Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast

Happy Friday on a Thursday! Thank you all for your hard work and adaptability this week, particularly as we navigated the unexpected school closure due to winter weather. It certainly has been an unusual week, especially with the upcoming long weekend. Given the shortened week, our performance target data has not seen significant changes. It is reassuring to know that we still have two additional...

Happy Valentine’s Friday! First, I want to thank each of you for your hard work and dedication. Your commitment to our students and our shared mission continues to drive us forward. I also want to acknowledge your efforts in working toward our performance targets , which are essential markers of our progress and growth as a district. I have updated our performance target page with the latest data...

Happy Friday! As we close another week at Mena Public Schools, I want to take a moment to recognize the dedication each of you brings to ensuring that our students are learning, growing, and becoming more prepared for the future every day. Our work toward district performance targets continues, but it is important to remember that teaching is more than just meeting benchmarks—it is an art, a scien...

Happy Friday! As we move through the second half of the school year, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the time, effort, and thoughtfulness you bring to our students every day. Whether in the classroom, in support roles, or behind the scenes, your commitment makes a difference. With only 70 instructional days left, every lesson, every intervention, and every moment of support matters as we wo...

Happy Friday! Thank you all for your hard work and dedication this week. Your tireless efforts to support our students, collaborate, and pursue excellence in your classrooms and beyond are the cornerstone of our district's success. Together, we continue to work toward meeting and exceeding our performance targets , a goal that drives our daily work and our long-term vision for student achievement...

Happy Friday! A huge thank you goes out to our dedicated transportation department and all of our bus drivers for their hard work and effort in getting our students to school safely during the aftermath of last week’s heavy snow. Many of our backroads were snow-covered, requiring special planning, skill, and maneuvering to complete routes as best as possible. Your efforts ensured that our students...

Happy Snowy Friday! Well, there was not much to Week 19 at Mena Public Schools. We did get two days into the instructional semester and a day of planning and looking at data to inform our instructional needs to meet our performance targets for the year. Thank you for all the good work done on Monday and the good start on Tuesday and Wednesday. This week’s Wrap-Up highlights several important topic...

Happy Thursday! As we wrap up another productive week, the last week of the fall semester, I want to take a moment to thank you for your dedication and hard work. Your dedicated commitment to our students and achieving our performance goals is evident in every effort you make. This week, we celebrate another small but significant victory: our attendance rate increased by a tenth of a percent and r...

Happy Friday! The last Friday of the fall semester is here! At Mena Public Schools, we continue to reflect on our mission to inspire and support every student and staff member as we close out a successful first semester. This week, we take a moment to share an important message about perspective—how it shapes our work, our impact, and the challenges we face together. As we update our performance t...

Happy Friday! Welcome back, Bearcats! We hope your Thanksgiving break was restful and filled with joy. Now that we are recharged, it is time to focus on the final stretch of the fall semester. With just a few weeks left before winter break, this is a pivotal moment to reflect on our progress and lay the groundwork for a successful spring. I want to take a moment to thank each of you for your hard...

Happy Friday! As we wrap up another productive week at Mena Public Schools, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks for your dedication and hard work. Each day, your efforts bring us closer to meeting our performance targets , ensuring that every student achieves their full potential. Whether in classrooms, on the athletic fields, or through our extracurricular programs, your commitment to excellen...

Happy Friday! Thank you for your hard work and dedication to supporting our students and each other this week. We have made significant strides, and it is inspiring to see your commitment reflected in everything from classroom engagement to our district’s performance targets . Your efforts contribute directly to our mission of ensuring that our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and ou...

Happy Friday! Thank you for all you have done this week, both in and out of the classroom, to take advantage of opportunities for growth and learning. Thank you all for the work that is being done to construct lesson plans and strategies to reach the academic goals our ATLAS scores have created for us. These goals will be included with our performance targets , which are updated for the week, but...

Happy Friday! I want to begin by thanking everyone for their dedication and the hard work you put in this week to help us meet our performance targets . As we continue pushing forward, your commitment to ensuring our students reach their full potential is making a difference across the district. We are constantly setting the bar higher and working together to meet the expectations we have for our...

Happy Homecoming Friday! I want to begin by thanking everyone for their hard work and dedication this week, especially those who have been deeply involved in the homecoming activities. Your commitment to making these events a success does not go unnoticed, and I truly appreciate all the time and effort that has gone into ensuring a memorable experience for our students and community. In addition,...

Happy Friday! As we close the first quarter of the school year, I want to take a moment to thank each of you for your continued dedication and hard work. It is hard to believe how quickly the first nine weeks have flown by, and we have accomplished a great deal in that short time. From implementing new initiatives to fostering student growth in the classroom, our collective efforts have shaped a p...

Happy Friday! As we wrap up another productive week, I want to take a moment to express my sincere thanks and appreciation for the hard work and dedication you continue to demonstrate. Your commitment to our students and community remains unwavering, and it is reflected in the ongoing work toward meeting our discipline and attendance performance targets . While discipline referrals continue to pre...

Happy Friday! As we close out another productive week at Mena Public Schools, I want to express my deep appreciation for the energy, commitment, and heart each of you brings to our school community. Your efforts continue to drive us forward, and it is through your hard work that we can make a meaningful impact on our students, staff, and families as we strive to reach our performance targets . Tha...

Happy Friday! Welcome to this week's Bearcat Wrap-up! As we move through another busy and productive week at Mena Public Schools, I want to express my sincere gratitude for the hard work and dedication of our students, staff, and families. I have started tracking progress of our current performance targets focus on discipline and attendance, once again, with the same target numbers as last year: 9...

Happy Friday! As we wrap up this week, I want to sincerely thank everyone for all of your hard work and the sacrifices you’ve made. Your dedication to our students and our school community does not go unnoticed, and it is because of each of you that we continue to make strides in all areas. In this week’s Wrap-up, I want to take a moment to reflect on what drives us. Our motivations are the founda...

Happy Friday! Thank you to everyone for your continued dedication and hard work this week. Your efforts make all the difference in the success of our students. I would especially like to thank those who have been working tirelessly to deliver the preliminary ATLAS tests. Your commitment to providing high-quality assessments ensures we start the year with a strong understanding of our students' nee...

Happy Friday! Thank you all for your continued hard work and dedication as we navigate the start of this school year. With new guidelines and rules from the department coming into play, your adaptability and commitment are more important than ever. September is a pivotal month, and having a strong start in our academic efforts will set the tone for the entire year. As we conduct our start-of-year...

Happy Friday! I want to start this week's Wrap-up by thanking each of you for your hard work and dedication throughout the week. Your efforts make a difference as we kick off the school year. In this Wrap-up, I will share some reflections on the back-to-school process, discuss the growing cell phone-free school movement across the nation, and highlight some opportunities for additional pay. I will...

Happy Friday! The first Friday of the school year is here, and I feel like I just wrote about the last Friday of last year. Time does fly. I want to take a moment to sincerely thank all of our teachers, bus drivers, custodians, food service workers, office staff, paraprofessionals, maintenance staff, administrators, techs, volunteers, and all other school employees for the incredible work you have...

Happy Last Day! Although this is not the last day for several of you, it is for most. But, as we conclude another remarkable year at Mena Public Schools, it is with great pride that we reflect on our journey and accomplishments. This year, our focus was on achieving specific performance targets that would enhance the educational experience for our students and foster a culture of excellence within...