Murray Pilots
September 18, 2026
You’re off to great places. Today is your first day! Your mountain is waiting, so get on your way! Dr. Suess
We are off to a great start and are excited for what’s to come! Our WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) students did a fabulous job onboarding our 6th graders and getting them excited about their new school. Our staff are prioritizing relationships and community building to emphasize the importance of community in the classroom. Our families helped to organize their students and give them the love and encouragement to succeed. These are just a few of the many examples of how we are all standing shoulder to shoulder working to help our Pilot scholars flourish.
I am proud to share that we may have set a Murray record for fall sports participation with over 140 students currently hitting the fields and court. Our Extended Day Learning program will begin soon and we look forward to continuing this high level of participation with all of the extra-curricular enrichment opportunities that we have to offer.
I want to thank all of our Murray families for your partnership and support as we begin our journey and work to raise our Pilots up to their fullest potential!
Celebrations:
#Pilotprops of the week! Ms. Revermann would like to celebrate Josiah Harris. Josiah has been an amazing Murray Pilot for 3 years. He's been working hard to be his very best self, with academics and life! He is a gentle and kind leader and is mindful of how to be inclusive to all students. Josiah makes our community better every day, and is someone teachers love to have in their classes. Keep up the wonderful work, Josiah!
Your Co-Pilot,
Jamin McKenzie
Principal, Murray Middle School
One child, one teacher, one book, one pen can change the world. Malala Yousafzai
Hello, my name is Jamin McKenzie and I am the proud principal here at Murray Middle School. Welcome to a new school year, Pilots! I am in this business because I love working with kids. Seeing all of those smiles and all of that excitement as students and staff are walking in to start a new school year is something I look forward to every fall. With a new school year comes all of the unknowns, the new discoveries, the numerous challenges, the endless questions and the new relationships. These are all of the things that make working in education the best job in the world!
I am entering my 25th year in Saint Paul Public Schools and my 14th year at Murray. I began my career as a science teacher at Battle Creek Middle School and still have a love of everything astronomy. My family consists of my wonderful wife Lisa and our twin children Jadon and Isabelle, who are 19 years old and attending college. Our family enjoys time at the family cabin and golfing together.
I am excited to begin a new school year as I continue to serve our Murray community. As a staff, we are very fortunate to have such a dedicated community and to be educating your young scholars. We thank you for this opportunity and we look forward to another great year!
Welcome to all and …Go Pilots!
Hello, my name is Soraya Folley, and my journey with SPPS started in 2013. I taught French Immersion social studies and French language at Hidden River Middle School for seven years. I also had the chance to witness firsthand the great work that the Office of College and Career Readiness is doing to prepare SPPS students for life after high school through the Career Pathways initiative. When the Early Childhood Hubs were launched, I had the privilege to work as an administrator alongside an amazing team whose mission is to prepare our young learners for their K-12 experience. Most recently, I taught ELL at Washington Tech. High School.
I have a BA in French from the University of Algiers, and I am a proud Saint Cloud State University alumnus with a MA in Teaching English as a Second Language and a K-12 Principal license.
I was born and raised in Algiers, Algeria, lived fifteen years in Paris, France, and now call Minnesota home after a move to the US in 2008. I am a parent to an amazing daughter who is studying in Barcelona, Spain, and needless to say that I never miss an opportunity to go see her when I get the chance.
I look forward to serving the Murray Community. I will serve Murray’s students, staff, families, and stakeholders with the utmost respect, integrity, hard work, and unwavering commitment.
My name is Ma’lene Walker, and I am thrilled to join the Murray Middle School community!
My career in education spans more than 25 years, serving as an Elementary and Middle School Teacher, PBIS Intervention Specialist, Behavior Intervention Specialist, EDL Site Leader, Restorative Practices Program Coordinator, and Assistant Principal.
