Murray Pilots
November 13, 2026
A Note from Your Principal
Skol Vikings, let's win this game - Skol Vikings, honor your name - Go get that first down, Then get a touchdown - Rock 'em . . .Sock em Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight! James "Red" McLeod
I am proud to announce that Mr. Walker, our Physical Education teacher, has worked to secure a wonderful grant opportunity for Murray Middle School. GENYOUth, the Vikings, and U.S. Bank are teaming up to make it happen, and they're coming to Murray on Tuesday, November 17, to celebrate with us. The goal is simple: more opportunities for more students, in school and after school. Our Unified PE students and Flag Football team will be representing Murray on Tuesday afternoon as we are presented with the grant award. Murray is one of just 100 schools picked from over approximately 1,000 schools across the 'Twin Cities metro' to get new flag football equipment through the NFL FLAG-In-School program.
In addition to being gifted this award, we will be welcoming guests such as executives from US Bank, The Vikings mascot, the Vikings drumline and a special VIP Vikings player! The media will be present to help us shine a bright light on this wonderful grant opportunity as well as the amazing work that is being done within our Unified PE programming and our athletics. Thank you to our phenomenal teachers, Mr. Walker and Ms. Magaard for strengthening these powerful student experiences!
Now, let’s just hope our “new” and “old” Vikings quarterback can give our offense a much-needed boost! 😀
Celebrations:
#Pilotprops of the week! Mr. Kareem would like to celebrate Zeynep Cakir. Zeynep has worked hard to stay on top of all her work in Minnesota Studies from DAY 1 of the school year! (Zeynep is also in an elective class with a bunch of 7th and 8th graders and has no fear of speaking up in class and being a strong part of that community.)
#Pilotprops of the week! Mr. Kareem would like to celebrate Lily Villegas. Lily deserves some Pilot Props for many, many days in a row of hard work and focus. Lily participates in everything we do in class. But I really appreciate the careful thought Lily puts into the work!
#Pilotprops of the week! Ms. Croone would like to celebrate Riva Solomon. They have become an advocate for their learning with mindful conversations and thoughtful comments while participating in classroom discussions. I appreciate how far they have come! Keep on growing-
Your Co-Pilot,
Jamin McKenzie
Principal, Murray Middle School
Staff Spotlight
Hello, my name is Tina Burton; I prefer to be called Ms. Tina at school. My role at Murray Middle School is a B.I.P (Behavior Intervention Person) for 6th and 7th (Last names M-Z) grade.
I’ve worked in education with SPPS for 30+ years. I love working with students, families and staff. Every year brings a new experience, time to grow/learn and set new goals. I am passionate about my role, helping students, parents and staff.
I grew up on the West Side and attended three schools in the Saint Paul School District, Roosevelt Elementary, Cherokee Heights and Humboldt Junior/Senior High Schools.
Outside of school, I am a mother of 4 children, ages 39, 37, 29 and 26 years old and Nana to six beautiful grandchildren from 6 to 21 years old. I have two dogs, Miniature Chiweenie named Bella and a Shiba Inu named Sheeba. I enjoy being with my family and friends.
Some of my hobbies are traveling, baking, cooking, photography, scrapbooking and being outdoors.
Classroom Happenings
Sixth Grade
Minnesota Studies with Mr. Kareem and Ms. Atchison:
In 6th grade Minnesota Studies students have been learning about the early Dakota and early Ojibwe. Students looked at similarities between the two when it came to seasonal living and their cultural differences when it came to language and belief systems. Students spent time learning about the grand migration that brought the Ojibwe to Minnesota from their ancestral homelands near the Atlantic coast. The Fur Trade Unit comes next and signals the beginning of a new era that students will explore with an eye on the consequences for both the Dakota and Ojibwe.
Seventh Grade
7th Grade heads to The Guthrie
This November the seventh-grade class will be attending a performance of the Charles Dickens' play A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie Theater as part of an author study unit. This allows our students to be exposed to a world-class theater performance that ties directly into our lessons, as well as showing them the much-acclaimed Guthrie Theater itself. We are very excited to work with this incredible resource! Fundraising done by the theater to support school performances will allow us make sure everyone has the opportunity to experience this trip.
Math with Mr. Gravert:
We are wrapping up Unit 2: Expressions & Equations! Over the past few weeks, students have been working hard manipulating algebraic expressions, applying the distributive property, and solving two-step equations. They have also learned how to translate real-world scenarios into equations and will be working on modeling inequalities visually on number lines.
As we finish up this unit, students are using their calculators to ensure calculations don't stand in the way of mastering algebraic reasoning. Please encourage your students to review their Unit Calendar to check on upcoming summative assessments and retake opportunities.
