Electives/SSP/Newcomer December Newsletter |
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Happy last Newsletter of 2025.
In the art room we are working through multiple, over-lapped, creative journeys as we wrap up the semester. All students are working on our small city diorama with a focus on scale and proportion. We have worked on this project at different times throughout the semester, and will be combining all of the artwork in December for a full display. All student work is invited to be a part of our small scale city, but artwork that does not adhere to the shared measurement will be excluded in order to project a collective sense of composition and realism.
6th and 7th Grade: The 6th and 7th grade classrooms are completing their clay work with final glazing procedures. After the final glaze work is completed, we will return to a menu of creative options for each student to explore for the remainder of December. We typically are active and engaged as students take advantage of that last opportunity to make art as they will have a new elective after the winter break.
8th grade: The 8th grade class will be working to produce evidence needed to continue with art in high school. They have completed their midterm masterpieces and will be charged with organizing and setting up our small scale diorama. The time in December should be an opportunity for 8th graders to build their portfolios and continue the studio practices that will be appreciated in high school art studios.
I am looking forward to our last bit of time working together and our final weeks of artistic production. For any student wanting to continue working in the art room, I run the art club on Wednesdays, 3:50-4:30p for the year.
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Mr. Fairbairn’s ELD - We have finished Unit 8 (In the Community). The past two weeks we have been working on argumentative paragraphs using the CCER (Claim, Context, Evidence, Reasoning) format.
Over the next couple weeks before break, we will continue working on our paragraph writing including complex claims (Although, Even though, ; however), lead-in language (In the text, _______ says/states/explains/describes) and analysis language (This demonstrates/illustrates… - This is important/significant because…).
As always, please ensure that your child is passing at least 4 lessons in i-Ready each week. This can easily be achieved by having your child work on i-Ready 15 minutes each day after school.
Thanks for your partnership!
Ms. Richards’ ELD - 7th and 8th grade just completed their WeVideos, where students shared their personal stories. Please make sure to connect with your child on their video, they worked really hard and did an amazing job!
In December, 6-8th grade ELD will focus on writing for a purpose and continue to increase speaking opportunities. Many students are struggling with meeting their i-ready minutes, please make sure your child is doing i-ready daily to meet their 90 minute goal by Thursday evenings. You can contact me to find out your child’s reading level. They should complete at least 4 lessons with a score close to 80%. In order to successfully access grade level classes, students need to strengthen their reading. Thank you for your partnership!
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6th Grade- Our two sixth grade classes are neck deep in advanced literature!! One group has just finished their graphic novel unit with over 46 Graphic novels to choose from and they are now moving in their Sci Fi/Dystopian unit which has a blend of classic books from the 60/70 and 80’s as well as more current in and up to date new additions to the canon!!!
7th Grade- These students have just finished their Non-Fiction unit and are boldly moving into a Graphic novel genre unit. These students will have experience with some of the most classic super hero stories told in the last 50 years as well as newer more nuanced tales that tell little known or under-represented tales. Either way the Graphic Novel unit tends to be a pretty big crowd pleaser!
8th Grade- This group of students has just finished their first financial literacy unit!! They have shed their debt ridden days of their 20’s to now enter middle age. In their first financial PBL unit the students had to apply for a major loan but in their middle age they must now determine whether or not they want to live and work in the United States. What will they decide? Ask at dinner to find out :)
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In December, students will revisit familiar activities—such as volleyball, basketball, frisbee throwing, and striking skills—to fine-tune techniques, strengthen motor skills, and apply their learning in more competitive, strategy-based gameplay. Our focus includes helping students deepen their understanding of proper form, make quicker in-game decisions, and demonstrate strong teamwork and sportsmanship. Along the way, students will engage in both self-reflection and peer-to-peer feedback to set goals, celebrate progress, and take ownership of their growth. We look forward to seeing students build confidence, sharpen skills, and rise to new challenges as we close out the semester. |
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As we close out the year, our Peer-to-Peer Physical Education class will take on an exciting culminating project that showcases the tremendous growth students have made throughout the semester. Students will apply their understanding of adapting and modifying activities to promote inclusion, demonstrating their awareness of how to make physical activity accessible, meaningful, and engaging for everyone. Their final task is to design and create an original physical game tailored for students with diverse needs and abilities, highlighting creativity, empathy, and thoughtful problem-solving. This project not only celebrates their progress but also reinforces the importance of inclusive practices—ensuring that all students, regardless of ability, can experience the joy and benefits of movement. |
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6th Grade:
In December our 6th graders class will begin Unit 5 of the Somos program. Students will learn and practice key Spanish vocabulary and phrases including va, tiene and está through interactive activities, guided practice, and short conversations. Please note that we will administer the district midterm assessments — writing, reading, and listening. The district tests will also be an opportunity to see growth and celebrate students’ progress in all language skills
7th Grade:
In December our 7th grader class will begin Unit 25 of the Somos program. Students will learn and practice key Spanish vocabulary including: compra, vende, cuesta and, demasiado. We will also explore how Latin American countries celebrate Christmas and some of their traditions and community festivities. Please note that we will administer the district midterm assessments — writing, reading, and listening. The district tests will be an opportunity to see growth and celebrate students’ progress in all language skills.
8th Grade:
In December our 8th‑grade class will begin Somos 2 Unit 3. Students will learn the past‑tense and past‑participle forms of key vocabulary words including: saliò de, se divertieron and volvio a se divirtieron. Please note that we will administer the district midterm assessments — writing, reading, and listening. The district tests will be an opportunity to see growth and celebrate students’ progress in all language skills.
