The Merrill Minute
April 27, 2020
Finding the Sweet Spot
Mrs. Ferring sent me the video above on Friday afternoon. It brought a huge smile to my face and also helped me to think about how for every situation we are in, we have to find the sweet spot. In Mrs. Ferring's video she found the perfect angles for the pots and pans, the right amount of bounce in the ball, and the persistence to make all these factors come together to get the ball in the glass.
When it comes to continuous learning at home, we are here to help you find the sweet spot for your family. We have a triad of learning supports for you as we move into the final stretch of the school year. Our hope is that each student that we serve can engage in our school community using one or more of the OPTIONAL avenues below.
- Print Packets: Grade level packets will be mailed today (Monday, April 27) and will be a condensed version of what is on Canvas (next item). If you don't receive your packet by late this week or if you would like to request a different grade level that better meets the needs of your student, please e-mail Brian Tate at brian.tate@dmschools.org. Packets are also available online here.
- Canvas: Beginning today, Monday, April 27, all students are now enrolled in DMPS created online courses in English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, Physical Education, Family and Consumer Science, and Spanish. I sent an FAQ out to all of you on Friday. For your convenience, more info. regarding Canvas is also included in today's Merrill Minute. Click here to login to Canvas. Keep scrolling to learn more.
- Merrill Daily Update: The Merrill Daily Update is sent to your inbox each afternoon and provides notes, videos, challenges, etc. from Merrill teachers. Now that Canvas courses have been published, the Merrill Daily Update will include support from Merrill teachers as your student engages with the Canvas courses. In each Daily Update, you'll hear from 2 content area teachers. We hope this format provides some structure for students so they can work on 1-2 content areas each day instead of trying to tackle all 8 content areas. Click here to view all of the Merrill Daily Updates.
For some of you, none of these avenues for learning are viable options, and that is okay, too. We encourage each family to continue to take it one day at a time and find what works best for you. If you have questions about a class, a schedule, content, etc. please don't hesitate to reach out to classroom teachers or our Merrill administrative team.
Yours in finding the sweet spot,
Kate
Kathryn Panek
Merrill Middle School, Principal
We. Miss. You.
Band and Orchestra Instruments
If you left your personally owned instrument or rented from a music store instrument at school, please send an email to Mr. Morgan or Mrs. Graham telling them exactly where you left it. Mrs. Graham and Mr. Morgan will get your instrument and bring it outside for you to pick up on Wednesday, April 29th, between the hours of 1:00 and 2:30 PM.
2nd Semester Grades
Because instruction for the semester was incomplete and all students did not have multiple opportunities to demonstrate growth as a result of learning over time, final Semester 2 grades will not be issued for middle school courses.
While all of the details are not yet worked out, student transcripts will likely indicate that students were enrolled in the courses and then will have an asterisk indicating school closure due to COVID-19. Students enrolled in Algebra I, please see previous e-mails from Mrs. Nolan regarding grades for Algebra I. Central Academy students, please refer to the options you received from Dr. Gogerty.
Technology Tips
Use the links for Student Email and Infinite Campus on the DMPS homepage under the Students Tab
Make sure you are using your student email address as the username. See below.
studentID@student.dmschools.org
If you forgot your password please contact Carrie Kent (carrie.kent@dmschools.org) or Jane Schumann (jane.schumann@dmschools.org) with student name and ID number to reset your password.
Other troubleshooting tips can be found here in the Student Device Guide - Grades K-8.
Tech Tips and Tricks from Mrs. Kent
Students have easy access to all their apps (Canvas, Teams, etc) through their student email. Go to student email through the DMPS website (do a Google search for DMPS). Click on the Students tab > Student email.
Sign in with the whole email address as the username (studentID@student.dmschools.org) and student computer password.
Once students are signed into their email they have access to OneDrive, Teams, Canvas, Word, Excel and other Apps by clicking on the "waffle" (the 9 white dots) in the upper left corner of the Outlook page.
This information is also on pages 8-9 in the Student Device Guide which was included in your bag if you picked up a computer from Merrill.
Canvas
What is Canvas? Canvas is DMPS's Learning Management System that supports teachers in providing content for students via an online platform.
What Canvas courses will my student be enrolled in? Canvas courses for English Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, Physical Education, and Spanish will be published to students beginning on Monday, April 27. Students have been automatically enrolled in these courses and can login to access the content using the directions below. Content will include review and preview material. Students at Merrill will have access to all courses 6-8 in order to differentiate based on student need.
Are these courses required? No. Canvas courses are completely optional and there is no expectation for mastery of learning. In alignment with state expectations, we cannot require any attendance or engagement with materials. Additionally, no grades or scores will be taken for review of previous learning or new learning.
How do students access Canvas courses? Students can head to https://dmschools.instructure.com/. They will then use their student e-mail and password to login to Canvas. Students can also go to the DMPS homepage, click on "Students", click on "DMPS @Home", and then click on "Canvas".
