Middle School

All middle school students participate in specialist classes as part of the regular schedule, including art, music, drama, physical education, and Spanish. Regular participation in specialist classes provides opportunities for deep and consistent learning in a variety of areas beyond core academics. This serves as a foundation for a well-rounded daily experience that promotes collaboration, community, and connection.

Each sixth through eighth grade class has a team of three advisors who work closely together to support each student in each grade. All advisors are grade-level teachers or middle school support staff.  This ‘team of teachers’ model supports consistent collaboration and communication between teachers in relation to the needs of individuals or groups of students, while supporting the seamless integration of curriculum and multi-disciplinary units and a classroom based advisory experience. 

Each middle school day begins and ends with Advisory.  Advisory is a dedicated time for smaller groups of students to check in with advisors and organize themselves for the day and week. This focus supports executive functioning and organizational and study skills. Advisory also includes an intentional focus on social-emotional learning, personal development, community building, life skills activities and provides time for academic support during Learning Labs, where teachers from every subject are available to meet with and support individual students. 

MP&MS teachers are dedicated to helping our students become people of strong character. The MP&MS core values — respect, accountability, safety, kindness, active listening, and doing one’s personal best, reflect our school’s values. Our middle school Life Skills program focuses on topics related to interpersonal and intrapersonal relationships, communication, stress management, nutrition and body image, media literacy, drugs and alcohol, and human development, including sex education.

The every-other Friday (Green Fridays) afternoon elective program includes such classes and activities as Rock Band, Chess Club, Maker Space, Culinary Techniques, Laser Cutting, Community Service, Knitting and Crafts, Sports and more. Elective classes are chosen by the students during the first and second semesters.

The MP&MS Student Leadership program is open to all fifth through eighth grade middle school students, and is based on a committee structure which focuses on the needs of the school. Student Leadership manages middle school dances and leads fundraising efforts for causes initiated by students and teachers. Past efforts have included raising funds to build a classroom in Ecuador and to help Northern California fire victims, and working with the Marin/San Francisco Food Bank.

Each middle school class takes springtime 5 day, 4 night trip.  These trips are integrated into our academic program, and are culminating activities relevant to student learning. Fifth graders travel east to Yosemite National Park where they study the natural and cultural history of the region, focusing on Native American history. Sixth graders travel west to Mendocino Woodlands Camp where they sleep in rustic cabins, travel to the Ecological Staircase where they apply their knowledge of natural systems, and go tide-pooling along the coast where they study natural formations and form and function of invertebrates. Seventh graders travel south to El Capitan Canyon where they camp in tents, participate in physical and team-building challenges such as a ropes course and ocean kayaking. Our eighth graders travel to the far north, spending their time in the Olympic Rain Forest where they study ecosystems and geology while also celebrating their time together as a class community.  Overall the class trips are often the highlight of a great year in school as well as the highlight of a students time at Marin Primary & Middle School.

Middle school boys and girls have the opportunity to participate in interscholastic after school sports, including flag football and cross-country in the fall, basketball in the winter, and track and field in the spring. Our middle school spring drama production takes place during the second semester, culminating in a spring production at the Marin Civic Center. Students rehearse after school on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and on elective Fridays during the elective program.