Murray Pilots

Performance art is about joy, about making something that is so full of kind of a wild joy that you really can't put it into words. Laurie Anderson

Murray continues a strong tradition this weekend of producing a spring musical and shining a spotlight on our Murray Pilot performers. We are proud to welcome all community members to Cinderella! Please come join us as our students showcase their talents in acting, singing, set making, comedic timing and just being overall great Pilots! Murray is hosting three shows beginning tonight at 7PM, Saturday at 7PM and Sunday at 2PM.

This will be my 13th Murray musical that I have been to experience. There are many memories I have over the years, but one of my favorites is how emotional the students are when the weekend comes to a close. This is because they have spent months, days and countless hours preparing to pour their hearts out on stage and at the same time are building lasting lifelong memories with their classmates. I want to thank our staff, families and community members that have been hard at work supporting this wonderful tradition. We are truly grateful for this gift of an opportunity and are hopeful that you can come out to see one of our three shows!

Celebrations:

#Pilotprops of the week! Mr. Hodgson would like to celebrate Craig Dyar. Craig makes awesomeness look easy. But it's not easy. It takes kindness, curiosity, attention to the thoughts and feelings of others, patience and perseverance. In his time at Murray, Craig has established himself as a responsible student in class and a friendly presence in the halls. We're lucky to have Craig as a Murray Pilot!

#Pilotprops of the week! Ms. Quam would like to celebrate Thuan Pham. Thuan is a vocabulary whiz, who is also a school leader and always willing to tutor peers. Thuan utilizes every moment of class to work on improving his skills in all classes. Recently, Thuan has added "jack-of-all-trades" to his current list of skills, as he has become very adept at fixing school furniture, when given the proper tools! Awesome work Thuan!

#Pilotprops of the week! Ms. Williams would like to celebrate Iris Thormodsgaard. Iris is a rockstar student who puts forth her best effort and is super kind and caring-an excellent Murray Pilot!

Your Co-Pilot,

Jamin McKenzie

Principal, Murray Middle School

Sixth Grade

English Language Arts with Ms. Williams and Ms. Carter:

Sixth grade is in the middle of a persuasive writing unit, learning about advertising techniques and creating a PSA video on a social issue they care about. We will transition into persuasive writing with an essay about a short story or novel. Readers Workshop finds 6th graders wrapping up one book club and beginning another with our eye on social issues in our fiction stories.

Seventh Grade

Life Science with Ms. Dooley and Mr. Altringer:

We are continuing our study of genetics and are moving into how plants pass on their genes. Students began the study by isolating DNA from strawberries. Next up: looking at traits that are either passed on from one parent - asexual reproduction, and traits that are more influenced by environmental factors.

Eighth Grade

Global Studies with Ms. Croone:

We are currently studying about the Middle East and wow, is there a lot going to talk about and connect to our studies!

Students advancing to Regional History Day are also busy working on their projects to get them competition ready. Come and support our Murray kids on Saturday, March 28 at Harding High School.

Physical Science with Ms. Dooley and Ms. Atkinson:

We are nearing the end of our Forces at a Distance unit - magnets and electromagnets. We will end the unit by studying different factors that affect the forces between magnets. Next up: going deeper into the devices that can switch currents for electrical systems quickly - digital vs analog signals.

National Junior Honor Society

The Birthday Cake Project will be the Spring Service Project we will be working on. There will be a Bake Sale on Thursday, March 19 from 4-7pm and Thursday, April 16 from 4-7pm at Murray Middle School Main Entrance. All proceeds will be used to purchase supplies to build the birthday cake boxes that will be donated to a local food pantry.

A Message from Anita Severt (Murray Parent)

Hello Murray families,

I am working with Murray PTO to help provide some love, in the form of food and treats, to teachers and staff during conferences this year. Please consider donating any amount towards this effort. Cash and check donations can be given to Stefanie Folkema in the main office. To make things really easy, feel free to send Venmo donations @Anita-Severt (last four of phone number- 4824) with “Murray PTO” in comment line. All money raised will go towards meals and treats for teachers and staff. Any remaining funds will be donated to Murray PTO. Thank you for joining me in this teacher appreciation effort.

Sincerely,

Anita Severt

(6th grade family)

PS-conferences are right around the corner, March 19th and April 16th. Please send in donations ASAP.

