On Wednesday, June 10th, we will release our virtual SOAR ceremony. We will also host a “Final Lap” farewell from 6 PM to 6:30 PM. Our faculty and staff will be at Elko Middle School, lined along our driveway, socially distanced, so that you, your family, and your child, can say goodbye and get a little closure on a challenging school year. You will drive your car one lap into the parking lot to wave and say goodbye safely. We encourage your student to make a sign to show support for Elko as well. Students and/or family members may not stop their car to talk to faculty/staff or get out of their car to say personal goodbyes; no items may be exchanged between cars and staff members along the route. Cars will enter the school from Elko Road, taking a right once in the parking lot to travel as you normally would to drop off or pick up your student. Our Communities in Schools partner will have a grab bag for your family at the stop sign. Once at the end of the student parking lot, families will exit out the Elko Road entrance/exit. Please be careful exiting and entering. It may be advisable to take a right onto Elko Road depending upon traffic entering.

Also on Wednesday June 10th, we will have another chance for you to pickup or return items. Please pull up to the front of the building between 4:30 and 5:30 and a staff member will assist you. You will not need to exit your car. Once done, you may leave or wait for the “Final Lap” farewell in the parking lot.

Staff have now cleaned out all hall and gym lockers, and all items have been bagged for parent pickup. A special message went to parents of students who were identified as having items left at school. Staff will be available on Thursday, June 4^th, and Friday, June 5^th, from 11 – 2 PM. This is the time to pick up band instruments and drop off library books as well. Lost and found items are being placed in storage until we can open the building. If you feel that your child has left something at school and you did not receive a separate message, please send a message to a school administrator. The school building will not be open to the public during the times indicated. There will be staff at the front of the building in the drop-off area to assist. Simply pull up and let the staff member know the purpose of your visit. Thursday is for 7^th and 8^th grade students. Friday is for 6^th grade students. If you have students in multiple grade levels, you may come either day.

HCPS Season 3 “Early Release”
Summer School Acceleration Opportunities

Please note: Additional information about remediation, summer school, credit recovery, and other summer opportunities will be coming soon! Student selected to participate in Online Health and PE 9 have already been notified.

Please contact your school counselor if you have any questions about the following programs. Elko’s school counselors are available via email, by phone/text (804.905.8270), or Schoology. The counseling department has online Schoology hours Tuesdays from 1-3pm, and Fridays 9-11am, until June 9, 2020.

Online Acceleration courses through Virtual Virginia

Summer Session: June 17- July 28, 2020
Registration Dates: May 20 – June 17, 2020
Tuition: $375 per person, per course.
To Register: Contact your school’s Registrar (Tamika Stacy – tcstacy@henrico.k12.va.us)

Who: Self-motivated and task-driven students in rising 8-12th grades who are driven to spend 4-6 hours per day working online may register to take one of the following courses for acceleration:

• Spanish I, II, III, IV
• French I, II, III, IV
• Latin I, II, III

Who: Self-motivated and task-driven students in rising 9-12th grades who have met prerequisites and are driven to spend 4-6 hours per day working online may register to take one of the following courses for acceleration:

• Geometry
• US/VA History
• English 12
• Government
• Earth Science

Please contact your school counselor if you are interested in pursuing any courses for acceleration through Virtual Virginia not included on this list.

Bridge to Algebra

Summer Session: May 26 – July 29, 2020
Registration Dates: May 20 – July 6, 2020
Tuition: Free
To Register: Fill out this Google registration form

Who: This FREE accelerated program was designed to provide Course 2 students the opportunity to enroll in Algebra I in 8th grade. Algebra I is a high school credit course that counts towards high school graduation and diploma.

The Bridge to Algebra curriculum contains the essential Math 8 content and standards that would be missed by skipping Pre-Algebra (8th grade math). It is important to note, the Summer Bridge to Algebra is required for your child to be enrolled in Algebra I in 8th grade.

• The program will begin May 26, 2020.
• Students must complete all coursework and a final exam and pass the program with at least 65%.
• Students who do not meet this requirement will have additional opportunities to retake assessments.
• All work must be completed by July 29, 2020.
• Upon successful completion of the Bridge to Algebra, your child will be automatically enrolled in Algebra I.

Students who do not pass Bridge to Algebra will be placed in pre-algebra (8th grade math). For more information please see this link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16VtVrZTo7uaei9C9donA4XA_odsOBe4Y/view?usp=sharing

Online Economics & Personal Finance (EPF) through Longwood University

Summer Session: June 15 – July 11, 2020
*Students are required to take their final exam on Longwood University’s campus.
Registration: Now – June 14, 2020
Tuition: $415
Register: at cfr.longwood.edu/EPF Contact: cfr@longwood.edu (p) 434.395.2835

Who: Rising 9-12th grade students (For students in grades 9 or 10, a GPA of 2.75 or a GPA of 2.5 plus an acceptable level of math is required.)

Economics and Personal Finance is a 4-week rigorous and mathematically intensive course covering economics and personal finance that may require students to spend up to 6 hours per day in order to be successful. The course satisfies the state’s economics and personal finance requirement as well as the online experience and certification requirements for high school graduation. The W!SE Financial Literacy Certification exam is administered in the course. Students will receive 3 hours of college credit for this class.

Required course text: Personal Finance, Turning Money Into Wealth, 7th edition (an earlier edition can be purchased for cost savings)

Required course calculator: Any graphing or financial calculator (Texas Instruments BAII+ is recommended).

