Mrs. Vega's Class at LDE bundled up and enjoyed the snow!
Thank you Mena Mayor, Seth Smith for the signing of a proclamation for Feb. 3-7,2020 as National School Counseling Week. The Mena School Counselors were recognized at the HHE Bearcat Eyes Are Watching Pep Assembly on Friday, Jan. 31st. for the extraordinary difference they make in our schools
Our district AMI Assignment Completion Day percentage was 98.55%.
Our required goal was 90% completion.
Since our district learners exceeded the required percentage, we will be able to use our AMI Day 1 as a school day.
Our last day of school is still Friday, May 22nd.
Thank you to students, parents, teachers, and administration for your successful use of our 1st AMI Day.
LDE & HHE February breakfast & lunch menu!
Louise Durham Librarian Tiffany Williams HAs an article featured in the most recent publication by The Arkansas Association of Instructional Media.
https://indd.adobe.com/…/d37c406b-1bc3-412b-be47-30e3330ead…
The Mena School District is working with the Division of Elementary & Secondary Education to implement a framework developed by Marzano Research called High Reliability Schools. As part of this process we are collecting feedback from parents, staff, and administrators through an online survey administered by the Hanover Research firm. Survey responses will be anonymous and data will only be reported as a group. Surveys are available starting Tuesday, January 28th and closing Friday, February 14th.
You will see two questions in this survey that ask whether you are a European Union citizen or are currently located in the European Union (EU). Hanover Research is required to ask these questions to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation, a new EU policy that gives citizens and others traveling in the EU greater control over their personal data.
The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete. To begin, please click the following link:
https://bit.ly/2TPnfjN
We appreciate your participation and thank you for your time.
Paulette Sherrer, ED.S
Assistant Superintendent
Congratulations to the LDE Staff Member of the Month, Mrs. Tawana Ricker! She is our Keyboarding and Coding teacher and we are so lucky to have her!
The Mena Preschool Teacher's are celebrating 100 Days of LOVING their jobs and their Student's!
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.
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.
School Board Appreciation Month!
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.
The Polk County Spelling Bee is underway in the Ouachita Center at UA Rich Mountain & Mena students are in the thick of it.. Check back later for more pictures!
School Board Appreciation Month!
There is a 30% chance of light rain when school dismisses today increasing to an 80% chance of rain by the time the basketball games end tonight. There is also a chance of severe weather today. Check the hour by hour forecast, radar & weather cam on the Mena Public Schools Weather Page...
Just click on the link.
https://www.weatherbug.com/wea…/10-day-weather/mena-ar-71953
January is School Board Appreciation Month!
We are proud to acknowledge the efforts of the men and women who shape the direction of the Mena Public Schools.
The Mena School Board conducted their December meeting at the Administration Building Tuesday Night.
Superintendent Benny Weston's report consisted of information on the recent Thanksgiving & Christmas meals served at each cafeteria. Almost 1200 meals were served to parents this year.
The board next accepted a bid on workmans compensation insurance insurance from the Arkansas School Board Association. The annual premium is $24,442.00.
Approval was also given to the 2020 Master Plan, Student transfers, the annual stipend list & the financial report.
One personnel item was addressed at the conclusion of the meeting. The board accepted the resignation of Piet Fieldman.
There will be a coat drive in front of Bob Carver Bearcat Stadium this Saturday, December 14th. This is the first annual Coat the Cold event. They will be collecting new and gently used coats, jackets, hoodies, gloves, scarves, and hats. All gently used items will be laundered before disbursement. All items that are received as a donation will be distributed throughout the local schools for children in need, the remaining items will be donated to those in need, as needed.
The Administration Office of Mena Public Schools would like to thank the individuals and community organizations who are making contributions this holiday season to "Feed A Bearcat".
Sherry Newman, Kim DePriest, Superintendent Benny Weston, Paulette Sherrer, and Suzanne Bentley choose to annually donate to the student fund at Christmas time.
The Mena School District "Feed A Bearcat" Program aims to provide wrap around services to our students in need. These services are offered on an individual basis as needs are identified and include the backpack food program, personal hygiene items, clothing, school supplies, extra-curricular student expenses, and assistance with lunch account balances. The Mena School District appreciates the generosity of our patrons who are able to donate items or monetary gifts to our students through this endeavor to meet our local needs. If you, your organization, or your business would like to donate please call 479-394-1710 or visit our offices at 501 Hickory Avenue.
