Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast - Week 19: Beginning the Spring Semester with Purpose and Focus

Episode Date: January 9, 2026

Happy Friday!I hope everyone was able to enjoy time with family, rest, and reflection over the holiday break. As we begin the spring semester, I want to thank you for the professionalism, persistence, and care you bring to your work each day. I am grateful for the work happening across Mena Public Schools, and I am excited to begin this semester together with clarity of purpose and a renewed focus on what matters most—student learning, growth, and opportunity.The spring semester is not simply a continuation of the fall. It is where momentum is built. It is where planning becomes precision, instruction sharpens, and the systems we have put in place begin to show their impact. As we return, we remain focused on our performance targets, including strong student attendance, academic growth, and maintaining safe, supportive learning environments. Progress toward these goals is built through consistent effort over time. While the results of that work are not always immediately visible, it matters, and it is noticed.As we begin this semester, it is important to re-center our work around our District Improvement Plan and the instructional priorities that guide it. The plan is not a compliance document. It is a roadmap that aligns curriculum, instruction, assessment, and support so that every student has a clear pathway to success. The spring semester is where that roadmap moves from intention to impact.When Intention Becomes ImpactAs we begin the spring semester, this is an appropriate moment to refresh our attention and re-anchor our work in what guides us. Our District Improvement Plan is intentionally designed to be practical, instructional, and forward-looking. It serves as the framework that aligns curriculum, instruction, assessment, and support across classrooms and campuses, ensuring consistency while allowing teachers to respond thoughtfully to student needs.At its core, the plan emphasizes high-quality, standards-aligned instruction; the purposeful use of formative and summative data to guide lesson planning; and targeted intervention and enrichment based on evidence of student learning. Growth is measured over time through multiple data points, not single moments, and instructional decisions are refined through regular PLC cycles, walkthrough feedback, and progress monitoring.Our improvement efforts remain focused on strengthening teaching and learning through consistent instructional practices, data-informed adjustments, and systems that support collaboration, clarity, and coherence for staff. Just as importantly, the plan reinforces shared expectations so that students experience strong instruction regardless of classroom or campus.The spring semester is a season of refinement rather than urgency. Growth is cumulative, and strong instruction compounds when it is consistent, reflective, and responsive. If it has been some time since you last reviewed the District Improvement Plan, I encourage you to revisit it with fresh eyes as you plan upcoming lessons and units. Every lesson aligned to standards, every instructional adjustment based on data, and every professional conversation grounded in our shared priorities helps move the work from intention to impact and continues to move our district forward.Instruction, Purpose, and Arkansas InnovatorsAs part of their instructional focus this month, the Arkansas Department of Education has launched Arkansas Celebrates America250, beginning with the January theme, Arkansas Innovators. This initiative highlights individuals from our state whose ideas, leadership, and persistence have shaped fields such as education, science, technology, agriculture, and public service. Check out the links above and this Commissioner’s Memo for numerous teacher resources. This theme aligns well with our belief that every student possesses unique and valuable talents. It also reinforces an important instructional message: learning is most powerful when students can connect knowledge to real people, real places, and real outcomes. As this theme is incorporated into lessons and discussions, students are encouraged to think beyond the content and toward making a contribution. Innovation begins with curiosity, perseverance, and problem-solving, which are skills we intentionally build every day in our classrooms.Planning for Next Year’s School CalendarAs we begin planning for the upcoming school year, we are seeking staff and community input on the 2026–2027 school calendar using ThoughtExchange. Your feedback is important and helps inform decisions that affect instruction, scheduling, and work–life balance across the district.If you have not already done so, please take a few minutes to participate using the link below:https://tejoin.com/participate/977375473This Exchange will close on Monday, January 12th, at 4 pm. Thank you in advance for your time and thoughtful input as we plan ahead.Closing CelebrationsWe begin our closing celebrations by recognizing the continued success of our Bearcat wrestling program. This past week, our Mena boys wrestling team earned multiple team victories, while our Ladycats also posted strong results in recent meets. These performances reflect consistent preparation, discipline, and effort from our student-athletes and coaching staff as the winter season continues.Students from Mena High School and Mena Middle School also participated in a Capture the Flag cybersecurity competition hosted by the DeQueen-Mena Education Service Cooperative. The event challenged students in areas such as web security, cryptography, and problem-solving, highlighting the strength of our computer science programs and the analytical skills our students are developing.At Mena High School, students had the opportunity to interact with a Marine Corps recruiter who visited campus and provided a hands-on opportunity to test strength and stamina. Experiences like this help students explore postsecondary pathways and better understand expectations beyond high school.During the Christmas Break, our Bearcat and Ladycat basketball teams were also in action, earning tournament success at the Cossatot River Holiday Tournament and competing in the Ledel Thomas Classic. We appreciate the commitment shown by our student-athletes who represented Mena Public Schools with determination and pride during the break.Finally, January is School Board Member Appreciation Month. We are grateful for the service, leadership, and time commitment of our Board of Education members. Their guidance and decision-making are critical to supporting our students, staff, and community. With thier efforts often going unhearalded, we use this month to spotlight their role in our community and communities across the state.It was a good week of reengagement at Mena Public Schools.At Mena Public Schools, our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.Keep the #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 19 wrap up entitled, beginning the spring semester with purpose and focus. The spring semester came quickly and now we renew our focus on instruction, growth, and the plan that guides our work. Happy Friday. I hope everyone was able to enjoy time with family, rest, and reflection over the holiday break. As we begin the spring semester, I want to thank you for the professionalism, persistence, and care you bring to your work each day.

