To: All ESS Staff serving Mena School District
From: Benny Weston
Re: Your Safety
We want to assure our substitute teachers that Mena Public Schools is making sincere efforts to reduce everyone’s risk of exposure to COVID-19. Although we cannot guarantee that exposure will not happen, we are doing these things to maintain a safe environment:
1. Reducing the interactions between teachers and other students not in their classrooms through scheduling and student pods.
2. Requiring masks to be worn by all people in the buildings ages 10 and older.
3. Reducing exchange of materials such as food trays and books.
4. Disinfecting surfaces daily and providing hand sanitizing in every room throughout the district.
5. Maintaining social distancing protocols in classrooms and commons areas when possible and maintaining students pods when it is not.
6. Not allowing large assemblies.
7. Restricting outside guests from entering the buildings to maintain a controlled environment.
8. Quarantining infected individuals and their close contacts using Arkansas Department of Health standards, which are strictly adhered to.
We feel that our school buildings are as safe as any other facility which hosts large numbers of people and would invite all substitute teachers to return to the classrooms. Our cases at Mena Public Schools have been very few and we feel that our attention to the standards and protocols are why we have been successful at controlling the spread of COVID-19.
Please remember that Mena Public Schools will be closed on Friday 10/16. That means that Virtual & Blended meal pick up will be today from 1pm-2pm at Louise Durham Elementary & Mena High School. These are meals for 10/19 thru 10/23...
On October 9, USDA approved waivers for school districts to operate SSO (Covid-19 Response #59) until June 30, 2021. This will allow districts to serve all meals at the free rate.
All on-site students attending school on Thursday, October 15th will have a free breakfast and lunch (no refrigeration needed) sent home with them at the end of the day for our virtual day Monday, October 19th – NO NEED TO REGISTER
Blended and PCVA students – please continue filling out the online
meal form each week to receive your free breakfasts and lunches –
NOTE – this week’s online form closes Wednesday, October 14th and pick up is Thursday, October 15th between 1:00 – 2:00p.m.
Click the link for the meal order form for the week of October 19th-23rd. PIck up is THURSDAY 10/15 from 1pm-2pm at Louise Durham & Mena High School.
https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSebK70jKyy.../viewform...
Just a reminder that Mena Public Schools will be closed on Friday, October 16th. This is a vacation day for students & teachers.
Mena Public Schools will be closed on Monday, October 19th. This is a virtual day for students. Meaning they will have assignments from their teacher to complete that day at home. This will be a day of professional development for teachers..
All on-site students attending school on Thursday, October 15 th will have a free breakfast and lunch (no refrigeration needed) sent home with them at the end of the day for our virtual day Monday, October 19th – NO NEED TO REGISTER
Blended and PCVA students – please continue filling out the online
meal form each week to receive your free breakfasts and lunches –
NOTE – this week’s online form closes tomorrow, Wednesday,
October 14th and pick up is Thursday, October 15 th between 1:00 – 2:00p.m.
Click the link for the meal order form for the week of October 19th-23rd. PIck up is THURSDAY 10/15 from 1pm-2pm at Louise Durham & Mena High School.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSebK70jKyyhhIk9HArpxkStPuuv_sBdkMIyiTCwg9MfltQQHQ/viewform?gxids=7757
Mena Bearcat Seniors & Homecoming Court are zooming with classes at Holly Harshman & Louise Durham Elementary this week in celebration of Spirit Week. The high school students are reading books, answering questions, & visiting with the elementary students via zoom.
Click the link for the meal order form for the week of October 12th-15th. PIck up is Friday from 1pm-2pm at Louise Durham & Mena High School.
https://forms.gle/fZxSi3ZCx8ueXm4f9
Click the link for the meal order form for the week of October 12th-15th.
https://forms.gle/fZxSi3ZCx8ueXm4f9
Today is National School Custodian Day & at the Mena Public Schools we have the best. Thanks for all your hard work.
Rodney Dominguez
Mitch Milne
Leo Barge
Brent Tibbs
Keri Duer
Cheryl Goodner
Diane Barber
Maddie Fletcher
Virtual, blended, or non-enrolled students have to sign up for meals every week. Meals may be picked up at Louise Durham Elementary or Mena High School on Fridays between 1 and 2pm. The form will need to be filled out by 2 pm Thursday for meal pick up on Friday. Follow the link to fill out the form for October 5th-9th.
https://forms.gle/98bmtEwb1ijmCDmD8
Download the Mena Public Schools App !!!
LDE & HHE teachers took advantage of a visit by staff from the DeQueen Mena Educational Service Cooperative to boost their technology game today. Improving skills is a continuous goal for Mena teachers.
Virtual, blended, or non-enrolled students have to sign up for meals every week. Meals may be picked up at Louise Durham Elementary or Mena High School on Fridays between 1 and 2pm. The form will need to be filled out by 2 pm Thursday for meal pick up on Friday. Follow the link to fill out the form for October 5th-9th.
https://forms.gle/98bmtEwb1ijmCDmD8
Blended & virtual student meals for September 28th-October 2nd may be picked up today at Louise Durham Elementary or Mena High School between 1 and 2 pm.
The Mena School Board met for their September meeting on Tuesday evening in the Mena High School Library.
The board unanimously approved the 2020—2021 operating budget. Including federal programs, VI-B & special education.
They also unanimously approved the 2020-2021 Standards of Accreditation, the Polk County Virtual Academy Charter School Statement of Assurance as well as Resolution Act 1120.
Superintendent Benny Weston then made the board aware of a bond sale which will take place in the near future. These bonds will receive an improved rate which will save the district money over the life of the bond.
Assistant Superintendent Dr. Lee Smith then recommended to the board that they accept a bid from Velocity Fusion for a new phone system for the district & new intercom system on three campuses. The cost to the district will be just over $119,000. The board voted to accept that bid.
Graduation 2021 was next on the agenda & after a brief discussion a date of Saturday, May 22nd was approved.
Each school board member is required to take 6 hours of training this year & they were made aware of 9 hours of training being made available in the month of October that they can take advantage of.
The board quickly approved the financial reports.
Under personnel. The resignation of Jessica Smith, from her position as Family & Consumer Science teacher, was accepted & will become effective September 30th. They then approved the transfer of Lauren Frost to that position from her current position as a secretary at MHS effective October 1st.
Finally the board approved the drafting of a letter, to the faculty & staff at Mena Public Schools, expressing their deepest gratitude for the good job they have done under difficult circumstances this school year.
School day pictures with Lifetouch will be on Monday, September 28, for grades 9, 10, and 11, as well as faculty. This will be the only school picture day Lifetouch plans to offer to Mena High School this year, so we need everyone to be at school that day to get their photo taken for the yearbook.
School pictures at MMS are Tuesday 9/29. Picture forms will be given out today during ACHIEVE. You are not required to order or purchase pictures, however, everyone will have their photo taken for the yearbook and to have a photo on file for ID cards.
Picture day at HHE is Thursday, October 22nd.
Picture day at LDE is Wednesday, October 21st.
Virtual, blended, or non-enrolled students have to sign up for meals every week. Meals may be picked up at Louise Durham Elementary or Mena High School on Fridays between 1 and 2pm. The form will need to be filled out by 2 pm Thursday for meal pick up on Friday. Follow the link to fill out the form for September 28th - October 2nd.
https://forms.gle/trtEGbCH1mAUW4ty6
Attention parents of Blended students: Our District website has a page of resources to assist you and your students with the technical issues of learning online. This page will be continuously updated as more resources are available. Click the link
https://www.menaschools.org/…/pa…/blended-learning-help-page
