Electives_Newcomer_SSPs September Newsletter

Art

In Visual Art we are introducing transferable techniques and maneuvers to increase creative confidence. Students are practicing various skill builders related to the formal elements of art, while learning that art is truly about thinking, planning, problem solving, perseverance, experimenting and elements of just playing and enjoying the process. We are also learning about different ways to express and experience creativity. The students also learn how artists respectfully share space in an active studio environment.

Students will be submitting their first pieces of ‘evidence’ through schoology to demonstrate process, growth and understanding. Students are invited (required) to take pictures of their process/artwork and send the picture through schoology. I simply call for ‘Evidence Uploads’’ throughout our time together. Please be checking Schoology-Visual Arts regularly to see your students work, and to ensure nothing is missing. Assessment and grading is oddly challenging in art, so the more evidence of process (artwork) that is sent, the better for your student and (secondary) better for me and the assessment process.

We will begin our units within the next week or so, and start the process of building our culture to activate our studio, and start making all of the awesomeness to come. Please encourage your student to put in the effort, and chase their ideas with courage.

ELD

Ms. Richards’ ELD Update

Welcome back! We are so excited to begin another wonderful year of learning together.

📅 Kickoff Lesson (August 25, 2025):
We will start with a project-based learning activity where students share why they want to learn English. Together, they will create SMART goals (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) to help them reach their goals both in and out of school this year.

📘 Curriculum Focus:

6th grade: Developing beginning language skills using Vista.
7th & 8th grade: Developing advanced skills using NewsELA.

🤝 Family Engagement:

Students will take the i-Ready reading test next week. This test helps us understand your child’s reading level in English.
We will share results with you at Back to School Night 9/3/25— please stop by Room 123!
We need your support to ensure students practice i-ready reading for 30 minutes every day at home. We’ll share strategies at Back to School Night and we’d love to hear your ideas too.

🏫 Attendance Matters:
Coming to school every day is very important for your child’s success. If your family is experiencing challenges with attendance, please reach out — we are here to help.

Together, we can make this a great year of growth and learning!

7th/8th Grade ELD: Developing beginning language skills using Vista.

Mr. Fairbairn’s ELD - The school year is here!!! We are so excited to be starting another year of instruction and working to develop our reading, writing, speaking and listening skills in English.

In September, we will be reviewing content covered in our last two units from the end of last school year (My Family and Where You Live). We will also be starting our project centered on taking risks and using English outside the classroom.

6th Grade- Our 6th graders are just starting their philosophy journey by learning about the legendary warrior and philosopher Sun Tzu!! The art of learning indeed! Additionally they will engage in their first debate on the contentious topic of prayer in public schools and what part faith plays in our public lives.

7the Grade- Our 7th graders will study huge sociological phenomena this year and they will start with the concept of terrorism by studying the Munich Olympic Massacre from 1972. Interweaving interpretation with modern day analysis students will have the opportunity to research, present and discuss on a great number of ideas surrounding both terrorism and sports.

8th Grade- Our 8th grade classes will start their advanced reading units and be self selecting their own book from our GT library along with a few other students. After creating a collaborative reading contract the kids will have about 2 weeks to read their assigned texts while also working on their short story project about once a week. This year’s theme is change/story arc in fiction. I’m eager to see what kind of stories they churn out!

Students in physical education have actively engaged in ice-breaker and team-oriented activities. In addition, classes are thoughtfully and collaboratively forming norms and expectations to uphold in our unique, physical environment- Respect, kindness, and inclusiveness are among the top norms that students have mutually voiced.

Our first unit of learning will be covering effective communication, applying basic strategy, and demonstrating appropriate behavior in team sports. In this unit, students will be exposed to small-sided games, such as Disc It! and Ultimate Frisbee.

I am looking forward to a semester of teamwork, individual improvements, and whole lot of learning and fun!

Note: It is very important that students are prepared with proper athletic attire, securely-fastened shoes, water bottles, sunscreen application, caps, etc.

