Jaguar Journal Vol. 18
January 6, 2023
Hello Merrill Families,
Happy 2023! We have had a great week welcoming students back and look forward to a fantastic Quarter 3.
Donation Needs:
*Please feel free to donate tissue boxes to the main office. With the cold/flu season, we have increased our need and use of facial tissue.
*Our school store is in need of gift cards! $5 or $10 (ex: Starbucks, Safeway, Jamba Juice, Robux, etc.)
Do you need any rapid COVID tests? Stop by the main office. We have plenty to share with our community!
8th grade Language Arts FIELD TRIP is coming up. Please ensure you have paid on MySchoolBucks and select the 8th grade field trip. You can sponsor another student- just drop down the number of tickets you'd like to purchase.
Jeff Bayard, our school counselor is looking for three drivers to pick up kids on Tuesdays around 5:00 PM in Lakewood and then drive them home (near Merrill). Please email Jeffrey_Bayard@dpsk12.net if you are able to volunteer in this capacity.
Please ensure students are dressed warmly and have jackets. We will be going outside for recess as much as possible.
In Gratitude,
Patrice Underwood
The Jaguar Journal Can Be Translated into any Language - Check it out!
Welcome Two New Additions to the Merrill #Family
Welcome, Kia Gelinas "Ms. G"
Hi! My name is Kia Gelinas (Ms. G), and I was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. I went to college in Dubuque, Iowa, at Emmaus College, and got my bachelor's degree in secondary education with an emphasis in history & psychology. After college, I decided to move to Florida for a bit as I worked in insurance, and then shortly after, I moved back to Colorado to complete my student teaching. This is my first year teaching, and I am so excited to teach and learn with your students!!! History is one of my passions, so to be working with kiddos as we explore social studies together is exciting. I love exploring and playing sports, and I'm a huge foodie at heart.
Kia Gelinas,
Merrill Middle School
Welcome, Jordan Locklear
Hello, #Family!
I'm Jordan. I'm joining the team as a part-time Community/Family Liaison after actively volunteering for a while, and y'all couldn't keep me away! I love being at Merrill, learning about the kiddos and staff, and I want to be helpful.
My husband, Cal, and I have two girls at Merrill and one coming up the ranks. We recently returned to Denver after a few years in Austin, TX, and are thrilled to be back. The love our family has felt since joining this community is so beautiful. I hope to help pass that along in my time here and look forward to joining the Merrill Team!
Please submit any great photos you have taken of Merrill Students for the yearbook.
HAPPENINGS AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Shadow Tours at Denver South High School
ACCESS Testing for our Multi Language Learners Starts in January
Beginning on January 9th, Multilingual Learners (MLLs) in grades K-12 will participate in the ACCESS for ELLs state assessment. This assessment measures a student’s English language skills in the areas of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. ACCESS is used by classroom teachers to determine the level of language support that a student may need during instruction. With this information, we are able to monitor student progress on an annual basis and determine when a student is ready to be placed in mainstream instruction.
Merrill Middle School will be administering the assessment between January 17 - February 10, 2023.
If you have any questions about the testing schedule, please contact Ellie Foust, ellie_foust@dpsk12.net.
Please be sure that your student arrives on time for their scheduled day(s) so that they do not miss sections of the test, as this would require a make-up session. We will continue to follow all health protocols during testing as required by the district at the time of the test.
Online books available 24/7/365
8th Grade Language Arts Field Trip !!!!
Our 8th grade students will be reading To Kill A Mockingbird, and the touring Broadway production will be here performing To Kill A Mockingbird at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts in February. Each ticket costs $40. Please log on to your MySchoolBucks account and select 8th grade Language Arts Field Trip, and if you can sponsor a student in need, we would appreciate it! When you go to MySchoolBucks and add the 8th grade language arts Field trip you can simply include as many in the quantity field as you like to contribute funds for additional students.
We are writing grants as well to hopefully raise enough for all 8th graders to have this incredible experience. Here’s a video preview of the tour
Community Resources
- Denver Community Resources-Here
- Virtual English Classes from the Denver Public Library-Here
- i-Ready-Here
- Sora (DPS digital library)-Here
- DPS Community Hubs-Here
If you have any questions, please reach out to Molly Zick at molly_zick@dpsk12.net
MERRILL PTSA
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Help Stock the Merrill Store
The Merrill Store 2023 is open for business. Please see this SIGN UP for items
and volunteers needed on Fridays.
Help Merrill reach its goal of $97,777! We can do it!
Click HERE to provide
support to Merrill THIS SCHOOL YEAR in all of these areas:
1. Excellence in Academics
2. Varied, High-Quality, Electives, Enrichments and Clubs
3. Upgrading and Improving our Facility and Learning Environment
4. Providing External Learning Experiences
5. Implementing Technology and STEM
6. Promoting Athletics, Wellness and Mental Health
7. Creating Community
Plan Ahead to Dine Out on January 24th -
The more food ordered,
the more we’ll raise.
Help us spread the word!
Save the Date: March 21st Dine Out at Birdcall
SUPPORT MERRILL WITH YOUR SHOPPING
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MERRILL JAGUAR ATHLETICS
Basketball-
Congrats to everyone who made the team!!
Show up today to support the Jaguars at Bear Valley. Girls play at 3:45 and Boys at 4:45. Go Jags!
Students and Families, come support our first home game Jan. 18- Girls play at 3:45, Boys play at 4:45 against Grant Beacon.
Lady Jaguars have the opportunity to practice at the Nuggets Game on 1/11/23. Get your Nuggets tickets and come watch. GO NUGGETS, BTW! (That was from Mr. Franklin!)
Coach Anna Wilkin anna_wilkin@dpsk12.net
Coach Vince Franklin vincent_franklin@dpsk12.net
Please send all athletic questions to vincent_franklin@dpsk12.net or call 720.424.0621
Cool Classroom(s):
In case you missed it before the break, here are podcasts created by our 8th graders
Your students Podcasts from History Class Q1 Revolution are finally ready for you to listen to. They put in so much work answering the question "How did the Revolutionary War impact identity.
Please take some time to listen with your student and celebrate the hard work they accomplished this semester
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1y5oktwiwvm0mi4ulQ4JaoXHZtMFfIvzs?usp=share_link
AT HOME CONVERSATION STARTERS
- If you could have any pets or farm animals, which would you choose?