Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast - Week 30: Momentum Matters

Episode Date: April 2, 2026

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 professionalism you continue to show.As we move toward the close of the year, I want to use this Wrap-up to provide a brief overview of our district performance targets, highlight a few encouraging indicators, and remind us that the final weeks of a school year matter greatly. The work done now has a lasting effect on student growth, student confidence, and the way we finish together as a district.Staying Focused on What Matters MostThroughout the year, we have aligned our efforts around clear district performance targets related to academic growth, attendance, and a positive school environment. These are not separate initiatives. They work together. When students are present, engaged, and supported in an orderly learning environment, achievement becomes more likely. When instruction is intentional and aligned to standards, growth becomes less accidental and more predictable.You can review our full district performance targets and progress here:Mena Public Schools District Performance TargetsThere are several reasons for us to be encouraged at this point in the year. Our current district attendance rate is 94.0%, which is above our target of 93.5%. That is worth recognizing. Daily attendance is one of the clearest conditions for success, and remaining above target reflects the effort our staff has made to build schools where students are welcomed, expected, and supported.We also have encouraging signs in school climate and behavior. Through Week 30, our district has recorded fewer discipline referrals than we had at this same point last year, decreasing by 14.28 %. That improvement reflects the intentional work being done by teachers, principals, support staff, and all employees who help create consistent expectations for students. A better learning environment does not happen by accident. It is built day by day through routines, relationships, and clear standards.There are bright spots across our campuses as well. Mena Middle School and Mena High School are both currently above 94 percent attendance, which reflects the strength of their routines, relationships, attendance policies, and shared expectations. Those results are encouraging because they show that consistent systems and daily effort are making a difference for students.Just as important, we continue to see evidence of stronger instructional focus across the district. Our emphasis on writing across the curriculum, attention to standards, and close monitoring of student progress are all helping to strengthen learning. Better writing supports better thinking, and better thinking supports better reading, understanding, and problem-solving in every content area. That work extends far beyond a test and strengthens the future functioning of our students in school, work, and community life.This is the part of the year when small, consistent actions matter most. A well-timed check for understanding, a strong review, a clear expectation, an encouraging word, or a corrected misconception can make a real difference for a student. Let us take encouragement from the progress we have made while remaining committed to the work still ahead. Cooperative Feedback OpportunityIt is also time again for the annual DMESC User Satisfaction Survey for 2026. This survey is for everyone in our district who uses DeQueen-Mena Educational Service Cooperative services in any capacity.Your feedback is important because it helps the cooperative evaluate its support and improve the services, resources, and professional learning opportunities provided to the districts it serves. Please take a few moments to complete the survey and encourage others in our district who utilize co-op services to do the same. The survey will remain open through May 31.DMESC User Satisfaction Survey - 2026Looking AheadWhile our focus remains on finishing this school year well, I also want to share something positive to look forward to next year. We have booked Jason Curry as the keynote speaker for our back-to-school convocation.Jason Curry is known for delivering messages about purpose, mindset, and commitment that challenge people to raise their expectations and take ownership of their growth. His message aligns well with who we are and what we are trying to build as a district.One of his recurring ideas is that excellence is not something that appears all at once. It is built through repeated choices, steady effort, and a willingness to grow. That is a message worth remembering now as much as it will be worth hearing in August. The habits we strengthen in these final weeks of school are the same kinds of habits that shape the culture and momentum of an entire year.We believe his message will encourage us, challenge us, and help us begin next year with strong energy and shared purpose. We are excited for our staff to hear him.Closing CelebrationsOur students continue to represent Mena Public Schools well in a variety of settings. This week, our Gifted and Talented students competed in regional chess tournaments and performed at a high level, earning top finishes while also demonstrating sportsmanship, focus, and discipline. Success in those settings reflects both preparation and poise, and we are proud of their efforts.Yesterday was Paraprofessional Appreciation Day, and I want to express sincere gratitude to our paraprofessionals across the district. They are essential members of our educational team. They support instruction, help meet individual student needs, strengthen relationships, and contribute every day to the smooth operation of our schools. Their impact is significant, and we are thankful for their dedication and service to students and staff alike.In athletics, our teams continue to compete hard and represent our district with pride. All of our spring sports were in action this week, with several team victories and individual winners. Our students continue to demonstrate effort, resilience, and school pride as they move through the spring season.It was a good week of action 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 nice Easter 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 30 wrap-up entitled Momentum Matters. The gains we are seeing across our district are the result of steady effort, and these final weeks are critical to sustaining that progress. 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 the district.

