The Nest News-22nd Edition- March 3-7, 2025

	MISSION Elko Middle School is a comprehensive middle school in Henrico County Public Schools. We aim to inspire educational excellence among all students in their journey from middle to high school. To achieve our goal, Elko will increase the percentage of students demonstrating proficiency in grade-level content by 10% in ELA, Math, & Science. Elko Middle School will maintain a Chronic Absenteeism rate below 15%. VISION Elko Middle School will soar from good to great by inspiring educational excellence among all students. Educational excellence will be measured by maintaining full accreditation in our academic program and increasing the number of extracurricular activities and business partnerships in the community. To this end, we will provide: 1. A safe and orderly campus for all students 2. Daily instruction meeting individual student needs. 3. Programs and activities that enhance academic achievement, as well as each student’s social
THE THEME FOR 2024-2025	UNLEASH YOUR INNER EAGLE: EXPLORE, LEARN, SOAR
EXTENDED DAY-WINGSPAN	We have experienced a harsh winter, which has led to several weather-related closures that impacted our instructional time. The extra time built into our calendar has already been used, and we now need to make further adjustments to meet state requirements. To address this, HCPS will add 20 minutes to each school day. At Elko, we will be implementing a program called Wingspan. Wingspan is a dedicated time during which students will receive remediation and academic support from our teachers, assisted by support staff. This program will run from March 3rd to March 26th, from 3:01 p.m. to 3:35 p.m. Students will utilize the resources available in our building to receive the support they need. After Wingspan, the school day will end, and we will follow our standard dismissal procedures. Bus transportation and car rider arrangements will continue as usual. Early Dismissal: Students must be picked up by 2:30 p.m. This time will not change. Thank you for your flexibility as we implement this program. The additional time will provide our students with the support and preparation they need to be successful in their classes and on the SOL assessments.
ATTENDANCE UPDATES	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 REMINDER: The cut off time for early dismissals is 2:30pm. Transportation: If your student’s bus is running late, please refer to the Parent Portal Bus App or contact the Transportation Office at 804-261-9401. The attached fliers include step by step instructions for setting up the app to track your student’s bus. Click here to view attendance flyer. (English) Click here to view attendance flyer. (Spanish) Click here to view transportation information. Click here to view transportation flyer in English. Click here to view transportation flyer in Spanish.
	Students must be picked up by 2:30 p.m.
IMMUNIZATION CLINIC	Click here to view informational flyer regarding immunizations.
COUNSELOR'S CORNER	Immunization Clinic at Elko On March 12th Elko will be hosting an immunization clinic for 6th grade students who are missing their Tdap or Meningococcal immunization for 7th grade. If you need a copy of the permission slip please contact Nurse Barrett at klbarrett@henrico.k12.va.us Elko Learning Lab During Q3 the learning lab will be offering grade recovery for students who earned a F in a core class during Q1 or Q2. This will only be offered during Q3. The Learning Lab will start on Tuesday, November 12th. It will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays either before school (7-8am) or after school (3:30 to 4:30pm). Please sign your student up for learning lab here: https://bit.ly/ElkoTutoring School Counseling Appointments Our School Counselors are happy to meet with parents either in person or over the phone to discuss any concerns or questions they might have. To schedule an appointment to see your student’s counselor please call (804)328-4111 or email your student’s counselor. Counselor Rawls (6th Grade) – glrawls@henrico.k12.va.us Ms. Flowers (7th Grade) – acflowers@henrico.k12.va.us Ms. Fish (8th Grade) – stfish@henrico.k12.va.us Dr. Swingen (EL and Last Name A & B) – jkswingen@henrico.k12.va.us Ms. Stacy (Registrar) - tcstacy@henrico.k12.va.us Use the link below to schedule appointments with our Registrar. Please select a time slot to schedule your registration meeting. You will need to complete the enrollment forms (either online or in person) and bring proof of residency with you to your appointment. https://appt.link/elko-school-counseling/registration
READ ACROSS AMERICA SPIRIT WEEK	Click here to view the Read Across American Spirit Week flyer in English. Click here to view the Read Across American Spirit Week flyer in Spanish.
SWEETHEART DANCE NEW DATE MARCH 27TH	Get ready to dance the afternoon away at our Sweetheart Dance, now rescheduled for March 27th from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM! 💃🕺 Join us at Elko MS for an unforgettable time filled with music, fun, and memories. Don't miss out on the chance to dress up, dance with friends, and enjoy some sweet treats. Mark your calendars and get ready to have a blast! See you there! 🎶✨
SURVEY FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS	Click here to view/complete the 2024-2025 HCPS Parent/Guardians Survey. Each year, Henrico County Public Schools conducts a survey of HCPS families, staff members and students to see what we do well and how we can improve. Again in 2025, HCPS is collaborating with the Institute for Collaborative Research and Evaluation, a research group affiliated with the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education.
HCPS & ELKO FAMILY ONLINE SERVICES AND RESOURCES	Click here to access HCPS online services and resources website: this website can assist in the following areas: PowerSchool Parent Portal, Schoology, Making School Payments, and Paying for Meals. Click here to access ELKO MS family resources.
COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES (ELKO AND SANDSTON COMMUNITIES	Click here to view the Cinderella Dreams flyer in Spanish. Click here to view the Cinderella Dreams flyer in English. Click here to view the ACE Community EXPO flyer.
VOLUNTEER PROCESS	If you would like to become a volunteer, please complete the online volunteer/mentor application via the link below. Volunteer: Your involvement as a volunteer can make a valuable contribution to education in Henrico County. launchelko.henricoschools.us
UPCOMING EVENTS	March 31st - Student and teacher holiday - Eid al-Fitr April 1st - 4th: Spring Break April 21st: Student/Staff Holiday
ELKO ATHLETICS	Elko Athletics Week 3/3/2 5-3/7/25 at a Glance.
ELKO LEADERSHIP TEAM	Tyrus T. Lyles Ed. D -Principal-ttlyles@henrico.k12.va.us Taleesa Meeks- Associate Principal- tjmeeks@henrico.k12.va.us Corey Calder- Associate Principal- ctcalder@henrico.k12.va.us Akeela Tyson- Assistant Principal- altyson@henrico.k12.va.us Brandon Hardy- Assistant Principal- bahardy@henrico.k12.va.us Jorli Swingen- Director of School Counseling-jkswingen@henrico.k12.va.us Kendra Amis-Athletic Director-kdamis@henrico.k12.va.us Jennifer Jenkins-Administrative Aide- jrjenkin@henrico.k12.va.us Ethel Reed- Administrative Aide- elreed@henrico.k12.va.us Torre Siler-Administrative Aide- tsiler@hennco.k12.va.us Abby Thomas- Administrative Aide- arthomas@henrico.k12.va.us Frenchie Travis- Administrative Aide- fmtravis@henrico.k12.va.us

