Communities In Schools Ohio County

Please make plans to join us for our Back-To-School Community Fair, on August 14th at Wheeling Park. We will be set up in the Memorial Ice Rink from 10am - 2pm...Back to school items donated from our participants will be given out to all attendees. For more information on tables available, or how to donate, please call Quality Management at 304-243-5342.

We don't want to wish away your summer, but we are ONE MONTH away from the first day of school! Please make sure you are following Ohio County Schools AND your child's home school on social media to get the most up to date information.

Still can't find what you're looking for? Don't hesitate to reach out to us on social media or contact the public relations and communications office at 304-243-0493. We'll do our best to help fill in the blanks!

Read on for an extremely important reminder for ALL incoming 7th and 12th grade students.

Entering 7th or 12th grade? Please don't forget these state-required mandates!

If you have a student entering these grades, please consider sharing this status to spread the word.

We're now 3 WEEKS away from our 17th Annual Celebrate Youth Festival!

Join us on August 1, 2024, from 10am - 4pm at Wheeling Park for a fun-filled day!
🛝free wristbands to the park (entry to the pool, mini golf, and paddle boats)
🎨arts, crafts, and other fun activities
📚information and resources from over 60 exhibitors
🍎free lunch and drinks
✏️and so much more!

Get ready for the Ohio Valley's premiere end-of-summer event!

Planning ahead?

Check out the 2024-2025 calendar at a glance!

Please remember, events such as snow days and natural disasters can influence the calendar. Also note that the start days for pre-k and k are split.

Pre-K will see half the class on both 9/3 and 9/4 with full group beginning 9/5.

Kindergarten will see half the class on both 8/26 and 8/27 with full group beginning 8/28.

Promotion and graduation dates may alter the end of the year date for specific grade levels.

As always, please follow your school's social media pages and Ohio County Schools on Facebook, Instagram at Ohio_County_1, and on X for up to date information.

We are always looking to improve our communication, and we will continue doing our best to keep our families updated!

If you live in Ohio County and have a kid between the ages of 2 & 17, it's time to sign up to participate in our Kids Market @ The Store program! Be sure to sign up as soon as you can, spots are filling up fast. 😁

Kids Market @ The Store allows kids to “shop” for free fruits and vegetables at The Public Market in Wheeling. Each child will receive 20 tokens (maximum of 60 tokens per family) which can be spent at The Public Market on Kids Market @ The Store specific produce.

At the checkout, store clerks place a sticker in the child’s Kids Market @ The Store passport. This allows families to track which foods they’ve tried throughout the program. They can mail back their passports at the end of the program for WVU-themed prizes.

We do our best to close registration as soon as possible if a county hits capacity, but sometimes this is difficult when there is high demand. We will contact you if you sign up to participate after registration is full to let you know that you are on a waitlist.

Click here to sign up ➡️ https://wvu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_07Z10LkRmF745BI

Kids ages 2-18, join us for FREE summer lunch on weekdays June 3-18 from 11:30am to 12:30pm! Although these meals are provided by Ohio County Schools, children residing in any county in any state are welcome! No registration is required. See the attached flyer for a list of other summer meal sites around town!

Today was our unveiling of the girls restroom project, “Jazz up the stalls.” CIS site coordinators Kristen Paynter and Heather Weekley received a grant from the women’s giving circle after several students approached CIS with an idea to make the restrooms a”better place.” Without the help of our community amd students this project would not be possible. We would like to thank the following people and groups; Mr Dodd’s workplace, Women’s giving circle, Community Foundation, Mr Rowing, Shawn Denard, Miss Reed’s manufacturing workplace, Neveah Grimm, Brayden Barb, Makenzie Paynter, Park Builders, Studio 235, Park Inc, And the Appalachian outreach center.

💚MAY is Mental Health Awareness Month💚

This afternoon, students were able to visit with our WPHS CIS Site Coordinator, Mrs. Murphy during the Mental Health Fair! Amongst many other local agencies and Mental Health Counselor, Dr. Maloney, Mrs. Murphy set up a display & handed out lots of goodies.

Mrs. Murphy shares, “my goal today and everyday, is to encourage staff & students to fight for a healthy environment. Your Mental Health is EQUALLY as important as your physical health.” 💚🌷🧠

Ohio County Schools
Wheeling Park High School

Year 2 of PROM Get Ready with Me!

A special thank you to the House of the Carpenter on Wheeling Island for hosting us once again, and to my AMAZING volunteers for showing up for my ladies! 💙❤️
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Tennieal Porter - Amichi Salon & Spa .beauty
Kaitlin Fletcher - Amichi Salon & Spa

Rikki Ross - Volunteer
MeMe Lee - Volunteer
Caitlin Kuthy - Lavish Hair Salon
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Ohio County Schools Wheeling Park High School

Year 2 standing in Solidarity with Sexual Assault Survivors. Join our Community In Schools Site Coordinator, Mrs. Murphy at Wheeling Park High School TOMORROW, April 24th for Denim Day, by wearing Jeans to show your support for sexual assault prevention.
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Staff are also encouraged to wear Jeans and to donate $1.00. All proceeds for Denim Day can be dropped off to Mrs. Murphy in Student Management.

Ohio County Schools

We had a great time engaging with the students at Woodsdale Elementary School Mental Health Fair!

Sign ups now open for our next round of Tuning into Teens! This 6 week class is for anyone parenting a teenager. Feedback from previous participants include:

"Being the mom of a teenager has been challenging and I wasn't sure what to expect but I am so glad I attended! What I learned was really useful. I'd definitely recommend anyone with a teen or pre-teen attend."

