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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.
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