Jaguar Journal Vol. 17
December 16, 2022
Hello Merrill Families,
Happy Holidays! We have had such a fun and spirited week. Thank you to our StuCo for being leaders and organizing a fun week to kick off celebration and a great end to our first semester and 2022. We had themed days and Talent Show Celebrations - all student led!
THANK YOU PTSA for the awesome staff lunch box cooler gifts and breakfast this week. We so appreciate you and your generosity. Our families even donated gifts to those in need so that all can enjoy and celebrate. On top of your families, jobs, lives- you find ways to volunteer and make us feel appreciated.
PLEASE SHARE THE DIRECT GIVE LINK to family, neighbors, co-workers and on your social media. We are grateful for EVERY donation. We have raised a large amount of money, and have a ways to go to meet our goal. We can do this! Come on lucky 7s!
Bell times for next year: 8:50am-3:50pm. YAY that we were able to advocate and not be moved to 9:10am-4:10pm. Thank you for all of your support.
Our CSC meeting about Innovation will be held virtually at 5pm on January 19th. We will share the link in a few weeks. Please come and participate in our discussion around WHY Innovation, the specific flexibilities we want to reapply for, and how it has made Merrill the successful place it is.
We hope you have a fantastic break! See your students back in school on January 4th, 2023.
In Gratitude,
Patrice Underwood
A FEW PICTURES FROM SPIRIT WEEK!
Dress Like Your Hobby Day!
Door Deco Contest? Ms. Mary thinks Ms. Alex will win.
Cheering on Ms. Wilkin and Ms. De La Riva during the Plank-off Challenge
Note from Ms. Hanson
Dear Merrill Community,
I have made the difficult decision to move on from Merrill at the end of this semester. I've been very fortunate over these 6 years to teach and learn from this community as the 6th grade social studies teacher.
I'm so thankful for the opportunity I had to work at Merrill and become a part of the community here. Working at Merrill has been so rewarding to me—from forming lasting relationships, creating and learning with students, and watching students flourish academically, creatively, and joyously. My students have always and always will be "my kids" and I thank you for trusting me with your/their education.
I appreciate each of you and your understanding. I'll miss my students and I wish you all the best as you move forward in your education and lives.
With Gratitude,
Julie Hanson
6th Grade Social Studies Teacher
Going, Going, Gone!
Speaking of lost items, Ms. Gutberlet lost a special bracelet. It’s silver with light blue stones and a hook clasp (hence the losing it part…). If you see it, please get it back to her.
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
SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES
ACCESS Testing for our Multi Language Learners Starts in January
School Dashboard Advisory Committee Opportunity!
I hope this email finds you well and looking forward to winter break. I am reaching out in hopes that you can get the word out to your families and community before break about the School Dashboard Advisory Committee opportunity!
There is currently an open application for DPS community members interested in participating in an upcoming advisory board opportunity. The School Dashboard Advisory Committee is a committee that will be working throughout 2023 to make recommendations to the superintendent on what a public facing data dashboard for all DPS schools should contain.
This team is working hard to make outreach to as many community members as possible. If you're willing, they would appreciate your partnership in sharing this opportunity with your community. The application closes January 1, 2023 and our Family and Community Engagement (FACE) team can provide additional support for any family or community member completing the application by calling 720-423-3054.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Jessica Ridgway at jessica_ridgway@dpsk12.net.
Online books available 24/7/365
Congrats Merrill Musicians!
Congratulations all band and orchestra students on a superb concert this week. You all did an amazing job showing off your talents and sharing music with the community. If you have any photos or videos please send them to Mx. DiMarzio (victoria_dimarzio@dpsk12.net) so we can put them in a shared folder for everyone to see.
If your student participated in the Winter Concert on Dec 13th, please help us by filling out this form. We greatly appreciate any feedback so we can continue to provide the best performance opportunities for our students. Thank you so much!
8th Grade Language Arts Field Trip Fundraising!!!!
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
THANK YOU, MERRILL IN NEED VOLUNTEERS!
Thank you to our amazing community for purchasing 80 holiday gifts for the
Families in Need Committee. We also appreciate the many volunteers who
donated their time to wrap and sort the gifts. It takes a village and you continually
rise to the occasion. Happy Holidays!
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Thank you for spreading the Cheer!
Huge thank you to all that helped with Teacher Appreciation breakfast and gifts.
Without your contributions we couldn’t have showered them with so much love
before their break!
Help Merrill reach its goal before the end of 2022.
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 March 21st All Day
The more food ordered,
the more we’ll raise.
Help us spread the word!
SUPPORT MERRILL WITH YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING
Coffee beans make fantastic holiday gifts. Order due 1/6 and will be delivered to Merrill Jan 12th.
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MERRILL JAGUAR ATHLETICS
Don't Miss This Opportunity to Play More V-Ball!
For 5th-8th grade Boys and Girls!
See Below: Gold Crown Winter and Spring Volleyball Camp - 12/21-12/22, 1:00 - 3:00 pm
Basketball-
Congratulations to the students who made the basketball teams. Tryouts were extremely competitive and all students worked hard to earn their spots. Coach Wilkin and Coach Franklin look forward to leading our teams to victory. Our first game is scheduled for 1/6/23 vs. Bear Valley @ Bear Valley Girls will play at 3:45pm and Boys will play 4:45pm. Go Jaguars!
Now you've made the team, get your Basketball player outfitted with Merrill Schwag HERE only until December 22nd. This Merrill Basketball shop closes 12/22/22 and orders will not be accepted after that date. Direct Order Link: https://bsnteamsports.com/shop/ArcjGLTnyW
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):
Cool Classroom: Lacey Graves, 8th Grade Social Studies
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 over break and listen with your student and celebrate the hard work they accomplished this semester
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1y5oktwiwvm0mi4ulQ4JaoXHZtMFfIvzs?usp=share_link
Thank you,
Lacey Graves
Cool Classroom: 6th Grade ELA Libby Furns, Jackie Hesseltine, and Shandra Botello - Hidden History Virtual Museums
In 6th grade Language Arts, students have been participating in literature circles discussing non-fiction texts and exploring the driving question: How do the true stories of oppressed groups add to our understanding of history and the way it is told? They are now creating their Virtual Museums where they are describing the setting, time period, and oppression occurring in their novels, writing biographies, and explaining important artifacts throughout their novel.
AT HOME CONVERSATION STARTERS
- What are some of your favorite moments/memories of this year?