Dear Merrill Families,

Thank you for a wonderful week with your students. We had many successes this week at Merrill; from athletics to academics, your students continue to shine in the most amazing ways.

As we approach the end of Quarter Two in just two short weeks, it would be a great opportunity to sit down with your students early next week to review their grades in Schoology. If they have any missing work, please help them create a plan to ensure everything is turned in on time. Below are some helpful tips on how to talk to your students about Grades:

Tips for Discussing Grades with Students

1. Create a Positive Environment
   

• Begin the conversation in a relaxed setting to make the student feel comfortable.

2. Be Supportive and Encouraging
   

• Emphasize that grades are a reflection of progress, not a measure of self-worth. Celebrate successes before discussing areas for improvement.

3. Review Together
   

• Sit down with your student and go through their grades on Schoology or any other platform. Encourage them to share their thoughts on their performance.

4. Ask Open-Ended Questions
   

• Encourage critical thinking by asking questions like, “What subjects do you feel most confident in?” or “What challenges did you face this quarter?”

5. Set Goals Together
   

• Help your student set realistic and achievable goals for improvement. Discuss steps they can take to reach these goals, such as creating a study schedule or seeking extra help.

6. Discuss Missing Work
   

• If there are missing assignments, work together to develop a plan to complete and submit them.

7. Encourage Self-Reflection
   

• Prompt them to reflect on what study habits worked well and what could be improved. This fosters ownership of their learning.

8. Stay Informed
   

• Keep communication open between you, your student, and their teachers. This will help you understand any external factors affecting their performance.

9. Follow Up
   

• Check in regularly to see how they are progressing with their goals and offer continued support and guidance.

10. Reinforce the Importance of Learning
    

• Remind students that learning is a journey and that it's okay to make mistakes along the way. The focus should be on growth and understanding, not just grades.

Please note that Winter Break for Merrill will be from December 23rd through January 6th, with school resuming on Tuesday, January 7th.

We hope you have a fantastic weekend with your students!

Sincerely,

Merrill Leadership

CEC’s Open House: Tuesday, December 10 from 5pm-7pm

• Perfect opportunity for prospective students to tour CEC/CTE classes

• Learn about Core & CTE programs

• CEC Website
• CEC School Culture Video
• CEC CTE Programs Video

12/17- Raising Cane's Dine Out! 3-9pm! 1190 S Colorado Blvd

** mention Merrill!!**

Winter Break- 12/23/24-1/6/25. Students back 1/7/25!

Merrill #FAMILY, we are so grateful for our kind and generous community for always supporting our students! The Grocery Gift Card Drive was wildly successful! Our Families Helping Families Committee is able to support each family this holiday season! THANK YOU!

We have 2 more ways to be involved before the end of the year.

Our Giving Tree still has ornaments on it- come grab one! Our students involved have identified a want and a need for the holidays to ensure each kiddo has something to open. Please sponsor a student!

Wrapped gifts need to be returned to the main office 12/16/24 with the ornament attached.

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up!

The PTSA is hosting a Teacher Appreciation Breakfast on Wednesday, December 18. Please review the link to sign up for available slots to donate items for the breakfast and/or volunteer to assist with set up on the morning of Dec 18th. Thank you Merrill #Family!

Merrill Teacher Appreciation Breakfast

Registration for Girls and Boys Volleyball is now open, please follow the link below to register your student.

Register - Here Merrill Middle School

Please make sure your student has an up to date physical (required to tryout)

Girls Volleyball Tryout Info:

12/16- 6th grade tryout 7:30am-8:30am

12/16- 7th grade tryout 4pm-5pm

12/17- 8th grade 7:30-8:30am

Call backs 12/17 4-5:30pm

12/17 and 12/18- Boys Volleyball Tryouts 4-5:15 in the North Gym (C3 gym)

Good luck to our Boys and Girls Flag Football Teams this weekend in their end of season tournaments!

