Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast

Happy Friday! Thank you for a strong week of teaching and learning. Early November is when the energy of fall gives way to the steady work of the second nine weeks, and our classrooms have stayed focused through it. That steady work is what moves us toward our three performance targets: continued academic growth, attendance at or above 93.5 percent, and improvement in behavior and school climate....

Happy Friday! Thank you for a fun and meaningful week. Between Red Ribbon Week and our Halloween activities, our students had plenty of reasons to smile, from dress-up days and the Red Ribbon Week Pep Rally to costumes and classroom celebrations. Activities like these are not a break from learning. They support it in a different way, building the positive culture and sense of belonging that help s...

Happy Friday! Thank you for another busy and productive week at Mena Public Schools! Although we had just four instructional days this week, there was certainly no shortage of activity across our district. Along with the important work happening in our classrooms, we had the opportunity to host the 4A North Regional Volleyball Tournament at the Union Bank Center. Events like this require tremendou...

Happy Friday! Thank you for a strong start to the second quarter as we work toward our performance targets . Last week, we took an honest look at our first-quarter attendance and behavior numbers, and this week our work turned toward the people behind those numbers. Our elementary teachers spent time face to face with families, our classrooms continue with expectations, and our buildings began the...

Happy Friday! Thank you for all that you have done this week as we come close to the end of the first quarter. Nine weeks ago, we set out with three performance targets : continued academic growth, attendance at or above 93.5 percent, and improvement in behavior and school climate. A full quarter is long enough to show patterns, so this week I want to look closely at two of those targets and compa...

Happy Friday! Thank you for another good week. Coming off homecoming and a professional development day, our buildings settled right back into the work, and that steady return to routine is what keeps us moving toward our three performance targets : continued academic growth, attendance at or above 93.5 percent, and improvement in behavior and school climate. This week’s Wrap-up is about two kinds...

Happy Friday! Thank you for another strong week. Last week our report card showed what focused instruction can do, and it showed that an A is only 11.69 points away. This week I want to talk about something underneath every one of those numbers: how we communicate with families. None of our three performance targets - academic growth, attendance at or above 93.5 percent, and improved behavior and...

Happy Friday! Thank you for another week of good, hard work. Six weeks in, our routines are holding, our classrooms are settled, and the instruction we are seeing is purposeful and paced. A particular thank-you goes to everyone who gave time beyond the school day this week. Our elementary staff has been hosting grade-level parent meetings, and our middle school and high school staff held parent-te...

Before anything else, today marked twenty-five years since September 11, 2001. Patriot Day is not among the state's required instructional observances, so how the day was handled belonged to each of you, and I am grateful for the care you gave it. Every student in our buildings was born after that morning, which means the adults in our schools are the ones who remember it firsthand. A moment of si...

Happy Friday! Thank you for another strong week of work. Four weeks in, the routines are holding, the hallways feel settled, and the instruction we are seeing in classrooms is purposeful. That is not a small thing in early September, and it is the direct result of the preparation each of you put in before the first bell ever rang. Every fall, our district compiles its Annual Report to the Public ,...

Happy Friday! Thank you to our entire Mena Public Schools team for another strong week of collective effort toward our performance targets in academic growth, attendance, and behavior and climate. Three weeks into the year, our routines are taking hold in every classroom and in every hallway, and the relationships behind those routines are growing stronger by the day. That is what leveling up look...

Happy Friday! Thank you to every teacher, bus driver, custodian, food service worker, office staff member, paraprofessional, maintenance worker, administrator, tech team member, and volunteer for the dedication you showed throughout this second week. This week gave us the chance to move beyond the introductions and routines of the opening days. Now routines are taking hold, classrooms are settling...

Happy Friday! The first Friday of the 2026-2027 school year is here, and after another summer that felt like it passed in a blink, our campuses are once again filled with the energy that comes when students and staff return to Mena Public Schools. I want to sincerely thank every teacher, bus driver, custodian, food service worker, office employee, paraprofessional, maintenance team member, adminis...

Happy Final Friday! Once again, thank you for all you have done to finish up a good week of school and a great school year! As we close out the school year, our district performance targets give us every reason to celebrate. We set meaningful goals in attendance, school climate, and academic growth, and together our students, staff, and families rose to the challenge in impressive ways. Showing Up...

Happy Friday! Thank you for the steady work, encouragement, and professionalism you continue to bring to Mena Public Schools each day. As we move through the final stretch of the school year, I want to say again how much I appreciate the focus you have kept on our performance targets, including student learning, attendance, and school climate. This time of year allows us to reflect on progress, ce...

Happy Thursday! Thank you for the steady, professional work you bring to Mena Public Schools each day. As we move further into the closing stretch of the school year, our goals for student learning, attendance, and school climate remain in clear focus, and it is the consistent habits you carry into classrooms, hallways, buses, cafeterias, offices, and activity spaces that keep us moving in the rig...

Happy Friday! Thank you for the steady, professional work you continue to do across Mena Public Schools. As we move deeper into these final weeks of the year, our performance targets in student learning, attendance, and school climate remain in clear view, and the habits you bring each day to classrooms, hallways, offices, buses, cafeterias, and activity spaces are what keep us moving toward those...

Happy Thursday! Being out of school tomorrow brings another early Wrap-up. Thank you for the steady, professional work you continue to do across Mena Public Schools. As we move deeper into these final weeks of the year, our performance targets in student learning, attendance, and school climate remain in clear view, and the habits you bring each day to classrooms, hallways, buses, cafeterias, and...

Happy Friday! As we move deeper into the spring stretch, I remain grateful for the steady, professional way you support students and one another. Our performance targets in attendance, discipline, and academic growth remain in clear view, and the habits you bring to classrooms, hallways, buses, and cafeterias each day are what keep us moving toward those goals. This week’s Wrap-up focuses on how w...

Happy Friday! As we move deeper into the spring stretch, I remain grateful for the steady, professional way you support students and one another. Our performance targets in attendance, discipline, and academic growth remain in clear view, and the habits you bring to classrooms, hallways, buses, and cafeterias each day are what keep us moving toward those goals. This week’s Wrap-up focuses on a beh...

Happy Thursday! Thank you for the work you continue to do across Mena Public Schools as we move deeper into the final stretch of the school year. This time of year always brings both urgency and fatigue, but it also reveals the strength of a district. The steady effort taking place across our classrooms, offices, buses, cafeterias, and campuses is what keeps us moving toward our performance target...

Happy Friday! As we reach Spring Break, I want to thank each of you for the work you have done throughout the school year so far. Education is demanding work that requires patience, persistence, and a constant focus on the needs of our students. The break ahead provides an opportunity to pause for a few days, spend time with family and friends, and recharge for the final portion of the year. One t...

Happy Friday! Thank you to everyone across our district for the work you continue to do each day for our students. As we move deeper into the spring semester, the instructional focus of our classrooms becomes even more important. This is the time of year when the adjustments teachers make in instruction can have a significant impact on student learning as we move toward the spring ATLAS assessment...

Happy Friday! Thank you to everyone across Mena Public Schools for the hard work and dedication that continues to shape our district each day. As we move deeper into the spring semester, classrooms remain active with learning, extracurricular programs are in full swing, and students are preparing for the important milestones that come with the end of the school year. From literacy activities and a...

Happy Thursday! Thank you for another week of focused work on behalf of our students. Across classrooms, offices, buses, practice fields, cafeterias, and performance spaces, our staff continues to demonstrate professionalism, perseverance, and care. Each week we move closer to our performance targets , but more importantly, we continue the steady work of preparing students with the skills and habi...