Merrill Middle School Teachers

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Denver Public Schools

1551 S Monroe St
Denver, CO 80210
720-424-0600

Attendance:
720-424-0627

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Ms. Switala

THANK YOU FOR VISITING MRS. SWITALA'S CLASSROOM WEB PAGE

I'm so glad you stopped in for a visit...I'm Beverly Switala and I teach ED students here at Merrill.  I have been at Merrill for the past four years and have taught ED children now for 26 years.  It is a pleasure to be teaching your child this year.

It's unbelievable how time seems to slip by us so quickly, the first quarter has come to a halt and suddenly we find ourselves halfway into the semester.  As the proud teacher of my students, I feel the class achieved much success during the first nine weeks.  It has been a joy to watch the students expand their academic capabilities while continuing to seek self-improvement.

This class is based upon a highly structured level system. Students earn points through academic effort, respect, ability to follow directions, and accept consequences. I believe that positive reinforcement is very important.  The students are praised with "Caught in the Act" slips.  Spontaneously these are awarded when students "do right".  Making good choices is constantly addressed and modeled in the classroom.  On Friday we open the school store and the students have an opportunity to purchase items with their points. The school store is stocked with items such as walkmans, music, toys, games, school supplies, food, etc. The store is a big hit and it's understandable why shopping is often anxiously awaited.

Besides our core classes, we have introduced Aggression Replacement Training (A.R.T.) into the classroom this year.  The curriculum of A.R.T. is based upon four components, which consists of empathy, social skills, anger management, and character education.  The research suggests that with consistent instruction of this curriculum young adults have become more empathic towards others, less hostile, more socially aware, and demonstrate positive character traits more frequently.  We are excited and willing that A.R.T. has become a part of our regular classroom curriculum.

Another component to the success of your child is consistency.  We all like to know what is around the corner and when it comes to homework, you and your child can always except the same every night.  Homework in spelling, math, and reading is given Monday through Thursday.  Please scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Ms. Switala's homework link for more information.  The expectation of the classroom is that your child is to write their homework in their planner everyday and you, the parent are to sign the planner daily.  Together, we can reinforce responsibility as well as the value of an educated mind.

I feel that the teacher/parent communication is viable to the success of your child.  I frequently make calls to inform you of progress, situations, and of course praising your child for possessing positive character traits. I'm sure this not only feels great to your child but to you too! 

I will look forward to each new day while I continue to teach the greatest resource in the world, your child.

Sincerely,

Beverly Switala

Ms. Switala's homework page