WELCOME!

Dear Parents/Guardians,
My name is Ms. Hohbein and I would like to introduce myself as your childs middle
school teacher. I am a recent Drake University graduate and this will be my first year
at Merrill Middle School. I am ecstatic to be part of the Merrill team and looking
forward to an exciting year! Go Mustangs! This year it is my goal to challenge
students while providing a fun and safe learning environment!
In my class, students will be developing many skills. They will be reading and writing
daily as well as doing hands-on activities and using technology to extend their
learning. At Merrill, we are an International Baccalaureate school. In my classroom this
means that students will actively participate in their own learning. Students will learn
to collaborate with peers and interact with the community in positive ways. I find
that these methods are highly motivating to students and makes learning fun! With
the IB program in mind, I challenge my students to embody these learner traits:
Inquirer
Thinker
Communicator

Principled
Open-minded
Caring

Risk-taker
Balanced
Reflective

During the first few days of school, students and I will be collaborating to create our
classroom rules. These will be incorporated into our first classroom newsletter that I
will send electronically to all families. I will also have a calendar of important dates
and assignment due dates that I will include. I will be using the application
RemindMe to send texts to families and students on a regular basis with important
reminders and announcements. I will provide instructions for you to download the
application to your smartphone/device.
I ask that you fill out the student and family information sheet attached with this
letter. This is so I can get to know you and your student better; in addition, I have
attached an information sheet about myself! Please communicate any concerns or
need to know information about your student with me by putting it on the survey as
well. I am looking forward to meeting you and your student during Back to School
Night and please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you may
have.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Hohbein
Merrill Middle School
Stephanie.Hohbein@dmschools.org