Merryhill School – My name is Jacqueline (Jax), and I am a mother to a daughter who attends Merryhill Elementary School Calvine. Our daughter Roxy has been a part of the Merryhill School system for 2 years and my husband and I are overwhelmed by her progress and by the way our family has been absorbed into the Merryhill family.

I have a confession to make as a Mom. I really had a hard time trying to find the right school for my daughter. My daughter Roxy is now 5. We adopted her from Wuhan, China in 2014. My daughter only spoke Mandarin and Wuhan dialect when we adopted her. Also, Roxy’s real date of birth is shrouded in mystery. We had a birth date on paper but we were well aware that Roxy was older than they told us when we adopted her.  For both of these reasons, few preschools wanted to take a chance on her. In fact, before Merryhill, we had Roxy at another elite preschool in the Sacramento area. But I felt that this other school wasn’t understanding of the fact that Roxy was adopted and learning English.

Roxy celebrating her Birthday at Merryhill

Roxy is a very bright child but she was seen as slow in some aspects by her other preschool because they didn’t take into account that she had been recently adopted and that Mandarin was her first language. Thus, it was unfair and unreasonable to expect her to be on the same level as her peers. In fact, it was suggested to me by one administrator that adopted children were just slower. Crushed by this statement, and unhappy with the other preschool, I set about searching for another preschool for my daughter. I wanted to find a school with strong academics that would help my daughter Roxy master English, help her develop the skills she would need to succeed, and also provide a nurturing environment.

Roxy on her 1st day at Merryhill Preschool Laguna Park

Discovering Merryhill School

Upon a friend’s suggestion, I took a tour of Merryhill. I spoke with Lisa Norris, the principal of Merryhill Preschool Laguna Park, and she assured me that Merryhill is supportive of adoptive families. She said that they would do everything they could to help Roxy develop her English so she could be on the same level as her peers. In the Fall of 2015, we enrolled Roxy in Merryhill Preschool in the Pre-K2 class and have honestly never looked back. We have found a school family in Merryhill and my daughter has blossomed in so many different ways in such a short amount of time.

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In Merryhill Preschool’s Pre-K2 class, Roxy not only mastered the alphabet and numbers but began to write short words and sentences. I credit Merryhill with helping Roxy master and develop her English. We rejoiced when found out that Roxy also knew all her colors, most shapes, and began to learn days of the week and the names of months. Within a month of starting Merryhill Preschool, Roxy learned to count to 30 and also started learning to count by tens. Each day she would come home from preschool and excitedly talk about what she learned and what they did in class.

Positive Changes In My Daughter

She became a happy child and loved her teachers and her classmates. Instead of being shy and withdrawn, she became a social, outgoing, and happy little girl.  I cannot pinpoint the exact time when the change happened, when Roxy fully mastered the English language or when she became more socially secure. But I can tell you my daughter was fully fluent in English and was starting to really read and write by the time she graduated from Merryhill Preschool. Instead of a shy, scared little girl, my daughter has become a confident and active social butterfly who makes friends easily and loves going to school each morning.

Roxy on her 1st day of Kindergarten at Merryhill Elementary Calvine

Kindergarten at Merryhill School

Roxy is now in Kindergarten at Merryhill Elementary School Calvine. She is doing very well and gets mostly Es for Excellent on her report cards. Roxy has spelling tests every week and studies hard for them. Her Kindergarten teacher sends home her homework folder in her backpack each day. Roxy works studiously after dinner to complete her assignments. She has 5 spelling words and 5 sight words every week and is actively spelling and writing short words and sentences. We are thrilled that she is beginning to read and write short sentences. The class is also starting to begin to learn to add and subtract and to count. We practice counting money using our spare change.

Every time I go to Roxy’s Kindergarten classroom, I am amazed by all the things I see the children learning. I also feel the warmth and enthusiasm of her Kindergarten teacher. Roxy’s teacher truly cares about her and really is trying to help Roxy develop into the best person she can be, both academically and socially. She teaches Roxy to be a good person and a good citizen. When I brought cupcakes and treats into Roxy’s class for her birthday, I marveled that all of Roxy’s classmates came up and thanked me. They train the children well. I am, and continue to be impressed by all that Merryhill has to offer.

