Week 26: Keeping Students in Class, Keeping Ourselves Growing

Happy Friday!

As we close out another week, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for your dedication and commitment to our students. Every day, your efforts to engage, support, and challenge our learners reinforce our mission and move us closer to our performance targets. The work you do matters, and I appreciate the way you consistently rise to meet the challenges before us.

I also want to clarify an error in the week 24 discipline data. While reviewing the reports, I realized that I had mistakenly entered a number incorrectly, which caused a spike in this year’s discipline referral bar on the graph. That error has now been corrected, and the updated data more accurately reflects our trends. Thank you for your patience and for continuing to use this information to guide our efforts in maintaining a positive learning environment.

This week’s Wrap-up will focus on two important topics: chronic absenteeism and professional development. As we enter the second half of the year, absenteeism becomes a growing concern, but there is still time to intervene and support students who are struggling with attendance. Additionally, we will start planning next year’s professional development opportunities and use your input to equip us with the tools and strategies needed to keep growing as educators.

Much Success comes from Just Showing Up

As we move into the latter half of the school year, one challenge begins creeping up gradually before arriving all at once—chronic absenteeism. The occasional absences that seemed inconsequential in the fall begin to accumulate, and as we approach the final stretch of the year, the full impact of missed instruction becomes undeniable. Students who have fallen behind due to repeated absences begin to disengage further, finding it increasingly difficult to catch up. While this pattern is familiar, it is not irreversible. With deliberate action, we can still reengage these students and set them back on the path to academic success. After all, part of our vision is ensuring that our students are prepared—and that starts with being present.

Chronic absenteeism—typically defined as missing 10% or more of the school year—has become a widespread concern in Arkansas and across the nation. The Arkansas Department of Education reports that approximately 20% of students statewide are chronically absent, aligning with national trends that have worsened post-pandemic. The consequences of these missed days are significant: research consistently shows that chronic absenteeism leads to lower achievement, increased dropout rates, and long-term economic challenges. Yet, among all school-based factors, classroom teachers have the greatest influence on reversing this trend. Studies highlight that when students have a positive relationship with their teachers and feel their presence is valued, they are more likely to attend school regularly. Teachers can take proactive steps such as personal outreach—calling home when absences begin to accumulate, fostering a sense of belonging through classroom culture and connecting lessons to student interests to increase engagement. Additionally, small gestures like greeting students at the door and celebrating attendance improvements have been shown to increase student participation. While we cannot control every factor influencing attendance, our daily interactions and consistent messaging that “every day counts” can make a meaningful difference in keeping students in the classroom and on track for success.

Professional Development Focus for the Upcoming Year

As we plan for the upcoming year, we are working to determine the best areas of focus for professional development based on our data and needs assessment. While we know that literacy—reading, and writing across the curriculum—will be a key area of emphasis, we are also assessing additional professional learning needs to ensure that our efforts align with the greatest areas of impact for our students and staff.

Our goal is to provide purposeful and relevant professional development that supports instructional effectiveness and student success. As we analyze our data and gather input, we will refine our focus to ensure that professional learning opportunities are meaningful and aligned with our district’s goals.

We appreciate your active engagement in this process and ask that you take the time to answer five questions in the linked ThoughtExchange Professional Development Survey.

Closing

Congratulations to Mena Middle School for being recognized by the Office for Education Policy (OEP) at the University of Arkansas as a school where students demonstrated high growth on the ATLAS assessment. The school received the High Math Growth award for its number-one ranking in the Southwest region, a testament to the dedication of our students, teachers, and staff. This achievement highlights the commitment to academic progress and student success at Mena Middle School—well done!

Congratulations to our Bearcat Men’s Basketball team on an outstanding season! Their determination, grit, and teamwork were on full display throughout the year, and that tenacity carried them deep into postseason play. Though their state tournament run ended with a hard-fought three-point loss to top-seeded Shiloh Christian, their effort and resilience were undeniable. They represented Mena with pride, competing at the highest level and leaving it all on the court. Thank you, players and coaches, for an incredible season—you have made our school and community proud!

Bearcat Baseball is off to a strong start, securing a victory in their season opener against Subiaco Academy. It was a great way to set the tone for the season. Meanwhile, Ladycat Softball is preparing for its season opener this Tuesday at home against Lavaca. Let us show our support and cheer them on as they take the field for what promises to be an exciting season.

Bearcat and Ladycat Soccer begin their seasons today in Poteau, and track season will soon be underway. Best of luck to all our athletes as they compete and represent Mena with pride!

Speaking of track, Mena competed in the State Indoor Track Meet in Fayetteville on Saturday, with athletes putting in a strong performance. The Ladycats team scored more points than they have since the program’s return in 2023, showing great progress. The Bearcat and Ladycat teams continue to work hard and represent Mena well, with several athletes earning top-eight finishes, including first-place victories in the High Jump and Pole Vault. As a young and determined group, they have set a solid foundation, and we look forward to seeing them compete in the upcoming outdoor season.

Good luck to our Bearcat and Ladycat wrestlers as they compete in the state tournament today! We are proud of their hard work and dedication to show them what Mena is made of!

The Board has officially adopted Choice One of the modified calendars for the next school year, which closely mirrors our current calendar. This model was designed with intentional breaks to support both student and staff well-being while also addressing absenteeism. As we move forward, we encourage everyone to take advantage of these scheduled days off by planning appointments and personal matters during those times whenever possible. This approach helps minimize disruptions to learning and ensures that both students and staff can be present and engaged when school is in session. We have also set dates for open houses and parent-teacher conferences. They are noted on the calendar. A more traditional calendar format will come out next week.

Thank you to the teachers, librarians, and volunteers who have worked hard to organize meaningful events for our students. From coordinating the Special Olympics Basketball Skills Competition, where students and community members came together to support and encourage athletes, to planning engaging activities for Read Across America Week, your efforts make a difference. Celebrating the joy of reading and fostering a spirit of inclusion takes dedication, and we appreciate all who help create these enriching experiences for our students.

This week, we witnessed a wonderful example of generosity and community spirit. A parent, whose student’s meal balance was previously covered through donations, chose to pay it forward by providing funds to help another family in need. Acts like this remind us of the kindness and support that make our community special. Thank you to those who continue to give—your generosity makes a real difference in the lives of our students and families.

It was a good week 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 weekend!

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