Mena Middle School

Mena School District Parent/Guardian Survey for Fall 2020 - Please complete 1 survey per household. Please take the time to complete the following survey. Your input is valuable to us. We have never before had to prepare for a school year like the upcoming Fall 2020 Semester. There are still so many unanswered questions for parents, students, and school personnel. The Mena School District is asking you to consider the following statements in each category and check all of them that apply to your situation. Your choices for your student and shared concerns are important to us. Your feedback will assist us to make important decisions about the upcoming 1st semester of the 2020-2021 school year. With your input our goal is to continue to strive to best meet the needs of our students and their families while still remaining in compliance with all the state agency guidelines and restrictions. We will offer you similar choices again in preparation for the 2nd semester of the 2020-2021 school year. Please complete one survey per household. Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your input. *If you are participating in this survey and you know someone in our district with no internet access, please direct them to call our Administration Office at (479)394-1710 and answer these important survey questions over the phone. https://forms.gle/mzHQpZVujrqW7tT87

Mena Middle School students who earned all A's last semester!

Mena Middle School students who earned all A's & B's last semester!

We are excited to see our guys on Monday. The coaches have been working extremely hard to make sure we keep each athletes safety #1! Reminder: All work is voluntary. Below are group assignments for our Junior High and 7th grade football players. Only addition to the below info.....if there is a 7-9th player who ONLY plays football, they will report at 2:30 on Tues and Thurs. This is for the month of June. Group 1 @ 11:00am Monday & Wednesday Skill Players (receivers,quarterbacks,running backs,defensive backs) Group 2 @ 1:30pm Monday & Wednesday Linemen (offensive & defensive) If you are unsure which group you are to attend please reach out to a coach Reminder, no workouts on June 9! For all the athletic work out schedule click on the link. https://www.facebook.com/MenaPublicSchools/photos/a.480635768762834/1503819796444421/?type=3&theater Go Bearcats!

Applications for the 2020-2021 school year are now available and can be completed online at the link below. PCVA is an online, home based educational option for K-12 students. For more information, contact PCVA Director Bridget Buckley at bridget.buckley@menaschools.org or 479-216-0205. https://forms.gle/13iWJAdUPgCMYDKS7

Join the 2020 Mena Junior High Boys Basketball Remind App! Parents and players please join as soon as possible! https://www.remind.com/join/202021mena

Mena Athletics/Extra Curricular General Guidelines for Re-Entry

Tell your Instagram friends to like the NEW Mena Schools account! https://www.instagram.com/menaschools/

Tell your Twitter friends to like the NEW Mena Schools account! https://twitter.com/SchoolsMena

Please return MMS library books! Tubs are located outside the front entrance Monday -Thursday 8am-4pm..

Attention Parents of Students who attended Mena School District: State and Federal guidelines require that all special education due process forms and records be destroyed within six (6) years after a student leaves the special education or speech therapy program. If your child was dismissed, graduated, dropped from the program or found to be ineligible for special education services and/ or speech therapy during the school year 2012-2013, you have the right to review and request copies of your child’s due process records before they are destroyed. Your child also has the right to review these records providing he or she is 18 years or older. If you wish to see these records, they will be available at Mena School Special Education office beginning May 25, 2020 to June 15, 2020 from 7:00 am to 4:00 p.m. Records, which are not picked up will be destroyed on June 22, 2020. These records are NOT your child’s permanent school records, they are only special education due process forms and records. You may contact Laura Bunch Special Education Supervisor 479-394-1144

Congratulations to Mena Middle School on being chosen as one of the schools in the State of Arkansas to be included in an adequacy case study. They were chosen for “repeatedly performing higher than their demographics indicated they should”. "We are humbled in being chosen to be part of this case study. It is a credit to our diligent staff and the wonderful students that have graced our hallways. We look forward to helping the future of education in Arkansas." said Principal Cliff Sherrer. Our Leadership committee: Clifton Sherrer, Todd Coogan, Leilani Rose Teacher committee: Robin Ponder, Malea Ellison, Sheli Chaney  

