Week 26: Looking Ahead and Advancing Together

Happy Friday!

As we reflect on the strides we have made in Week 26 and look forward to the remaining fifty instructional days, it is clear that our collective efforts are bearing fruit, bringing us closer to our performance targets, mission, and vision. We have fallen below the 93.5 percent target for attendance and I have shared in previous Wrap-ups why our discipline numbers will be higher this year. Our academics are improving, however, and this progress is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our entire school community.

There are still many days in the current school year for us to positively impact our students but we are always looking forward to the future. In this Wrap-up, we begin our planning for a summer focused on professional development. We are not just preparing for the upcoming school year; we are laying the groundwork for sustained excellence in education. Your unwavering commitment this week and throughout the year has been instrumental in our achievements thus far. We are immensely grateful for this momentum and your continued effort and enthusiasm. Together, we are creating a brighter future for our students and our community.

Professional Development Plan

The 2024-2025 Mena Public Schools Professional Development and Employee Training Plan focuses on enhancing curriculum and instruction, with particular attention to literacy and math engagement. This comprehensive plan includes on-site training days, classroom work days, and parent conference days. Utilizing data collected throughout the current year, the plan is strategically designed to streamline our curriculum, aligning closely with our mission and vision. By focusing on these critical areas, we aim to foster an environment of continuous improvement and excellence, ensuring that our staff is well-equipped to meet the evolving needs of our students and community. This thoughtful approach underscores our commitment to leveraging insights for impactful teaching and learning strategies, setting the stage for another successful school year.

Within the plan, you will find dates for summer training, the Back to School training plan, additional options available, and new staff training requirements. If you have any questions regarding the plan, please reach out to Bridget Buckley.

Calendar Options for 2024-2025

Upon reviewing the current 2023-2024 calendar alongside the proposed options for the 2024-2025 school year, we have identified some key differences and noteworthy adjustments that could impact the upcoming academic year. The current calendar serves as our baseline, providing a structure we are all familiar with, including established breaks, PD days, and classroom preparation times. The options to choose from have been developed with consideration of the requests and comments from the Thought Exchange in Week 21 and ratified by the PPC.

Option 1 introduces changes aimed at optimizing the educational experience, adjusting the start date with the approved waiver, breaks remaining included with some Fridays added in the spring semester, and PD days to better align with educational goals and student needs. Option 2, similarly, offers a distinct approach by reshuffling the PD calendar to enhance student learning and staff development and also ending the first semester a day earlier. Both options contain more days of instruction than we have had in the past two years, which not only provides more instruction but also provides more days of unexpected school closure that we do not have to make up.

I strongly encourage all staff members to review these options and participate in the voting process. I will email a Google Form on Monday for your vote. Your input is invaluable as it directly influences the academic environment and the overall success of our students and school community. The option that garners the most support will be the one I recommend to our school board for adoption. This is a wonderful opportunity to shape our school's future, ensuring that it best meets the needs of our students, staff, and community.

Closing

As mentioned in last week’s Wrap-up, I am excited to remind everyone that Read Across America Week kicks off tomorrow! Our schools have been buzzing with preparations, setting the stage for a week filled with the joy of reading. Classrooms have been transformed into inviting reading nooks, First Methodist Church set up the Bearcat Book Buffet for third grade, and our librarians and teachers have curated a fantastic selection of books to ignite the imaginations of our young readers. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the preparations. Your enthusiasm and dedication are what make events like this a success.

Bearcat Wrestling had a terrific showing at the state tournament earlier this week. Congratulations to Emery Jai Anderson, State Runner-up for her weight division! We also had five of our boys place and congratulations go out to all of them and the rest of their teammates.

Our FFA members involved in leadership contests performed well at district contests this week. Mena has a state qualifier in every contest! Congratulations to all of those students for their successes thus far.

Bearcat Baseball and Ladycat Softball started their seasons off this week and soccer almost did. Spring sports are just about in full swing. Please come out and support these teams as they work toward their season goals.

It was a terrific week at Mena Public Schools and we look forward to more!

At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Have a nice weekend!