Roxy at Merryhill Elementary Calvine

Merryhill School Offers More Than Just Strong Academics

Merryhill School offers strong academics, a nurturing environment, and helps to mold your child into a responsible and conscientious person. However, Merryhill offers some things that other schools do not. Links To Learning is a great application which allows parents to see and read about what their child is doing.  On each day that Roxy attended preschool, we were able to see both in our email and on the application on our cell phones, pictures of Roxy from that day and descriptions about what she was learning. At Merryhill Elementary, I am emailed Roxy’s grades weekly so I know exactly how she is doing in each class.

Merryhill makes sure that you are very in tune with what is going on with your child. For example, if Roxy skins her knee, I get an incident report in her backpack, and often an email from her teacher. Roxy once fell off a playground structure and injured her head. They immediately called me from Merryhill Elementary Calvine and asked how we would like it handled. Merryhill also offers a shuttle program where you can drop your child off at Merryhill Preschool Laguna Park or Merryhill Preschool Harbour Point and they will drive your child to and from Merryhill Elementary School Calvine. Since we live close to Merryhill Preschool Laguna Park, this is a big help to us.

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Always Caring and Understanding

There have been times when Roxy is anxious about something, and I need to speak with her teacher. I have always been able to email her teacher and get a response assuring me that the issue is something they will handle and take care of. If I talk to Roxy’s teacher about a concern I have, Roxy’s teacher is always caring and understanding. I truly believe that the staff at Merryhill really care for each and every student. Whenever I show up at Merryhill Elementary Calvine, I am always greeted warmly with smiles and shown to wherever Roxy is. It’s the same with Merryhill Preschool Laguna Park. When Roxy walks out of school, both Roxy’s classmates and the staff always call her by name when saying goodbye. Although she is only in Kindergarten, I know my daughter is an important part of Merryhill Elementary Calvine.

Campuses in Sacramento area

Merryhill School has 5 campuses in the Sacramento area. If you are looking at preschool, elementary, or junior high schooling options for your children, I highly recommend you consider Merryhill. Not only does Merryhill have strong academics, but you will see that they genuinely care about each and every student. They nurture your child and lift them up. Merryhill teaches your child to be a good person, a good citizen, and how to be thoughtful of others.

When our family was stressing over where to place our daughter Roxy, we feel like Merryhill took us in. Our family is very grateful to Merryhill for all that they have done for our daughter Roxy. We feel blessed to be a part of the Merryhill family. We fully intend to send Roxy’s younger sister Carissa (now 13 months) to Merryhill when she is a bit older. I have no reservations whatsoever about recommending Merryhill Preschool, Merryhill Elementary School, and Merryhill Middle School. If you are interested in finding out more, I strongly encourage you to schedule a tour or go to a Merryhill Open House today. If you have any questions about my family’s experiences with Merryhill, please contact me via the social media on my blog Jax Chronicles.

Visit Merryhill School

Prospective families are invited to come check out each school campus, visit the classrooms, see the curriculum, and speak with the school administrators and teachers. You can also call any of the Merryhill campuses to schedule a private tour.

Merryhill Preschool Laguna Park

Merryhill Preschool Laguna Park
6613 Laguna Park Drive
Elk Grove, CA 95758
(916) 684-4044 http://www.merryhillschool.com/preschools/sacramento/elk-grove-laguna-park-dr/

Merryhill Preschool Harbour Point
9561 Harbour Point
Elk Grove, CA 95758
(916) 683-3244
http://www.merryhillschool.com/preschools/sacramento/elk-grove-harbour-point-dr/

Merryhill Elementary School Calvine

Merryhill Elementary Calvine
9036 Calvine Rd
Sacramento, CA 95829
(916) 689-7236
http://www.merryhillschool.com/elementary/sacramento/elk-grove/

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Merryhill Preschool Pocket
7335 Park City Drive
Sacramento, CA 95831
(916) 424-2299
https://www.merryhillschool.com/preschools/sacramento/pocket/

Merryhill Elementary & Middle School Midtown
2600 V St
Sacramento, CA 95818
(916) 429-6055
http://www.merryhillschool.com/elementary/sacramento/midtown/