Richard Merkin Middle School
2023 South Union Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Phone: (213) 748-0141  Fax: (213) 748-0142
merkinms.org
ADMINISTRATION
September 25, 2015
Meghan Van Pelt
Principal
Rosa Davis
Assistant Principal
Justin Shahbaz
Assistant Principal
Dear Parents / Guardians:
This letter includes important information about our school for the month of October
as well as the food and event calendar for the month.
Pink Shirt Tuesdays!
In support of October Breast Cancer Awareness Month, pink school polos will be on sale for
$15. Students who purchase the shirt may wear it every Tuesday in lieu of their regular polo
with their uniform pants. Profits made through sales will be donated at the end of the month
to support breast cancer research.
Special Schedule – 10-week Progress Reporting Period
There is no school for students on Monday, October 12th and Tuesday, October 13 .
During these days, our teachers will participate in Alliance professional development.
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School will resume on Wednesday, October 14, for the usual schedule, with students
dismissed at 1:36 PM.
Students will be released at 1:36 PM on Thursday, October 15, and Friday, October 16, 2015.
We are having this minimum day schedule for conferences. More information regarding
conferences will be sent out at a later date.
After School All Stars will begin immediately at 1:36 for all of the minimum days.
ACT/Aspire Testing
Students will be taking the ACT/Aspire pre-test the week of October 19 .
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Monday, 10/19 and Tuesday, 10/20 there will be a special testing schedule. Students will test
in their classes from 7:45 a.m. – 9:45 a.m. Instructional class time will be shortened for the
remainder of the days with dismissal at the normal time.
Safety Updates
 Per revised-LAUSD and Alliance policy, we will now need to conduct random
backpack searches to ensure everyone’s safety. Specifically, the purpose of these
searches is to detect weapons, drugs, alcohol, and to reduce the potential for violent
incidents. We will provide notification when this occurs.
 Out of courtesy for our community neighbors, please do not double-park on any side
streets before school or at dismissal. Our community police officer has called to
report that they will be frequently patrolling the area.
 Please remind your students who come to school on skateboard or bike to lock up
their property on provided racks. It is California law that students under the age of
17 wear a safety helmet at all times whenever riding a skateboard or bike.
Assistant Principals’ Message
1.
8th Grade parents - Money for 2016 Class T-Shirts is officially due Friday September 25,
but we will still accept late payments throughout the month of October.
Richard Merkin Middle School
2023 South Union Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Phone: (213) 748-0141  Fax: (213) 748-0142
merkinms.org
ADMINISTRATION
2.
Meghan Van Pelt
3.
Principal
Rosa Davis
Assistant Principal
Justin Shahbaz
Assistant Principal
4.
5.
6.
Tutors and Mentors from USC’s JEP program will start their assignments at RMMS
starting the week of 9/28.
The after- school intervention program is already in its 3rd week. If you are unsure about
whether your child has been assigned intervention or about their schedule, please see Mr.
Shahbaz’s page on merkinms.org.
The CELDT adminsitration takes place in october. Please expect a letter in the mail
regarding the test and procedures.
ASB is sponsoring spirit week from October 26th through the 30th. Please see the
calendar for the themes for each day.
Please support your child in getting to school on time. The first bell rings at 7:40 and they
are tardy at the 7:45 bell. We appreciate your support with this.
Counselor’s Corner - TIPS FOR SCHOOL SUCCESS
As school counselors, we often get questions about how to best help your child succeed
academically.
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Organize, organize, organize! Have your child keep his/her materials where they
belong, both at school and at home. Have designated folders and notebooks and be
sure that work is filed accordingly in the right place. Make sure they have tabbed
dividers for each subject and store their work behind each coresponding tab to
access information quickly and easily.
Use the agenda book! Students are responsible for several academic subjects. Using
the agenda book is a way to organize tasks and keep track of deadlines for projects,
tests, school events, holidays, etc. It is a habit that will serve them well throughout
their academic careers.
Students should post their schedules in their notebook. Each morning, they glance at
their schedule and make sure they have the proper materials for each class. Being
prepared for class each day is the first step to academic success.
Parents as Partners
We would like to invite you to our parent classes with the topic of “Nutrition”. These classes
will take place in 6 sessions on Saturday Mornings. It will begin on October 3-November 7
2015 from 9-11 am. If you have any questions about this please call Ms. Edmond at 213-7480141.
Very Truly Yours,
Meghan A. Van Pelt, Principal