Adaptive PE

Students in our Peer-to-Peer Adaptive Physical Education class have hit the ground running this semester! Students have been carefully observing and learning hands-on with students in the M.I.S. (multi intensive-severe) Program. We have engaged in meaningful discussions, group games, and peer-to-peer collaboration. As we continue this fun and exciting journey in adaptive PE, students will be challenged to think critically and creatively, while developing their leadership and advocacy skills.

I am looking forward to a semester of physical, social-emotional, and cognitive growth!

7th Grade Health

Welcome to the Health Education Program. This is the first year that the State of Colorado has required health education to be part of the middle school curriculum. I am very excited to be teaching this curriculum. I have been a teacher for 23 years, with experience teaching physical education, health education, and special education.

This program for middle school students provides the opportunity to develop and demonstrate health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Physical, mental, and social dimensions of wellness are integrated throughout the curriculum. The course of study will enable students to thrive, preserve, and maintain a positive attitude through pre-adolescent and adolescent development.

Grades: Students will be graded on Participation, Classwork (exit tickets), and Unit tests/Projects

Topics to be covered:

1. Intro to Goal Setting: Dimensions of Health, SMART Goals

2. Decision Making/Refusal Skills: Drug Prevention

3. Analyzing Influences: Nutrition, Body Image, & Eating Disorders

4. Self-Management: Stress Management

5. Advocacy: Sleep

6. Interpersonal Communication: Healthy Relationships

7. Accessing Information: Sexual Health

The approved curriculum by the district is Advocates for Youth: Rights, Respect, and Responsibility. 3rs.org

*All of these lessons are specifically made to fit Colorado standards.

Questions: Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions/concerns.

Stephanie_graves@dpsk12.net

Spanish

6th Grade: We are so excited to start this new academic period with your students!. Students have taken the Pre-District Test, and you can access your student’s results through the new app, Performance Matters. We have started Unit 1 of the Somos program. Students are also learning how to complete listening assignments using the Garbanzo app.

Important: These assignments should be completed by Sunday each week after they are posted.

This month, we will continue working on Units 2 and 2.5. During these units, students will engage in activities and comprehensible practice that help them acquire the language through movement, choral responses, and reading in Spanish.

7th Grade: We are so excited to start this new academic period with your students! Your students have taken the Pre-District Test, and you can access your student’s results through the new app, Performance Matters.

Students also have the chance to select 6 books for free reading, practicing for 7 minutes, three times a week. We have started Unit 12 and are currently working on Unit 14. All materials are posted on Schoology.

In these units, students will acquire new vocabulary and practice using the past tense through engaging activities.

8th Grade: We are so excited to start this new academic period with your students! Students have taken the Pre-District Test, and you can access your student’s results through the new app, Performance Matters.

Students also have the chance to select 6 books for free reading, practicing for 7 minutes, three times a week.

We have begun the Olympics Unit, where students will learn about the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as practice the past tense and past participle.

Spain 2026: We are excited to start preparing for our upcoming trip to Spain! This year, please contact Mrs. Rozo with any questions or concerns. She will also reach out to inform you about important deadlines and requirements.

You can contact her at: alejandra_rozo@dpsk12.net

Thank you for your continued support! We look forward to a fantastic year of learning Spanish together.

Mrs.West and Mrs. Rozo

STEM

6th grade: We’ve started with our first big project of the semester! Students are working with a partner on a stop frame animation project. Through team work and collaboration they will be creating a short video clip that represents a life cycle. Each Friday we work on typing to increase words per minute and accuracy. This will help them become more efficient typers (very important moving forward in their academic career!).

7th grade: We just started our first big project as well! Students are learning how to use the CAD program, Tinkercad. Once they learn the program, they’ll be given a project to design independently that’ll be 3D printed. Their focus will be on following the provided criteria & constraints for their design.

8th grade: Students will begin working on a mini series “Merrill Tech Tips” where they create, script and edit a short clip on best practices. These will be shown during advisement once we start rolling them out. They will also be revisiting a prosthetics project some of them worked on as 6th graders where they will design or redesign a prosthetic for an animal in need.

