Mr. Benny Weston has been named the Arkansas Association of Educational Administrators Superintendent of the Year. Richard Abernathy presented the award at the annual report to the public on Tuesday night at the administration building. A number present & former superintendents from around the state also attended. Congratulations to the Boss Bearcat!
Children & hydration
Children are at a greater risk of dehydration than adults. This is because in relation to their size, children have a larger proportion of their skin available to lose sweat and be exposed to heat. Additionally, children don’t always recognize that they’re thirsty, and if they’re not encouraged and reminded may forget to drink. Luckily, there are a few ways to tell if your child is hydrated.
How do I know if my child is hydrated?
Frequent bathroom breaks or wet nappies are the easiest way to tell if your child is hydrated. You can also look out for these common symptoms of dehydration:
Headaches
Poor concentration
Thirst
Cracked lips
Dry mouth
Constipation
Lethargy
Dark urine
How much water does my child need?
The amount your child needs will vary depending on their age, size and level of activity. For children under 8 years of age, at least 4-6 glasses of water is recommended. For children older than 8 years of age a minimum of 6-8 glasses is recommended.
If your child is playing sports or is very active they will need extra fluid, see our section on hydration for active kids. Kids will also need more fluid on hot days or when unwell.
Tips to help your kids stay hydrated!
Pack a water bottle for school and when you go out. Try a frozen water bottle in summer.
Encourage your child to drink water before, after and during physical activity
Always offer water with meals and snacks
Encourage your child to drink water, even if they don’t like it!
Tips for kids who don’t like water
Try adding slices of fruits such as lemon or orange to water, for variety and flavour.
Let your kids choose their own drink bottle or serve water in colourful glasses or jugs.
Be a role model! Make a point of drinking water with your kids.
Experiment with temperature; try having a jug of water in the fridge, adding ice-cubes, or even warm water in winter.
Water is the best choice to keep your kids hydrated throughout the day. Water contains no extra energy and can quench your thirst. Other fluids such as milk, juice and sweetened drinks can also contribute to your child’s fluid intake. For more information on drink choices for your kids, check out the Drinks section of our website.
It’s now a law in Arkansas!
MENA PUBLIC SCHOOL CALENDER 2019-2020!
1st day of school is Wednesday, August 14th!
https://www.menaschools.org/o/mena-school-district/events
The Mena Middle School & Mena High School faculty underwent a safety training & safety drill
this morning. Louise Durham & Holly Harshman faculty will receive the same training on Thursday... At Mena Public Schools our students safety is of the utmost importance & we work everyday to improve the safety of our campuses....
Act 738 is now in effect... Info you need to know before August 14th!
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2019/2019R/Pages/BillInformation.aspx?measureno=SB534
It's up to all of us!
Mena administrators at Day 2 of the AAEA Summer Conference attended sessions on “Status Quo Disruptor or Defender: Which Will You Be?” “Compliance to Student Focused” and “Empower Students: Connect Their Hearts and Minds!”
Pictured is Mr. Weston presiding over “Stress and the Superintendency: How to Handle It” breakout session.
Polk County Virtual Academy will host an informational meeting on August 9th at 10am in the Mena High School Library. Current parents or guardians of PCVA students as well as anyone who is interested in learning more about the program is welcome to attend. We will be completing applications, scheduling courses, and looking at curriculum for the upcoming year. Join us on August 9th at 10am! For more information, contact Bridget Buckley at 479-215-0205 or bridget.buckley@menaschools.org.
In a recent poll by the Mena Star the Mena Public Schools were chosen as "Best School". We would like to thank our patrons for their continued support. At MPS we want to see improvement every day in our teachers, students & the learning atmosphere. GO BEARCATS!
