Dear Merrill #FAMILY,

This week we were highlighted and celebrated in TWO separate settings!

DPS had Merrill present to other leaders about our teaching, systems and structures that yielded the second highest growth in the district for all types of learners. We are so proud of our staff, students and community.

We also are the 2nd ever middle school to receive the designation of Special Olympics Unified Champion School® demonstrating commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 standards of excellence receives national banner recognition. We will hang this banner in our main lobby.

A Special Olympics Unified Champion School has an inclusive school climate and exudes a sense of collaboration, engagement and respect for all members of the student body and staff. A Unified Champion School receiving national banner recognition is one that has demonstrated commitment to inclusion by meeting 10 national standards of excellence. These standards were developed by a national panel of leaders from Special Olympics and the education community.

The primary activities within these standards include: Special Olympics Unified Sports® (where students with and without disabilities train and compete as teammates), Inclusive Youth Leadership and Whole-School Engagement. Banner Unified Champion Schools should also be able to demonstrate they are self-sustainable or have a plan in place to sustain these activities into the future. We are so proud of our MI-S Program, staff (Ms. Wendy, Maritza, Marcia, Winnie), students and student assistants!

On Monday afternoon, we will be having our annual Fall Safety Drills with DPS Safety and Security. This is usually an unannounced event, but with our recent climate and swatting/false threats, we wanted to ensure you and your student(s) knew about this drill. We will practice a Secured-Perimeter (just locking all entrances), and Lock-Down (locked doors, turned off lights, everyone out of sight). Safety and Security are at the school and facilitate the drills. They also give schools any necessary feedback. Thank you for supporting us in keeping our students safe.

You should have received communication about your student's math screener results in IXL. Please take time to go over their math levels with them.

Stay tuned next week for Conference Sign-Ups and information. Have a wonderful weekend.

Sincerely,

Merrill Leadership

9/24/24 - PTSA Meeting @ Campus Lounge 6pm

9/27/24 - No School

10/8/24 - In Person Conferences (Open House Style)

10/9/24 - Virtual Conferences (Sign Up will be out next week)

10/10-10/14/24 - Fall Break No School

10/18 - Fall Dance

Students in Ms. Occhiuto’s enrichment class were caught designing and coloring bags for Project Angel Heart. They will be gathering donations to put in the bags and delivering them to the nonprofit.

Hello Merrill Community,

Girls and Boys Flag Football registration is OPEN! Registration will close on Friday October 4th.

Merrill Middle School

XC, Baseball and Girls Soccer continue to represent Merrill! Keep getting those Ws!!!

Thanks

Mr. Franklin

The Merrill PTSA is excited to launch the 6th Annual Merrill Movers Giving Campaign!

Our goal is to raise $77,777 by October 31st!

Give here to get us started!!! 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

PTSA Membership Drive!!

Click HERE Now!

Please help support your kiddo and the amazing teachers and staff at Merrill by joining

the PTSA. The PTSA extends funding to each classroom, teacher and program offered

at Merrill and we cannot do it without the Merrill parent community, plus you get a closer

look into your child's school with PTSA involvement! Here are the initiatives where the

PTSA provides support:

 Teacher/Department Grants

 After School Clubs

 Student Council

 Merrill Store

 Field Trips/Grade Level Celebrations

 Grant Writing

 Teacher Appreciation

 Merrill Spirit Gear

 International Festival

 Attendance Reward Parties

 Families Helping Families & Merrill Meals

 Dads at Merrill (DAM)

 Monthly Dine-Out Socials & Grocery Shopping Fundraisers

 Fundraising for all of the above!

 If the PTSA can help with anything to guide you through middle school, please

reach out to ptsamerrillmiddleschool@gmail.com

Join Us on Tuesday, September 24 th for Our First PTSA Meeting

Come out to the first PTSA meeting of the year to meet the board and learn how you

can get involved with Merrill!

Are you great at party planning? Join the auction committee!

Do you like coming to the school to engage with the kids and create memorable

experiences for them? Learn ways to volunteer and help with supplies!

Do you have experience with grant writing? Help us with sourcing and receiving grants!

Did you know our new board president is a dad? Come meet Mark Smiley and other

dads who are getting involved!

September 24 th @ 6:00pm

Campus Lounge

701 S. University

We will be on the patio with appetizers waiting for you!

Upcoming PTSA Meetings

Come hear about the exciting things Merrill has planned this fall!!

October 22 @ 6pm – Merrill Library

November 19 @ 6pm – Merrill Library

December 10 @ 6pm – Junction Food Hall

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!

