The Merrill Minute
September 13, 2019
Independent Reading
Greetings, Merrill Families,
Our faculty at Merrill is continuing to inquire into how we can best strengthen student learning. We are regularly reminded in our inquiry of the value of wide reading. Below are two highlights that really struck us.
“The habit of daily reading…overwhelmingly correlates with better reading skills and high academic achievement.” The author continues, “It only makes sense that students should be reading something in every class every day related to the content, ideally something so interesting that they will want to continue reading outside of class.”
–This Is Disciplinary Literacy: Reading, Writing, Thinking, and Doing…Content Area by Content Area by Lent, 2016
"It is estimated that students who read independently for 20 minutes per day will read over 1 million more words per year than a student who reads 10 minutes per day. In theory adolescents should spend two to four hours per day engaged in literacy-connected learning across content area classes, reading many millions of words per year."
-Building Background Knowledge Through Reading: Rethinking Text Sets by Lupo, Strong, et al., 2017
To this end, every Friday morning this year our students and faculty are participating in 20 minutes of independent reading followed by time to discuss what we read with each other. In addition, we encourage students to ALWAYS be carrying a book with them to read when they have a few minutes here or there.
As you can see from the chart below, time spent reading adds up to significant word exposure. Continue to encourage your middle school student to set aside a little time each day to read. They can read books, blogs, newspapers, tables, graphs, lyrics, magazines, infographics, etc. As expected, students who have some autonomy in choosing what they read, tend to be more engaged in reading.
Yours in curling up with a good book,
Kate
Kathryn Panek
Principal
Merrill Middle School
Attendance (515)242-8358
If you need to report an absence, a late arrival, or an early dismissal for your student, please e-mail Mrs. Grace at joyce.grace@dmschools.org or call the attendance office at (515)242-8358 by 9:00 AM the day of the absence. If calling before 8:00 AM or after 4:00 PM, please leave a message and Mrs. Grace will record the absence. Reporting your student's absence through Merrill Attendance will assure that the absence is recorded accurately and in a timely manner. Thank you!
Mustang Events (Weekly Calendar and Daily Announcements)
Allison Chartier - Instructional Coach
Hello! My name is Allison Chartier, and I’m entering my 24th year in education. I started my career as an English teacher, teaching at Lincoln, Waukee, and Roosevelt High Schools. I’ve also served as the IB Coordinator here at Merrill before moving to Roosevelt for the past five years as a teacher and instructional coach.
My husband and I have two daughters. Both of our children attended Hubbell, Merrill, and Roosevelt, and they are now students at the University of Iowa.
(Go State! #housedivided)
I’m very excited to be back at Merrill as an instructional coach and look forward to working with staff and students alike.
Danielle Taylor - IB Coordinator
This is Ms. Taylor’s 16th year in Des Moines Public Schools, 9th year at Merrill. She serves our staff and students as the IB Coordinator and one of our Instructional Coaches. While at school, Ms. Taylor loves to be out and about, seeing all the fun that students are having in their classes, and helping teachers develop engaging lessons and strategies to support high level learning. She is also one of the faculty advisors for Merrill’s Best Buddies program and has a passion for fostering inclusion and friendship across our building!
In her free time, Ms. Taylor enjoys reading, enjoying live music, watching Cyclone sports, travelling, playing with her pups and most of all, spending time with her 10 year old son and cheering (loudly) at his basketball games!
Martin Luft - Student Engagement Coordinator
My name is Martin Luft and after teaching in Missouri and at Riverwoods Elementary in Des Moines, I transferred to Merrill, where I have been for the past 17 years. My wife, a former Mustang herself, and I have four kids: Luke (11), Lucy (9), Maggie (7), and Millie (5). We love traveling and spending time outside, preferably with the grill going!
Prior to teaching, I attended Northwest Missouri State and later received an administrative degree from Viterbo University. I have been running the Athletic Department at Merrill since 2004, and have coached many sports including basketball, football and track. I work closely with students as the Behavior Strategist and Activities Coordinator, so they can be successful Mustangs, from the the classroom to the court. I am excited for an amazing year ahead.
Merrill PTA - Monday, September 23 at 6:30
Merrill PTA’s focus is simple. We help our students, teachers, and staff.
The school or PTA identify a need, and the PTA works with staff, families, and the Des Moines community to address it. Throughout the year, PTA will ask for donations – time, financial or in-kind. Watch your email for on-going volunteer and donation opportunities along with our meeting dates. We greatly appreciate your support of our students, teachers, and staff.
September 2019 Update!
First Meeting Date: Monday, September 23, 2019 at 6:30pm in the Merrill Library. All families make up the Merrill PTA. We are not a “members only” organization.
Thank you to the many families that have provided sponsorships already this year. Please click the link below for more details in our “membership form”. Note: all families are members regardless of financial donations!
Merrill PTA Membership Form OR donate online through our Facebook Page HERE!
Last year, the PTA gifted all students and staff a great Merrill t-shirt. This year, all 6th grade students, new to Merrill 7th and 8th grade students, and new staff will receive the same t-shirt for free. We are collecting sizes from the students this week and will provide a delivery date once we place the order.
Beyond this, PTA is hosting an online Merrill apparel sale with a deadline of Friday, September 20, 2019. Place your order online and PTA will deliver the orders to students the second week in October.
2018-2019 PTA
President: Rose Green
Treasurer: Theresa Chivers
Secretary / Communications: Holly Kilborn O’Neall
Membership & Community Relationships: Sarah Witt
Merrill Matters Parent Education: Vacant
Apparel: Megan Tempero
IB Liaison: Marquis Ellis
Helping Hands: Julie Hahn
Teacher Appreciation: Sarah Ramsey
Scholastic Book Fairs: Karina Casini
School Supply Kits: Emily Cataldi
Box Tops: Amy Dagitz
And I Would Walk 500 Hundred Miles
Go Hawkeyes!
Upcoming Dates
PTA Meeting in Merrill Media Center
Monday, September 23 6:30
No School - Professional Development
Friday, September 27
Fall Conferences:
October 31 from 8:15 AM - 3:15 PM
November 4 from 4:00 PM -7:30 PM
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