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Jaguar Journal 2/7/25
#FAMILY
Dear Merrill Families,
Thank you for a wonderful week at Merrill. Your students did a great job engaging in their learning, trying new ideas, and presenting the Bill Projects in 8th grade. As we are halfway through quarter 3, it would be beneficial to sit down with your student to check Schoology and discuss any missing grades.
This week in advisement, students engaged in lessons about Black History. Below are some discussion questions to see what your students learned.
Next week, we have a long weekend, with no school for students from 2/14-2/19. Students will return to Merrill on Wednesday, 2/19.
Enjoy the February Newsletters-
Have a wonderful weekend!
Best regards,
Merrill Leadership
Merrill Chromebook Reminder
Dear Families,
We are seeing a large number of broken computers. Please go over this reminder about the expectations for Merrill technology with your student(s):
Proper Use: Students are expected to use Chromebooks responsibly and in accordance with school policies. This includes handling the device with care and using it only for educational purposes.
Charging: Please ensure that you arrive at school with a fully charged Chromebook. Students will not have access to charging facilities during the school day.
Breakages and Repairs: In the event of damage, repairs by the district (DPS) may take an extended period. During this time, students will be required to use paper and pencil for their assignments.
Financial Responsibility: Any loss or damage to the Chromebook or charger will result in a charge to the student’s account. We encourage students to be cautious to avoid unnecessary costs.
Inappropriate Use: To maintain a productive learning environment, the following actions will be taken if a student is found using the Chromebook inappropriately during class time:
1st Redirect: The student will be asked to return to the appropriate platform.
2nd Redirect: The Chromebook will be taken away for the rest of the school day and can be picked up from that class the following day (24 hours).
3rd Redirect: The Chromebook will be taken away for one week (7 days, including the weekend).
4th Redirect: The Chromebook will be turned in to the office for the rest of the quarter.
Upcoming Dates!
1/17-2/13/25- Multilingual Learner ACCESS Testing
2/10 & 2/11/25- Boys and Girls Basketball Tryouts before school 7:15-8:15am
2/14-2/18/25- NO SCHOOL!!
2/18/25 4pm- School Choice Round 1 Closes 4pm
School Choice information can be found HERE
5/2/25- Merrill Auction!
Do you have tickets to sporting events? A fantastic mountain retreat?
Connections to local businesses? We need your donations to make
the auction successful! Please reach out to Kathleen at
Merrill Athletics
Basketball Tryouts Monday and Tuesday Morning 7:15-8:15am
Please drop off in the parking lot between Cory Merrill by the gym doors
These tryouts are for one boys team and one girls team. There will be no 6th grade teams this year.
Girls Volleyball
The girls volleyball team played an excellent match against our rival McAulliffe on Thursday and won the match in two sets. Next up for the Lady Jags is practice on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of next week from 3:50-5:30. The last regular in season game will be on Wednesday, February 12, 2025 at Lake Middle School.
The girls will practice on Wednesday and Thursday February 19th and 20th following the break. The end of season tournament begins on Friday, February 21st at 4:00 at Bill Roberts. Look for more information soon about the rest of the end of the season tournament.
Thank you so much to all the parents bringing their girls to school early so that I was able to teach them how to play volleyball.
The practice team held their last practice on Friday, February 7th. I appreciate the girls waking up early tin order to practice before school. We had an inner-squad scrimmage with every girl showing off their new and improved skills.
The 6th grade girls had their last practice on Thursday before school and played in an inner-squad scrimmage on Friday after school. I have enjoyed teaching the girls new skills and getting to know them.
The Second Annual Boys vs Girls Game will be held at Merrill on Friday, February 28th at 4:00 in the Merrill gym. This game will be a fundraiser for Special Olympics. Last year we raised $220 that was donated to Special Olympics Colorado. The funding supports all students who participate in Special Olympics activities such as Unified Bowling, Unified Basketball, Soccer and Track and Field.
The girls volleyball banquet will be on Tuesday, March 4th at 6:00 in the cafeteria. The banquet will be catered by La Garancha and will cost $20.00 per person.
