Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast - Week 11: The LEARNS Focus on Pre-K

Episode Date: October 25, 2024

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 schools and our community. With that said, this week, I want to focus on a crucial element of our long-term success: the LEARNS Act's emphasis on early childhood education. By investing in our youngest learners, we are laying the foundation for future achievement and ensuring that our students are ready from the moment they enter kindergarten. We will take a closer look at the work being done to support early childhood learning and how it connects to our vision for student success.As we continue refining our performance targets, we have temporarily removed the graphs for ELA, math, and science on the performance targets page. This decision was made to ensure that we present the most accurate and meaningful data. We are currently determining the best format for incorporating last year's ATLAS results and this year's interim data. Once we have the appropriate structure in place, we will update the page accordingly to provide a clear picture of our progress.(As a fun coincidence, the ATLAS comet made an appearance in the night sky just as our ATLAS assessment results were released—clearly, the universe is keeping an eye on our progress! Perhaps it is a sign that we are reaching for the stars… or at least aiming for a few more Level 3s!)ATLAS InsightsWe have had some time to review our ATLAS scores and engage in conversations with educators at the state and co-op levels, and we have gained some valuable insights. One of the most important takeaways is that our Level 2 students have the potential to move up if we challenge them more by increasing the rigor of our lessons and deepening the level of knowledge we require. This means we need to push our students to think critically and stretch beyond surface-level understanding. Additionally, every teacher must know their standards forward, backward, and inside out. Mastery of these standards is the key to ensuring that all of our students, regardless of their current level, can reach their full potential. All of our lessons must support the standards and we must stay on pace to have those essential standards mastered before the end of the year. Furthermore, our K through 5 teachers must be confident in both their knowledge and application of the Science of Reading. This foundational skill set is essential to developing strong readers who are capable of higher-level thinking and comprehension as they progress through school. I encourage each of you to reflect on your knowledge and abilities in these areas where growth is needed and seek the support or resources necessary to improve. Together, with intentional focus and effort, we will see our students grow and succeed.LEARNS Early ChildhoodSince the LEARNS Act became law in Arkansas, early childhood education has become a top priority, with a renewed focus on preparing students from their earliest years. The LEARNS Act, championed by Governor Sanders, emphasizes the critical importance of early childhood learning, particularly in areas such as literacy and numeracy. A significant initiative born out of this reform is the Pre-K RISE initiative and Launch Pad curriculum, which aims to provide young learners with a solid foundation in reading, math, and social skills before they enter kindergarten. This curriculum is designed to support evidence-based teaching methods and early interventions, giving students a "launch pad" for success throughout their academic journey.Recently, Mrs. Buckley, Mrs. Sellers, and I attended a meeting at the DeQueen-Mena Educational Cooperative, which serves as our "local lead." A local lead is an organization responsible for supporting schools and early childhood programs within a particular region, ensuring that state initiatives are effectively implemented at the community level. This meeting brought together private daycares within our cooperative, alongside Head Start, public school Pre-K, and Arkansas Better Chance (ABC) programs, intending to set a unified vision for early childhood education in Arkansas. The central focus was on ensuring that children across the state are prepared for kindergarten, laying the groundwork for success in their educational journey. This collaborative approach is essential as it unites various early childhood providers to align with the state's goals of increasing school readiness through robust, high-quality programs.Despite these advances, Arkansas still faces challenges in ensuring equitable access to early childhood education. Many regions of the state, particularly rural areas, continue to lack adequate Pre-K programs, leaving children in these communities without the early educational experiences that research has shown are vital to long-term achievement. The Arkansas Office of Early Childhood is actively working to address these gaps by expanding access to high-quality Pre-K, particularly in underserved areas. This includes efforts to increase funding, partner with local communities, and offer more resources to parents and educators to ensure that every child, regardless of their location, has access to the educational opportunities necessary for future success.While Pre-K will not be compulsory in the same way that K-12 education is, the potential impact of increased Pre-K enrollment cannot be overstated. Research shows that third-grade reading levels, a key indicator of future academic success, will significantly improve if more families take advantage of early childhood education opportunities. Recognizing that access can be a barrier for some families, the Arkansas Office of Early Childhood has developed programs to support those who cannot afford Pre-K services. These initiatives aim to provide financial assistance and resources, ensuring that no child is left behind due to economic circumstances. By increasing participation in Pre-K, the state is making a strategic investment in its children, which will pay dividends in terms of long-term educational outcomes and overall student success.We encourage all staff members to take the time to learn more about this critical issue and how we can all help promote early childhood learning in our schools and communities. Understanding the value of these programs and sharing that knowledge with others will contribute to better outcomes for the children we serve, helping them build a brighter future from the very start of their educational journey. Together, we can advocate for and support the early learning opportunities that will make a difference in the lives of Arkansas children.Thought Exchange ResultsThank you for your valuable participation in our recent Thought Exchange. Your insights and feedback have been incredibly helpful in understanding the importance of protected time for data analysis and instructional planning. Overall, the responses highlighted the significance of having dedicated, distraction-free time to focus on the big picture and make informed decisions. Many of you emphasized the value of collaboration with colleagues, sharing resources, and discussing strategies to support all learners effectively. The deep dive into data analysis was appreciated, as it allowed for identifying strengths and weaknesses, which is crucial for improving student outcomes. Your commitment to a student-centered approach and the desire to base instruction on actual student knowledge rather than assumptions were evident and commendable. Notably, there was no negative feedback in any of the responses, reflecting a positive and constructive outlook from all participants. Thank you once again for your thoughtful contributions and dedication to enhancing our educational practices.ClosingI would like to sincerely thank everyone involved in making homecoming a success. The dedication from staff, students, and volunteers was evident in every celebration detail. It is this collective spirit that strengthens our bond as a district and community, reminding us that Mena Public Schools is not just about academic achievement, but about fostering an environment of support and pride. This week we had our parent-teacher conference time at Louise Durham Elementary and Holly Harshman Elementary, an important opportunity to connect with parents and discuss their child's progress. As we prepare for these conversations, it is helpful to remember the value of steady communication throughout the year. By keeping parents informed about their child's performance regularly—whether through notes, calls, posts, or quick updates—these conferences become much smoother. Parents appreciate being in the loop, and it allows for more productive discussions, as they are already familiar with what is happening in your classroom. This consistency not only strengthens relationships with families but also reinforces our collective goal of supporting student success.I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who played a role in organizing and hosting the 4A South Regional Volleyball Tournament this week. From our coaches and athletic staff to the volunteers, sponsors, and support personnel, your hard work and dedication ensured everything ran smoothly, and our fan section of students attended for free. You provided a welcoming atmosphere for all teams and fans. Your efforts made the event a success and helped showcase the incredible spirit of our school and community. A special congratulations to our volleyball team for qualifying for the state tournament as the number two seed and conference runner-up—your perseverance and teamwork have made us all proud!Join us tonight for the last regular season home game as we celebrate Senior Night. We will honor our senior football players, cheerleaders, cross country, golf, tennis, and band members for their dedication and contributions to Bearcat pride. Following the recognition ceremony, the Bearcats will take on the Dover Pirates in what promises to be an exciting matchup. Come out and show your support for our seniors and cheer the Bearcats to victory!It was a good week for us at Mena Public Schools!At Mena Public Schools our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.Remember, school is closed on Monday.Keep the #menareads posts coming and have a nice long 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 11 wrap-up entitled The Learns Focus on Pre-K. Pre-K is now a critical foundation for ensuring our students are ready to learn, grow, and achieve the Learns goal of reading on grade level by third grade. Happy Friday. I want to begin by thanking everyone for the dedication and 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're constantly setting the bar higher and working together to meet the expectations we have for our schools and our community. With that said, this week I want to focus on a crucial element of our long-term success, the Learns Act's emphasis on early childhood education. By investing in our