Jaguars Next Dine Out – Tuesday, October 8th at Reivers Bar & Grill

Join us ALL DAY on Tuesday, October 8th – 10% of all dine in and to go order sales will

be donated to Merrill. See you there!!

1085 S. Gaylord Street

October 8 @ Reivers

November 13 @ Beau Jo’s Pizza DU

December 10 @ Raising Cane's - Colorado Blvd 3:00 - 9:00

April 29 @ Campus Lounge - 4:00-10:00

Please help support Merrill's winter coat drive! If you have any new or gently used coats that might fit a middle school student (think youth medium/large - adult large), please drop off by October 1st in the Merrill front office. Thank you!

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

Banned Book Week is September 22-28

The American Library Association’s (ALA’s) Office for Intellectual Freedom, logged 1,247 challenges to library books and resources in 2023. A total number of 4,240 unique titles faced challenges, 65% more than in 2022, reaching the highest level ever documented in over 20 years by the OIF. Titles featuring voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals made up 47% of all challenges received. For more information, visit: https://www.ala.org/bbooks. Banned books available on SORA can be found at the Banned Book Week collection on the DPS Sora collections page.

Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15-October 15 focusing on recognizing the history, culture, and achievements of Hispanic Americans in the United States. Students and families can see

the Hispanic Heritage Month collection on the DPS Sora collections page.

Additionally, students may come to our school library during enrichment on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays and during recess on Thursdays to check out books. Highlighted Hispanic Heritage Month books are displayed in the front of the library surrounding the Newline board.

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

Destination Imagination Information Meeting

Could your student use a creative outlet to learn problem-solving, self-confidence, project management, critical thinking, team work, and risk taking skills? Come learn more about student led projects at Destination Imagination at Merrill!

When: Wed, Oct 2 from 4-5:30

Where: Merrill Room 105

Who: Interested students AND their parents

Contact Erica Ecklund (ericadeckl@yahoo.com) or Jessica Meehan (radishditeam@gmail.com) with any questions!

Hat Day!

Ezatullah Ahmadzai is a new member of the Merrill Staff. He is joining us in the Newcomer Center working with our Level 1 Newcomer Students. He enjoys working at Merrill and he can speak Engligh, Dari, Urdu and Persian!

Jeanette Morales is new to our Merrill Staff. She is working with 6th and 7th grade in Math, Language Arts and Science classrooms. She is supporting our students by using her Spanish Language skills!

Cynthia Ricalday is a return Merrill Staff member. She will be working in our 6th, 7th and 8th grade classrooms as well. She is supporting our students by using her Spanish Language skills!

Per Colorado State Law, we are sharing legal information Merrill Staff Update.

To learn about the Denver Schools Thrive Initiative and how DPS is addressing declining enrollment in Denver, attend one of the six regional community meetings from late September to mid-October. Interpreters for our eight most spoken languages (Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, Amharic, Dari, French, Nepali and Somali) will be present at each meeting. Dinner and childcare will also be provided.

Below are the dates and locations of the six regional meetings. If you are planning to attend one of these meetings, please complete this form.

• Southeast Regional Engagement Meeting: Tuesday, Sept. 24 , 6-7 p.m. at South High School.

• Central Regional Engagement Meeting: Wednesday, Sept. 25, 6-7 p.m. at Manual High School.

• Northwest Regional Engagement Meeting: Monday, Oct. 7, 6-7 p.m. at CEC Early College.

• Southwest Regional Engagement Meeting: Monday, Oct. 14, 6-7 p.m. at Abraham Lincoln High School.

• Far Northeast Regional Engagement Meeting: Tuesday, Oct. 15, 6-7 p.m. at Montbello High School.

• Virtual Engagement Meeting: Tuesday, Oct. 22, 6-7 p.m. virtual via Zoom.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdmu-uv8fZ_CyetGRlZcY7q8BilGl6E_4ntQ6aSdrRGn1bC1Q/viewform

DPS is bringing back the Design Like A Girl Workshop Series. Through three immersive full day workshops, participants will team up with female professionals and students in architecture, engineering, and landscape architecture; diving into hands-on activities like sketching, model building, and site visits. We need your help recruiting 6th-8th grade girls that are passionate about design to help fill 20 exclusive spots for this FREE program. The workshops take place on 3 Fridays when DPS does not have school.

Link HERE

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.

Xfinity offers packages on home internet ($9.95 or $29.95) to qualified households. Please see the flyer for more information.