Big shout out to the Mena Lioness club for their continued support for ALL Polk county students! Because of the Lioness our students are provided with food for the weekend that they may not have otherwise! Backpacks have also been provided this year as well as a freeze dried meal each week!
Our community and future is brighter because of organizations such as the Lioness!
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Tune in Bearcat News on Mena Public Schools Radio this Monday for the weekly report from Louise Durham Elementary. Featuring CUTTER a second grader in Mrs. Redfearn's class.
Listen on 101.1 FM or online at https://radio.securenetsystems.net/cwa/index.cfm?CFID=f72052df-6b1f-45e3-97c7-dff595a647a1&CFTOKEN=0&stationCallSign=KJBS&fbclid=IwAR0G03cs99oYkPhm1l20swHRNwOXTzY-0IJmi0Zndot1RGesrPPTZcwIirM
Be looking for the Red Around Town Newsletter in your mailbox soon!
District Reading Intervention Coach Katie Thomas and Loise Durham Library Media Specialist Tiffany Williams attended the Arkansas Leadership Academy Instructional Leader Empowerment Cohort this week. ILE is for those within the school system that impact and support teachers and instruction in the classroom.
The purpose of Instructional Leader Empowerment is to support growth through a focus on improving instruction in the classroom. ILE provides professional learning and sharing opportunities from both national subject matter experts and local Arkansas educators. Sessions focus on developing and nurturing a plan and process for instructional leaders to impact and support classroom teachers and instruction in the classroom.
The new six foot security fence has been installed and is almost complete at Louise Durham Elementary.
Mena students are on campus and the first day of school is underway!!!
All Mena School District employees met for their annual convocation on Monday morning. Superintendent Dr. Lee Smith spoke to the group and set goals for the coming school year which begins on Wednesday.
Did you know that the school bus is one of the safest vehicles on the road? Less than 1% of all traffic fatalities involve children on school transportation vehicles. However, children are more at risk when approaching or leaving a school bus. It’s important for all drivers, as well as parents and students, to understand school bus safety.
https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety
Teachers in Kindergarten-3rd grade at Louise Durham Elementary are participating in Orton-Gillngham training this week. Orton-Gillingham is a highly structured approach that breaks reading and spelling down into smaller skills involving letters and sounds and then builds on these skills over time. It was the first approach to use explicit, direct, sequential, systematic, multi-sensory instruction to teach reading, which is effective for all students and essential for teaching students with dyslexia.
Mena teachers collaborating with other grade level teachers from across the state at the Benchmark Workshop Cohort on Thursday in Farmington at the Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative.
The Mena Public Schools would like to welcome new staff for 2023/2024. Including KAELA MENDOZA at Louise Durham Elementary. The first day of the new school year is Wednesday, August 16th.
Transportation Supervisor James Davis says the Mena School District's busses are ready, routes have been planned and inspections passed in preparation for the 2023-2024 school year.
He asks that all area drivers remember that school busses will be back on the streets and highways transporting students to and from school beginning August 16th.
The perimeter fence at Louise Durham Elementary has been removed and will be replaced by a new six foot security fence and gates in the days ahead. Just one of the many projects happening across the district in preparation for the first day of school on August 16th.
SUSAN BODEY and AMY BARTOW with Aramark Food Services are representing the Mena Public Schools at the Arkansas Department of Education Summit in Hot Springs. The ADE Summit gives participants the opportunity to attend sessions on a wide range of topics. With access to exciting presenters while learning about innovative programs and much more!
Mena School District is proud to recognize Mrs. Katie Thomas and Mrs. Tiffany Williams in being selected by the Arkansas Leadership Academy for the Instructional Leader Empowerment Program. The Instructional Leader Empowerment program offers an opportunity for growth through a focus on improving instruction in the classroom through professional learning and opportunities from both national and state educators. They will work to develop a plan and process to impact and support classroom teachers and their instruction in the classroom. Mrs. Thomas is the Elementary Interventionist for the district and Mrs. Williams is the Library Media Specialist at Louise Durham. Congratulations Katie and Tiffany! We are proud of you.
Mena Public Schools counselors attended the ArSCA Conference this week! You don’t have to wear a cape to be a hero…you just have to care!
Mena Counselors brought a HUGE amount of pop-tops to the ArSCA Conference that will be donated to Arkansas Children’s Hospital! Thank you to all of our families who sent pop-tops to the schools! WE all can make a difference together!
The Mena Public Schools would like to welcome new staff for 2023/2024. Including JESSICA BRADLEY at Louise Durham Elementary. The first day of the new school year is Wednesday, August 16th.
If Mena Public Schools Radio is not number one on your radio's preset then you're missing out!
Mena teachers are attending the 2023 summer conference "All In For All Learners" at the DeQueen Mena education Service Cooperative. Today they heard a presentation from Dr. Paula Kluth and another on trauma informed teaching. The conference continues on Thursday with sessions on trauma informed schools, literacy inclusion, math inclusion, science inclusion, CTE and tech inclusion as well as behavior.