The steady effort taking care of the school. 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 our students each day. I'm grateful for the consistency, care, and professionalism you continue to show. As we move toward the close of the year, I want to use this wrap up to provide a brief overview of our district performance targets. Highlight a few encouraging indicators and remind us that the final weeks of a school year matter greatly. The work done now has a lasting effect on student growth, student confidence, and the way we finish together as a district. Staying

focused on what matters most. Throughout the year, we have aligned our efforts around clear district performance targets related to academic growth, attendance, and positive school environment. These are not separate initiatives. They work together. When students are present, engaged and supported in an orderly learning environment, achievement becomes more likely. When instruction is intentional and aligned to standards, growth becomes less accidental and more predictable. You can view our full district performance targets and progress on the length that's in the text. There are several reasons for us to be encouraged at this point in the year.

Our current district attendance rate is 94 percent, which is above our target of 90. 3.5. What is worth that is worth recognizing. Daily attendance is one of the clearest conditions for success and remaining above target reflects the effort our staff has made to build schools where students are welcomed expected and supported. We also have encouraging signs in school climate and behavior. Through week 30 our district has recorded fewer discipline referrals than we had at this same point last year decreasing by 14% That improvement reflects the intentional work being done by teachers, principals, support

staff and all employees who create consistent expectations for students. A better learning environment does not happen by accident. It is built day by day through routines, relationships, and clear standards. There are bright spots across our campuses as well. Meena Middle School and Meena High School are both currently above 94% in attendance, which reflects the strength of their routines, relationships, attendance policies, and shared expectations. Those results are encouraging because they show that consistent systems and daily effort are making a difference for our students.

Just as important, we continue to see evidence of stronger instructional focus across the district. Our emphasis on writing across the curriculum, attention to standards, and close monitoring of student progress are all helping to strengthen learning. writing supports better thinking and better thinking supports better reading understanding and problem solving in every content area that work extends far beyond a test and strengthens the future function of our students in school work and community life this is the part of the year when small consistent actions matter most well-timed check for understanding a strong review a clear

expectation or an encouraging word or corrective misconstinct corrective conception can make a real difference for our student. Let us take encouragement from the progress we have made while remaining committed to the work still ahead. Cooperative feedback opportunity is also time again for the annual DMESC user satisfaction survey for 2026. It's linked in the text. This survey is for everyone in our district who uses the Dequeen MENA Educational Service Co-op services in in any capacity. Your feedback is important because it helps the cooperative evaluate its support and

improve the services, resources, and professional learning opportunities provided to the districts it serves. Please take a few moments to complete the survey and encourage others in our district to utilize co-op services to do the same. The survey will remain open through May 31. Looking ahead. While our focus remains on finishing the school year well, also on a to share something positive to look forward to next year. We have booked Jason Curry as the

keynote speaker for our back to school convocation. Jason Curry is known for delivering messages about purpose, mindset, and commitment that challenge people to raise their expectations and take ownership of their growth. His message aligns well with who we are and what we are trying to build as a district. One of his reoccurring ideas is that excellence is not something that appears all at once. It is built through repeated choices, steady effort, and willingness to grow. This is a message worth remembering now as much as it will be worth hearing in August. The habits we strengthen in these final weeks of school are the same kinds of habits that shape the culture and momentum of an entire year. We believe his message will be encouraging

to us, challenge us, and help us begin next year with strong energy and shared purpose. We are excited for our staff to hear him. Closing celebrations. Our students continue to represent Maine to public schools well in a variety of settings. This week, our gifted and talented students competed in a regional chess tournament and performed at a high level, earning top finishes while also demonstrating sportsmanship, focus, and discipline. Success in those settings reflect both preparation and poise, and we are proud of their efforts. Yesterday was paraprofessional appreciation day and I want to express sincere gratitude to our

paraprofessionals across the district. They are essential members of our educational team. They support instruction, help meet individual students' needs, strengthen relationships, and continue every day to smooth operations of our schools. Their impact is significant and we are thankful for their dedication and service to students and staff alike. In athletics, our teams continued to compete hard and represent our district with pride. All of our spring sports were in action this week and several teams with several team victories

and individual winners. Our students continue to demonstrate effort, resilience, and school pride as they moved through the spring season. It was a good week of action at Meena Public Schools. At Meena Public Schools, our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident. the hashtag Mina Reid's posts and videos coming and have a nice Easter weekend.