Eagles Strong

MISSION

Elko Middle School is a comprehensive middle school in Henrico County Public Schools. We aim to inspire educational excellence among all students in their journey from middle to high school. To achieve our goal, Elko will increase the percentage of students demonstrating proficiency in grade-level content by 10% in ELA, Math, & Science. Elko Middle School will maintain a Chronic Absenteeism rate below 15%.

VISION

Elko Middle School will soar from good to great by inspiring educational excellence among all students. Educational excellence will be measured by maintaining full accreditation in our academic program and increasing the number of extracurricular activities and business partnerships in the community. To this end, we will provide:

1. A safe and orderly campus for all students

2. Daily instruction meeting individual student needs.

3. Programs and activities that enhance academic achievement, as well as each student’s social

THE THEME FOR 2024-2025

UNLEASH YOUR INNER EAGLE: EXPLORE, LEARN, SOAR

EXTENDED DAY-WINGSPAN

We have experienced a harsh winter, which has led to several weather-related closures that impacted our instructional time. The extra time built into our calendar has already been used, and we now need to make further adjustments to meet state requirements.

To address this, HCPS will add 20 minutes to each school day. At Elko, we will be implementing a program called Wingspan.

Wingspan is a dedicated time during which students will receive remediation and academic support from our teachers, assisted by support staff. This program will run from March 3rd to March 26th, from 3:01 p.m. to 3:35 p.m. Students will utilize the resources available in our building to receive the support they need.

