The Nest News- 6th Edition-September 22-26, 2025

Eagles Strong

INFO YOU NEED TO KNOW

VISION-

At Elko Middle School, we are committed to soaring from good to great by cultivating a culture of educational excellence, innovation, and community engagement. Our vision is to empower ever student to reach their full potential—academically, socially, and personally.

We will measure our success by:

Sustaining full accreditation through rigorous academic achievement and continuous improvement.
Expanding extracurricular opportunities that foster creativity, leadership, and collaboration.
Building strong partnerships with local businesses, community organizations, staff and student learning and real-world

MISSION

Elko Middle School is committed to fostering a growth mindset by providing a high-quality education and data-driven instruction within a safe and inclusive environment.

THE THEME FOR 2025-2026

MISSION imPOSSIBLE

ACADEMICS

Eagles,

As we move into the fifth week of the school year, we want to take a moment to commend our students for their incredible hard work and focus. We are so proud to see them engaged in their studies and rising to the challenge of their classes.

ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

Mr. Belcher led a station activity that engaged students in text evidence and had the students analyzing quotes from a story. Engagement was high!
Ms. Hyman continues to support teachers with AI and infusing it into their classroom.
Ms. Jones & Ms. Harris are a strong collaborative pair. They each support one another to deliver high-quality instruction to our 7th grade.
Ms. J. Smith’s classes re engaging and students are falling in love with reading. She is also an asset with supporting teachers in their classroom.

SCIENCE

Science classes are currently focusing on the Claim, Evidence, and Response framework. The 6th-grade team is guiding students in identifying independent and dependent variables in experiments. Kudos to the 6th-grade team for their engaging lessons that are helping to nurture our new scientists at Elko! Next week, we will spotlight Life Science, Physical Science, and Earth Science.

SOCIAL STUDIES

(8th Grade) Mr. Clark had students create a flag to represent the government of their choice. The students need to explain the colors of the flag and why they chose a specific form of government.

(6th Grade) Mr. Peters students are completing the 50 states quiz with several students receiving 100%!

Thank you for your continued support in this mission that is possible at Elko Middle School.

SCHOOL OPERATIONS

NEW INFO

LAPTOPS

Parents,

Please speak with your students about recording any videos on their laptops. Recording videos on student laptops is prohibited.

SCHOOL IDs

Please ensure that your students are wearing their ID badges every day. ID badges will soon be required for all tardy check-ins and early dismissals.

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

REMINDER:

Attendance flyer -English

Attendance flyer- Spanish

DEPARTMENT UPDATES

COUNSELOR'S CORNER

Counselor's Corner

NEW INFO

Upcoming dates:

September 23 -
Bridge Builders Virtual Information Session:
Join us from 6:00–7:00 PM for a virtual overview of the Specialty Centers available to our students. The presentation will be offered in both English and Spanish.
September 26 - Specialty Center presentation for all 8
th
grade Elko students during Electives and PE
September 29- Application opens at 9am
November 14 - Application Closes

Please see this site for more information about specific open houses: https://www.henricoschools.us/page/student-timeline

More information about the ACE centers will be available at a later date

Click here for more Specialty Center information.

6th and 7th Grade - IB Application Window Now Open!

Families interested in applying to the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program can now submit applications to attend the IB program at Fairfield Middle School for the rest of their IB Career. Don’t miss out—the window closes October 6! For more information, please contact Dr. Swingen in school counseling or see the Henrico County website: https://www.henricoschools.us/page/middle-school-special-programs

Hispanic Heritage Month: September 15 – October 15
Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to celebrate the rich histories, cultures, and contributions of people whose families come from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. Throughout the month, Elko's Student Ambassadors will be planning opportunities for our students to learn about and honor the traditions, stories, and achievements of Hispanic and Latine communities. We encourage families to join the celebration by sharing experiences, reading together, or exploring community events that highlight this important month.

6th Grade - (Substitute for Ms. Fish) Jennifer Bolding jbolding@henrico.k12.va.us

7th Grade - Counselor Rawls glrawls@henrico.k12.va.us

8th Grade - Ms. Flowers acflowers@henrico.k12.va.us

EL and last names A-B - Dr. Swingen: jkswingen@henrico.k12.va.us

EVENTS

Parent Teacher Conferences

NOVEMBER 4TH-10AM-2PM

WORLD'S FINEST CHOCOLATE SALES

Chocolate sales

We are excited to launch our school-wide World’s Finest Chocolate Fundraiser! Proceeds directly support student events and activities and we need your help to make it a success.

Fundraiser Assembly – Monday, September 15
The assembly will be held during elective classes in the auditorium.

Permission Slips – Required! Students must have a signed permission slip to receive a box of chocolate. Slips will be distributed after the assembly, and chocolate will be handed out the following day, Tuesday, September 16.

Money Collection & Announcements
Students should turn in money when they arrive at school after selling a box of chocolate. If they want another box to sell please indiate on the permission slip.

Important Dates

Fundraiser Starts: Monday, September 15

Fundraiser Ends: Wednesday, October 15

We can’t wait to see our students get involved! Remember to sign and return the permission slip so your student can participate and help make a difference in our school community.

Click here for a digital permission form for the World Finest Chocolate Fundraiser.

Chocolate sale (English) Chocolate sale (Spanish)