Spain 2026:
For those of you with students attending the trip to Spain in June 2026, we had their first quick student meeting last week on Monday. They went over general expectations for their profiles and videos that they are completing for Live N Learn’s website within the next month. Additionally, we learned that we will be exploring southern Spain prior to homestays in Madrid! For more information, please feel free to reach out to Jeff Bayard (School Counselor) at jeffrey_bayard@dpsk12.net.
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Literacy Intervention with Whitehurst: |
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All Classes:
All classes have continued strengthening morphology and vocabulary skills, which directly support both comprehension and spelling. Students should continue completing their iReady lessons each week to stay on track with their required practice.
8th Grade:
8th grade is working through materials that deepen their understanding of To Kill a Mockingbird, including related poetry and nonfiction texts. We are also reading the To Kill a Mockingbird graphic novel to reinforce comprehension of the full novel they are studying in their ELA class.
7th Grade:
7th grade will begin Lord of the Flies in their ELA core class. In reading intervention, we will support the novel using the graphic novel version while continuing to build key comprehension skills. Lord of the Flies focuses on high-level concepts such as human nature, leadership, group dynamics, and the tension between rules and survival. These big ideas can feel abstract, so we will break them down together and discuss them in detail to ensure students understand how they develop throughout the story.
6th Grade: 6th grade continues to build phonics knowledge for reading and spelling, as well as fluency and comprehension skills. We have been working on syllable division and reading multisyllabic words with accuracy and confidence.
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6th grade:
We are currently in our Mold Investigative Unit. Students are currently learning how to code sensors in order to measure the environment (humidity, temperature and CO2). After they master this skill, they will each be investigating our school in order to identify whether there are perfect mold growing conditions. As we wrap up the semester, we will work on our final logos project where students will create a business concept and design a logo.
7th grade:
We just started our Solutions Project where students have to think of a problem that they can solve using a 3D printer and their modeling skills. Something broken? Something missing? Something needs organizing? This is the perfect project to solve that problem!
8th grade:
We are currently revisiting our stop frame animation projects from years prior. As 8th graders they will be recreating their 6th grade stop frame animation projects. This is a great way to show their growth in video editing and use of technology over the years.
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All grades will be engaging in our composition unit for the final stretch of quarter 2! 6th graders will explore melody writing, and how they can manipulate musical elements to evoke an element of nature, such as storms, rain, flowers, and more.
In 7th and 8th grade Band and Orchestra we’ll be exploring how music can be used to represent characters, such as for movie soundtracks. Students will use various digital tools to compose a completely unique new piece of music. 8th grade will work on creating duets or trios, learning the skills of harmony writing.
All students will continue to develop skills playing their instruments and reading music as well.
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For December happenings please reach out to Joel Niebauer at joel_niebauer@dpsk12.net |
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For December happenings please reach out to Shandra Botello at shandra_botello@dpsk12.net |
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Newcomer Conversations and Social Studies |
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Conversation: This month we are really excited to start a new phonics curriculum called Really Great Reading! These lessons and practice has proven to significantly improve reading in ALL students. We look forward to seeing how the students develop both their reading and speaking skills!
Level 1: In December, we will continue our work in subject-verb agreement in both writing and in speaking. We will also focus on telling time and describing how many objects there are in complete sentences.
Level 2: We will be focusing on asking and answering, in both writing and speaking, informational questions and the different patterns in which we construct them. This will include both the affirmative and negative forms.
Also, ACCESS testing will start in January, so please remind your students to continue practicing their English skills at home with Vista Higher Learning, iReady, Learning Ally, and IXL.
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Most students have shown increased engagement in class this month.
In December, Level 1 students will be working on the properties of addition and on telling time.
Level 2 students will explore representing and interpreting data.
Below is the IXL homework grading scale. We expect every student to complete at least 2 hours of practice per week, which will earn them 4 out of 5 points. Students who exceed 2.5 hours will receive the full 5 points.
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Student Supports Providers (SSP) |
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Parent Webinars & Workshops: The Substance Use Prevention team in DPS hosts a monthly parent webinar that focuses on a variety of prevention topics to help parents gain the knowledge and tools needed to support their children.
Healthy Choices, Bright Futures through the DPS Family and Community Engagement Team:
Get a head start on your holiday shopping - families earn a $25 gift card just for attending!
When: Tuesday, December 9th 6pm-7pm
Where: Virtually on Zoom. Register Here
DPS Community Hubs (walk-in resource navigation and services for DPS families)
Breaks in the school calendar can be a stressful time for students and families. The Grief and Loss Workgroup in DPS has created a quick list of resources that can be helpful in supporting our students and families. Please reach out to the Merrill Student Support Team with any other questions or support needs.
Learn to Ski/Snowboard Day–On March 4, 2026, Merrill will be taking 48 students to Winter Park Ski Resort for a learn to ski or snowboard day. NO EXPERIENCE NEEDED. This is a FREE field trip and is for students who don't already know how to ski or snowboard.
Transportation, lesson, ski/snowboard gear is provided.
Students must have 90% attendance from December 1-March 4 and be in good standing with grades and behavior.
Students must have transportation to Merrill by 6:30 am on March 4 and be picked up at 6:00 pm.
Students need to fill out this interest form with their DPS account if they are interested. LINK FOR FORM.
Filling out this form lets us know you're interested. It DOES NOT guarantee a spot.
Please see Hilary O'Kelly (school counselor) with any questions. hilary_okelly@dpsk12.net
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