After Wingspan, the school day will end, and we will follow our standard dismissal procedures. Bus transportation and car rider arrangements will continue as usual.

Early Dismissal: Students must be picked up by 2:30 p.m. This time will not change.
Thank you for your flexibility as we implement this program. The additional time will provide our students with the support and preparation they need to be successful in their classes and on the SOL assessments.

ATTENDANCE UPDATES

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 REMINDER:

The cut off time for early dismissals is 2:30pm.

Transportation: If your student’s bus is running late, please refer to the Parent Portal Bus App or contact the Transportation Office at 804-261-9401. The attached fliers include step by step instructions for setting up the app to track your student’s bus.

Click here to view attendance flyer. (English)

Click here to view attendance flyer. (Spanish)

Click here to view transportation information.

Click here to view transportation flyer in English.

Click here to view transportation flyer in Spanish.

Early Dismissal

Students must be picked up by 2:30 p.m.

IMMUNIZATION CLINIC

Click here to view informational flyer regarding immunizations.

COUNSELOR'S CORNER

Counselor's Corner

Immunization Clinic at Elko

On March 12th Elko will be hosting an immunization clinic for 6th grade students who are missing their Tdap or Meningococcal immunization for 7th grade. If you need a copy of the permission slip please contact Nurse Barrett at klbarrett@henrico.k12.va.us

Elko Learning Lab

During Q3 the learning lab will be offering grade recovery for students who earned a F in a core class during Q1 or Q2. This will only be offered during Q3. The Learning Lab will start on Tuesday, November 12th. It will be offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays either before school (7-8am) or after school (3:30 to 4:30pm). Please sign your student up for learning lab here: https://bit.ly/ElkoTutoring

School Counseling Appointments

Our School Counselors are happy to meet with parents either in person or over the phone to discuss any concerns or questions they might have. To schedule an appointment to see your student’s counselor please call (804)328-4111 or email your student’s counselor.

Counselor Rawls (6th Grade) – glrawls@henrico.k12.va.us

Ms. Flowers (7th Grade) – acflowers@henrico.k12.va.us

Ms. Fish (8th Grade) – stfish@henrico.k12.va.us

Dr. Swingen (EL and Last Name A & B) – jkswingen@henrico.k12.va.us

Ms. Stacy (Registrar) - tcstacy@henrico.k12.va.us

Use the link below to schedule appointments with our Registrar. Please select a time slot to schedule your registration meeting. You will need to complete the enrollment forms (either online or in person) and bring proof of residency with you to your appointment.

https://appt.link/elko-school-counseling/registration

READ ACROSS AMERICA SPIRIT WEEK

Read Across America Spirit Week

Click here to view the Read Across American Spirit Week flyer in English.

Click here to view the Read Across American Spirit Week flyer in Spanish.

SWEETHEART DANCE NEW DATE MARCH 27TH

SWEETHEART DANCE NEW DATE MARCH 27TH

Get ready to dance the afternoon away at our Sweetheart Dance, now rescheduled for March 27th from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM! 💃🕺

Join us at Elko MS for an unforgettable time filled with music, fun, and memories. Don't miss out on the chance to dress up, dance with friends, and enjoy some sweet treats.

Mark your calendars and get ready to have a blast! See you there! 🎶✨

SURVEY FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS

Click here to view/complete the 2024-2025 HCPS Parent/Guardians Survey.

Each year, Henrico County Public Schools conducts a survey of HCPS families, staff members and students to see what we do well and how we can improve. Again in 2025, HCPS is collaborating with the Institute for Collaborative Research and Evaluation, a research group affiliated with the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education.

HCPS & ELKO FAMILY ONLINE SERVICES AND RESOURCES

Click here to access HCPS online services and resources website: this website can assist in the following areas: PowerSchool Parent Portal, Schoology, Making School Payments, and Paying for Meals.

Click here to access ELKO MS family resources.

COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES (ELKO AND SANDSTON COMMUNITIES

Click here to view the Cinderella Dreams flyer in Spanish.

Click here to view the Cinderella Dreams flyer in English.

Click here to view the ACE Community EXPO flyer.

VOLUNTEER PROCESS

Volunteer