I'm grateful for the work happening across me in public schools, and I'm excited to begin this semester together with clarity of purpose and a renewed focus on what matters most, student learning, growth, and opportunity. The spring semester is not simply continuation of the fall. It is where momentum is built. It is where planning becomes precision. Instruction sharpens,

and the systems we have put in place begin to sharp. their impact. As we return, we remain focused on what on our performance targets, including student, strong student attendance, academic growth, and maintaining safe, supportive learning environments. Progress toward these goals is built through consistent effort over time. While the results of that work are not always immediately visible, it matters and it is noticed. As we begin this semester, it is important to re-center our work around our district improvement plan and the instructional priorities that guide it. The plan is not a compliance document.

It's a roadmap that aligns curriculum instruction assessment and support so that every student has a clear pathway to success. The spring semester is where the roadmap moves from intention to impact. When intention becomes impact. As we begin the spring semester, this is an appropriate moment to refresh our attention and re-anchor our work and what guides us. Our district improvement plan, linked in the text, is intentionally designed to be practical, instructional, and forward-looking. It serves as the framework that aligns curriculum, instruction, and assessment and support across classrooms and campuses, ensuring consistency while allowing teachers to respond thoughtfully to student needs.

At its core, the plan emphasizes high-quality, standards-aligned instruction, the purposeful use of formative and summative data to guide lesson planning, and targeted intervention and enrichment based on evidence of student learning. Growth is measured over time through multiple data points, not a single moment, and instructional decisions are refined through regular PLC cycles, walk-through feedback, and progress monitoring. Our improvement efforts remain focused on strengthening, teaching, and learning through consistent instructional practices, data-informed adjustments, and systems that support collaboration, clarity, and coherence for staff. Just as importantly, the plan reinforces shared expectations so that student experience strong instruction regardless of classroom or campus. The spring semester is a season of refinement rather than urgent.

growth is cumulative and strong instruction compounds when it is consistent reflective and responsive and it has been some time since you have reviewed the district improvement plan I encourage you to revisit it with fresh eyes as you plan upcoming lessons and units every lesson aligned to standards there every instructional adjustment based on data and every professional conversation grounded in our shared priorities helps move the work from intention to impact and continues to move our district forward. Instruction, Purpose, and Arkansas Innovators.

As part of their instructional focus this month, the Arkansas Department of Education has launched Arkansas Celebrates America 250, beginning with the January theme Arkansas Innovators. There are links in the text. This initiative highlights individuals from our state whose ideas, leadership, and persistence have shaped fields such as education, science, technology, agriculture, and public service. Check out the links above and this commissioner's memo that's linked in the text for numerous teacher resources. This theme aligns well with our belief that every student possesses unique and valuable talents. It also reinforces an important instructional message.

Learning is most powerful when students can connect knowledge to real people, places and real outcomes. As this theme is incorporated into lessons and discussions, students are encouraged to think beyond the content and toward making a contribution. Innovation begins with curiosity, perseverance, and problem-solving, which are skills we intentionally build every day in our classrooms. Planning for next year's school calendar. As we begin for the, as we begin planning for the upcoming school year, we're seeking staff and community input on the 26 27 school calendar using thought exchange.

Your feedback is important and helps inform decisions that affect instruction, scheduling, and work-life balance across the district. If you've not already done so, please take a few minutes to participate using the link that's in the text. This exchange will close on Monday, January 12th at 4 p.m. Thank you in advance for your time and thoughtful input as we plan ahead. Closing celebrations.

We begin our closing celebrations by recognizing the continued success of our Bearcat Wrestling program. This past week, our MENA Boys wrestling team earned multiple team victories while our Ladycats also posted strong results in recent meets. These performances reflect consistent preparation, discipline, and effort from our student athletes and coaching staff as the winter season continues. Students from MENA High School and Mena Middle School also participated in a capture the flag cybersecurity competition hosted by the Queen MENA Education Service Co-op.

The event challenged students in areas such as web security, cryptography, and problem solving, highlighting the strength of our computer science programs and the analytical skills our students are developing. At Mena High School, students had the opportunity to interact with the Marine Corps recruiter who visited campus and provided a hands-on opportunity to test strength and stamina. Experiences like this help students explore post-secondary pathways and better understand expectations beyond high school. During the Christmas break, our Bearcat and Latakat basketball teams were also in action, earning tournament success at the Costa Tau River Holiday Tournament and competing in the LaDale Thomas Classic.

We appreciate the commitment shown by our student athletes who represented Minneapolis. schools with determination and pride during the break. Finally January a school board member appreciation month there's a link with more info in the text. We are grateful for the service leadership and time commitment of our board of education members. Their guidance and decision-making are critical to supporting our students, staff, and community. With their efforts often going unheralded we use this month to spotlight their role in our community and and communities across the state.

It was a good week of re-engagement at Meena Public Schools. At Meena Public Schools, our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident. Keep the hashtag Meena reads posts and videos coming, and have a good weekend.