Mary M. Knight Family Newsletter

Dear Mary M. Knight Families,

As we begin our fourth week of school, we are moving into an important part of the year.

The opening weeks are about establishing routines, learning expectations, building relationships, and getting everyone moving in the same direction. But eventually, the question changes from “What are we supposed to do?” to “Is this becoming how we do things?”

That is where culture begins.

Last week, we talked about Ownership—students increasingly recognizing their choices, responding to feedback, and making adjustments without always needing an adult to do the thinking for them. This week, I have seen examples of that growth throughout our school.

I have seen a student choose to retake an assessment because they knew they could do better. I have seen an entire class recognize they were behind, take ownership, and work together to get caught up. I have seen students finish their own work and immediately look around to see who else might need help. I have seen students intentionally welcome classmates and help people feel like they belong.

Those moments matter.

Our fall i-Ready and STAR benchmark window also wrapped up Friday, giving our staff an important starting point for understanding where students are academically and where we can provide additional challenge, intervention, and support. In classroom visits this week, I continued seeing teachers making learning expectations clear, providing students feedback, intentionally engaging students in the work, and using calm, restorative redirection when students needed a reset.

That is what GRIT with Intentional Excellence begins to look like—not one big moment, but many small choices made consistently.

It also connects directly to our CharacterStrong focus for September: Respect.

Respect means seeing value in people and things and treating them with care. The real test of Respect is not when everything is easy. It is how we respond when we disagree, when we are frustrated, when we are corrected, when we compete, or when someone around us needs something different than we do.

Our goal is for our OWLS to increasingly recognize:

My choices affect me. My choices affect others. My choices help create the culture of our school.

As families, one simple question can help continue that conversation at home this week:

“What did you do today that made MMK better for someone else?”

Week four is where the excitement of starting school begins turning into the habits that will carry us through the year.

Let’s keep building those habits together.

With OWL Pride,
Mr. Stoney
K–12 Principal

Ownership + Respect

This week, consider going a little deeper than “How was school?” and asking your child about the choices they are making within their school community.

Try a few of these questions:

• When did you show Respect today, even when it was difficult?
• What is something you handled this week without needing to be reminded?
• Did you help someone, include someone, or make someone feel welcome today?
• Was there a time you disagreed with someone? How did you handle it?
• What is one choice you can make tomorrow that will make your classroom or school better?

The goal is not a perfect answer. It is helping students build the habit of reflecting on how their choices impact themselves and the people around them.

Monday, September 14

• Middle School Volleyball @ Lake Quinault — 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, September 15

• High School Volleyball @ Wishkah — 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, September 16

• Late Start — School begins at 9:00 a.m.
• Middle School Flag Football vs. Oakville — Home, 4:30 p.m.
• Middle School Volleyball vs. Wishkah — Home, 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, September 17

• High School Volleyball vs. Wahkiakum — Home, 6:00 p.m.

Friday, September 18

• High School Volleyball @ Chief Kitsap Academy — 5:45 p.m.

Saturday, September 19

• High School Football vs. Taholah — Home, 1:00 p.m.

Our fall i-Ready and STAR benchmark window wrapped up on Friday.

These beginning-of-year assessments give our teachers an important baseline. They help us understand what students already know, identify areas of strength, and determine where students may need additional instruction, intervention, or challenge.

The important part comes next.

Our staff will use this information alongside classroom work, teacher observations, and other formative information to make instructional decisions and help students continue growing.

Thank you to our students for the effort they gave and to our families for helping students arrive ready to learn. Benchmark data is one piece of the picture—not a label—and our focus will always remain on growth and what comes next.

Friday afternoon was a great opportunity for us to come together as one school community for our Fall Sports Pep Assembly.

We recognized our middle and high school volleyball, football, and cheer programs, celebrated our student-athlete OWLS, and brought some friendly competition into the gym through grade-level activities.

Pep assemblies are fun, but there is also something bigger behind them.

