Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast - Week 1: Setting the Tone for Success

Episode Date: August 15, 2025

Happy Friday!The first Friday of the school year is here, and just like every August, it seems as though summer passed in a blink. I want to sincerely thank all of our teachers, bus drivers, custodians, food service workers, office staff, paraprofessionals, maintenance staff, administrators, tech team, volunteers, and all other school employees for the work you have done leading up to this week. Your preparation ensured that our year started on the right foot. Well done.On the first day, Mrs. Buckley and I visited all of our campuses and were encouraged by the overall smooth start. We saw engaged classrooms, helpful student leaders, and welcoming environments for our new and returning Bearcats. Our new breakfast procedures in the elementary cafeterias went well for a first run. While there are a few wrinkles to iron out, the process worked, students were served efficiently, and they were ready to begin their day of learning.These moments—the first bell, the first breakfast, the first lessons—might look like the “main event” of Week 1, but they are not the whole story. As I shared in our back-to-school remarks, these visible milestones are like the MacGuffin in a great story: important for moving the plot along, but not the true purpose of the story itself. The deeper meaning is what happens behind the scenes—how we work together, how we support one another, how we shape students’ lives in ways that last well beyond this school year, and how we respond to challenges. Another part of the story that really matters is that the issues we have now, or those that may emerge in the future, are being addressed with the goal of continuous improvement.Shared ConfidenceThe real story of a strong school year is told through “shared confidence”—that belief that each member of the team is committed, capable, and moving toward the same goal. It is knowing that while I do my part, you are doing yours. It is trusting that we are all pulling in the same direction, no matter what role we play.When shared confidence is strong, the plot of our year is not defined by setbacks, but by how we overcome them together. Just like in a good story, the audience may never see every struggle, every early morning, or every small act of service—but those details are what give the story depth and meaning.A Warm WelcomeThis year’s cast has grown, and we are better for it. I want to extend a special thank you to our new bus drivers who have already shown reliability and care in getting students to school safely. We welcome our new maintenance staff who are keeping our facilities in excellent condition, our new office staff who are already providing vital support to students, parents, and staff, and our new teachers and paraprofessionals who are already making a difference in classrooms. Your arrival adds new strengths to our story, and I am excited to see how your contributions will shape this year’s chapters.ClosingAs we close Week 1, remember that the visible markers like smooth campus openings, engaged students, and first-week energy are only the MacGuffins that carry the plot forward. The real story is the purpose behind them: living our mission, modeling our values, leaving a lasting impact on our students and community, and continuously improving along the way. That is the story worth telling.Our First Day Pics post on the district Facebook page received 206 responses, and there were many more first day photos shared directly from teacher classrooms. These images captured joy, excitement, and the pride of being a Bearcat. If you have not yet shared your first day picture, I encourage you to do so. Every photo helps tell the story of how this year began and preserves memories that will mean even more in the years ahead.As our early-season athletics are underway, including tennis and golf matches, volleyball games, and the first football competitions, let us continue showing our Bearcat pride in the stands, on the sidelines, and in our words. These events, along with our many other programs in the arts, academics, and activities, thrive when they are supported by our community. Your encouragement and presence make a difference for our students and remind them that they are part of something bigger than themselves.Finally, I would like your input on the days leading up to the start of school so we can make the beginning of each year as smooth and successful as possible. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts through our Thought Exchange survey. Your feedback will help us make informed adjustments and build an even stronger start next year.It was a good week of beginnings at Mena Public Schools. At Mena Public Schools, our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident. Get the 2025-2026 #menareads posts and videos coming and have a good weekend! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bearcatwrap.substack.com

Good afternoon and welcome to the week one wrap up for the 25-26 school year entitled Setting the Tone for Success. We are looking past the surface to focus on the story that really matters. Happy Friday. First Friday of the school year is here and just like every August it seems as though the Summast in a blink. I want to sincerely thank all of our teachers, bus drivers, custodians, food service workers, office staff, paraprofessional, maintenance staff, administrators, tech team, volunteers, and all other school employees or anyone

who had a part in the beginning for the work you've done leading up to this week. Your preparation ensured that our years started off on the right foot. Well done. On the first day, Ms. Buckley and I visited all of our campuses and were encouraged by the overall smooth start. We saw engaged classrooms, helpful student leaders, and welcoming environments for our new returning bearcats. Our new breakfast procedures in the elementary cafeterias went well for a first run. While there are a few wrinkles to iron out, the process worked. Students were served

efficiently and they were ready to begin their day of learning. These moments, the first bill, the first breakfast, the first lessons, might look like the main event of week one, but they are not the whole story. As I shared in our back-to-school remarks, these visible milestones are like the McGuffin in a great story. Important for moving the plot along but not the true purpose of the story itself. The deeper meaning is what happens behind the scenes. How we work together, how we support one another, how we shape students lives and ways that will last well beyond the

school year, and how we respond to challenges. Another part of the story that really matters is that the issues we have now or those that may emerge in the future are being addressed with the goal of continuous improvement shared confidence the real story of a strong school year is told through shared confidence that belief in that each member of the team is committed capable and moving forward toward the same goal it is knowing that while I do my part you are doing yours it is trusting that we are all pulling in the same direction no matter what role we play. When shared confidence is strong, the plot of our year is not defined

by setbacks, but by how we overcome them together. Just like in a good story, the audience may never see every struggle, every early morning, or every small act of service. Those details are what give the story depth and meaning. A warm welcome. This year's cast has grown, and we are better for it. I want to extend a special thank you to our new bus drivers who have already shown reliability and care in getting students to school safely. We welcome our new maintenance staff who are keeping our facilities in excellent condition, our new office staff who are already providing vital support to students, parents, and staff and our new teachers and paraprofessionals who are

already making a difference in classrooms. Your arrival adds new strengths to our story. And I'm excited to see how your contributions will shape this year's chapters. Closing. As we close week one, remember that the visible markers like smooth campus openings, engage students, and first week energy are only the mcuffins that carry the plot forward. The real story is the purpose behind them, living our mission, modeling our values, leaving a lasting impact on our students and community, and continuously improving along the way. That is the story worth telling. Our first day picks post on the district's Facebook page received 206 responses, and there

were many more first day photos shared directly from teachers' classrooms. These images captured joy, excitement, and the pride of being a bear cat. If you have not yet shared your first day picture, I encourage you to do so. Every photo helps tell the story of how this year began and preserves memories that that will mean even more in the years ahead. As our early season athletics run away, including tennis and golf matches, volleyball games, and the first football competitions, let us continue showing our bare cap pride in the stands and on the sidelines and in our words.

These events, along with many other programs in the arts, academics, and activities thrive when they are supported by our community. engagement and presence make a difference for our students and remind them that they are part of something bigger than themselves. Finally I would like your input on the days leading up to the start of schools so we can make the beginning of each school year smooth and successful as possible. Please take a few minutes to share your thoughts through our thought exchange survey that's linked in the text. Your feedback will help will help us make informed

adjustments and build an even stronger start next school year. It was a good week of beginnings at Mena Public Schools. At Mena Public Schools, our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident. Get the 2526 Mena reads posts and videos coming and have a good weekend.