Mena Middle School

Jr. Volleyball starts at 4:30pm in the Union Bank Center. Golf begins at 3:30pm at the Nashville Country Club. GO BEARCATS!! https://www.menaschools.org/o/athletics/athletics

Mena MIddle School students arrive for the first day of school. Spirits seemed high as we begin adjusting to the new normal. https://www.menaschools.org/o/mena-middle-school

Send us your first day of school pictures! Whether your student is traditional, blended or virtual. Just click the link to submit a photo. https://forms.gle/Ag7xgSoEvmjwbNqP6

4,000 face masks for students and staff will be distributed for the 20/21 school year that begins on August 24th. Each student, age 10 & above, will receive face masks for use on campus. These face masks will become the responsibility of the student. The Centers for Disease Control has info on how to wear & care for masks. Just follow the link. https://www.cdc.gov/…/prevent…/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

What a nice surprise from the Union Bank of Mena! Our staff has been working a huge amount of hours in preparation for the first day of school on Monday. We so appreciate your support. Pizza was delivered to all campuses for lunch today.

4,000 face masks arrived at Mena Public Schools on Friday. They will be distributed to students and staff for the 20/21 school year that begins on August 24th. Each student, age 10 & above, will receive face masks for use on campus. These face masks will become the responsibility of the student. The Centers for Disease Control has info on how to wear & care for masks. Just follow the link. https://www.cdc.gov/…/prevent…/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

A message to all parents from our nursing staff. We want your child(ren) to be able to fully participate in school safely and stay healthy. Here are a few guidelines that we ask you to follow before sending your child to school: Please check your child's temperature each morning. Keep your child home if they have a fever of 100 F or higher. You should also keep your child home if they have other symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhea,loss of taste or smell, sore throat, or persistent coughing. All students 10 years and older must wear a cloth face covering on our campuses and practice social distancing whenever possible. If you know your child needs immunizations at this time, please make an appointment with their Primary Care Provider or the Health Department as soon as possible. We strongly encourage everyone who can to get the flu shot this year.Opportunities for your child to receive a flu shot at school will be announced at a later date. If you have any questions or concerns about your child's health at school please contact the school nurse. We look forward to getting this school year started! See Less

ATTENTION PARENTS! Please daily check your students for symptoms of Covid 1) Do they have a cough? 2) Any difficulty Breathing? 3) Sore throat? 4) A Loss of taste or smell? 5) Had contact with a positive Covid-19 person in the last 14 days? 6) A fever? If any of these are a yes, please keep your child home, notify the school and monitor your child. They should be fever free for 48 hours before returning to school.

Please remember that traditional students can pick up schedules & blended students can pick up Chromebooks on Friday 8/21 from 8:30am-11:30am & 1:00pm-3:00pm at the Middle School Bus Loop..GO BEARCATS!!!!

Mena Public Schools—Ticket Sales for 2020-21 The Mena Public School District has announced plans for sales of tickets for athletic events for the 2020-21 school year. Due to Covid-19, the Governor and Arkansas Department of Health has put a limit on the number of people who can attend indoor and outdoor activities. These restrictions are not the desire of anyone in the district. However, for the health and safety of our players, coaches and fans, we MUST adhere to the guidelines set by the ADH and Governor. We are fortunate, at this time, to be able to continue with our sporting events. Mena Public Schools will adhere to the Indoor and Outdoor venue guidelines set forth by the Arkansas Department of Health. Anyone over 10 years of age must wear a face covering at all times. Single-household family groups can sit together but must be 6-feet apart from other groups or individuals. Seating areas will be marked such that every other row is unoccupied. Anyone found not to be in compliance with the regulations set forth by the ADH will be asked by an administrator or security officer to comply. Refusal to follow directives will result in removal from the premises. Due to the new guidelines, MPS will no longer allow FREE ADMISSION passes other than those issued by the Arkansas Athletics Association. Ticket Prices: Per game admission is $5.00 per person. Football Games: -Bearcat Stadium Capacity-680 Football Players, Band, and Cheer will be issued a certain number of redeemable tickets first. Then there will be a limited number of tickets available to the general public (no more than 2 tickets per person) that can be picked up at the Central Office the day of the event from (8:00am to 3:45pm). Volleyball Games (7th-12th grade):--UBC Capacity-240 Volleyball players will be issued a certain number of redeemable tickets first. Then there will be a limited number of tickets available to the general public (no more than 2 tickets per person) that can be picked up at the Central Office the day of the event from (8:00am to 3:45pm). Football and Volleyball Visitors: a limited number of tickets will be provided for the visiting team at the beginning of each week. State officials are not allowing band and cheer to attend away games. (The same will happen when the Bearcats/Ladycats go on the road—we will get the ticket information out ASAP for these events.) Unfortunately, during this time, tailgating before athletic events is NOT ALLOWED. Attendees will NOT be allowed on the track, field, or court at any time before, during or after the event. Immediately after the event, fans need to exit the facility. During multi-game nights, parents are encouraged to exit the facility when their child’s game is over to allow room for other parents/family the opportunity to watch their child’s game. Hopefully, we can complete our seasons as scheduled and YOU can help by supporting our efforts. GO LADYCATS and BEARCATS! tagTag

Mena Middle School & Holly Harshman Elementary Open House Videos are now available for you to watch. Just click on the link below to get started. Mena High Schools video will be added as soon as it is available. LDE has sent their videos to the individual students on SeeSaw & they will not be available online. https://docs.google.com/…/2PACX-1vRxBBzTmS50mV_Kz9ceNv…/pub…