How will Merrill teachers support student engagement with Canvas courses?
- Teachers will continue to keep you in the loop using our Daily Merrill Update which can be found in your inboxes each afternoon, on the Merrill website, and on School CNXT. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the communication, the Merrill website is your one stop shop that houses everything you need to know.
- Teachers are available via the Microsoft Teams chat feature, traditional e-mail, and School CNXT to help orient students to the Canvas modules, answer questions, and support students in engaging with the content.
- Many teachers are offering weekly "Teams" meetings for each class period and/or making themselves available during "Office Hours" to answer any questions students might have and support them in engaging with the content. We are working on a master schedule of "Teams" meetings and "Office Hours; however, these times can be difficult to pin down as our professional calendars shift, as we continue to care for our own families at home, and as other events pop up without much notice. Please know that we will continue to reach out to you, and we will respond within 24 hours if you reach out to us.
Click here to see a video introduction to Canvas.
Click here to read additional information regarding Canvas on the DMPS website.
Hey, 6th Graders!
Cruisin' the Merrill Parking Lot
Meals from the Heartland
Friday, April 24 would have been a pretty special day at Merrill. We were scheduled to host our 14th annual food packaging event, the 12th with our amazing partners at Meals from the Heartland. Merrill has the longest relationship with the Meals organization of any school in Iowa. Fifteen 8th graders on the Meals from the Heartland Committee had been working diligently all year to raise the $5,000 we needed to bring the mobile food packaging organization to our school.
We were scheduled to package over 50,000 meals that day, and at some point in the morning, Merrill would have packaged our 500,000th meal since we began hosting this yearly event 12 years ago. Unfortunately, the pandemic forced us to cancel. It has also forced Meals from the Heartland to shut down their mobile events, and the organization really needs our assistance in these trying times as they struggle to retain their staff. With that in mind, if you would like to donate to Meals from the Heartland, you can do so online at the Meals from the Heartland Website or by sending a check to:
Meals from the Heartland
357 Lincoln St.
West Des Moines, IA 50265
Tips for Successful @Home Learning
Students
Set a daily schedule that includes when you put your device away and when you go to bed.
Identify a space in your house or outside that works for you to focus.
Check your e-mail every day.
Reach out to your teachers.
Families
Check-in with your student about what he or she is learning.
Reach out to us with questions.
Love them through it all.
Teachers will...
Provide optional learning engagements for students.
Collaborate with families to connect you with what you need.
Return e-mails within 24 hours Monday-Friday.
Merrill Support Services
Merrill Support Services
Read Aloud Feature in Canvas
2. Click on the blue play button at the bottom of the screen.
***You may also click the little book icon with the label “Reading Preferences”. There you will find a translation menu to select your preferred language.
Language Preference in Canvas
2. Click "Settings"
3. Click "Edit Settings" on the right hand side of the page.
4. Click on the "Language" drop down menu and select preferred language.
5. Click the yellow "Update Settings" button.
Thank you, Merrill Volunteers!
Reminders:
Please encourage friends to check their clutter/junk mail.
20-21 Performing Arts Survey
Next year's 7th and 8th Graders: Students, please log-in to your Infinite Campus account to complete the music selection survey for the 20-21 school year.
1. Log-in to Student IC Portal
2. Click "Message Center" on left
3. Click "Surveys" in middle of screen
4. Click "New" on Music Course Selection - 7th and 8th
5. Scroll to the bottom of the descriptions and click "start"
Incoming 6th Graders: Parents/Guardians, please log-in to your Infinite Campus account to complete the music selection survey for the 20-21 school year.
1. Log-in to Parent IC Portal
2. Click "Message Center" on left
3. Click "Surveys" in middle of screen
4. Click "Merrill Music Course Selection"
5. Scroll to the bottom of the descriptions and click "start"
School CNXT for Students
This is not required; however, it is another avenue for us to stay connected with students. Communication will continue to be sent both via Infinite Campus to student inboxes AND via School CNXT. Please send any CNXT questions or concerns to kristen.kennedyanderson@dmschools.org
Meme Monday
DMPS/Merrill Resource Pages
Family Resources
*Childcare
*Domestic Violence / Victim Services
*English Language Learning Community
*Employment
*Financial Assistance
*Food Assistance
*Healthcare
*Housing/Homelessness
*Legal Aid
*Mental Health
DMPS@HOME
*Pk-8 subject workbooks
*General online learning resources
*Subject/Grade specific online learning resources
*Exceptional learner resources (Sped. and GT)
*Infinite Campus
Merrill Website
*Merrill Daily Update
*Contact information for Merrill staff
*Links to DMPS district resources
*Calendar
*Almost anything/everything you want to know about Merrill!
Ms. Schumann is updating the website daily. Check it out!
Wide Open School Resource
Contact Information
Email: merrill@dmschools.org
Website: https://merrill.dmschools.org/
Location: 5301 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA, USA
Phone: (515) 242-8448
Twitter: @MerrillMustangs