Only At Midtown Home / About Us / Only At Midtown Choosing Merryhill School We know that parents have a lot of choices for their child’s education. So, why do families choose Merryhill Elementary & Middle School and stay with us until their child graduates? It’s because so many wonderful things happen at our private school, #OnlyatMidtown. Let us tell you more! Why be FIERCE? At Merryhill Midtown, our students from Kindergarten to 8th grade learn to be FIERCE! FIERCE means being Fearless, Innovative, Enthusiastic, Responsible, Compassionate, and Enlightened. We teach these values through engaging lessons about feelings, setting goals, and learning about ourselves. Our school helps children become respectful, thoughtful, and brave learners. We celebrate these traits with awards and events in our school and the Sacramento community. At our Midtown Sacramento private school, we believe every child can live FIERCEly! Second Grade Hero Project Our Hero Project is a big and exciting event for our 2nd graders! They learn about important people from the past and today. They look for traits like kindness, bravery, and creativity to see how these heroes made the world better. After researching, they write books about their heroes and make videos using Keynote. They even take green screen pictures where they act like their heroes! Then comes the best part…. the Hero Wax Museum! Students dress up like their heroes and share their stories with other kids, teachers, and parents. Visitors can leave kind notes and feedback using a QR code and an app called Padlet. It’s a fun way to learn, share, and feel like a real hero! Community Involvement At our school, we teach our students how to give back and be kind to their community. Together with teachers, they join local projects like cleaning up parks, partnering with community organizations to feed the hungry, and collecting donations for good causes. One special project is our annual toy drive for the Mustard Seed School, which helps children who experience homelessness. Through this project, students learn how their actions can make others happy. These activities help our students understand global issues like poverty while teaching them to care for their community and feel proud of making a difference! Student Council Our Student Council is a great way for our students to learn how to be leaders! They get to come up with ideas, plan, and run activities and events for our school. One past project was the Snack Shack at our Harvest Festival. The students worked together to create a plan, sell snacks, and raise money for the Student Council and our PTSO. They even used Canva software to make colorful ads to tell everyone about the event. It’s a fun way for students to practice teamwork, creativity, and leadership while helping our school. Buddy Program At our school, students make forever friends through our Buddy Program. Each year, older and younger students are paired together to build lasting bonds. Even though buddies change each year, the friendships often last forever. This program helps kids learn how to be FIERCE in their friendships by being kind and caring. Buddies do fun activities like reading together, going to local theater shows, working on crafts and seasonal projects, and even helping out in the community. It’s a great way to make friends and learn how to be a good buddy! M2News In our M2News class, students learn different aspects of broadcast journalism. They use tools like cameras, sound equipment, Apple devices, and FinalCut Pro to create videos. First, they learn how to write scripts, film, and edit their work. Then, they put everything together to make videos for our school and community to enjoy. They even get to use green screens and sound stages! Our students have even won four Student Educational Video Awards (SEVA) for their amazing Public Service Announcements. Integrating Tech As an Apple Distinguished School, we believe technology enhances the educational experience by transforming teaching and learning across subjects and content areas. Our technology-rich environment empowers students to use presentations and videos to demonstrate learning, and allows them to work in new and innovative ways. Middle School students complete virtual labs and use iPad devices to measure, collect, and analyze data, taking an innovative approach to specimen dissection in a life science lab. On any given day, students may be gathering data and creating charts on Numbers, linking QR codes to relevant research for their design thinking projects, or working in groups to study body systems for their educational health app. Frequently Asked Questions How can parents get involved at Merryhill Midtown? Families are an essential part of our school community, and there are many ways to get involved. Parents can join events like the Harvest Festival and Trunk or Treat, volunteer to chaperone field trips or support classroom activities, serve as a Parent Ambassador or classroom representative, or attend quarterly Mustang Meet Ups, Curriculum Night, Student Showcases, and Open Houses. Whether you have a little time or a lot, we value the time, ideas, and partnership our families bring to Merryhill Midtown. What does a typical school day look like at Merryhill Midtown? Our goal is a school day that’s academically purposeful and engaging, building confidence, independence, and resilience in our students. Students study core subjects alongside specialty classes like art, Spanish, PE, technology, music, and design, plus recess and age-appropriate enrichment. Study hall is built into every student’s day, giving them dedicated time to complete assignments, get extra support, or work independently. Families looking for more can add before or after school options like private music lessons, clubs, and competitive sports. In Middle School, students move to a block schedule with passing periods, similar to many local private high schools. They build independence, organization, and time management skills ahead of the transition to high school. What is the average class size at Merryhill School Midtown? Our elementary and middle school classrooms average approximately 18 students, with a maximum of 24. This range is small enough for teachers to know each student’s strengths and needs and provide individualized support, while still large enough for regular collaboration, group projects, and peer learning. Our goal is for students to feel known and supported while benefiting from the energy and relationships that come from learning alongside a group of peers. What is the Merryhill Method? The Merryhill Method is our approach to developing students who are confident, resilient, and increasingly independent. We do that by making students active participants in their learning, not simply recipients of instruction. Does Merryhill Midtown offer athletics? We proudly participate in the Parochial Athletic League (PAL), offering a season-round roster of competitive sports. • Fall sports (August–November) include cross country, volleyball, and flag football for students in 5th through 8th grade. • Winter sports (December–February) include basketball for students in 5th through 8th grade, as well as our Little Dribblers basketball program for students in 1st through 4th grade. • Spring sports (March–May) include golf, track and field, and volleyball for students in 5th through 8th grade.