Joe Bunch & James Davis walk you through bus safety policies for the start of the 20/21 school year. The first day of school is Monday, August 24th. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sNMmvbQBiZu3Ru1mYSlLPeLNrIJCoY4K/view?usp=sharing

The Mena School Board conducted their August meeting on Tuesday Evening in the Mena High School Library. The meeting began with the approval of the minutes from the July meeting & a brief Superintendents Report. In new business the board approved the 2019/2020 inventory list. Assistant Superintendent Lee Smith spoke on changes in the District Policies Manual. A majority of the changes revolved around recently released changes in Title IX requirements. The changes were accepted. Administrators from LDE, HHE, MMS, MHS & PCVA then spoke on changes in the handbook as well as the reentry plan at each campus. All were minor & mostly related to Covid 19. The changes & re-entry plans were unanimously approved. Little to no changes have been made to the extracurricular/athletic handbook, coaches handbook & athletic administration guidebook. The few changes had to do with Covid policies & all were approved. Mr. Shane Torix then presented point of contact information to the board. He updated them on Covid policies & the reporting procedure. No action was required. Mr. Danny Minton then gave an update on projects around the district of which Included the installation of new equipment in the kitchen at HHE, a walk in cooler at MMS, new track fencing at Bearcat Stadium and painting of faded red awnings at the high school. Minton also happily reported that the district has passed all inspections leading up to the school year. The board approved a year end transfer of $362,767.22 to the building fund. These funds were designated for projects in 19- 20. These funds will be transferred back as those projects are completed. Personnel was the final item on the agenda. The board accepted the retirement of Tammy Taylor & the resignation of Terry Dino Cabello as well as Julie Gordon. The board also approved the hiring of Heather Catlett for MHS History & Kristi Cogburn for MHS/MMS Choir. The next meeting of the Mena School Board will be held on Tuesday, September 22nd

Changes have been made to the Jr. High & Sr. High volleyball schedules.. Click the link https://www.menaschools.org/o/athletics/athletics

MMS Blended Students Next Steps Make sure you have completed the Blended Application. Complete the School Registration for new and returning students. Call the MMS office if you need a “snap code” Complete the Online Meal Application, this helps the school receive funding regardless of those that qualify. Watch our Virtual Open House to get information about MMS. Come by Mena Middle School Bus Loop: (Wednesday or Friday 8:00- 11:30, 1:00-3:00) sign the Parent/Student Compact for Blended Learning** sign the Mena Public Schools Chromebook Acceptable Use agreement** Sign the Parent Acknowledgement and Permission sheet.** sign or pick up any grade specific paperwork. Receive the checked out Chromebook for the student. Monday, August 24th login to Google classroom and start working. Students check your email and classroom daily. ** IF you can print and sign these documents early, it will speed up the process.** Schedules Available! Student Schedules are available online in HAC. For a printed copy of the Schedule, drive by the Middle School Bus Loop on Wednesday, August 19th from 8:00 to 10:00 to pick one up.

Student Schedules are available online in HAC. For a printed copy of the Schedule, drive by the Middle School Bus Loop on Wednesday, August 19th from 8:00 to 10:00 to pick one up.

From Susan Bodey Aramark Food Service Director We will be handing out 5 days of breakfast and 5 days of lunch beginning this Friday Aug. 21. Meals may be picked up at Louise Durham or High School on Fridays between 1 and 2 pm We are no longer allowed to serve on the SSO option so meals will be charged to the student’s account, as though the student was in school, based on their Free/Reduced/Paid status. The form will need to be filled out by 2 pm Thursday for meal pick up on Friday. https://forms.gle/J81xjdomzJMfHr7X6

Dear Parents / Guardians, The safety of our students, staff, and patrons is an integral part of the daily routine at Mena Middle School. The purpose of this letter is to inform you about our established procedures for dropping off and picking up your child. Officers from both the Mena Police Department and Polk County Sheriff’s Office are aware of the following safety procedures and assist in their enforcement. The Car Rider Line is located in our back parking lot on Dallas Avenue. The entry and exit points are clearly marked with signs. This is the only authorized drop off and pick up area for students who are not transported by bus. *In the mornings, students may not exit your vehicle until you have reached the clearly-marked drop off / pick up area and are not allowed to walk across the parking lot from a vehicle that is parked. *During after-school pickup, your child will not be allowed to approach your vehicle until you have stopped in the designated drop off / pick up area. Students are not allowed to walk across the parking lot to a parked vehicle. If you desire to have your child walk to your parked vehicle, you as the parent or guardian, must walk your child across the parking lot, making sure that the duty teacher is aware that you are doing so. *Vehicles are not allowed in the Bus Loading / Unloading Areas from 7:15 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.and from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. *Students are not allowed to be dropped off or picked up at the Bearcat Stadium parking lot because doing so would require the child to walk across the path of incoming and outgoing buses. *Arkansas Act 738 – Prohibits drivers of all ages from using cell phones in a school zone during school hours. If you have any questions or comments regarding the safety procedures at Mena Middle School, please feel free to contact us. 479-394-2572

Free and Reduced Meal Applications are available on-line Only ONE application PER household is needed. If your household received a Notice of Direct Certification - there is no need to complete a meal application this year - To apply online click on the link:: https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/…/FREQUENTLY_ASKED_QUEST… If you have any questions, contact Sherry Newman - sherry.newman@menaschools.org - 479-394-1710

There will be a virtual parent meeting for Bearcat Football(7th, Junior High and Senior High) on Thursday 8/20 @ 6:00 on Zoom. We will send the Zoom info via our remind groups. Guardians can get the info from their players, if they aren't signed up, please get them on.