ATHLETICS

Spring Sports: Baseball, Girls’ Badminton, Softball, Track & Field
Please register on Arbiter:
https://students.arbitersports.com/st-paul-murray-middle-school

Conferences
Thursday, March 19th / 4:00pm - 7:00pm
Thursday, April 16th / 4:00pm - 7:00pm
Information and sign-up: https://murray.spps.org/families/conferences

EDL

Greetings from Extended Day Learning (EDL) Program! Our second session is well underway and has been a huge success. The cooking class that started in February has been well received with many students requesting a chance to join. This class has a cap on the number of students that can enroll. This cap has been met and cooking is currently closed. I am hoping that we can offer cooking in the first session and the second session next year. Ms. Tina and Mr. Karwand have done a great job with the cooking class. The cooking class has been such a success that even some of our administrators have gotten involved with this class by having students make recipes that have meaning to them.

The Murray cooking class does have a wish list on Amazon to help ensure that we have all the equipment we need to have a sustainable program that stays at Murray. Thank you to all who have donated to this cause. It is an opportunity I am excited that we can offer our Murray Pilots,

Murray Cooking Amazon wishlist

Another change in Murray's EDL classes in the second session in Ms. Newman is focusing on History Day the second session and Ms. Bornholdt has taken over the knitting class.

I want to give a huge shout out to all of the teachers who have taught classes this year in EDL. The EDL teachers together with the students are the backbone of our EDL program.

Our spring musical will be performed on Friday, March 13 at 7:00 pm; Saturday, March 14 at 7:00 pm; and Sunday, March 15 at 2:00 pm. The cast and crew have been working hard on this production. Break a Leg!!

There are a couple of dates to remember coming up for EDL. There will be no EDL classes on Thursday, March 19 and Thursday, April 16 because conferences will be held on these days. May 21 is the last day that Murray EDL meets for the 2025/2026 school year.

Thank you for all of your support.

Lise Ciancio
Murray EDL Site Lead

Murray Middle Presents...
Cinderella; Youth Edition
Performances will be:

Friday, March 13th, 7:00PM
Saturday, March 14th, 7:00PM
Sunday, March 15th, 2:00PM

Picture Day

School Pictures are Ready!

View and order at https://shop.jostenspix.com/login
MURRAY MIDDLE SCHOOL· Event Code: FE33325

Yearbook

https://www.jostens.com/yearbooks/high-school-yearbooks.html
Deadline to purchase online: May 29, 2026

Counselor's Corner

Here are a few announcements from our counseling team. As a reminder, here is our contact information:

· Ms. Justine Revermann - justine.revermann@spps.org - 651-243-4663 ext. 744052: Student last names A-L

· Ms. Lisa Engelstad – lisa.engelstad@spps.org - 651-243-4663 ext. 745675: Student last names M-Z

Current 6th and 7th grade families:
We have elective preference registration dates set for April. More information, including a course guide, will be coming soon once our electives are decided on for next year. Please know scheduling is complicated so no classes are guaranteed, and are all dependent on the master schedule and our capacity in classes.

April 13 week - Foundations teachers will go over elective options with their classes of 6th and 7th graders
April 20 week - 7th grade registration in science classes during the school day
April 28 - 6th grade registration in science classes during the school day

8th grade families: Please make these registration dates a priority as all students need to register for high school courses.

Como Park High School Registration: Tuesday, April 14 from 5-7 PM at Como Park High School

Registration form: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rd72sjzqniDumwDqLLjdwB23ILAhBGHKKzesEGo8h5g/edit?usp=sharing
Registration Info: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZtI3tyMPejiQdh3S1bqeD44fN0o8oXmyDXQ3W0hUJuU/edit?usp=sharing

Central High School Registration: Thursday, April 24

If you need to make an update to your child's high school enrollment, contact the placement center at spc@spps.org or 651-632-3760.

Every Meal:

We have a partnership with EveryMeal and students can pick up free food bags to take home. More information and sign up on the link here: https://forms.gle/JYus6pV3yRTN7ByQ6.

Internet Hot Spots:

Here's a resource for internet hot spots to check if you're eligible: https://www.tmobile.com/brand/project-10-million

Murray PTO Website

Click here to see the latest PTO Newsletter

Murray Highlights Form

Please share some positive messages to be posted on the PTO Website and shared with the Murray staff. Please click here.

PTO Newsletter Archives

January #1

January #2

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, April 20th

Monday, May 18th