Hello Merrill Families,
April 6-10 is National Assistant Principal Week. We are so grateful to have Molly Zick as our Assistant Principal. She leads with heart, passion, focus, thoughtfulness, organization and precision. Thank you, Mrs. Zick, for all you do daily at Merrill!
Thank you for your continued support. We hope everyone had a wonderful Spring Break and is ready to tackle the final weeks of the 25–26 school year. This week our 8th graders rocked Science CMAS and students have jumped back into learning with great focus.
Next week all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students will take their Language Arts CMAS. Please help your student prepare by ensuring they bring a fully charged Chromebook, get a good night’s sleep, and eat a solid breakfast before testing. Testing will take place Monday–Wednesday; please have your child on time for the start of the day.
The LLN is hoping to add Willow Elementary to our network. The mission of Willow is to provide a rigorous, engaging, and supportive learning environment where every student is seen, valued, and challenged. Willow focuses on meeting individual student needs while cultivating critical thinking, collaboration, and perseverance. Please show your support for Willow joining our network by signing this petition — Here
For our current 6th and 7th graders, we’ll begin planning for next year and selecting elective and enrichment classes. Below are the 26/27 course catalogs. Please take a moment to talk with your student about their interests. We will hold one-on-one conversations with all 6th and 7th grade students on April 28th or 29th to finalize their selections.
26/27 Electives
26/27 Enrichments
Thank you for everything you do to support your student during these final weeks of the year.
Sincerely,
Merrill Leadership
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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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Mark your calendars for the Merrill Stock the Cellar Event on Thursday, April 23! Plus, don't forget to grab your auction tickets if you haven't already: 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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We Need You!!!
The PTSA is looking for new board members for the 2026-2027 school year:
Vice President – Management of membership, including maintaining a centralized document
containing all member information and committee chair listings, and committee member rosters.
The role also handles communications specifically related to membership. Furthermore, this
position assists with monitoring the PTSA Gmail account.
Treasurer – Provide financial management for the PTSA, including budget tracking, bank
statement reconciliation, and timely expense reimbursement processing. This role also involves
managing digital payment platforms like Venmo and PayPal. Furthermore, the Treasurer is the
key liaison to the CO PTSA for compliance matters and is responsible for managing the By-
Laws.
Communications – Oversees all communications for the PTSA, including compiling content
from all board and committee chairs ready for inclusion in the weekly Jaguar Journal. The role
also manages the content of occasional direct emails to members. Furthermore, this position
assists with monitoring the PTSA Gmail account.
If you are interested in learning more about any of these positions, please reach out to
the PTSA at ptsamerrillmiddleschool@gmail.com
Next PTSA Meeting
Thursday, May 14 at 6:30pm, location TBD
Come and celebrate a successful school year!
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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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Mr. Franklin took a group of our BIPOC young men to the AFRO Summit at Metro State. Our young men discussed leadership, excellence, accountability and community. |
Secret Staff Spirit Day~Rocking Blue for Autism Awareness! |
April is Arab American Heritage Month. It's a time to recognize and honor the rich cultural, historical, and contemporary contributions of Arab Americans to U.S. society. The month highlights Arab American achievements in arts, science, business, education, literature, and community service, while also promoting awareness and understanding of Arab American cultures, traditions, and experiences. |
Energy Assistance for Families
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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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