youngest learners, we are laying the foundation for future achievement and ensuring that our students are ready from the moment they enter kindergarten. Let's take a closer look at the work being done to support early childhood learning and how it connects our vision for student success. As we continue refining our performance targets, we have temporarily removed the graphs for ELA, math, and science on the performance targets page. This decision was made to ensure that we present the most accurate and meaningful data. We are currently determining the best format for incorporating last year's ATLAS results and this year's interim data. last year's ATLAS results and this year's interim data.

Once we have the appropriate structure in place, we will update the page accordingly to provide a clear picture of our progress. As a fun coincidence, the ATLAS comet made an appearance in the night sky just as our ATLAS assessment results were released. Clearly, the universe is keeping an eye on our progress. Perhaps it's a sign that we are reaching for the stars, or at least aiming for a few more level threes. Atlas Insights. We've had some time to review ourAS scores and engage in conversations with educators at the state and co-op levels, and we have gained some valuable insights. One of the most important takeaways is that our level two students have the potential to move up if we challenge them more by increasing the

rigor of our lessons and deepening the level of knowledge we require. This means we need to push our students to think critically and stretch beyond surface level understanding. Additionally, every teacher must know their standards, forward, backward, and inside out. Mastery of these standards is key to ensuring that all of our students, regardless of their current level, can reach their full potential. All of our lessons must support the standards and we must stay on pace to have those essential standards mastered before the end of the year. Furthermore, our K-5 teachers must be confident in both their knowledge and application of

the science of reading. This foundational skill set is essential to developing strong readers who are capable of higher level thinking and comprehension as they progress through school. I encourage each of you to reflect on your knowledge and abilities in these areas where growth is needed and seek the support of resources or resources necessary to improve. Together with intentional focus and effort, we will see our students grow and succeed. Learns Early Childhood. Since the Learns Act became law in Arkansas, every early childhood education has become a top priority, with

a renewed focus on preparing students from their earliest years. The LEARNS Act, championed by Governor Sanders, emphasizes the critical importance of early childhood learning, particularly in areas such as literacy and numeracy. A significant initiative born out of this reform is the Pre-K Rise Initiative and Launchpad Curriculum which aims to provide young learners with a solid foundation in reading, math, and social skills before they enter kindergarten. There are links in the text with more information. This curriculum is designed to support evidence-based teaching methods and early interventions, giving students a launch pad for success throughout their academic journey. Recently, Ms. Buckley,

