Known. Valued. Challenged. Prepared.

As we begin our third week of the 2026–2027 school year, the rhythms of school are starting to settle in. Students are learning their schedules, classrooms are establishing routines, fall activities are underway, and our staff is moving from preparing for the year to doing the daily work of helping students learn and grow.

During our August in-service, we introduced a simple theme to help guide our work this year: Known. Valued. Challenged. Prepared.

Four simple words, but together they capture what we want every student to experience at McKenzie.

Known. Being a small school gives us an incredible opportunity to truly know our students. That means more than knowing a student’s name or what grade they are in. We want to understand their strengths, interests, goals and challenges, as well as what helps them succeed. Every student should have adults at McKenzie who recognize when they are doing well and notice when something isn’t quite right.

Valued. We want students to know that their presence matters. Their ideas matter. Their contributions to their classroom, team, activity, and school community matter. When a student is absent, we should notice. When they have something to say, we should listen. And when they accomplish something, whether large or small, we should celebrate their growth.

Challenged. Knowing and valuing students doesn’t mean making everything easy. In fact, I believe one of the ways we demonstrate how much we value students is by believing they are capable of doing difficult things. Our job is to set high expectations, provide meaningful challenges, and then give students the instruction, encouragement, and support necessary to meet them. Sometimes learning should be hard. That’s where growth happens.

Prepared. Ultimately, our responsibility is to prepare students for what comes next. For a kindergartner, that might mean developing the skills and independence needed for first grade. For a senior, it means leaving McKenzie ready for college, a career, military service or whatever path they choose. At every grade level, we want students building the skills identified in our Graduate Portrait: Thinking Critically, Communicating Effectively and Acting Responsibly.

Known. Valued. Challenged. Prepared. began as a theme for our staff, but I think it is equally important to share it with our families and community because these words represent a commitment you should expect from us.

As the year progresses, I hope you will see these four words reflected throughout McKenzie: in our classrooms, activities and athletics, in student leadership opportunities and family partnerships, and in the way we care for one another.

Around McKenzie This Week

Week three is shaping up to be an active one. Today, our middle school volleyball team hosts Central Linn at 4:30 p.m. in the Old Gym. Tuesday, high school volleyball travels to Alsea for matches against Perrydale at 3:00 p.m. and Alsea at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday brings our monthly Board of Directors meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the District Office, while middle school volleyball and football travel to Mohawk for 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. contests.

Thursday is our annual Dental Screening, and our high school teams are back in action with volleyball traveling to Eddyville for a 6:00 p.m. match and football hosting Gilchrist at 7:00 p.m. On Friday, McKenzie will welcome staff from Blachly, Crow, Lowell, Mapleton, Marcola, and Oakridge for our first Rural Collaborative professional development day of the year. We are especially excited to welcome Lowell and Oakridge to the Collaborative as we continue building opportunities for educators in our small rural schools to learn alongside colleagues doing similar work.

Finally, Saturday our middle and high school cross-country teams head to Lane Community College for the NW Classic.

Interested in Substituting at McKenzie?

As we begin the new school year, we are also looking to expand our pool of substitute teachers. Having reliable substitutes is incredibly important in a small district. It allows us to keep students learning when a teacher is absent while providing our staff the ability to attend professional development, collaborate with colleagues, or simply stay home when they are ill.

You don’t necessarily need to be a licensed teacher to help. Community members who hold a bachelor’s degree may be eligible to obtain a Restricted Substitute Teaching License and serve as substitute teachers in our schools. If you’ve ever thought about working with students, supporting your local school, or simply becoming more involved at McKenzie, we would love to hear from you.

For more information about becoming a substitute teacher at McKenzie, please contact Niki Jones at the District Office at 541-822-3338.

It will be a busy week, and a pretty good example of just how many different experiences make up an education at McKenzie.

Whether students are learning in a classroom, competing on a court, running a cross-country course, or simply navigating another day of growing up, our goal remains the same:

Know them. Value them. Challenge them. Prepare them.

That’s the work, and we’re excited to continue it together.