Athletics provide another opportunity for students to develop teamwork, resilience, leadership, commitment, sportsmanship, and school pride. They also give the rest of us an opportunity to practice Respect by supporting one another, celebrating effort, competing appropriately, and recognizing what our classmates are accomplishing.

Thank you to our coaches, athletes, cheerleaders, students, and staff for making Friday a great celebration of OWL Pride.

Go OWLS!

The MMK Owls Sports Booster Club Annual Harvest Dinner & Auction is coming Saturday, October 3!

Join us for a great evening of food, community, and support for our 2026–27 MMK student-athletes.

Saturday, October 3, 2026

• MMK School Gym
• Ham & Turkey Dinner — $10 per plate
• Dinner begins at 5:00 p.m.
• Silent Auction begins at 5:00 p.m.
• Live Auction begins at 6:30 p.m.

There will be plenty of great auction items and opportunities to support our OWLS throughout the evening.

Bring your family. Bring your friends. Come hungry and ready to bid.

Every event like this strengthens the opportunities available to our student-athletes and helps build the future of MMK athletics.

Follow the MMK Owls Sports Booster Club on Facebook for auction updates and sneak peeks as October 3 gets closer.

Great food. Great auction items. A great night supporting our OWLS.

SUPPORT OUR OWLS. BUILD OUR FUTURE.

Our Mary M. Knight PTO is looking to grow its membership and expand the number of families and community members involved in supporting our students and school.

There are many ways to help, and you do not have to take on everything to make a difference. PTO is specifically looking for volunteers who would be willing to help with one of the following areas:

• Concessions Committee — Help organize and coordinate concessions for Volleyball, Basketball, and Baseball games.
• Fundraising & Donations Committee — Help plan fundraisers and connect with local businesses and community partners for donations and support.
• Events Committee — Help brainstorm, organize, and run PTO events for students, families, and the MMK community.

PTO is also looking for family input on the best days and times to hold meetings so that more people have an opportunity to participate.

Whether you can help occasionally, serve on a committee, or simply attend meetings and share ideas, your involvement matters. A strong PTO helps create more opportunities for our students and strengthens the connection between our school, families, and community.

Interested in Getting Involved?

Contact PTO at:

Email: pto@mmk.wednet.edu
Text: (360) 470-4732
Robert: Call or text (360) 358-1765

We would love to see more MMK families get connected and involved this year.

Our MMK Food Service Team has added something special to the menu this year: Student's Choice Breakfast & Lunch Days!

Throughout the school year, students who are noticed going above and beyond—showing kindness, helping others, stepping up without being asked, or simply making MMK a better place—may be selected to choose one of their favorite meals for our Food Service Team to serve.

Our first Student's Choice Breakfast was selected by Elsie, and her choice was a good one: waffles!

Elsie was recognized because she consistently greets both students and staff positively and in a way that helps people feel welcome.

Sometimes the actions that make the biggest difference are also the simplest. A smile, a greeting, or intentionally acknowledging another person communicates:

I see you. You matter. You belong here.

That is Respect in action.

Great job, Elsie—and great choice on the waffles!

We look forward to recognizing more OWLS throughout the year and seeing what they choose for their special breakfast or lunch.

Respect When It Matters Most

Throughout September, our CharacterStrong lessons continue focusing on Respect: seeing value in people and things and treating them with care.

This week, we want to move that idea from simply knowing the definition to recognizing what it looks like during everyday situations.

At school, Respect can look like:

• Listening when someone else is speaking.
• Disagreeing without becoming disrespectful.
• Taking care of classrooms, equipment, and shared spaces.
• Accepting a correction, making the adjustment, and moving forward.
• Including someone who may feel left out.
• Competing hard while still showing sportsmanship.
• Speaking to others in a way that preserves their dignity.

Respect becomes especially important during moments of frustration or disagreement. Students do not have to agree with everyone. They do need to learn how to navigate differences appropriately.