Band and Orchestra

6th Grade: In Band and Orchestra this month we will explore instrument options, and begin our first unit on tone production. For beginners, this will be the mechanics of making sound on their instruments, first few notes, and practice techniques. By now, all students should have a binder just for music class, with 5 tab dividers. We use this to keep all our music and notes. Also, please mark your calendar for our first concert on November 12!

7th/8th Grade: For intermediate students, our first unit will be continuing what we learned last year, and exploring how various cultures around the world view tone quality and judging what makes music ‘good’. Students will refresh skills like posture, instrument position, tone production, note reading, and improvisation. We are jumping right in with our first piece for our concert, which will be on November 12th!

AVID

This month in AVID, students will be building a strong foundation for success. We will begin by setting up key organizational tools, including binders and planners, to help them stay on track throughout the school year. Students will also learn how to take focused notes for better study habits.

Students will have the opportunity to select a long-term project based on their grade level and interests:

6th Grade options:
- Exploring post-graduation options (college or trade school)
- Studying different careers

7th Grade options:
- Exploring post-graduation options (college or trade school)
- Studying careers
- Community service at Merrill
- Personal finance

8th Grade options:
- Everyone will do a High School project
- Community service at Merrill
- Personal finance
- Life Skills

Newcomer Conversations

This month Newcomer students will begin their English studies with iReady and Vista Higher Learning. We will take some time to practice using these different platforms and the expectations of using them to practice English and reading at home. Another focus for our Newcomers this month will be the routines and expectations of both the classroom and school. Remember attendance matters for ALL students and is important for our learning environment. We hope to see families on Back to School Night where we will talk about the expectations of school and practicing outside of school. Back to School Night is on Wednesday, September 3 from 5:30- 7:00. Hope to see you there!

Student Supports Providers (SSP)

September is “Suicide Prevention Awareness Month,” a nationwide effort to raise awareness for suicide prevention and treatment. Please join us at Mental Health Night (following back-to-school night) on Wednesday September 3rd from 7:00 PM - 7:30 PM to learn more about this topic and other information related to social emotional and mental health support available at Merrill.

Mental Health & Crisis Resources:

Colorado Crisis Services: FREE available 24/7 in English and Spanish. Call the hotline 1-844-493-8255 or text TALK to 38255
Second Wind Fund: the mission of the SWF is to decrease the incidence of suicide in childen and youth by removing the financial and social barriers to treatment. Youth have access to 12 sessions of cost-free therapy.
- Second Wind Annual Walk/Run: Second Wind Fund’s annual Walk/Run is back for its 24th year on September 21st at Clement Park. Join team DPS if you are interested in participating!
iMatter - 6 free youth counseling sessions
Safe2Tell
Suicide and Mental Health Crisis Textline: Text “Go” to 741-741
Self-harm Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call or text 988
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233)
National Runaway Hotline: 1-800-RUNAWAY (1-800-786-2929)
The Trevor Project - TrevorLifeline 1-866-488-7386

Coming Up: Signs of Suicide is an annual prevention program implemented in DPS schools for all 6th grade students and is taught by mental health professionals within the classroom. This youth suicide prevention program has demonstrated an improvement in students’ knowledge and adaptive attitudes about suicide risk and depression. SOS teaches students how to identify signs of depression and suicide in themselves and their peers, while providing materials that support school professionals, parents, and communities in recognizing at-risk students and taking appropriate action. The Student Support team will be completing SOS with 6th grade students in September.

College & Career

This year we hope to have several optional field trip opportunities for career exploration. Starting the week of 9/2, please have your child look in their Schoology Advisement course for the field trip interest form. This is only an interest form and filling out this form doesn't guarantee a spot or ensure that the field trip will happen. Grades, attendance, and behavior are factors we look at for students going on field trips. Students can see school counselors, Jeff Bayard (main office) or Hilary O'Kelly (library) if they have any questions.

Electives/SSP/Newcomer September Newsletter