Mercer County Schools

Statement from Superintendent Edward Toman

🌟 Did you know happiness is contagious? Our Central Office team is diving into the Orange Frog program—a fun, research-based way to spread positivity and energy throughout Mercer County Schools. 🐸🍊 A little happiness goes a long way!

🐾 You never know who might stop by to visit Superintendent Toman and Assistant Superintendent Dr. Ernie Adkins! Today, Oakvale School’s therapy dog, Oakley, dropped in to talk about student achievement—and to negotiate how many treats he should get each day. 🐶✨

The University of Charleston is offering a Nursing Boot Camp for High School students interested in pursuing a nursing career. This program provides hands-on experience in the university's simulation labs, allowing students to participate in real-world nursing scenarios and meet with nursing faculty and current students.

Program Details:
Date: October 4th at the UC Beckley campus.
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Eligibility: Open to rising 8th-12th graders.

Contact: Kennita Thomas (kennitalthomas@ucwv.edu) to register.

Today, GEAR UP Coordinator Gail Webb, Secondary Supervisor Angela Groseclose, and Career Connections Facilitator Jennifer Collis attended a GEAR UP SWV training at New River Community & Technical College. The team explored new virtual reality goggles that allow students to “step into” careers—like inserting an IV as a nurse or riding up in a bucket truck to repair a transformer! These tools will be used in classrooms alongside career interest inventories so students can discover their passions, virtually experience careers, and even begin mapping out a career pathway in a database. Exciting opportunities ahead for our students to see their futures come to life!

Technology Integration Specialists Dr. Heather Farley and Kaila Hardin are leading the way in showing educators how AI tools can transform the classroom. With over 90 teachers in attendance, today’s session highlights how AI is advantageous for teachers—saving time on everyday tasks, sparking creativity, and giving them more time to focus on what matters most: students.

Parents and Families: Instructions on how to receive notifications when your child's teacher sends you a message on Rooms:

Rooms allows you to customize notification you receive via Email and SMS. To find these settings on the app click your name in the top right corner of the screen. The following options are available to turn on in varying combinations: ***You do not have to add a phone number if you're already signed into the app.***

Choose One:
Instant Delivery: Get notified instantly when you receive an unread message.

Hourly Digest: Receive a text message hourly with a collection of all unread messages.

Daily Digest: Get a text with a collection of all unread messages, delivered at your scheduled time.


Enabled in combination:
Hourly digest email for messages: Receive hourly emails about any unread messages in you have, weekdays from 8 AM to 7 PM, based on your time zone.

SMS notifications for announcements: Get text notifications for unread announcements in your rooms.

Daily digest email for announcements: Receive a daily summary of all class announcements in Rooms, delivered between 6 PM and 8 PM.

At this week’s meeting, Mercer County Board of Education members completed Local School Improvement Council (LSIC) training provided by the WV Department of Education. What are LSICs? Each school in West Virginia has an LSIC made up of parents, teachers, staff, and community members. LSICs work together to set goals, identify needs, and recommend improvements that support student learning and school success.

At last night’s Board of Education meeting, Coordinator of Pupil Services Amanda Aliff shared details about the new ReachOut Program available to every Mercer County Schools student (K–12). 🌟 What is ReachOut? ReachOut (“Let’s Talk”) connects students with licensed counselors who listen, support, and—when needed—coordinate with school administrators to ensure help comes quickly. 👩‍🎓 Who can use it? All MCS students, grades K–12. 💻 How to access: • Click the “Let’s Talk” icon on any school computer • Scan the QR code on ReachOut posters around school • Ask a trusted school adult for help submitting a ReachOut 🔑 What to expect: A counselor responds promptly, helps the student problem-solve, and respects privacy. If there’s a safety concern, appropriate adults will be involved to keep everyone safe. ReachOut is here day or night—because no student should face worries about schoolwork, friendships, family, or safety alone.

Bus 679 is running 15 minutes behind this morning, Tuesday, September 9th. This affects Timberwood, Bluefield Middle and Bluefield High.

PSHS’s Mrs. Jeseca Sowder shared key takeaways from the WVDE Social Studies Standards Rollout. These standards emphasize that social studies should be inquiry-based—students actively exploring, questioning, and applying information, not just memorizing it.#lovemywvschool

📚 Instructional Moment Monday 📚
Homework tip: Work 20 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. ⏱️ It keeps focus sharp!

#MiddleSchoolSuccess #StudySmart #LoveMyWVSchool

📚💙 A huge THANK YOU to Books-A-Million at Mercer Mall and our amazing community!
Together, you donated over 300 books to Mercer County Schools. These books will spark imagination, inspire learning, and brighten the lives of our students.

Your generosity makes a lasting difference—one page at a time. ✨

#MercerCountySchools #ThankYou #CommunityStrong

📸 Mercer County Schools Superintendent Visits Every School to Kick Off the Year! It’s been a busy start to the school year — Superintendent Mr. Edward Toman made it a priority to visit every single school in Mercer County to personally welcome students and staff back! These visits are an important way to connect with students, celebrate our teachers, and make sure we’re starting the year on the right foot. ✅ 24 Schools Visited ✅ Countless Smiles & High-Fives ✅ A Great Start to 2025-2026! We are proud to have a leader who makes time to be visible and involved in each school community. Here’s to a fantastic school year! 💛🖤 #MercerProud #MCPS #BackToSchool #LeadershipInAction #StudentsFirst

📲 Parents & Guardians: Still having trouble logging into Rooms to reach your child’s teachers?
✔️ Text START to 20819
✔️ If you’re still unable to log in, email your name, children’s names, and cell number to: mercerroomstechhelp@groups.k12.wv.us

#MercerCountySchools #Rooms

✨ Thanks to the Mercer County Schools Excess Levy, Princeton Primary and Bluefield Intermediate are sporting brand-new gym floors! 🏀

The excess levy is essential in keeping our schools strong—helping us maintain and upgrade facilities so students have safe, modern spaces to learn, play, and grow. 💙

#MercerCountySchools #ExcessLevy #InvestInEducation

🎉 Princeton Primary will celebrate on September 23rd as the school community marks this special milestone. #25YearsStrong #PPS

💚 September is Suicide Awareness Month. Mercer County Schools stands together to raise awareness, promote hope, and remind every student: you are not alone. #SuicideAwarenessMonth #MercerStrong #YouMatter

Free Parenting Webinar
September 9, 2025
Live Event
Topic: Breaking the Silence: Talking Mental Health with Your Kids & Teens
Hosted by Minding Your Mind

Mercer County Schools is proud to share this opportunity for parents and caregivers to learn strategies for having open, supportive conversations about mental health with children and teens.

This free webinar will give families practical tools, insights, and resources to help break the stigma and create safe spaces for young people to share their feelings.

Don’t miss out on this important conversation!

#SuicideAwarenessMonth #MentalHealthMatters #MercerStrong #MindingYourMind

To register go to the following link https://www.operationparent.org/webinars

📘 Instructional Moment Monday 📘
This week’s tip is for our elementary students!

✨ Building a strong vocabulary is the key to becoming a great reader. The more words students know, the better they understand what they read.
#InstructionalMomentMonday #VocabularyBuilders