![page background](https://cdn.smore.com/_fr/moderneducation07.8a42366b.jpg)
![Logo](https://cdn.smore.com/u/thumbs/63ce/thumb-34ceb714f7f6c6eefde7989e5e2b6d5e.png)
![page background](https://cdn.smore.com/_fr/moderneducation07.3984bfb4.jpg)
Jaguar Journal 5/24/24
#FAMILY
Hello #FAMILY,
We want to express our heartfelt thanks to all the families who joined us for Merrill's SoUL night last Thursday. Creating a special time and space to celebrate our students' accomplishments means a lot to us. It was so wonderful to have you at our school, and seeing our students share their learning with the community was truly amazing.
Looking ahead, we have some exciting events planned. Our 6th and 7th graders will be heading to Dave and Busters for a field trip on Tuesday, and the 8th graders will have a Social Studies book reading. Additionally, there will be a JA field trip on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the week will wrap up with an 8th-grade field trip to Elitches.
We would like to remind all students to return their Chromebooks and Chargers on Thursday, May 30th. Students are not allowed to keep their Chromebooks over the summer. Failure to return devices will result in them being locked out, and a $100 fee will be charged to the student's My School Bucks account. Fees for missing equipment can be waived, but only in the subsequent year and upon the retrieval of all equipment. Additionally, a $25 fee will be imposed on My School Bucks for any missing chargers. We kindly request that you ensure your student's computers are functioning properly prior to the Chromebook return on Thursday morning.
If you have any questions regarding a device please reach out to Molly Zick at molly_zick@dpsk12.net
Sincerely,
Merrill Leadership
Upcoming Dates!
As we near the end of the school year, we have many events and celebrations to look forward to!
5/27/24- NO SCHOOL Happy Memorial Day
5/28/24 - 6th and 7th Grade Celebrations @ Dave & Busters
5/29/24 - i-Ready Field Trip to Wash Park
5/30/24 - All students return their chromebooks and chargers
5/31/24 - 8th Grade to Elitches
6/3/24 - 8th Grade BBQ and Continuation Rehearsal
6/4/24 - Last Day of School (half day) and 8th Grade Continuation 1:30pm at South HS
8TH Grade BBQ Sign Up
A Message for 8th Grade Families
Hello 8th Grade Caregivers,
We are just wrapping up the final details for our week of celebration with your students. We have planned so many activities including two field trips. We need more adults to be present as we move students through these two days jam -packed days.
If you are available the 28th or 29th of May or both days to chaperone the field trips we need your help
Both Field trips are happening on both days. We are splitting 8th grade in half. Please let us know ASAP.
THIS TRIP IS MAY 28th and 29th
Field Trip 1 Junior Achievement Financial Park you would meet us at Merrill around 9 am returning around 1:30
Finance Park is a hands-on simulation for students to figure out how to balance realistic finances from income and expenses with plenty of hiccups that one might experience in real life. I was able to demo the program back in October. Here's the website for more information about the program: https://jausa.ja.org/ programs/ja-finance-park- entry-level
Field Trip 2 Elementary - Merrill 8th Graders - The times on this are a bit more sporadic as we are still building the schedule with the schools we are partnering with. So far C3, Cory and Upark have confirmed. We will need adults either between 9am-12pm and/or 12-3pm
This is your chance to watch your student read the picture book they created to a group of elementary students. Ms. Graves is doing her best to partner students with the schools they came from and students with family members in any of the confirmed schools.
Please use this google form to let us know if you can join and your availability.
Both should be great experiences!
Thank you,
Your 8th Grade Team
6th and 7th Grade Celebrations!
Merrill 6th and 7th Grade Families,
On May 28th, students that met the Quarter 4 contract, will be walking to Dave and Busters from 9:30am-12:30pm. If you do not want your student to attend please email Mr. Franklin. Students will be walking with staff and their Core 1 teacher in order to make sure all are safe. Students then will go directly to lunch and finish their day with a normal schedule. Please reach out to Mr. Franklin with any questions.
Thanks
Mr. Franklin
CHAMPIONS!
Girls Soccer!!!
