Gameday Saturday!
HEADS UP!!!
Mena Public Schools will be closed on Friday, February 14th. Classes will resume on Monday the 17th. We hope you enjoy the break.
Announcements for Wednesday, January 22nd
Today is our 100th day of school – 78 days to go.
Reminders:
BADD Club coloring sheet entries are due to Mrs. Rose tomorrow.
Alternate Method of Instruction (AMI):
You have until next Wednesday to complete AMI work assigned for our missed day.
If 90% of the students in our district complete the assignments by next Wednesday, we will not be required to make up the day we missed.
Check with all of your teachers today if you have any questions about your AMI work.
Lunchtime Weather: We will stay inside during lunch. You may use your phone / device once you’ve eaten and have left the cafeteria.
Lunch Menu: (Wednesday’s menu will be served today)
Line 1 – Chicken Alfredo, MTO Boneless Wings
Line 2 – Fiesta Pizza, Deli Sandwich, Turkey Chef Salad
Concession – Hamburger, Hot Dog, Chicken Sandwich
Club / Group Meetings:
At this time, 8th grade GT students need to go to the Conference room.
Mena MIddle School 8th graders arrive at Mena High school for an orientation today.The students will be familiarized with the campus & will hear about various programs in preparation for their move to MHS.next year.
Due to inclement weather, Mena Public Schools will be closed Wednesday, January 22nd.
The district will use the 1st Alternative Method of Instruction (AMI) Day approved by the State.
Please follow the AMI Day procedures for your child’s building and grade level.
Students will have the opportunity to complete their assignments on the day missed or when school resumes.
Attendance will be calculated by the successful completion of the assignments.
If 90% or more of the students complete their required learning expectations for the AMI Day, the day will not have to be made up at the end of the year.
The Mena School Board held their January meeting on Tuesday Night at the Administration Building .
The board went into executive session immediately to discuss the renewal of Benny Weston's contract as Superintendent. When the executive session ended the board voted unanimously to add an additional year to Weston's contract.
Danny Minton addressed the board on the HVAC Scheduled Maintenance Agreement. The board renewed the agreement for Mena High School, including the addition of the safe room systems, at a cost of $14,850.00. The board also approved the addition of an agreement for Louise Durham Elementary at a cost of $4,292.00.
Minton also gave an update on the district facilities which included information on damage caused by a recent lightning strike. The strike took place on a light pole at the baseball field & not only caused damage there but also to phones, cameras, HVAC & more. A complete damage assessment is underway & may continue for some time before all damage is discovered.
Attention then turned to the Mid Year Review in which Weston was pleased to report that the district had exhausted 47% of the budget for the year.
Weston then updated each member of the board on the requirements of Act 589 the School Board Member Training Report in which all board members had met or exceeded the required number of hours.
The Board moved on to the financial report which was approved.
The Annual School Board Liability Insurance & General Liability Coverage premium was briefly discussed before the being approved at a cost of $8783.00.
Finally there were a pair of personnel issues. The board accepted the resignation of Hope Cannon who is a para pro at MMS & also they also approved the move of bus driver Gwen Andrews from a "C" to a "B" route.
The Mena 7th Grade Ladycats & Bearcats will play in a basketball jamboree at Lake Hamilton this Saturday 1/25/20. Check the schedule below..
Announcements for Tuesday, January 21st
BADD Club coloring sheet entries are due to her by this Friday.
Check the lost and found box for your missing items. It is already getting full again.
The Jr High and Sr High Bearcat Basketball teams will be hosting the Arkadelphia Badgers this evening at the Union Bank Center at the High School. 9th grade Lady Cats will tip off at 4:30.
Lunchtime Weather: The current temperature is 32º. It is expected to be 36º by Lunch “A” and 40º by Lunch “B”. If you are dressed appropriately, you can go outside during lunch. You may also choose to remain inside.
Lunch Menu:
Line 1 – Popcorn Chicken Bowl, MTO Tortilla
Line 2 – Meat Lover’s Pizza, Deli Sandwich, Cobb Salad
Concession – Steak Sandwich, Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Chicken Tenders
Club / Group Meetings:
Announcements for Monday, January 20th
Reminders:
7th grade ETS students will be meeting with Brandon today after these announcements.
The representative for Letterman Jacket orders is located at the high school cafeteria. Once we get word that they are ready for middle school students, teachers will receive an email with instructions.
From Mrs. Rose: BADD Club members who missed the meeting on Friday need to come by her office to pick up a coloring contest sheet. The sheets are due to her by this Friday.
