October 26, 2026

10th Edition- October 26-30, 2026

The Nest News-11th Edition- October 26-31, 2026

Principal's Message

Eagle families,

Thanks for another week of learning and growing at Elko!

As an instructional team, we have been focusing on feedback—both teacher-to-student and student-to-teacher. These feedback loops are essential for helping students learn, retain concepts, and master what is taught in class.

Additionally, it is crucial that teachers listen and act when students provide feedback. Teaching students how to receive feedback and put it into action helps them build strong self-advocacy skills as they move on to high school and beyond. We will continue using these principles of feedback to guide our work and drive student learning.

Important Reminders & Upcoming Dates:

End of Quarter 1: October 28th. Students should make sure they are fully caught up on all assignments and missing work.

Parent-Teacher Conferences: November 4th, from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM. More information regarding how to schedule appointments will be shared soon.

Thank you for all you do and for your continued support of Elko Middle School!

Quarter 1 Spirit Week

Upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent Teacher Conference Link

Attendance Office

Student Absences
Absences can be reported one of the following ways:

Filling out the Elko Attendance Google Doc
Emailing Mrs. Nolte: mlnolte@henrico.k12.va.us
Sending a Parent Square message to Mrs. Nolte
Sending a handwritten note or professional note from an appointment with your student when they return to school
Calling the school: 804-328-4110
Please note that if a student reaches 5 and 10 unexcused absences, their parent or guardian will be contacted to schedule an attendance meeting.

Contacts/Pick-up Lists
Please make sure your student’s pick-up list is up to date by updating the Contacts listed in PowerSchool. You can do this by logging in to your Parent Portal account. Anyone coming to pick up a student for early dismissal MUST be listed in PowerSchool. If someone is not listed in PowerSchool, we will not be able to call the student down.

Early Dismissal
The cut off time for early dismissals is 2:30 pm. Anyone picking up a student must present their driver’s license for identification. Photos of your license or Virginia Mobile ID cannot be accepted.

Gifted Identification Process

The gifted referral window will be open from Thursday, October 22, through Thursday November 12, at 11:59 PM. During this time, students may be referred to the gifted identification process by an educator, parent/guardian, community member, peer, or self. By submitting a referral, you are requesting your child be evaluated to determine eligibility for gifted services. To learn more about the gifted identification process, please click here: 26-27 Gifted Identification Information. To begin a referral, login to PowerSchool and click on forms. Follow this guide for instructions. Additional information about gifted programs can be found on our website: Henrico Schools Gifted Services Website

Gifted referrals will not be accepted after Thursday, November 12. Contact your Gifted Resource teacher, Rebecca Crofts, (rlcrofts@henrico.k12.va.us) with questions.

Makeup Picture Day 11/20

Makeup school photos will be on Friday, November 20th!

School Counseling Updates

Unity Day

On Wednesday, October 21st Elko celebrated Unity Day. Unity Day is a national celebration of unity, inclusion, and acceptance. Students and teachers wore Orange, signed an Unity pledge, and told us "what is one word that is the opposite of bullying." Their words were used to create a word cloud.

SOS Lessons

November 11th, 12th, 17th, and 18th of November, Elko School Counseling will be pushing into 8th grade Health classes to teach the Signs of Suicide lesson. This is an important lesson that informs our students about what to do if a friend is talking about suicide. Students will be bringing home a letter this coming week with more information and details about how to opt out your student. If you have questions about this program or would like to opt your student out, please reach out to Dr. Swingen.

8th Grade Specialty Centers

Henrico county specialty centers and ACE centers have opened their applications! The application window is from September 28 - November 13th. The School Counseling Department is happy to assist any students interested in applying. If you need help setting up your SchoolMint account, please contact Dr. Swingen.
Does your student need assistance with submitting their Specialty Center or ACE center application? On Tuesday, November 10th we will have Central Office in the building helping our students complete their applications. We will be able to help with application submission, project proofreading, and recording videos for projects. Space is limited and first come first serve. Application Assistance Sign Up

The Elko School Counseling Team

Tamika Stacy Registrar

Phone ext. 20007

tcstacy@henrico.k12.va.us

Sarah Fish (7th Grade)

Phone ext. 20011

stfish@henrico.k12.va.us

Jennifer Boulding (8th Grade)

Phone ext. 20010

jbolding@henrico.k12.va.us

Corey Hancock (6th Grade)

Phone ext. 20008