Bearcat Wrap-up Podcast - Week 9: Finishing the First Quarter Strong

Episode Date: October 10, 2025

Happy Friday!Strong attendance, steady behavior, and meaningful engagement across our schools have made this a successful close to the first quarter. Thank you for the energy, effort, and commitment you continue to bring each day. The pace of the year reminds us how quickly progress builds when focus and consistency are shared. Together, we have reached this first milestone with clear evidence of growth across every building.Our performance targets—academic growth, attendance at or above 93.5%, and steady improvement in behavior and climate—continue to guide our daily work and measure our collective progress. The District Performance Targets page has been updated this week in preparation for the first round of ATLAS interim assessments, which will take place across the district during the remainder of October. These assessments will help us monitor growth, adjust strategies, and identify supports needed to keep every student on pace for success.Attendance on the RiseOne of the strongest indicators of progress this quarter is attendance. Each on-site building has surpassed the district goal of 93.5%, and all have improved upon last year’s first-quarter rates.* Louise Durham Elementary rose from 93.42% to 95.00% (+1.58%).* Holly Harshman Elementary increased from 93.41% to 94.20% (+0.79%).* Mena Middle School climbed from 93.85% to 95.41% (+1.57%).* Mena High School advanced from 93.86% to 95.00% (+1.14%).These gains reflect intentional work at every level—teachers reaching out early, staff reinforcing expectations, and parents making sure their children are at school each day. Attendance is both a habit and a reflection of trust. The partnership between school and home is the foundation that keeps our students engaged and learning. Maintaining this momentum as we move into the colder months when illness increases will be key to continued academic growth.Discipline Data Shows Positive Climate TrendsOur discipline comparison for the first nine weeks shows continued improvement in student behavior and climate. Total incidents have decreased from 397 last year to 346 this year, a reduction of 12.8%.The most significant declines occurred in:* Fighting and Altercations (–25)* Technology and Device Violations (–27)* Tobacco and Vaping Incidents (–15)* Vandalism (–10)* Harassment and Bullying (–12)These trends indicate stronger relationships, clearer expectations, and a more stable learning environment across our campuses. Areas for continued focus include bus behavior and disorderly conduct, both of which increased this quarter. Ongoing attention to consistency, supervision, and communication will help bring those areas in line with our overall positive trend.Closing Celebrations and RecognitionsThe first quarter closed with outstanding achievements across every campus and program.At the state level, Louise Durham Elementary, Holly Harshman Elementary, and Mena Middle School were each recognized by the University of Arkansas Office for Education Policy for exceptional academic growth on the ATLAS assessment. These awards reflect the daily commitment of teachers, students, and staff who continue to push forward with purpose and perseverance.At Louise Durham Elementary, our second grade teachers received the Bessie B. Moore Teaching Award from Economics Arkansas for creating innovative projects that integrate financial literacy into the classroom. This is an accomplishment that speaks to the creativity and dedication of our staff.Mena Middle School’s FCCLA chapter also earned recognition this week for service and leadership, winning the spirit stick for the most trash collected during the Region 5 Operation Trash Cleanup at Lake DeGray State Park.In athletics, Bearcat Golf players represented Mena strongly at the 4A State Tournament in Bella Vista, finishing near the top of the field. Ladycat Volleyball finished as tournament runners-up in Paris and earned straight-set victories yesterday at home against Camden Fairview. The Mena Tennis Team wrapped up its season at the 7-4A District Tournament in Arkadelphia with strong play and exceptional sportsmanship, closing the year with senior leadership that laid the foundation for future success. Meanwhile, FFA members have been competing at the Arkansas State Fair with high placements, including class and division winners in several livestock shows, with more to come next week.This week also featured Homecoming 2025, a spirited celebration of school pride and community connection. The pep rally this morning was high energy, loud, and a lot of fun—so much so that it was perfectly timed with the Natural Hearing Center’s on-site screenings today. After that pep rally, a few of us had to visit their trailer.We invite everyone to join us tonight for the Homecoming Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. at Bob Carver Bearcat Stadium, followed by the Bearcats taking on the Ozark Hillbillies at 7:00 p.m. Come out, support our students, and help make this Homecoming a memorable night for the entire Bearcat community.Finally, October is National Principals’ Month, and we pause to recognize our four building leaders—David Maxwell, Teresa Warner, Tamara Smart, and Samantha Sellers. Their daily leadership, presence, and care for students and staff make all the difference. Thank you for the countless ways you serve Mena Public Schools and guide our mission forward each day.Looking AheadAs we enter the second quarter, we are reminded that improvement happens one day at a time. The progress we see in attendance, behavior, and academic engagement is the result of persistence and shared purpose. Continue to approach each day with clarity and intention, knowing that the habits we build now shape the success that follows.It was a good week of growth 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 great 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 9 wrap up entitled Finishing the First Quarter Strong. The first quarter ends with clear evidence of growth across our schools, reflecting the power of consistency and shared purpose. Happy Friday. Strong attendance, stated behavior, and meaningful engagement across our schools have made this a successful close to the first quarter. Thank you for the energy effort and commitment you continue to bring each day.

to bring each day. The pace of the year reminds us how quickly progress builds when focus and consistency are shared. Together we have reached the first milestone with clear evidence of growth across every building. Our performance targets, academic growth, attendance at our above 93.5% and steady improvement in behavior and climate continue to guide our daily work and measure our collective progress. The district performance targets page, linked in the text, has been updated this week in preparation for the first round of Atlas interim assessments, which will take place across the district during the remainder of October.