Ms. Sellers, and I attended a meeting at the Dequeen Mena Educational Cooperative, which serves as our local lead a local lead link provided is an organization responsible for supporting schools and early childhood programs with a particular region ensuring that the state initiatives are effectively implemented at the community level this meeting brought together private daycares within our cooperative alongside Head Start, public school pre-k, and Arkansas Better Chance ABC programs intending to set a unified vision for early childhood education in Arkansas. The central focus was ensuring that children across the state are prepared

for kindergarten, laying the groundwork for success in their educational journey. This collaborative approach is essential as it unites various early childhood providers to align with the state's goals of increasing school readiness through robust, high-quality programs. Despite these advances, Arkansas still faces challenges in ensuring equitable access to early childhood education. Many regions of the state, particularly rural areas, continue to lack adequate pre-k programs, leaving children in these communities without early educational

experiences that research has shown are vital to long-term achievement. The Arkansas Office of Early Childhood is actively working to address these gaps by expanding access to high-quality pre-K, particularly in unserved areas. This includes efforts to increase funding, partner with local communities, and offer more resources to parents and educators to ensure that every child, regardless of their location, has access to the educational opportunities necessary for future success. While pre-K will not be compulsory in the same way that K-12 education is, the potential impact of increased pre-K enrollment cannot be overstated. Research shows that third grade reading levels, a key indicator of future academic success, will significantly

improve if more families take advantage of early childhood education opportunities. Recognizing that access can be a barrier for some families, the Arkansas Office of Early Childhood has developed programs to support those who cannot afford pre-k services. There's a link with more information in the text. These initiatives aim to provide financial assistance and resources ensuring that no child is left behind due to economic circumstances. By increasing participation in pre-k, the state is making a strategic investment in its children which will pay dividends in terms of long-term educational outcomes and overall student success. We encourage all staff members to take the time to learn more about this critical issue and how we can all help promote early childhood learning in our schools and communities.

Understanding the value of these programs and sharing the knowledge with others will contribute to better outcomes for the children we serve, helping them build a brighter future from the very start of their educational journey. Together, we can advocate for and support the early learning opportunities that will make a difference in the lives of Arkansas children. Thought Exchange Results. Thank you for your valuable participation in our recent Thought Exchange. There's a link to the results in the text. Participation in our recent thought exchange.

There's a link to the results in the text. Your insights and feedback have been incredibly helpful in understanding the importance of protecting time for data analysis and instructional planning. Overall, the responses highlighted the significance of having dedicated, distraction-free time to focus on the big picture and make informed decisions. Many of you emphasized the value of collaboration with colleagues, sharing resources, and discussing strategies to support all learners effectively. The deep dive into data analysis was appreciated as it allowed for identifying strengths and weaknesses, which is crucial for improving student outcomes. Your commitment to a student-centered approach and the desire to base instruction on actual student knowledge rather than assumptions were evident and commendable. Notably, there was no negative feedback in any of the

responses reflecting a positive and constructive outlook from all participants. Thank you once again for your thoughtful contributions and dedication to enhancing our educational practices. In closing, I would like to sincerely thank everyone involved in making Homecoming a success. The dedication from staff, students, and volunteers was evident in every celebration detail. It is this collective spirit that strengthens our bond as a district and community, reminding us that Mena Public Schools is not just about academic achievement, but about fostering an environment of support and pride.

This week, we had our Parent-Teacher Conference time at Louise Durham Elementary and Holly Harshman Elementary, an important opportunity to connect with parents and discuss their child's progress. As we prepare for these conversations, it's helpful to remember the value of steady communication throughout the year. about their child's performance regularly, we, through notes, calls, posts, or quick updates, these conferences become much smoother. Parents appreciate being in the loop and it allows for more productive discussions as they are already familiar with what is happening in your classroom. This consistency not only strengthens relationships with families, but also reinforces our collective goal of supporting student success. I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who played a role in organizing and hosting the 4A South Regional Volleyball Tournament this week.

From our coaches and athletic staff to volunteers, sponsors, and support personnel, your hard work and dedication ensured everything ran smoothly and our fan section of students attended for free. You provided a welcoming atmosphere for all teams and fans. Your efforts made the event a success and helped showcase the incredible spirit of our school and fans. Your efforts made the event a success and helped showcase the incredible spirit of our school and community. A special congratulations to our volleyball team for qualifying for the state tournament as the number two seed and a conference runner-up.

Your perseverance and teamwork have made us all proud. Join us tonight for the last regular season home game as we celebrate senior night. We will honor our senior football players, cheerleaders, cross country, golf, tennis, and band members for their dedication and contributions to Bearcat pride. Following the recognition ceremony, the Bearcats will take on the Dover Pirates in what promises to be an exciting matchup. Come out and show your support for our seniors and cheer the Bearcats to victory. It was a good week for us at Mena Public Schools. At Mena Public Schools, our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident. Remember, school is closed Monday.

Keep the Mena Reads post coming and have a nice long weekend.