Congratulations to the Merrill Girls Soccer Team for beating McAulliffe and bringing home the trophy! Nice work, Jaguars! We are so proud of you!
From the PTSA!
Gift Cards Needed for Families Helping Families
We are looking for grocery gift cards in $25 increments to assist our Families Helping Families Program at the beginning of the summer. Cards for King Soopers and Safeway brands preferred. Please bring gift cards to the Main Office by Wednesday May 29!
Thank you for your continued support for our community!!!
Please join the 2024-2025 Merrill PTSA NOW by clicking HERE.
Can you chair or volunteer on a committee?
Email us @ ptsamerrillmiddleschool@gmail.com to be involved with one of our PTSA important initiatives:
Happening at Merrill!
Chromebook and Charger Return 5/30/24
All students need to return their chromebooks and chargers on Thursday, May 30. No devices will go home with students over the summer. If a student is participating in a DPS program this summer, devices will be provided at that time. Thank you for your support in returning on time!
Cool Classroom! International Festival and Field Day
We had such a fun week at Merrill! Our students participated and enjoyed International Festival and Field Day today! Its such a meaningful cultural celebration for our entire community! Field Day was a hit including International foods and a fun bounce house!
Library Volunteers Needed!
The library needs volunteers to help store books for the summer. If you can help for a couple of hours on May 31st after drop off please contact Zulemma_castillo@hotmail.com. No lifting required. You will be scanning all the books and covering shelves.
Merrill Memories
Merrill Memories - Reminiscences About Merrill - January 1990 - Author Unknown
Original handwritten memory found at this link
In 1953, at the end of January, Merrill Junior High opened its doors to some 425 seventh and eighth graders and twenty five teachers. But that didn’t mean that Merrill was completely finished. The auditorium floor was still dirt, there were no clocks in the rooms or locks on the doors. Since the lunchroom and library had no tables, the students sat on straight chairs. If they needed a table or desk, they sat on the floor and used the seat of the chair for a desk.
Although the students and teachers came from many different schools, it wasn’t long before the school became a cohesive unit.
Merrill was named for Louise Merrill who had been a principal at Byers Junior High for several years. It seemed fitting that several teachers and many students came from Byers to Merrill.
The first principal was Carl L. Ginn who served Merrill for fourteen years before his retirement. Other principals have been Harold Burn, Ray Rebrovick, Laura Louise Hendee, acting principal Mike Peterson and Johnny Wilson, not many principals for a school that is thirty six years old.
By the fall of 1954, ninth graders entered school and it was recognized that Merrill would grow very rapidly.
A new addition to the south was begun. Teachers in the south wing taught all day trying to out shout jack hammers which were removing very substantial doors, outside trim and large planters. One teacher remembers one day when a workman bricked up the south windows in room 111. She decided to read Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” that day!
Before the addition was finished, Merrill was bursting at the seams. Classes were held on the stage of the auditorium, in the library and in the lunch room. Before Thomas Jefferson High School was completed, we were taking care of our large numbers of some 2,100 with a triple session. But the students and teachers accepted it, and learning was always a high priority.
A great activity that evolved soon was Academic Field Day in which there were all kinds of academic contests, first in classrooms, then in semi finals and finals, culminating in an awards day patterned after the Academy Awards. A nice gentleman named Smith from Kansas City gave us $100 as seed money. So our “Oscars”, made in our art department, were named Smittys.
Our Athletic Field Days were equally competitive as the student body spent a spring day in all kinds of athletic endeavors.
One of our most interesting school-wide projects was the adoption of a baby jaguar at the Denver Zoo, made possible by student contributions. A plaque in the feline house tells the story.
Another activity which furnished much amusement to the students was a faculty-parent show put on for two years.
In those days of large numbers, our ninth grade choir was around 165 singers. It was a real project to provide robes from them in the school colors of cherry red and gray. Before winter intermission we always took the choir downtown to sign in a public building. We also had a large orchestra, several bands, including a jazz band, and string ensembles. Fine musical programs were given several times a year.
Our annual All School Shows had casts of over 300 students who put on very professional performances. Mr. and Mrs. Ginn usually did Viennese Waltzing for those shows as well as for the yearly style shows produced by the clothing department.