This Week's Family Respect Challenge

Choose one evening this week and spend 10–15 minutes device-free as a family.

Then ask:

“When was it difficult to show Respect today, and what did you choose to do?”

Those conversations help students recognize that Respect is not simply something we expect at school—it is a skill they can carry into friendships, families, teams, workplaces, and life.

See the value. Show the care. Practice Respect.

We also want to provide families with a brief follow-up regarding the partial power outage MMK experienced Wednesday, September 9.

The outage occurred when one of the three phases supplying power to our campus failed. PUD #3 determined that an underground power line originally installed in 1981 had failed.

Initially, we understood that completing the repair would require shutting down power to both buildings, including essential building systems. Based on that information, an early school closure notification was sent to families.

Further investigation by the PUD crew then determined that MMK could safely continue operating on generator power while repairs were completed. We therefore rescinded the closure notification and continued the school day.

The damaged underground line was fully repaired at approximately 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, and the campus returned to normal operations Thursday.

We recognize that the change in information created confusion for families, and we appreciate everyone's patience and flexibility as the situation developed. Our priority throughout was maintaining student and staff safety while communicating updated information as quickly as possible.

Thank you again for your understanding.

One of the best parts of each week is getting the opportunity to recognize students who are demonstrating the habits and character we want to continue building at MMK.

A few of this week's featured OWLS include:

Emmett Cruz-Vizena | 6th Grade
Emmett was not satisfied with an i-Ready score, chose to retake it, and improved. That is self-directed Ownership—recognizing that you can do better and deciding to do something about it.

Dallas Rumsey | 5th Grade
Dallas is new to MMK and is already helping create a welcoming environment for others, using humor and warmth to help classmates who may be feeling shy or unsure feel included.

Aaliyah McCartney | 3rd Grade
Aaliyah consistently finishes her own responsibilities and then begins looking for classmates she can help. That combination of Ownership and care for others is something worth celebrating.

Bella Buck | 12th Grade
Bella continues demonstrating consistency through her leadership, academics, athletics, and daily follow-through. Showing up consistently is one of the most important forms of leadership.

Donna Richards | 10th Grade
Donna demonstrated perseverance through a challenging Geometry writing task and found a way to connect the learning to her own experience with horse training. Finding a way through something difficult is GRIT in action.

Avery Lohman | 7th Grade
Avery quietly models strong habits by being ready to begin, following through, and helping make sure things are taken care of when an activity is over.

We also celebrate all of the students recognized this week for Growth, Resilience, Intensity, Tenacity, Ownership, kindness, leadership, and helping make MMK a better place.

Keep noticing the good, OWLS.

It is another full week of fall athletics for our OWLS, with our middle school volleyball and flag football teams joining our high school volleyball and football teams in competition.

Monday, September 14
Middle School Volleyball @ Lake Quinault — 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, September 15
High School Volleyball @ Wishkah — 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, September 16
Middle School Flag Football vs. Oakville — Home, 4:30 p.m.
Middle School Volleyball vs. Wishkah — Home, 5:30 p.m.

Thursday, September 17
High School Volleyball vs. Wahkiakum — Home, 6:00 p.m.

Friday, September 18
High School Volleyball @ Chief Kitsap Academy — 5:45 p.m.

Saturday, September 19
High School Football vs. Taholah — Home, 1:00 p.m.

Come out, support our student-athletes, and help us create a positive environment that represents MMK with pride.

GO OWLS!

We are excited to share that our 2026 Fall Sports photos, generously provided by Shawna Whelan, are now available.

Even better, the photos are FREE for families to download

From team photos to action shots and memories from throughout the season, Shawna has done an outstanding job capturing our OWLS.

Full Fall Sports Photo Album:
[Insert Flickr album link from social-media post]

A huge thank-you to Shawna for investing her time and talent in our students and making these photographs available to our athletes, families, and community.

Be sure to check out the album and save some memories from the 2026 fall season!