The boys battled a couple of tough matches against Hamilton and McAuliffe this week. They will have their next practice Tuesday and Thursday from 4 to 5:30pm followed by a game Wednesday night at 5pm at Lake Middle School. Their end of season tournament will start with a home game on 2/22 at 4pm. Ms. Powers sent out an email with follow up information for the post season banquet.
Cool Classroom!
8th Grade Social Studies
Students in Ms Graves’ 8th grade history class used their voices and proposed bills to enhance the culture and learning at Merrill. They learned about the branches of government, brainstormed ideas, researched, conducted staff and student surveys, and presented their final ideas to the leadership team. We will soon see what bills may come to fruition!
From the PTSA!
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 5th. Would you like to help plan a fun week of daily gifts to spoil our teachers? Please email ptsamerrillmiddleschool@gmail.com if you can help.
Upcoming Dine Outs - Remember to Mention Merrill When Ordering!
March 10 all day at Ester’s
April 29 from 4pm-10pm at Campus Lounge
Click to gear up your Jaguar with 20% off code: SAVE20
Quick links to support Merrill:
Donate your Longmont Dairy Caps
Longmont Dairy supports Merrill by
giving 5¢ back for every milk cap!
Start collecting and tell your neighbors
that Merrill is a drop off location for
Longmont Dairy milk & juice caps!
Happening at Merrill!
From the Library!
February is Black History Month. Here are some book recommendations that can be found on SORA.
Yearbooks!
The Yearbook Pre-Sale has begun! If you would like to order a yearbook for your student, you can order in the Office with cash or card, you may also order on MySchoolBucks, or you can order directly through the TreeRing website link - https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1015403108471048
All yearbooks will be delivered to Merrill and distributed to students during the last week of school.
Families Helping Families
Greetings #FAMILY! Merrill Meals pantry provides free groceries once a month to Merrill families that would like to receive extra food. We understand that everyone could use some support from time to time, and we are here to help.
If you would like to receive extra groceries one-time per month, please complete this private and anonymous survey, so we can provide the food items that your family likes to eat and match your preferences. Please mark the items that you would like to have potentially included in your pre-packed backpack.
***NOTE: Not all items are available, but we will match your request with whatever is in stock! Thank you.
Form can be found HERE
Are you interested in volunteering with Merrill Families Helping Families and the Merrill food pantry? The Spring signup is now open to help with the monthly backpack distributions. Our biggest need is on the first Friday afternoons helping pack the bags and distribute the backpacks. Don't see a time that works for you, but are interested in helping? Email sgrisinger77@gmail.com to be on the email list.
MERRILL STORE!
The Merrill Store is designed to promote positive behavior and encourages students to make good choices. They earn Merrill Money throughout their time at school and use it to "purchase" items at the store during their recess. Items include snacks, chips, candy, sports equipment, Merrill gear, fidgets, toys, stickers and most importantly- gift cards! Please see the Sign Up Genius below to sign up to donate items and to volunteer at the store. It's so fun seeing your student during the school day! We will have the store open 2 Fridays a month and hope to see you there!
Merrill Clubs!
Club Offerings 24-25
New Club Announcement: Environment Club, every Tuesday morning from 8:14-8:45 in the library
Environment Club's Weekly Challenge: We challenge you to see how much water you can save this week. Here are some suggestions:
-Turn the water off when you brush your teeth
-Do not run half loads in the dishwasher or washing machine
-Take a shorter shower
-Fix any leaks you might have
Around the Community!
After School Meal Program
Tasty Food's After School Meal Program is now available providing FREE meals and snacks to youth ages 3-18. No ID or registration is required to participate.
Link HERE
Have you Heard About My Spark?!? $1,000 to enroll in After School Activities!!!
This new pilot program will provide 4,000 eligible Denver Public Schools middle school students with $1,000 to enroll in afterschool programs. As students enroll in participating programs, My Spark Denver will also invest $4 million in afterschool activities.
My Spark Denver gives parents the agency to decide how they want to use the money, which is provided to them in the form of a restricted debit card that can be redeemed across 100+ afterschool providers, big and small. Every kid is different and what parents really need are the resources to help their children pursue their sparks, whether it's fencing, football or fashion design.