovan for the photos and inside scoop!

SUNDAY, JAN. 24: Relay For Life Kickoff

The 2010 Relay For Life of Falls Church will officially kick off on Sunday January 24 with an event at Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School from 2:30 to 4 p.m.

Last year’s Relay For Life exceeded all expectations as 84 teams raised more than $171,000 to support the American Cancer Society’s fight against cancer. More than 800 persons participated in the overnight event at the football field at George Mason High School.

This year’s Relay For Life will be held May 22-23. The Kick-off Event will feature a video presentation on last year’s event and provide information about how volunteers and teams can get involved this year. Already two dozen teams, many of them formed by junior and senior high school students, have been organized for the 2010 Relay.

Relay For Life features activities for all ages in a moving celebration of both cancer survivors and those who have lost their lives to the disease. Cancer survivors are particularly encouraged to attend a special reception at the beginning of the event and to participate in the “survivors’ lap” that starts off the relay.

“Thanks to the hard work of Falls Church residents of all ages, our Relay has grown substantially in just a few short years,” said Katie Clinton and Terry Rollo, co-chairs of the 2010 Relay for Life of Falls Church. “But because of that growth, we need even more people to get involved this year.” The co-chairs said they can identify a volunteer job for anyone, no matter what their skill or available time commitment may be.

Interested persons, including cancer survivors, caregivers and friends are encouraged to attend the kickoff event. For more information on the Relay, see www.fallschurchrelay.org.

Falls Church PTAs Seek Combined Federal Campaign Dollars

The Falls Church PTAs — Mount Daniel/Thomas Jefferson Elementary Schools, Mary Ellen Henderson Middle School, and George Mason High School — are reminding parents who are federal employees that they can designate part or all of their Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) contributions for their local PTA/PTSA chapters.  All three organizations are charities associated with the campaign, and federal employees have until December 15 to sign up to contribute through the CFC.   Designation codes for the three PTAs are:

• Falls Church Elementary PTA: 14598
• Mary Ellen Henderson PTA: 40097
• George Mason PTSA: 79191

POSITIVE FAMILY COMMUNICATION: MEHMS PTA Meeting

Middle school parents are invited to attend the Nov. 9 PTA meeting at 7:15 p.m. in the MEHMS library.  Mary Ann Moran, from the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families, will share her insight and advice with parents trying to understand their child’s development during the middle school years, and will talk about effective strategies for staying connected.

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