During our extended absence away from the building due to COVID-19, students in high school credit classes at Elko Middle will have to participate in additional learning experiences through June 12th in order to receive full high school credit. Learn more by reviewing the document linked below and watching the video, High School Credit Courses Questions & Answers.

Downloads:

• Verified HS Credit Flyer, Spring 2020 (.pdf)

Hello Elko Families,

I hope this email finds you and your family healthy and practicing safe protocol.  Wow, this year is zooming by and we want to make sure you are aware of the expectations for your child to continue to academically progress for the remainder of this year.

From now until April 24^th, students have the option of improving their Marking Period 3 grade. Every teacher has posted a recovery plan in Schoology. Students who would like to improve their Marking Period 3 grades can participate in the recovery program.  Students who are at-risk of failing can use the recovery activities to improve their grades and avoid failing a class for the year. Students who currently have grades of B, C, and/or D can use the recovery activities to improve their current grades.  Yes, students can move from a “B” to an “A” by participating in the recovery program.  Please check PowerSchool and contact teachers to determine specifically what students can do to improve. Again, all recovery grades must be completed by April 24, 2020.  Students who are satisfied with their grades should engage in review and enrichment activities during this time posted by each teacher. There will be at least one of each posted weekly in Schoology to ensure learning continues during this time.

To help you understand the learning plan and timeline for virtual learning, Henrico Edflix has been created to provide a few details about learning during these horrendous times. Please take time to visit the link below.

“Henrico Edflix,” Henrico County Public Schools’ flexible learning plan

Please make sure your child is taking advantage of recovery, remediation, and enrichment activities provided by teachers.  I have heard from a few teachers that students who need to take part in the recovery program are not participating.  Please help us to help your child by monitoring their participation.  Students who have not participated in the recovery program and are in danger of failing will receive additional communication from the administration over the weekend.

Students who are taking high school credit classes will receive additional information about learning next week. That information will be sent directly to the parents of students in those classes and will include new required learning in order to obtain the high school credit.

Virtual learning has been a big change for educators and families.  The ultimate challenge during these times is to find deeper powers within ourselves when life seems most challenging.  In the midst of chaos, lies a silver lining of opportunity that defines where we stand in times of challenge and controversy.  We, as “Eagle Nation,” will stand together and weather the storm and will come out stronger and better.  As always if there is anything I can do to assist you or to answer any questions, please reach out to me at mhroyal@henrico.k12.va.us.

Marilyn Royal
Interim Principal
Elko Middle School

On March 23, Gov. Northam announced that all schools in Virginia would close for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year to combat the spread of the coronavirus. Henrico County Public Schools fully supports all actions necessary to ensure the long-term health and safety of our community.

Please go to https://henricoschools.us/covid19/ for the latest information as to how Henrico County Public Schools is working to assist our students and community.

Concern about COVID-19 (coronavirus) has created a rapidly evolving environment where changes are being made quickly in the interest of public health.

Starting Monday, March 16, Henrico County Public Schools will be closed to students for four full weeks (through Monday, April 13th). We will continue to assess the situation, and decide later if we need to extend this period of closure.

We realize this creates many questions about how students will continue their learning. We have a thorough plan in place, and detailed information about student learning will be communicated in a separate message.

Our teachers and staff will use Monday, March 16, to continue their preparations. “Virtual learning” experiences (digital and non-digital) will be available to students of all grade levels starting on Tuesday, March 17.

During this unprecedented experience, we will continue to do everything possible to ensure the health and safety of our community. The HCPS Facilities and Pupil Transportation departments will conduct additional cleaning of school buildings and buses, and continue to assess the best cleaning practices.

Additionally, for many of our students, the meals provided at our schools are a crucial part of their daily nutrition. Additional plans are being made to address this vital need across the Henrico Community.

Please know that this is not a decision that we make lightly. We realize that any change to educational schedules is disruptive and inconvenient. However, our priority must always be the health and safety of our students, staff members and community.

Again, more details about student learning will be forthcoming in separate communications. Visit the “COVID-19” page on our website for full information from HCPS.

The referral window for Gifted Identification is open from January 6th through January 24th. During this time, a parent/guardian, teacher, community member, or peer may submit the name of any student in Grades K, 1, 2, and 6 to be evaluated for gifted services. Please visit the following links for additional information about gifted characteristics and the process:

• Gifted Referrals for Grades 2-12
• Gifted Identification Process
• Frequently Asked Questions

All requests must be submitted in writing or through email to the school’s Gifted Identification Coordinator,  Kevin Carr (kdcarr@henrico.k12.va.us) or Cameron Smallwood (gcsmallwood@henrico.k12.va.us). Referrals should include the student’s name, grade, teacher and area of referral (math, language or both areas.) Once the referral has been received, additional information will be sent home in late October. This paperwork will allow the school to begin the process of collecting multiple criteria to determine the student’s eligibility.

Additional information, including specific dates and details of the identification process, may be found on our school webpage, as well as the HCPS district site, http://henricoschools.us/gifted/. If you have additional questions, please contact Kevin Carr (kdcarr@henrico.k12.va.us)  Gifted Identification Coordinator or Cameron Smallwood, Gifted Resource Teacher (gcsmallwood@henrico.k12.va.us).

Elko Middle’s Benchmark Testing schedule will begin on 1/23 and run through 2/4. Please make sure that your student is prepared to do their best by getting some rest!

Downloads:

• Elko MS Benchmark Schedule, January 2020 (.pdf)