Lunchtime Weather:
Lunch Menu:
Line 1 – Salisbury Steak, MTO Oriental Line, MTO Waffle Bar
Line 2 – Sausage Pizza, Deli Sandwich, Ham Chef Salad
Concession – Backyard Burger, Chicken Sandwich
Club / Group Meetings:
At this time:
6th grade GT students need to go to the Conference room.
7th grade ETS students need to go to the Cafeteria.
School Board Appreciation Month!
Announcements for Friday, January 17th
Reminders:
BADD Club will be meeting with Mrs. Rose after these announcements.
7th grade ETS students will be meeting with Brandon next Monday during ACHIEVE.
The representative for Letterman Jackets will be here on Monday. We do not have any order forms at this time but some should be available on Monday.
From Mrs. Sikes: The following students need to go to her room after the announcements:
Mickkalee Lane Shantal Tecson Rylee Wiles Hailey Emerson
From Mrs. Chaney: Congratulations to the 8th grade winners of the Dystopian Writing Competition. Their work will be published in a book of short stories that will eventually be available in our Library. All winners need to see Mrs. Chaney after these announcements:
Briley Dean Breanna Parker Brody Brown Caysen Morgan
Alexis Dooley Brinley Blake Logan Shone Elaina Aleshire
Sophie Brewer Holiday Neufeld Jocelyn Baird
Lunchtime Weather: You have the option of staying inside, or going outside if it is not raining
Lunch Menu:
Line 1 – Crispitos, MTO Baked Potate
Line 2 – Sausage & Jalapeno Pizza, Deli Sandwich, Pizza Salad
Concession – Pizza Burger, Corn Dog, Chicken Sandwich, Bacon-Egg-Cheese Melt
Club / Group Meetings:
At this time:
BADD Club needs to go to Mrs. Rose’s office.
The previous-announced students need to go to Mrs. Sikes’ room or Mrs. Chaney’s room.
Everyone else: go to where you are supposed to go for FLEX Friday.
Mrs. Sikes's 6th Grade Keyboarding classes at Mena Middle School had the opportunity to dig into the computer this week and learn more about the hardware. They opened the computer case, disconnected the main components from the motherboard, and removed them. Finally they put it all back together to make it run. It was a fun day of learning!
Mena’s Benny Weston was recently recognized as Superintendent of the year and gave his acceptance speech and charge to the audience at the recent AAEA 2020 Superintendent Symposium. Closing the event was Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson who spoke to the state superintendents.
Friday, Jan 31 is the last date to order personalized Middle School yearbooks.
The last date to order a plain Yearbook is February 28.
Order online at Jostens Yearbooks.
A limited number of Yearbooks will be for sale at school after March 1. The price will increase. They will be available first come, first serve.
Announcements for Thursday, January 16th
Reminders:
Today is the last reminder about the following sign-up & registration forms that we have in the office: Cheerleader Tryouts, Youth League Soccer, Baseball, & Softball.
BADD Club will be meeting with Mrs. Rose tomorrow during ACHIEVE – be sure and wear your BADD shirt.
7th grade ETS students will be meeting with Brandon next Monday during ACHIEVE.
From Mr. Goodnight: Archery Team practice is today at the MHS Safe Room, 3:30 – 5:30. Team members must have their signed parental consent form.
Lunchtime Weather:
Lunch Menu:
Line 1 – General Tso’s Beef, MTO Tortilla, MTO Nachos
Line 2 – Cheeseburger Pizza, Deli Sandwich, Popcorn Chicken Salad
Concession – Hamburger, Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Chicken Tenders
Corrected January Menu for Mena MIddle School!
Gameday Thursday!
Bearcat Football Cup Fundraiser Update from Coach Bentley!
Update from our fundraising company on the cups: they should be in around the first of February. With Christmas Break and the new year the orders are taking slightly longer than usual. Thank you for your patience and support of Bearcat football!
Issues with the phone lines that service Mena High School, Mena MIddle School & Holly Harshman Elementary continue this morning. Service has been spotty & technicians continue to chase the problem. Your patience is appreciated.
The Polk County Spelling Bee was held Tuesday at UA Rich Mountain.
Here is a list of Mena students who won honors:
4th grade – 1st place: Auden Dong & 2nd place: Shooter Davis.
5th grade – 1st place: Ryan Jiang & 3rd place: Ayden Dong.
6th grade – 1st place: Ryan Jiang, 2nd place: Brandon Dong.
7th grade – 2nd place: Yennette Tecson & 3rd place: Elijah Smith.
8th grade – 1st place: Shantal Tecson & 3rd place: Jocelyn Biard
Go Bearcats!