Conversation Starter: Ask your student to explain how the distributive property works, or how they decide whether a circle on an inequality number line should be open or closed!
Eighth Grade
Math with Mr. Hayden:
In Algebra 1, students are learning how to solve equations in a variety of different contexts. We started with combining like terms to solve equations. Next, we reviewed how to use inverse operations to isolate our variable and determine its value. We also looked how multiplying an entire equation by the lowest common denominator will change all of the fractional values into integers and make it a little friendlier to solve. Lastly, we looked at how to deal with equations where the variable appears on both sides. These are skills that will be referred back to and used frequently throughout this course and in high school math classes so this is a very foundational unit for algebraic comprehension.
In Integrated Math 1, students just finished our unit about probability. Next, we have a brief mini-unit to introduce us to matrices. Students will represent real-world data using matrices and perform matrix operations (addition, subtraction, scalar multiplication, and matrix multiplication) to manipulate data and interpret results in context.
Sixth/Seventh/Eighth Grade
Band & Orchestra
9 Murray Band students participated in the Minnesota Junior Winds Honor Band at Edina High School on Saturday, November 7th. They were nominated by Ms. Denae and were accepted by MN Junior Winds to be involved. They showed up at 8:30am and had practice throughout the day with students from other Minnesota schools. The concert was at 3:00pm and they did phenomenal!
https://www.youtube.com/live/Fof08egoEfo
Personal Finance with Mr. Gravert:
In Personal Finance, we are finishing up our Investing unit! Students are actively participating in the Stock Market Game, an interactive simulation that lets them research, buy, and manage a real-time portfolio of stocks.
Through this hands-on project, students are discovering how investing early can build long-term financial security for major future goals, such as paying for college, buying a home, or planning for retirement. We are discussing risk, diversification, and the power of compound growth over time.
Announcements
Athletics
Winter Sports: Boys' Basketball, Girls' Basketball, Wrestling
Please register on Bound:
Murray's game schedule page
Registration - Activities
- Murray Swimming
Congratulations to the Murray Middle School swimmers who competed for Como Park High School at the St Paul City Conference Championship.
Lexie Walton earned All-Conference honors- finishing 3rd in the 100 free and 5th in the 100 back, as well as being part of the 3rd place 200 medley relay and 2nd place 400 free relay
Emine Cakir earned Honorable Mention All-Conference Honors- finishing 4th in the 100 back and 8th in the 200 free.
Vala Matlock finished 16th in the 50 free, 16th in the 100 breast
Katerina Hanson finished 7th in the JV 100 breast, 15th in the JV 50 free
Como Park High School Winter Sports Athletics' Dinner
Como Park Senior High School
Monday, November 23rd @ 6:00PM
Any Murray students interested in Boys' swimming, Hockey, and Nordic skiing.
Extended Day Learning (EDL)
Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Classes will start on October 20, 2026 and run through May 20, 2027.
· 26/27 Murray EDL registration (English)
· 26/27 Murray EDL registration (Spanish)
· 26/27 Murray EDL registration (Hmong)
· 26/27 Murray EDL registration (Karen)
· 26/27 Murray EDL registration (Somali)
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me through email or phone. My email address is lise.ciancio@spps.org or you can reach me at (651) 744-1611.
Give To the Max Day 2026 - November 19th!
Help Murray Middle School raise $2,500.00 to support our students!
Your Donations Support:
- Academics
- Classroom Supplies
- School Events
https://www.givemn.org/organization/Murray-Junior-High/welcome
Murray Market Wishlist!
Please check out the list below to see our current and ongoing needs. As always, we are so grateful for the incredible support from our community. Every donation helps us continue our mission.
Cooking oil
Instant coffee
Sugar
Rice
Canned protein (e.g. chicken, beans, SPAM)
Macaroni & Cheese
Shampoo, Conditioner, Bar soap, Deodorant, Toothpaste, Feminine products
Toilet paper
Dish soap, Tall kitchen garbage bags
Powder laundry detergent
School Pictures are Ready!
View and order at: https://shop.jostenspix.com/login
School Name: MURRAY MIDDLE SCHOOL
Event Code: FE186826
Student Identifier: Also Needed: Infinite Campus Student ID
WEB (Where Everybody Belongs)
WEB is putting on a food drive again this fall/holiday season! Please see attachment below.
