District News

Patton students visited the School Board meeting last night to share information about the WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) Leadership project at the middle school.  WEB leaders showed photos and explained the project that’s intended to help sixth graders feel connected to the school community throughout the year. The more than 50 WEB Leaders each have…

The results are in from the first-ever Smarter Balanced Assessment in English/Language Arts and Mathematics.The new data, culled from assessments that were completed last school year, are aligned with Common Core State Standards.  Students in the district exceeded Oregon state averages across the board. Additionally, McMinnville High School students earned over 9,700 college credits last…

Three McMinnville middle school students have been selected to participate in the 2016 Oregon Music Education Association Young Women Middle School Honor Choir. The students, Duniway’s Kylie Timberlake and Patton’s Mara Cruz and Evelyn Dickey, will be part of 125-member middle school young women’s choir made up from students from around the state. These students…

McMinnville School District’s three-part Ready for Kindergarten workshops kicked off this month with sessions at Buel and Wascher elementary schools. Targeted to parents with children ages birth to five years old (Buel) and ages four to five (Wascher), the workshops are designed to help parent participants prepare children with the early learning skills needed to…

McMinnville High School (MHS) math teacher Pam Canady was a finalist for the 2016 Teacher of the Year.  The honor was announced by Oregon Department of Education Deputy Superintendent Salam Noor at a schoolwide assembly today in the high school gym. Statewide, more than 28,000 teachers make a difference for children in Oregon every day. …

For the first time, Duniway has performed its Days of Service project in the fall.  In its third year, the program involves all students in a variety of ways from clearing invasive species from local parks and trails to volunteering in elementary school classrooms to sorting donations for distribution to area food pantries. This year,…

McMinnville High School’s InvenTeam has won a $10,000 grant to develop a temporary housing platform for use after a natural disaster.  The award was announced today from the Lemelson-MIT Program, a national initiative to inspire young people to solve real-world problems through invention. Selected from a national pool of school applicants, the inventions are intended…

Last night, Columbus teachers Reid Kimura and Eric Svec demonstrated Whole Brain Teaching strategies for the School Board, with the help of some student helpers. Columbus students paired with board members to show how Whole Brain Teaching works, a method designed to engage multiple parts of the brain to help children learn. ​In other business,…

This morning at approximately 10:15, the McMinnville School District participated in the “The Great Oregon ShakeOut,” a statewide earthquake preparation drill. “We hope the big earthquake never happens,” said Jack Crabtree, District Safety manager for the McMinnville schools.  “But if it does, being prepared is the best way to keep students and staff safe.” All…

McMinnville High School (MHS) students placed sixth as a team in the Lower Willamette District FFA Soils Contest.  Team members (from left) include Luis Garibaldo, Kaylyn Clevenger, Hailey Ginther, Marina Nash and Taylor Ames. Junior Kaylyn Clevenger placed ninth in the beginning soils contest. The competition involves evaluating soil texture and structure by viewing and…