"I saw this class posted on Facebook and thought, okay, do I really have time to do this? I decided to give it a try and it was well worth the two hours a week."

Tuning into Teens is free, dinner is provided, and registration is required. Have questions? Give our Ohio County Family Support Center a call at 304-905-0205.

Why Pay Salon prices when the salon staff are offering their services for FREE! If your student needs attire or a service provided for Prom, please fill out the link on schoology OR scan the QR Code to sign up for Prom get Ready with Me. Students can see Mrs. Murphy in Student Management if there are any questions or concerns. All services provided are FREE and available to ALL attending the Wheeling park High School Prom.

Ohio County Schools

The Food Pantry is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:00am. Whether you're facing tough times or just looking for some extra support, our doors are open to welcome you with warmth and kindness. Spread the word and let's work together to ensure that no one in our community goes hungry. Feel free to stop by during our open hours and remember, you are not alone - we are here to help.

It's ! We want to take a moment to recognize Elm Grove Elementary Dragons's Communities In Schools Ohio County, Marleah Donahie.

Mrs. Donahie is a product of OCS, attending Middle Creek, Triadelphia, and Wheeling Park High School. Donahie went on to graduate from both Bethany College and West Virginia University.

She worked in social work for several years in both Steubenville and Wheeling, and has been involved in EGE in some capacity since her daughter was in kindergarten! "She's not 21, but I'm still here!"

Donahie officially began as a CIS in June of last year. "I love these kids and families. Elm Grove is a family. In the last 15 years, I've gained a second family here from staff and kids. I love to help families any way I can. Life is hard and difficult, and my main goal is to remove the barriers if at all possible. We want to empower our families. Everyone can benefit from empowerment."

Thank you Mrs. Donahie! Happy School Social Worker Week!

It's ! We want to take a moment to recognize Wheeling Park High School Communities In Schools Ohio County, Unique Robinson-Murphy.

Miss Unique is in her second official year with Ohio County Schools. She is a product of the OCS school system, and graduated from Marshall University with a degree in social work. She is poised to start her MA at West Virginia University this summer.

"I love working with older kids. I love that it's a melting pot. Every student is different, and they all have completely different backgrounds. No single day is the same," Unique states.

She enjoys working for OCS because when there is a student-based concern, every single person comes together to solve the issue in the interest of the student.

Unique loves the role of a social worker. "I'm so excited it's social work week. It's a beautiful thing to recognize. We want our community to know that a social worker has the flexibility to a be a community liaison. Our job is to bridge the gap between all systems and help families."

"She's just the best. No one compares," a student states.

Remember to shout out your social worker this week!

Thank you Miss Unique!

Communities In Schools

It’s ! We want to recognize Bridge Street Middle School’s Mrs. Abby Pownall!

Pownall is a product of Ohio County Schools, attending Warwood School and Wheeling Park High School. After high school, Pownall joined the Army Reserves and ultimately graduated from West Virginia University.

Before starting with OCS, Pownall worked for CASA.

Pownall’s favorite part about being a Communities In Schools Ohio County is the kids and creating an inclusive environment using small groups. She enjoys seeing bonds amongst students they normally wouldn’t be together.

Pownall enjoys the community atmosphere of OCS and loves being in a position to support students and families.

Thank you Mrs. Pownall!

Communities In Schools

It’s , and we want to take a moment to recognize Mr. Mike McLeod, Communities In Schools Ohio County at Wheeling Middle School!

Mr. McLeod is a product of OCS, graduating from Wheeling Park High School in 1992. He attended both Youngstown State University and West Liberty University.

“I like being home. I was able to see other parts of the world and walked the hallways that I walked as a youth. It’s nice to be able to come back and give back to the youth.”

McLeod has worked for OCS for 13 years, and loves that he’s now working with children that he knows their parents and grandparents. “It’s a full-circle moment.”

Thank you Mr. McLeod! Happy School Social Work Week!

Say “Hello!” to Miss Kristen!

Miss Kristen is the Communities In Schools Ohio County at both Woodsdale Elementary School and Warwood School.

Attending Kent State and Ohio University, Kristen had nearly two decades of experience as a child advocate and juvenile probation officer before joining the team at Ohio County Schools. She is currently working on her MA at Ohio University.

“I’m a parent of an OCS student as well as an employee. I feel like our students have so many opportunities, and I can watch them grow,” states Kristen.

As a CIS, Kristen thrives off the relationships she gets to build with students and supporting them in their journey.

Thank you Miss Kristen! Have an amazing school social worker week!

Stay tuned for more features from our dedicated CIS workers!

There is SO MUCH to celebrate this week!

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

We are so thankful for our school social workers!

In Ohio County, we are so fortunate to have Communities In Schools and Communities In Schools Ohio County. This program has provided so many opportunities to our students and families, and we are so excited to recognize our CIS Workers!

Stay tuned throughout the week while we introduce our school social workers!

In light of leap year, the staff at Warwood had a little fun with the kids…. Dress as a middle schooler day! We think Mrs. Weekley nailed it!

Mrs Davis. Mrs Gregory, Mrs O’Connell, Mr Yost, Miss Murphy and Mrs Nau were the classes with the highest percentage of attendance in December at Warwood Elementary & Middle Schools!
Communities In Schools Site Coordinators rewarded the classes with a cookie decorating party! Communities In Schools