Yearbook
https://www.jostens.com/yearbooks/high-school-yearbooks.html
Counselor's Corner
Here at Murray Middle School, we have 2 school counselors:
· Ms. Justine Revermann (Student Last Names A-L)
· Ms. Lisa Engelstad (Student Last Names M-Z)
Student GSA
Murray will be starting a GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance) to create a safe space for LGBTQ+ students and allies to celebrate and talk about LGBTQ+ topics, events, and activities
Students can sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfly_njDkto4hquzQaHyGg8N90VkBoju7Kq6hZ7b1LxJiGnWg/viewform
Schoology and Campus Reminder Links
Schoology: https://schoology.spps.org/ (grades, classes, coursework, missing assignments)
Campus: https://spps.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/parents/stpaul.jsp (schedule, bus, attendance, etc.)
Here is the link to a webpage that has tutorials about how families can access and use Schoology and Campus: https://www.spps.org/about/departments/infinite-campus/campus-parent-information
Direct link to Schoology tutorial: https://youtu.be/f6-FofTJESE?list=TLGGx1ANm6Za9gUzMDA5MjAyNA
Community mental health resources:
Ramsey County Children’s Mental Health Collaborative: (800) 565-2575
En Español: https://www.rccmhc.org/espanol
Ramsey County Youth Mental Health Crisis Team: 651-266-7878
Ramsey County Adult Mental Health Crisis Team: 651-266-7900
Call CRISIS (274747) from anywhere in MN to reach the local County crisis team
Crisis Text Line: Text Hello to 741741
National Suicide Prevention Line: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Trevor Project: Text Start to 678678 or call 1-866-488-7386, chat here
Compass Health Center Referral Line: 877-552-6672
We have 2 school-based Mental health therapists, through our partnerships with Change Inc. and LifeStance. Please connect with a counselor or social worker to put in a referral for your child to work with one of our therapists.
Link to request Meal Bags through EveryMeal to go home with your child every Week: https://forms.gle/rCEvv6ya2h74u3ZJ6
PTO Corner
Spirit Wear
Visit our showroom at ThreadArt to order your custom Murray Middle School clothing! Now available: Debate shirts!! You can also purchase a Debate shirt to donate to a student.
**AVAILABLE NOW**
Murray Pilots 100 Years throwback shirts to celebrate 100 years of Murray Greatness!
6:00pm in the Murray Media Center
Monday, November 16th
Thursday, December 17th
Monday, January 25th
Thursday, February 18th
Monday, March 29th
Thursday, April 29th
Monday, May 24th
Additional Information
Important Dates
Monday, November 16
Murray PTO Meeting
5:00pm - 6:15pm
Thursday, November 26 - Friday, November 27
No School - Thanksgiving Break
Thursday, December 3
Barnes & Noble Bookfair
Monday, December 7
Murray PACT Meeting
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Tuesday, December 15
Winter Band/Orchestra Concert
5:30pm
Thursday, December 17
Murray PTO Meeting
5:00pm - 6:15pm
Wednesday, December 23 - Friday, January 1
No School - Winter Break
Monday, January 4
School Resumes
Monday, January 18
No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Thursday, January 21
Parent Forum @ Como Park Sr. High
8th Grade Como Park Pathway
Monday, January 25
Murray PTO Meeting
5:00pm - 6:15pm
Wednesday, January 27
Showcase
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Thursday, January 28
Activity Day
End of Second Quarter
Friday, January 29
No School for Students - Grading Day
Monday, February 1
Murray PACT Meeting
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Monday, February 15
No School - Presidents Day
Thursday, February 18
Murray PTO Meeting
5:00pm - 6:15pm
Monday, March 1
Murray PACT Meeting
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Wednesday, March 10
No School for Students - Professional Day
Friday, March 12 - Sunday, March 14
School Musical
Thursday, March 18
Family/Teacher Conferences
Tuesday, March 23
Family/Teacher Conferences
Monday, March 29
Murray PTO Meeting
5:00pm - 6:15pm
Friday, April 2
End of Third Quarter
Monday, April 5 - Friday, April 9
No School - Spring Break
Monday, April 12
Murray PACT Meeting
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Saturday, April 24
State History Day
Thursday, April 29
Murray PTO Meeting
5:00pm - 6:15pm
Monday, May 3
Murray PACT Meeting
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Monday, May 17
No School for Students - Staff Development
Monday, May 24
Murray PTO Meeting
5:00pm - 6:15pm
Thursday, May 27
Spring Band/Orchestra Concert
5:30pm
Monday, May 31
No School - Memorial Day
Thursday, June 10
8th Grade Recognition
9:30am & 1:30pm
Friday, June 11
6th Grade Awards - 10:00am
7th Grade Awards - 1:30pm
8th Grade Valleyfair