Mena Middle School Offers Computer Science Course for 2020-2021 School Year Computer Science for Grades 7 and 8 is an elective consisting of an introduction to computers, hardware, software, internet, research, coding, and 21st Century Skills. This is a Project Based Learning course where students apply knowledge and skills to solve problems they identify in their school and community. Mena Middle School will continue to offer these Career Technical course electives: Family CSI (Consumer Science Investigations) Introduction to Agriculture Career Development Keyboarding Leadership through Service Learning Introduction to Business Applications / Computers These courses allow students to establish foundation skills for their future - high school, college, and workforce. Students should make their course selections via the School Form. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfiPXurZ4kFtf6EMLQ0ISAe8vRotzxcX8oYsPKcBiDlX3gAcw/viewform

Welcome Dr. Lee Smith back to Mena. Smith has been hired as the next Assistant Superintendent at the Mena Public Schools.. GO BEARCATS!!!

The Mena School Board met on Tuesday, May 19th. The meeting began with the Superintendents Report. Mr. Benny Weston updated the board on the multiple phases the leadership team is working on for reentry & the beginning of the 2020/2021 school year. Assistant Superintendent Paulette Sherrer added that a needs assesment is underway in anticipation of the award from federal COVID-19 CARES Act monies. Personnel was next on the agenda. RESIGNATIONS Traci Gray Malani Vega RESCIND CONTRACT Markie Blocker TRANSFER Amy Dollar - 6th grade social studies Justin Goodnight - Mena High School Agri Chelsea Johnson - 8th grade algebra Susan McKeever - LDE Special Education paraprofessional HIRE Dr. Lee Smith - Assistant Superintendent Cheyenne Burdess - HHE Lisa Falls - HHE LPN Alicia Farringer - MMS Special Education self contained Amy Martin - MMS Chase McCormick - MMS Agri Colby Singleton - Secondary MHS COACHING DUTIES Landon Dover - head sr. girls track Tia Fryer - assistant jr. boys basketball Ryan Luttmer - head jr. boys basketball & head jr. boys track Brad Lyle - assistant sr. boys basketball Heather Goss - head jr. girls track All were approved unanimously. The board then renewed the contract with Aramark Food Service & also renewed the agreement with Horizon Software. The board accepted the Freedom of Choice Applications of 9 students. Next was an update on the district's Five Year Plan to improve the FTE (Full-time equivalent). For the 20/21 school year the FTE has improved to 91.4% & is expected to jump to 95% once final calculations are made. Finally financial reports were approved & the meeting adjourned.

Mena Middle School now has bins available for students to return packets, library books, and teacher books. The bins are available from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm, Monday, May 11th through Thursday, May 14th and are located at the main entrance. Students' locker contents have been bagged and will be available for pickup during that time as well. MMS students will be able to return their Chrome Book device (and charger) May 18th &19th on the following schedule: 6th grade 9:00 - 10:30, 7th grade 10:30 - 12:00, 8th grade 1:00 - 2:30. The turn-in point for Chrome Books will in the bus loading area. If you have any questions, please call Mena Middle School at 394-2572."

ATTENTION MMS PARENTS / STUDENTS: Just a reminder that all student locker contents have been bagged and labeled. All bags need to be picked up by Thursday, May 21st. After that date, all usable items will be donated to local charitable organizations. If you're not sure if your child has items to be picked up, please call Mena Middle School at 479-394-2572.

Exciting news to pass along! Next week we will offer a Zoom meeting with both our JH and and incoming 7th grade football players. Information will be passed along on each "Remind" group. We will get information out early next week. Until then if you have an athlete in that group it would be good to familiarize with Zoom. We can't wait to see those Bearcats! https://www.facebook.com/Mena-Bearcat-Football-453541635192334/

Mena Middle School has 10 Yearbooks left for purchase. Come to the school NOW if you want to buy one while supplies last.

Students: Please use the link below to select your course for next year. Link for Middle School Course Requests. https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSfiPXurZ4kFtf6EML…/viewform This link has also been sent to the student's email as well.