Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast

14:29

Week 8: Making Every Mark Count

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/10/02

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 of careful counting. The first is our budget for 2026–2027, which the board approved at our last meeting

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12:17

Week 7: Forty-Five Minutes Out

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/09/25

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 school climate- move very far without families who trust us and hear from us before they have reason to

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13:51

Week 6: Twelve Points Away

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/09/18

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-teacher conferences, which meant late afternoons and evenings on top of a full teaching load. Those

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10:13

Week 5: Putting It on the Record

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/09/11

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 silence, an honest answer to a student's question, or a word of thanks to a first responder or veteran in

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16:25

Week 4: The Story Our Numbers Tell

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/09/04

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, a required accounting of our finances, student performance, personnel, and programs. We are in the final

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9:36

Week 3: Staying Connected, Staying Alert

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/08/28

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 looks like in practice: not a single big change, but steady, daily progress that adds up. This week’s Wrap-up

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9:58

Week 2: Setting Our Benchmarks

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/08/21

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 into rhythm, and our campuses continue to hum with the kind of purposeful energy that comes from

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10:38

Week 1: Time to Level Up

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/08/14

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, administrator, and volunteer whose preparation made this week possible. Your work behind the scenes over the

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2:26

Week 37: Celebrating a Strong Finish to the School Year

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/05/22

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 and Finishing StrongOne of the brightest highlights of the year is that we exceeded our district

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7:38

Week 36: Turning the Tassels

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/05/15

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, celebrate important milestones, and help students finish strong with the support and expectations they

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8:01

Week 35: Appreciating Our Teachers and Elevating...

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/05/07

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 right direction.This week brings a mix of reflection and forward momentum. We are honoring the daily work of

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9:45

Week 34: Progress, Opportunity, and the Work That...

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/05/01

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 goals.As we begin May, there is a great deal to be encouraged by across our district. This time of year

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9:19

Week 33: Opportunity in the Weeks Ahead

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/04/23

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 offices are what keep us moving toward those goals.This time of year requires us to do two things at

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8:13

Week 32: From Spring Effort to Summer Growth

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/04/17

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 we use the last weeks of school to keep students moving forward and how we are planning next year’s

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12:34

Week 31: Verifying What Matters

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/04/10

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 behind-the-scenes task that has real implications for how our work is measured and recognized, an update on

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7:30

Week 30: Momentum Matters

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/04/02

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 targets and keeps our mission in front of students each day. I am grateful for the consistency, care, and

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1:52

Week 29: Spring Break 2026

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/03/20

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 thing that is always remarkable about the school calendar is how quickly the final weeks pass once Spring

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14:16

Week 28: Close to the Mark

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/03/13

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. One of our goals as a district has always been to avoid simply hoping that learning is happening

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9:57

Week 27: Finishing the Year with Purpose

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/03/06

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 academic competitions to career readiness events and community service projects, our staff and students

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9:53

Week 26: Sharpening Our Focus on Fluency, Thinking,...

Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast ·

2026/02/26

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 habits that will serve them long after graduation.As we release this Wrap-Up one day early due to Friday’s

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