I am a proud product of Saint Paul Public Schools and the mother of three children who all attended school in the SPPS district. I am also the very proud grandmother to one wonderful grandson! Away from school, I enjoy fishing, soul line dancing, spending quality time with my family, and exploring new foods—I'm a self-proclaimed foodie who loves a great savory dish.
I maintain an open-door policy and look forward to building strong, positive relationships with our students, families, and the vibrant Murray community.
A Message from Lauren Renner & Anita Severt (Murray Parents)
Hello Murray Community!
Our names are Lauren Renner and Anita Severt. We coordinate meals and treats for the staff during conferences. With your generosity in the past, we have been able to host two meals and some other special treats throughout the year. We would love to do it again this year. The staff are so grateful. Our goal is to raise enough money to cover conference meals and some snacks/treats. All of the money collected goes directly to feeding the staff, and any leftover funds are donated back to the Murray PTA at the end of the school year.
If you are so inclined, please send your donation via Venmo @Lauren-Renner-1 (last four digits-9348) or have your Murray student bring cash/check to Stefanie Folkema in the main office. To help with bookkeeping, please mention Murray Conference Dinners when sending via Venmo. I will in turn like your donation, so you know it has been received. We will be collecting funds now through the end of September. Please consider making a donation to this special cause.
ATHLETICS
Fall Sports: Boys' Soccer, Flag Football, Girls' Soccer, Volleyball
Please register on Bound:
Murray's game schedule page
Registration - Activities
Conferences
Thursday, October 8th / 4:00pm - 7:00pm
Tuesday, October 13th / 4:00pm - 7:00pm
Information and sign-up: https://murray.spps.org/families/conferences
Extended Day Learning (EDL)
It’s that time again!!
26/27 Murray EDL Registration
Parents and students, welcome back to another year of Extended Day Learning (EDL) here at Murray! I am excited about this year. We had such a great turn out for last year’s program that I hope we reach that level or higher this year.
My name is Ms. Ciancio (See-on-see-oh) and I am the site lead for the Murray Extended Day Learning (EDL) program. This is my third year of being Murray’s site leader.
Murray’s EDL will continue to meet on Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Classes will start on October 20, 2026 and run through May 20, 2026.
Many of our classes are staying the same with favorites such as the spring musical, robotics, Dungeons and Dragons, and cooking returning this year. There is one change with the cooking class. It was so popular last year and filled up fast; however, to ensure the safety of our students, the class was capped at 25 students which meant a number of students that wanted to take the class could not. Additionally, since the class didn’t start until the spring, students in spring sports did not have the opportunity to join the class. Here is where the change in cooking is happening…. Cooking will be offered in two sessions, one in the fall for students in spring sports and others to join and one session in the spring for students in fall sports, robotics, and other activities to have the opportunity to join the cooking class. I have also had interest from several people to teach the class, so the two sessions will look different as each session could have a different person/people teaching it. Please be aware that there is a safety/behavior contract that needs to be signed for students to participate in the cooking class. This form will be sent home with students enrolled in cooking on the first day the class meets.
Current classes for EDL are as follows:
First Tech Challenge (robotics - open only to 7th and 8th grade/fall session only)
Lego League (robotics - open to all students/fall session only)
Cooking (two sessions - one in the fall and one in the spring)
Knitting/Needlepoint
Theatre (spring musical - performance portion)
Crew/Crew (spring musical - craft portion: non-performance)
Dungeons and Dragons
I am also excited to give a huge shout out to the Murray PTO for writing a grant to help support the cooking class. This is a huge win for Murray.
Transportation is always a question with both EDL and athletics. I am able to offer transportation to athletes on the days EDL meets. However, I cannot guarantee that there will be a bus stop for athletes. Transportation stops are created only for EDL students, but if a stop exists near an athlete’s house, the athlete can ride the bus. I know this is a little confusing and inequitable; however, the bus is paid for by the committee that pays for EDL.
I am always looking for class ideas, so if you have an idea for a class please let me know.
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.
I look forward to a great year of EDL at Murray!
Respectfully,
Lise Ciancio
· 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)
Picture Day
September 23rd