| 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:
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 THE 2025-2026 SCHOOL YEAR: | MISSION imPOSSIBLE |
ACADEMICS | Eagles, Thank you for another productive and energetic week at Elko! It is a joy to see our students engaging with their studies and pushing themselves toward excellence. As we wrap up this week, I want to share some important updates on our progress and how we can work together to ensure every student succeeds. Benchmarks & Data-Driven Instruction Our students have been working hard completing their benchmark assessments. These tests are more than just scores; they are vital tools that allow our staff to review real-time data. We are currently analyzing these results to make precise adjustments to our instruction, ensuring we are not only meeting but exceeding state standards. Mission Possible: More Than a Slogan You may have heard us talking about “Mission Possible” around the building. I want to be clear: this is not just a slogan to check a box. It is our dedicated roadmap for this school year. Our mission is to be fully accredited, stay on track, and remain out of federal monitoring. In the coming weeks, I will provide more insight into what these goals mean specifically for your student’s daily experience. To make this mission a reality, it will take every one of us—staff, students, and families—working in sync. Removing Barriers: The Laptop Initiative Our students are working hard, but to truly "push the needle" and move our school forward, we must remove the barriers to their success. Currently, our biggest hurdle is student laptops. Most of our curriculum and resources are web-based. When a student arrives without a laptop or with a broken device, it creates a significant gap in their ability to grasp the material. We are seeing a high number of repairs due to mishandling, which takes devices out of students' hands. How you can help make the Mission Possible: Daily Check: Please ensure your student brings their laptop to school every single day. Charging: Encourage your student to charge their device overnight so it is ready for first period. Condition Check: Take a moment each evening to check the physical condition of the laptop and charger. Care: Remind your student that these are essential tools for their "mission" and should be handled with care. By working together to remove these logistical barriers, we clear the path for high-level learning. Thank you for your continued support and partnership. We are already looking forward to seeing the great results our collective hard work will produce this spring! Go Eagles! |
SCHOOL OPERATIONS ATTENDANCE UPDATES | If your student is absent, their absence needs to be reported within 48 hours. Absences can be reported by: 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 with your student when they return to school Calling the school: 804-328-4110 ID Badges Please ensure that your students are wearing their ID badges every day. Students now need to scan their ID badges when they arrive to school late and when they have an early dismissal. Transportation/Bus Information If your student’s bus is running late in the morning, please call the Transportation Office at 804-261-9401. You can also download the Parent Portal Bus App to track the bus: https://www.henricoschools.us/page/parent-portal-bus-app 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 |
TECHNOLOGY | NO TECHNOLOGY UPDATES THIS WEEK. |
DEPARTMENT UPDATES COUNSELOR'S CORNER | 8th grade Night at Varina High School- Click here to view flyer. Varina High School is going to have a Family Night for rising 9th graders on January 22 from 6-7. It will be an opportunity for our students and families to learn about high school. The Counseling Team 6th Grade-Ms. Fish stfish@henrico.k12.va.us 7th Grade - Counselor Rawls glrawls@henrico.k12.va.us 8th Grade - Jennifer Bolding-jbolding@henrico.k12.va.us EL and last names A-B - Dr. Swingen: jkswingen@henrico.k12.va.us |
SPECIALITY CENTER INFORMATION | Click here to visit the HCPS Specialty Center website. |
EVENTS
| FEBRUARY 17TH-CONFERENCES STARTING AT 3PM(IN-PERSON & VIRTUAL) |
| MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL IMMUNIZATION CLINIC It is never too early to start planning for the next school year. If you are the parent or guardian of a rising 7th grader, Henrico County Public Schools, in partnership with the Richmond/Henrico Health District, will be hosting immunization clinics at every middle school. Our school’s clinic is being held on Monday, Feb. 9 from 8:30-11:30 a.m. These immunization events will provide the Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis) and the MenACWY (meningococcal conjugate) vaccines for rising seventh graders. A full list of required vaccinations is available at the Virginia Department of Health website. You may register for our school’s clinic using the link provided here: hcps.info/ElkoClinic2026. Please note that each link is unique to the school, so be sure to sign up only for your child’s school clinic. Important registration details: Students are eligible to receive their vaccines at these in‑school immunization clinics without the need for a parent or guardian to be present. The online form must be completed in its entirety and signed by the student’s parent or guardian before vaccines can be administered. Please be sure to complete all demographic information and insurance sections in entirety, to include uploading a photo of your insurance card if applicable. Please select BOTH the Tdap and MenACWY vaccines on the consent page, unless there is a specific reason your student cannot receive one of these vaccines. Registration will close at 8:30 a.m. 2 business days prior to the event to allow for staff to prepare for the clinic, so please sign up as soon as possible. For more information about the Tdap Vaccine VIS: https://www.immunize.org/vaccines/vis/tdap/ For more information about the Meningococcal-ACWY Vaccine VIS: https://www.immunize.org/vaccines/vis/menacwy/ Once your form is completed and submitted, you will receive a confirmation email with additional details. If you have any questions, please contact our school nurse. Nurse Barrett: klbarrett@henrico.k12.va.us |
COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES/ ELKO/SANDSTON COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITIES | Family Resource Center Flyer- English Family Resource Center Flyer- Spanish IEP University Flyer- Click here to view flyer |
EXPANDED FOOD PANTRY - OAK AVENUE COMPLEX | The Oak Avenue Complex 15 S. Oak Avenue Highland Springs, VA 23075 Families may access the pantry in three ways: 1. Participate in walk-in hours every Monday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 2. Receive a referral from school-based staff to coordinate a pick-up or drop-off time. a. Contact Kevin Robertson, Community School Resource Coordinator, via email at kmrobertson@henrico.k12.va.us, or by phone at 804-328-4000. 3. Contact FACE directly at 804-952-8100 to coordinate access to the pantry outside of walk-in hours. |
VOLUNTEER PROCESS
| If you would like to become a volunteer, please click here to complete the online volunteer/mentor application via the link below. |
UPCOMING CALENDAR EVENTS | February 16th- Schools & Offices Closed- Wellness Day February 17- Staff Professional Development Day |
ELKO ATHLETICS ELKO ATHLETICS DIRECTOR- Kendra Amis-
| Elko Athletics Week at a Glance 1/20/26-1/23/26. |
RESOURCES SPOTLIGHT: ELKO & HCPS TOOLS FOR SUCCESS | |
ELKO ADMINISTRATIVE 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 Jennifer Jenkins-Administrative Aide- jrjenkin@henrico.k12.va.us Torre Siler-Administrative Aide- tsiler@hennco.k12.va.us Abby Thomas- Administrative Aide- arthomas@henrico.k12.va.us Frenchie Travis- Ad-ministrative Aide- fmtravis@henrico.k12.va.us Jocelyn Woodson- Administrative Aide-jrwoodson1@henrico.k12.va.us |
The Nest News-19th Edition- January 20-23, 2026
January 18, 2026
