Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast - Week 18: Closing the Semester with Clarity and Confidence

Episode Date: December 19, 2025

Happy Friday!As we close the final week of the fall semester and prepare for the Christmas and New Year break, I want to thank every member of our staff for the consistency, professionalism, and care you have shown our students over the past eighteen weeks. The fall semester is always the heaviest lift. It is when expectations are established, systems are built, relationships are formed, and momentum is created. That work matters, and it shows.This Wrap-Up serves as a natural pause point. It allows us to reflect on where we stand at mid-year, review our performance targets, and enter the break with clarity about both our progress and our priorities as we prepare to return in January.A Mid-Year Snapshot: Direction, Data, and the Work Behind ItMid-year data should function as a mirror, not a judgment. It tells us whether we are moving in the right direction, where adjustments are needed, and where continued focus will produce the greatest return. At this point in the year, the goal is not to declare success or failure, but to understand our trajectory so that we can refine our work in the spring semester.Academic progress remains a central focus of our work, and the data we track publicly reflects the daily instructional decisions taking place in classrooms across the district. Teachers are examining student data consistently and using it to adjust instruction and provide targeted support, with particular attention given to our Level 1 and Level 2 students. While the district goal dashboard shows aggregated progress over time, the most important work happens each day as teachers respond to student needs in real time. That steady, intentional use of data is what drives academic growth and positions us well as we move into the spring semester.Our district performance target for the reduction in discipline referrals is tracking in the right direction. As of Week 18, total discipline referrals for the 2025–2026 school year stand at 703, compared to 774 at the same point last year. This represents a 9.17 percent decrease from last year at mid-year and continues a consistent downward trend in referrals. However, when tracking the average percentage decrease each week this semester, we have decreased by 17.29 percent. This reduction reflects intentional work across the district—clear expectations, proactive classroom management, relationship-building with students, and consistent follow-through. While discipline will always require attention and vigilance, the data indicate that our collective efforts are producing positive results.Attendance remains one of our most important leading indicators for student success. At mid-year, districtwide attendance stands at 94.51 percent, with an overall absence rate of 5.49 percent. By level, Mena High School is currently at 95.44 percent attendance, Mena Middle School at 95.10 percent, Holly Harshman Elementary at 93.72 percent, and Louise Durham Elementary at 93.66 percent. These numbers show that we are close to our attendance targets in several areas while also highlighting where continued communication with families and consistent expectations will matter most in the spring. Attendance improvement is rarely the result of a single initiative; it is built through steady messaging, strong relationships, and a shared belief that every day matters.While data provides clarity, it does not tell the whole story. This semester has included countless moments that do not show up on a dashboard, such as students rising to challenges, staff supporting one another, classrooms filled with meaningful learning, and community partnerships that continue to strengthen our schools. Those moments are the foundation beneath the metrics, and they are just as important.Rest, Reset, and ReturnAs we head into the Christmas and New Year break, I encourage everyone to truly rest. Reflection and recovery are not luxuries; they are part of professional excellence. When we return in January, we do so with a solid foundation already in place and a clear understanding that progress in the spring will come through refinement, consistency, and continued focus on what matters most.It was a good semester of learning at Mena Public Schools.At Mena Public Schools, our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.Thank you for finishing the fall semester strong and with purpose! Have a wonderful Christmas Break! 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 18 wrap-up entitled Closing this semester with Clarity and Confidence. With the fall semester complete, we pause to reflect on progress, performance, and purpose. Happy Friday. As we close the final week of the fall semester and prepared for the Christmas and New Year break, I want to thank every member of our staff for the consistency, professionalism, and care you have shown our students over the past 18 weeks. The fall semester is always the heaviest lift. It is when expectations are established, systems are built, relationships are formed, and momentum is created. That work matters and it shows.

This wrap-up serves as a natural pause point. It allows us to reflect on where we stand at mid-year, review our performance targets, and enter the break with clarity about both our progress and our priorities as we prepare to return in January. A mid-year snapshot, direction, data, and the work behind it. There's a link embedded in the text to our latest update of our performance targets. Starting with mid-year data that should function as a mirror, not a judgment. It tells us whether we are moving in the right direction, where adjustments are needed, and where continued focus will produce the greatest return. At this point in the year, the goal is not to declare,

success or failure but to understand our trajectory so that we can refine our work in the spring semester. Academic progress remains a central focus of our work and the data we track publicly reflects the daily instructional decisions taking place in the classrooms across the district. Teachers are examining student data consistently and using it to adjust instruction and provide targeted support with particular attention given to our level one and level two students. While the district goal dashboard shows aggregated progress over time, the most important work happens each day as teachers

respond to students' needs in real time. That steady intentional use of data is what drives academic growth and positions us well as we move into the spring semester. A district performance target for the reduction in discipline referrals is tracking in the right direction. As of week 18, total discipline referrals for the 25-26 school year stand at 703 compared to 774 at the same point last year. This represents a 9.17% decrease from last year at mid-year and continues a consistent downward trend in referrals. This reduction reflects intentional work across the district, clear expectations, proactive classroom management, relationship

building with students, and consistent follow-through. While discipline will always require attention and vigilance, the data indicate that our collective efforts are producing positive results. Attendance remains one of our most important leading indicators for student success. At mid-year, district-wide attendance stands at 94.51 percent, with an overall absence rate of 5.49 percent. By level, Mena High School is currently at 95. 4.44 percent attendance. You know middle school is at 95.1 percent. Holly

Harshman Elementary at 93.72 percent and Louise Durham Elementary at 93.66 percent. These numbers show that we are close to our attendance targets in several areas while also highlighting where continued communication with families and consistent expectations will matter most in the spring. Attendance improvement is rarely rarely the result of a single initiative. It is built through steady messaging, strong relationships, and a shared belief that every day matters. While data provides clarity, it does not tell the whole story. This semester has included countless

moments that do not show up on a dashboard, such as students rising to challenges, staff supporting one another, classrooms filled with meaningful learning, and community partnerships that continue to strengthen our schools. Those moments are the foundation beneath the metrics and they are just as important. Rest, reset, and return. As we head into the Christmas and New Year break, I encourage everyone to truly rest. Reflection and recovery are not luxuries. They are part of professional excellence.

When we return in January, we do so with a solid foundation already in place and a clear understanding that progress in the spring will come through refinement, consistency, and continued focus on what matters most. It was a good semester of learning at Meena Public Schools. In Meena Public Schools, our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident. Thank you for finishing the fall semester strong and with purpose. Have a wonderful Christmas break.