Polk County Virtual Academy is excited to announce our partnership with Edmentum and Calvert Learning for our K-8 curriculum in the 2019-2020 school year. Calvert Learning has been working with home-school curriculum for over 100 years. 9th through 12th grade will continue to use EdOptions. Both programs offer Arkansas certified teachers and are aligned with Arkansas State Standards. For more information about PCVA contact Bridget Buckley at 479-216-0205 or bridget.buckley@menaschools.org. You can also follow this link to our website https://www.menaschools.org/o/polk-virtual-academy
The Mena School Board met at the district administration building the evening of Tuesday, July 23rd. See the full story under news on our website at
https://www.menaschools.org/article/121534?org=mena-school-district
If you live outside the Mena School District & your child wants to be a Bearcat, or if you missed the school choice deadline, there are some important dates coming up that you need to know about. Applications for student transfers will be accepted Monday, July 29th thru Monday, August 12th. You may fill oout an application at the Mena Public Schools Administration Building at 501 Hickory in Mena. For more information call 479-394-1710 or e-mail sherry.newman@menaschools.org . This also applies to out of district students who would like to enroll in the Polk County Virtual Academy.
The next window for out of district transfers will be December 2nd thru January 17th. Get to know the Mena School District, including PCVA, online via social media & on our website www.menaschools.org
Mena School District Superintendent, Benny Weston, received his Superintendent of the Year plaque last week at Arkansas Rural Education Conference in Eureka Springs.
What's going on with the weather? Find out on the Mena Public School Weather Page! Just follow the link!
https://www.weatherbug.com/weather-forecast/now/mena-ar-71953?location=mena-ar-71953
19/20 Mena Public School Calendar!
We hope you have the Mena Public School App on your phone or tablet. If you do be looking for a new updated format soon. If not, what are you waiting for? It's a great way to keep up with what is happening at all the Mena campuses while on the go.
We hope you have the Mena Public School App on your phone or tablet. If you do be looking for a new updated format soon. If not, what are you waiting for? Just download in the app store or google pay.
The June Meeting of the Mena School Board was held at the Administration building on Tuesday night....
The board voted to approve KYLE CANNON as it's representative to the Arkansas School Board Association.
The board also voted on it's annual restructuring. TODD AYNES will serve as President in 19/20. KYLE CANNON will serve as Vice President & EDD PUCKETT as Secretary.
A transfer of $300,000.00 was approved from the operating fund to the building fund. This transfer will bring the district into compliance with ACT 1105 which obligates the district to lower it's legal balance to meet the June 30th state required legal balance of 20% of net revenues.
The board approved the solicitation of bids on long term CD rates for $1 million currently in the disaster relief fund. These funds are currently in short term CD's to make them available should funds have been needed for the recently completed Louise Durham construction.
Building & property insurance was renewed thru the ASBA Risk Management Program with an $18,735.38 increase. The increase was mainly due to the new construction at LDE.
Rates for the Supplemental Student Accidental Insurance Policy remain unchanged at $33,868.00. The policy was renewed.
DANNY MINTON gave a report to the board on construction & summer upgrades. At LDE work on the floors, painting & the playground continues. At HHE new LED lights have been installed & a new wall has been constructed for better access to storage. At MMS new LED lights have been installed in Jim Rackley Gymnasium. A sidewalk connecting the high school & middle school, near the ag building, has been completed. Striping on the front parking lot have been repainted & sheet rock repair has been completed at the MMS gym. At MHS the boilers have been serviced. The #'s on the main parking lot have been painted & a concrete access ramp has been poured at the field house.
Several personnel changes were made. The board accepted the resignation of Tim Harper, Amanda Harper, Steve Breedlove, David Hampton, Aaron Pennington, Macklin Chermack,Melody Rowe, Thomas Powell, Hannah Powell & Lauren Quillin. Also approved was the transfer of Bridget Buckley to the position of Mena High School Assistant Principal & the hiring of Craig Bentley as Head Sr. High Football coach, Lauren Frost as High School Secretary & Sarah Bentley as 1st grade teacher
