Marie Murphy Principal Message

April 22, 2025

Marie Murphy Tier 1 Grading Review: Part 1 – Building a More Aligned Approach

We are excited to share the beginning of an important journey at the middle school, exploring how we can strengthen our Tier 1 grading practices through a more standards-based lens. This is the first in a three-part series designed to keep our families informed about the conversations and work underway. To best serve our students, our team is reviewing over two decades of research that highlights the benefits of standards-focused grading practices, those that more clearly communicate what students know and are able to do.

We recently shared a brief presentation with the PTC, and we will continue to keep our parent community updated as we move forward. It's important to note that we are not planning to shift to a fully standards-based report card. Instead, we will maintain our current traditional A/B/C/D/F system while working to align our reporting system around research-based, equitable, and transparent grading practices.

I will host a parent night on ZOOM to discuss this shift on May 6th 6:00-6:30pm. This will be recorded and can be shared out after if you are unable to attend. More information will be shared in my next newsletter about this parent education event.

Thank you for your partnership as we take thoughtful steps toward improving how we support every student’s learning journey.

Principal Ryan

Outstanding Attendance for IAR Testing. Thank You!

We are thrilled to share that we had outstanding attendance during our IAR testing days! A huge thank you goes out to our amazing parents and guardians for your support in getting students to school for four days in a row. Because of your commitment, we only had 8 make-up tests to complete, an achievement that is truly unheard of!

We cannot thank you enough for partnering with us to ensure students were present and ready to do their best. Your dedication makes a big difference.

Thank you!

News from the PTC

Teacher Appreciation Week: Please Help!

Volunteer: Sign up to bring desserts to treat our teachers for the PTC staff luncheon during teacher appreciation week! The all-staff lunch will be on Wednesday, May 7th. This is the sign up genius for the Marie Murphy lunch.

Silent Auction Information

Bid in the PTC silent auction! Thank you to Dana Burris for putting together this huge list of items that community members and businesses have donated! Bidding starts this Friday April 25th at 8pm and closes Saturday May 10th at 8pm. Also, if willing, forward the auction link to your respective communities - people who are not at Avoca are more than welcome to bid. If you have family in the area who would be interested in donating to the school and get discounted items, this would be a great way! Auction link: www.32auctions.com/avoca25.

Movie Night @ MM

Join us for movie night on Friday, May 5th at 6:15pm! The 3rd graders have voted for the Dogman movie and it will be shown in the Marie Murphy gymnasium.

Look for a ticket form in your student's backpacks this week.
This is NOT a drop-off event and parents must accompany all children.
Through the form, pre-order your Lou Malnati pizza.
One ticket gets you a complimentary bag of popcorn but you can also bring extra cash for concessions and more popcorn.
Bring a blanket or lawn-chairs to spread out on the gym floor so you can eat and watch in comfort.
Email hazel6242@gmail.com to volunteer at the event.

Community News

Marie Murphy Confidential Incident Reporting Form

If a student or parent needs to report a school incident to the principal, please consider completing this form. Submissions can be sent anonymously.

Lunch Menu

FDmealpnner is our live website that shows changes made to the menu each month and includes nutritional values and allergens. Click here to explore the most up-to-date menu for your student's lunch. The monthly PDF might not hold the most up-to-date information of offerings for the day.