Besides English, math, science and social studies, we had many classes in French, Spanish and Latin. We also had home economics, shop, art, drama, journalism, semantics, vocal and instrumental music plus classes in special education. Law classes were taught and a very popular unit in humanities, combining English, music and art was offered to ninth grade students. In the fall of 1969, Merrill was under court order to integrate. Merrill’s present population went by bus to Cole Junior High and other schools, while students from the Curtis Park area and northeast Denver came to Merrill. After a period of adjustment for all concerned, Merrill continued with its high standards and with its total commitment to the education of its students.
A drill team of twenty young ladies was formed. They gave programs at assemblies, in all school shows and even traveled to contributing elementary schools. They also earned the money and made a trip to Aspen where they talked about integration to the students at Aspen High School and gave a drill team program.
In addition to many of the classes previously mentioned, Merrill now began laboratories in reading and in math to give additional help to those students who needed it.
In 1982 there was a great change when the school became Merrill Middle School with grades seven and eight. In twenty-nine years Merrill had come full circle with now some 425 seventh and eighth graders and twenty-five teachers.
Yearbook Sales!
The Yearbook Pre-Sale has ended, BUT you can still get your yearbook! if you would like to purchase a yearbook, you must do it directly through TreeRing using the following link. You have until May 5th to order your yearbook in time to be delivered to school. Any purchases after the 5th will be shipped directly to your home after the school year is over.
Link: https://www.treering.com/purchase?PassCode=1015403108471048
Math Tutoring!
IvyMath is providing all Merrill families with a free online math tutoring session and an in-depth parent conference to discuss your child's strengths and weaknesses and how they compare to grade level.
IvyMath will also create a custom learning plan that maps out the exact areas your child should be focusing on in math for the rest of the year and what they will need to review over the summer. You'll have the opportunity to ask questions, and understand what your child needs to feel confident and stay on track in math next year.
The IvyMath tutoring session, parent conference, and learning plan are free for all Merrill families. Popular times fill up, so please register quickly! Signup now at: IvyMath.com/Boost
Around the Community!
Students could perform with FLOBOTS!
Job Shadow Program!!
Opportunity for All Middle School Students: Apply for the Spark Summer Job Shadow Program
Have you ever wondered what it's like to step into the shoes of a professional for a day? Join us for an exciting four-hour job shadow program this summer right here in the Denver Metro Area! Get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at a career path, meet professionals in the field and get hands-on experience. Choose from industries ranging from technology to healthcare, and gain invaluable insights to help shape your future. This unique opportunity will help you to explore your interests and ignite your passion for success! Register here by May 24.
New Summer Opportunities through the Community!
Middle/High School Age
- Grades 3-8 Colorado Dream Foundation's Summer Program
- Grades 6-12 Montbello Crossroads
- Grades 5-12 SCD Enrichment Program
- Grades 8-12 SummerTEK
- Grades 8-10 Summer Youth Entrepreneur Workshop (Metro DEEP)
- Grades 8-10 Career Immersion Program (Metro DEEP)
- Denver Parks & Recreation Summer Activities
- Age 5-17 Opening Act Theatre Camp for Girls
- DPS Summer Programs
2024 DPS Summer Middle School Clinics - Registration Now Open!
Denver Public Schools will provide the opportunity for incoming middle school students to participate in clinics geared towards Boys and Girls Swimming and Diving, Boys and Girls Lacrosse, Boys and Girls Tennis, and Boys and Girls Wrestling. These programs listed are hosted by the High School Coaches and are being offered over the summer, as they are not currently a part of the Middle School programming that takes place during the school year.
Sessions:
4 weeks in June and/or July
June 6-27
July 8-Aug 1
2 days a week/2 hours per day
For Session 1, please register by Monday, June 3.
For Session 2, please register by Monday, June 17.
Registration (FamilyID) & Details per program: 2024 DPS Summer Middle School Clinics- Details
Certified High School certified coaches will serve as the lead instructors from various DPS high schools.
Students must be incoming 6-8th graders attending DPS Middle Schools.
Cost: $35 per student per session. My Spark cards can be used to pay the registration fee.
A few opportunities are included below. Please click on this LINK for a complete list.
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.