10/13&10/14/25- No School

10/24/25- Merrill play "The Elf on the Shelf Must Die" 6PM

10/25/25- Merrill play "The Elf on the Shelf Must Die" 2PM

11/14/25- Merrill Dance 5pm-7pm

Teaching students about mental health wellness and how to care for themselves is important. Feelings of sadness and depression appear to be happening at a much earlier age, and adolescence can feel like a rollercoaster of emotions. Risk factors such as depression and self-injury can be treated. While not every student will experience these feelings, they may be able to help a friend in need. 

Each year, schools teach students how to identify risk factors for depression and how to ask for help from a trusted adult. Classroom lessons also include information on Safe2Tell Colorado. Programming is implemented in 6th grade. If you DO NOT want your child to participate in programming, please reach out to Emily Hill, emily_hill1@dpsk12.net by Sept 23. 

Safe2Tell | 1-877-542-7233 | Website

• Anonymously report anything that concerns or threatens you, your friends, your family, or your community. We take your reports any time, any day.

  You have the power to make a difference.

Flag Football Tryouts

Boys & Girls 10/15 & 10/16 

Time: 7:15-8am

Practice 

Boys:  Monday and Wednesday 4-5:15pm

Coaches: Tony Aguilar - tony_aguilar@dpsk12.net

Owen Campbell - owen_campbell@dpsk12.net

Practice

Girls: Tuesday and Thursday 4-5:15pm

Coach: Vince Franklin - vincent_franklin@dpsk12.net

Jerseys are provided, students will need mouth guards and cleats are recommended.

Season begins 10/20

Boys Baseball:

Boys Baseball plays Wednesday 10/10 @ Bill Roberts

Girls Soccer:

Girls Soccer has a home game 10/15- come cheer!

XC

The Merrill Store is designed to promote positive behavior and encourages students to make good choices. They earn Merrill Money throughout their time at school and use it to "purchase" items at the store during their recess. Items include snacks, chips, candy, sports equipment, Merrill gear, fidgets, toys, stickers and most importantly- gift cards! It's so fun seeing your student during the school day! We will have the store open 2 Fridays a month and hope to see you there! SignUpGeniusHere

Greetings #FAMILY! Merrill Meals pantry provides free groceries once a month to families in the Merrill community that would like to receive extra food. We understand that everyone could use some support from time to time, and we are here to help. 

If you would like to receive extra groceries one-time per month, please complete this private and anonymous survey, so we can provide the food items that your family likes to eat and match your preferences. Please mark the items that you would like to have potentially included in your pre-packed backpack.

MerrillMealsForm

Merrill PTSA Membership Drive – We Need You EVERY YEAR!!

The PTSA is a great way to get involved with your student’s education, connect with

community and drive improvements for the school.

The PTSA extends funding to each classroom, teacher and program offered at Merrill, and we cannot do it without the Merrill parent community!!

Please remember to join the PTSA each year to support your student, our fantastic teachers and our wonderful community!!

If the PTSA can help with anything to guide you through middle school, please reach out to ptsamerrillmiddleschool@gmail.com

Dine Out to Support Merrill!!

Wednesday, November 12 – Join us at Park Burger (1890 S. Pearl St.) from 5pm-9pm.

Mention Merrill when ordering online or in person and 15% of sales will be given back to

our school!! Thanks for your support at Chipotle! We raised almost $700!!!!

Next PTSA Meeting

Wednesday, November 12 at Platte Park Brewing at 6:00pm. Grab a burger at Park

Burger to support Merrill and then join us across the street for a drink!!

Upcoming PTSA Meetings

Wednesday, December 10 (Location TBD)

Quick Link to Support Merrill

Enroll Merrill as Your Community Rewards Recipient Under My Account!

Donate Your Longmont Dairy Caps in the Merrill Office Longmont Dairy supports Merrill by giving 5¢ back for every milk cap! So, it's time to drop off all of those extra Longmont Dairy milk caps that you have been saving all summer! Stop on by the main office and help us fill up our collection bin to start our year off strong. Don't have any to turn in quite yet? We will continue to collect milk caps throughout the school year. Encourage your friends and neighbors to help us collect as well to help raise money that goes to support our students and staff.

October is Disability Awareness Month. Middle School book recommendations can be found on the DPS Sora collections page. Pictured below are some highlighted books. Also pictured below are popular Spooky Reads. 

Merrill Memories - Prologue - Merrill Dedication, November 24, 1953 at 8pm - Scene II

In last week’s Jaguar Journal, Scene I from the Prologue at Merrill’s 1953 Dedication Ceremony was shared. Click here for Scenes I & II to continue learning about our school’s namesake, Louise A. Merrill, and her legacy.

Students in the World Affairs class are working on their PBL unit, learning all about Latin American heroes. They spent some quality time researching in the library, learning all about important Latin American figures!

Sign up HERE for 8th grade Shadow opportunities at South!

We are currently recruiting wrestlers from 1st through 8th grade. Preseason is underway, and our official season begins October 20, 2025.

About our program:

• This is our second year as a club.

• Last season, we had three wrestlers place at tournaments we participated in (including a 1st place champion!).

• We had several more youth who were just one match away from placing.

• Our focus goes beyond competition—we strive to teach students to be leaders on and off the mat.

With your support, we can continue to grow the sport of wrestling and help shape tomorrow’s leaders.

https://forms.gle/MCEqBiMxJHhDYzHB

Athletics & Beyond (A&B) is excited to partner with families and schools to provide high-quality after-school athletic and academic programming for DPS students. We believe in helping young people win on and off the field by combining sports with life skills, academic support, and social & emotional supports.

Our after-school programs include:
• Sports Training: Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Football, Track & Field, Tumbling, and wrestling
• Academic Support: Tutoring, Homework Help, College & Career Readiness
• Technology & Innovation: STEAM and STEM enrichment, including hands-on projects and coding
• Mentorship & Life Skills: Character development, teamwork, and leadership training

Families with My Spark Denver and Chance Sports cards can use their funds to enroll their students in Athletics & Beyond programs.

For more details about our programming, coaches, and how to enroll, visit:
https://www.athleticsandbeyond.org/blank-1

Design Like a Girl is a free, three-day workshop series for middle school girls (grades six to eight) to explore careers in architecture and design. Held at the CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning on three Fridays during the 2025-26 school year, participants will work directly with professional women to engage in design activities like model building and sketching. Apply for Design Like a Girl. Applications for one of the 25 available spots must be submitted by Oct. 10. Questions? Reach out to Sondra Osif.