Week 8: Building Futures Through Connections

Happy Friday!

Thank you for the energy, effort, and commitment you continue to bring each day. The year is moving quickly, and we are already approaching the end of the first quarter with 135 instructional days remaining. This is a good moment to pause, take stock, and align our daily work with our performance targets—strong academic growth, attendance at or above 93.5%, and steady improvement in behavior and climate.

I also want to recognize the way many of you are carefully monitoring your own professional growth goals. Just as our district targets are trending in a positive direction, so too are the personal goals you are pursuing in your classrooms. Your dedication to both student progress and professional growth is what keeps us moving forward together.

This week’s Wrap-up focuses on two areas tied directly to that progress: the connections our teachers are creating that shape students’ future opportunities, and the importance of strengthening reading stamina across grade levels.

Building Futures Through Connections

Young people begin to form their vision of the future through the experiences and encouragement they receive in school. Consistent with Social Cognitive Career Theory, students’ aspirations grow from three factors: belief in their abilities, observing relatable role models, and receiving encouragement from others. Every time a teacher affirms a student’s potential, introduces a new opportunity, or models persistence, we shape that student’s belief in what is possible.

Teachers across the district are creating these moments in both real and virtual ways. Some opportunities are in-person: field trips, guest speakers, community professionals visiting classrooms, and hands-on programs such as CTE or robotics. Others are virtual: connecting with mentors through video, exploring careers on digital platforms, or experimenting with AI-powered tools that open new doors to learning. These connections widen horizons, help students see themselves in future roles, and build the confidence needed to pursue goals with purpose.

This work reflects our mission at Mena Public Schools: no dream is diminished or demeaned by another. Every student’s path matters, and it is our responsibility to prepare them by strengthening skills, encouraging confidence, and expanding their vision for the future. Whether their dream is college, trade, military service, or a career here in Polk County, the bridge to that future is built through the connections and habits we help them form today, while staying accountable to our performance targets.

Just as these real and virtual connections open doors for students to see themselves in new futures, they also point us back to one of the most essential skills needed for success in every pathway: reading stamina.

Reading Stamina

At our recent district leadership meeting, we identified a clear need for students to build greater reading stamina. In other words, the ability to sustain focus, comprehension, and effort over longer periods of reading. Many students can manage short passages, but struggle when texts require extended attention. Stamina is essential for success on state assessments, in higher education, and in the workplace, and it directly supports our literacy and growth targets.

Reading stamina develops through intentional practice. Just as athletes train to increase endurance, readers must gradually extend their capacity with support and encouragement. Teachers play a vital role by modeling persistence, scaffolding comprehension, and creating environments where sustained reading is expected and celebrated.

One research-based approach is close reading, which asks students to revisit the same complex text multiple times, each with a different purpose. For example, a first read may focus on general comprehension, while a second read draws attention to vocabulary, structure, or key details. A third read may then shift to analysis of themes, the author’s purpose, or evidence to support an argument. Close-reading activities strengthen stamina because they require students to remain with a text longer, to push deeper into meaning, and to practice persistence when the material becomes challenging. Over time, students learn that comprehension is not always immediate, but can grow richer with multiple, deliberate passes through the same text. Many of our teachers already understand and use these methods effectively; we encourage you to share your practices and help others apply them in their lessons so that students across the district can benefit.

Other strategies also support stamina:

* Sustained Silent Reading (SSR) with teacher modeling encourages daily, uninterrupted reading and builds engagement.

* Gradual time extension, starting small and lengthening reading periods over time, helps students develop endurance without becoming overwhelmed.

There are many other methods to explore, but the essential step is to make stamina a daily priority so every student grows into a confident, capable reader who is prepared for future learning and career opportunities.

Closing Reflections

Thank you for continuing to invest in our students with patience, persistence, and vision. As we near the end of the first quarter, your attention to connections, literacy, attendance, and climate is shaping lives well beyond the walls of our schools.

Closing Celebrations

It has been another exciting week for Bearcat athletics. Our volleyball teams had a strong showing with victories over both Waldron and Arkadelphia at the Union Bank Center, including wins by the 7th-grade, junior, and senior Ladycats, as well as a shutout performance by the senior JV squad. This weekend, both the Jr. Ladycats and Sr. Ladycats will represent Mena in tournament play—the juniors at the River Valley Invitational in Alma and the seniors at the Lady Eagle Invitational in Paris.

Our tennis team also turned in positive results earlier this week against DeQueen and Fountain Lake, showing strong play in both singles and doubles action and continuing to represent Mena well.

On the gridiron, our football team will travel to Lamar tonight to take on the Warriors. For those not making the trip, you can still cheer on the Bearcats by watching the live stream on Bearcat TV.

Beyond athletics, the annual Louise Durham Fall Carnival took place last night and was a well-attended event where parents and their LD students enjoyed an evening of games and treats. A big thank you goes to all of the organizers and volunteers who made it another enjoyable event for our school community.

We also want to remind all staff that the Natural Hearing Center On-site will be here next Friday, October 10th, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the middle school parking lot. Their purpose is to provide free hearing evaluations for anyone who may need them. This service is not only convenient but also an important way to ensure that hearing health does not become a barrier to communication and daily life. Please take advantage of this opportunity if you feel it could benefit you.

It was a good week of understanding at Mena Public Schools.

At Mena Public Schools, our students are prepared, our staff is supported, and our community is confident.

Keep the #menareads posts and videos coming, and have a good weekend!

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