Dear Merrill Families,
What an incredible week we've had! Our halls have been buzzing with energy as we celebrated quarter achievements, honored Black History Month through our amazing Black Student Alliance, and experienced the wonderful learning that happens during Spring Student-Led Conferences. We're so grateful for this community!
When we return from break, April brings some exciting developments, including CMAS Testing and engaging learning opportunities across all grade levels. To help you stay in the loop, we've put together April Newsletters for each grade level and program. Please check out the newsletters to see what's happening for your student.
6th Grade April Newsletter
7th Grade April Newsletter
8th Grade April Newsletter
Elective/Newcomer/SSP April Newsletter
We hope you have a wonderful, restful Spring Break with your families. Enjoy this well-deserved time together, and we look forward to seeing everyone when we return!
Sincerely
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3/26/26- Spring Virtual Conferences 4-8pm
SPRING BREAK! 3/27-4/5/26. Students back 4/6/26.
4/7-4/24- CMAS Testing
4/23/26- Merrill Dine Out at Bonnie Brae Ice Cream!
5/8/26- Merrill Auction! Match Point and Mulligans Gala
5/27/26- 8th Grade Continuation @ South 5-7pm
Looking forward to next year- 26/27 Merrill Calendar
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Merrill Families
Important: 2026 CMAS Testing Schedule & Information
The Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS) are end-of-year tests that help students and parents understand if students are on track to meet the expectations of college and careers. Score reports show how students are doing compared to the school, district and state. The testing window is April 6-24, opening the day our students return from Spring Break.
Testing Schedule and Expectations
Review the CMAS Schedule below to see when your child will be testing. Makeup testing and missed instruction can be avoided by ensuring that your student arrives at school on-time. Below are the dates for this year’s CMAS.
8th Grade CMAS Science - 4/7-4/9
6th, 7th, 8th Grade CMAS English Language Arts (ELA) - 4/13-4/15
6th, 7th, 8th Grade CMAS Math - 4/20-4/22
The Role of State Assessments
Results help schools know how to improve learning and the community can see how well schools are serving students. For more details on why these assessments matter, visit the DPS CMAS Website.
Student Preparation and Family Resources
The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) offers the following resources to help students and families prepare:
CMAS Student Practice Resources
CDE Parent Resources
Thank you for your continued support of our students’ academic growth. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me.
Patrice Underwood
Principal
Merrill Middle School, Denver Public Schools
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Support the Merrill Matchpoint and Mulligans Gala by buying Tickets or becoming a Mover: https://bolder.bid/merrill26/tix
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Merrill Store- New Amazon Wish List!
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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
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Boys Basketball
Girls Basketball
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Dine Out for Merrill!!
Thursday, April 23 at Bonnie Brae Ice Cream |
PTSA is looking for volunteers to sell Merrill Merch at a few upcoming events! Please check out the SUG and come spend some time selling our new Merrill Merch! Thanks in advance!
Sign Up HERE
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Merrill Families Helping Families
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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
Families Helping Families & the Merrill Meals Pantry are looking for volunteers!
Volunteers are needed to:
Pick up food donations
Stock pantry shelves
Help pack backpacks with food for families in the Merrill community
Our Spring volunteer signup is now OPEN, and we’d love to have you join us for one of our upcoming monthly backpack distributions. Whether you can help once or on a regular basis, your time and energy make a difference.
Don’t see a time that fits your schedule, but still want to help? Email sgrisinger77@gmail.com to join our volunteer list and get updates on future opportunities.
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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.
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Cool Classroom~BSA Enrichment, Orchestra and Dance/ Drama Electives |
Students in Black Student Alliance, as well as in Dance and Drama helped Merrill to celebrate Black History Month with an engaging assembly filled with dancing, reciting, and a special guest speaker, Jacquelyn Benton! |
March is Women’s History Month.Women's History Month is about lifting up the women whose courage, creativity, and leadership transformed communities and opened doors. It repairs the record, celebrates everyday heroes, and sparks the next generation to dream bigger. Here are some Women’s History book recommendations that can be found on Sora.
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Energy Assistance for Families |
As the colder months approach, we want to ensure that there are no families in our Denver Public Schools (DPS) community facing utility disconnections or struggle to keep their homes warm.
The Southeast Community Hub is an officially approved partner of Energy Outreach Colorado (EOC). This partnership allows us to provide direct energy bill assistance and resources to income-qualified DPS families.
You can learn more about the programs and resources available through EOC here: https://www.energyoutreach.org
Through this partnership, the Hub can assist families with:
Bill Payment Assistance: Emergency help with past-due energy bills to prevent shut-offs.
Heating System Repair: Access to the Crisis Intervention Program for emergency furnace repairs.
Weatherization: Helping families reduce long-term energy costs through home efficiency.
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DPS Support Opportunities! And MySpark!
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Youth On Record Programs!
FREE program offerings for young musicians, and we’d love for you to share this opportunity with any students who might be interested.
Creative Enrichment Classes for middle and high school students. Classes next session include Beatmaking, Songwriting, and Piano Lab.
Studio Bookings young musicians can book out space in our Youth Media Studio for recording, mixing, band rehearsals, songwriting sessions, and jam sessions
Drop-in Fridays - Youth and Families are welcome to drop in on Fridays for tours, studio access, and a regular schedule of events and activations including First Friday Open Mic!
Here is our registration link.
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