These assessments will help us monitor growth, adjust strategies, and identify supports needed to keep every student on pace for success. Attendance on the rise. One of the strongest indicators of progress this quarter is attendance. Each on-site building has surpassed the district goal of 93.5% and all have improved upon last year's first quarter rates. Louise Durham Elementary rose from 93.42% to 95%. That's a 1.5% increase or improvement.

Holly Harshman Elementary increased from 93.41% to 94.2. That's about three-fourths of a percentage increase. Meena middle school climbed from 93.85% to 95.1%. That's almost a 1.6% increase. And Mena High School advanced from 93.86% to 95%. That's a 1.14% increase. These gains reflect intentional work at every level. Teachers reaching out early, staff reinforcing expectations, and parents making sure their children are at school each day. Attendance is both a habit and reflection of trust. The partnership between school and home is the foundation that keeps our students engaged

in learning. Maintaining this momentum as we move into the colder months when illness increases will be key to continued academic growth. Discipline data shows positive climate trends. Our discipline comparison for the first nine weeks shows continued improvement in student behavior and climate. Total incidents have decreased from 397 last year to 346 this year, a reduction of 12.8%. The most significant declines occurred in fighting and altercations down 25, technology and device violations, down 27. Tobacco and vaping incidents down 15, vandalism, down 10, and harassment and bullying down 12.

These trends indicate stronger relationships, clearer expectations, and more stable learning environment across our campuses. Areas where continued focus include bus behavior and disorderly conduct, both of which increased this quarter. Ongoing attention to consistency, supervision, and communication will help bring those areas in line with our overall positive trends. Closing celebrations and recognitions. The first quarter closed with outstanding achievements across every campus and program.

At the state level, Louise Durham Elementary, Holly Harsman Elementary, and Mina Middle School were each recognized by the University of Arkansas Office for Educational Policy for exceptional academic growth on the Atlas Assessment. These awards reflect the daily commitment of teachers, students, and staff who continue to push forward with purpose and perseverance. There's a link in the text with detailed reports. At Louise Durham Elementary, our second grade teachers received the B.B. Moore Teaching Award. You can read more about that in the text.

It comes from the link in the text. It comes from Economics, Arkansas, for creating innovative projects that integrate financial literacy into the classroom. This is an accomplishment that speaks to the creativity and dedication. of our staff. Mena Middle School's FCCLA chapter also earned recognition this week for service and leadership, winning the spirit stick for the most trash collected during the Region 5 Operation Trash Cleanup at Lake DeGray State Park. In athletics, Bearcat golf players represent Mina strongly at the 4A State Tournament in Bella Vista,

finishing near the top of the field. Lady Cat Volleyball finished as tournament runners-up in Paris. and earned straight-set victories yesterday at home against Camden Fairview. The MENA tennis team wrapped up its season at the 7-4A District Tournament in Arkadelphia with strong play and exceptional sportsmanship, closing the year with senior leadership that laid the foundation for future success. Meanwhile, FFA members have been competing at the Arkansas State Fair with high placements, including class and division winners and several livestock shows with more to come. This week also featured Homecoming 2025, a spirited celebration of school pride and community connection.

The pep rally this morning was high energy, loud, and a lot of fun, so much so that it was perfectly time with the natural hearing centers on-site screenings today. After the pep rally, a few of us had to visit their trailer. We invite everyone to join us tonight for homecoming at 6.30 p.m. at Bob Carver Bearcat Stadium, followed by the Bearcats taking on the Ozark Hillbillies at 7. Come out and support our students and help make this homecoming a memorable night for the entire barricat community. Finally, October is National Principles Month, and we paused to recognize four building leaders, David Maxwell, Teresa Warner, Tamara Smart, and Samantha Sellers.

Their daily leadership, presence, and care for students and staff make all the difference. Thank you for the countless ways you serve. mean of public schools and guide our mission forward each day. Looking ahead as we enter the second quarter we are reminded that improvement happens one day at a time. The progress we see in attendance, behavior, and academic engagement is the result of persistence and shared purpose. Continue to approach each day with that clarity and intention knowing that the habits we build now shaped a success that follows. It was a good week of growth

at Mena Public Schools. Our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident. Keep the hashtag Mena reads, posts, and videos coming, and have a great weekend.