Thanks

Mr. Franklin

Dress as your favorite holiday!

Students in Mr. Geimer’s STEAM enrichment designed and built LEGO vehicles to test which car would travel the farthest distance. Since the cars hit the wall of the classroom, they got the retest down the length of the hallway!

Please Join Us for the Last PTSA Meeting of 2024!!

Tuesday, December 10 th @ 6pm at Campus Lounge

Come join us for a drink and celebrate a successful fall at Merrill!!

Spring Auction Kickoff Meeting!

Thursday, January 9 th – Details to come!

Come join a great group of people to help plan Merrill’s biggest party and

fundraiser of the year!

Merrill Families! We’ve raised $36,163. Way to go!

We still have a way to go to reach $77,777 by winter break.

Give today and help us reach our goal.

Donate here!!! fundrazr.com/merrillmovers2024

Our goal this year is to raise $77,777. Why all the 7's?

Because we are supporting the Seven Habits of a Highly Successful Merrill!

What are the 7 Habits and what programs do your donations support?

1. Excellence in Academics Funds support Department Grants,

Apps/Software, Teacher Development, Learning Materials, ELA, GT, Special Ed, Learning Interventionists, and Continued Curriculum for and Literature Updates for Novels and Lit Circles

2. Varied, High-Quality, Electives, Enrichments and Clubs Funds support Extra Electives in dance and drama, Materials and Supplies, 3rd Party providers, Club stipends for teachers

3. Upgrading and Improving our Facility and Learning Environment Funds support Furniture Upgrades,

Outside Garden, Outdoor Tables, Trees for Shade, Tech in the Building and Classrooms

4. Providing External Learning Experiences Funds support school wide excursions and Field Trips aligned with Units of Study

5. Implementing Technology and STEM Funds support Updating/Maintaining Classroom Technology, Chrome Books, STEM Lab Upgrades, etc.

6. Promoting Athletics, Wellness and Mental Health Funds support providing more athletic opportunities, equipment and uniforms, advisement wellness education support, and additional Mental Health staff

7. Creating Community Funds support events like the Student Dances, Quarterly Celebrations, Teacher

Appreciation, 8th Grade Continuation

Dads at Merrill (D@M)

Are you a Dad reading this?

Connect with other Jaguar Dads by emailing john.hesse@me.com

Click to gear up your Jaguar with 20% off code: SAVE20

Quick links to support Merrill:

Donate your Longmont Dairy Caps

in the Merrill Office

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!

Enroll Merrill as your Community

Rewards Recipient under My Account!

Upcoming Dine Outs! Remember to mention Merrill when you place your order!

Raising Cane’s December 17th 3-9 (NEW DATE!)

Goosetown Tavern January 15, 20% of Sales 4-11

Postino at 9th and Colorado Feb 6, 20% of Sales all evening

Ester's March 10th, 10% for sales all day

Campus Lounge April 29th, 20% of total sales 4-10 p

Our counselor, Mr. Jeff, was the recipient of an inter district Counselor of the Quarter Award! We appreciate all he does for our students and love seeing him get recognized in such a positive way!!

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

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!

MerrillStoreSUG

Club Offerings 24-25

Join the DPS Homeless Education Network (HEN) by donating hygiene items to support youth experiencing homelessness now through Thursday, Dec. 12. The drop-off location (1617 S. Acoma St., Green Collaboration Space #212) is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Email HEN_Acoma@dpsk12.org to arrange alternative drop-off or pick-up options.

The most needed items are deodorant, body lotion, hair care products (all hair types), toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, brushes, dry shampoo and personal or baby wipes. HEN is serving hundreds of students, and the need continues to grow. Any size donation makes a difference.

Register for the We Belong Social on Wednesday, Dec. 18! All DPS team members and their families are welcome. Join us any time between 4-7:30 p.m. at the North High School cafeteria to network, learn about the different Belong Groups, feast, play games and make meaningful connections!

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.