| The Nest News-10th Edition-October 26-30, 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 | Click here to view our Elko Quarter 1 Spirit Week flyer. |
UPCOMING PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES | Click here to sign up for conference slots for individual teachers. Please contact your student's grade-level administrator if you have any questions. |
ATTENDANCE OFFICE | 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 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. Click here to view the Gifted Identification Process Video. |
MAKEUP PICTURE DAY 11/20
| Missed our first Picture Day? No worries! Get ready to smile and say, “Cheese!” Makeup school photos will be on Friday, November 20th! |
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
| 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. Click here to sign up your student, TODAY! |
THE ELKO SCHOOL COUNSELING TEAM | Tamika Stacy Registrar Phone ext. 20007 Sarah Fish (7th Grade) Phone ext. 20011 Jennifer Boulding (8th Grade) Phone ext. 20010 Corey Hancock (6th Grade) Phone ext. 20008 clhancock1@henrico.k12.va.us Jorli Swingen Director for School Counseling/ EL & last name A- B Phone ext. 20009 |
ELKO ATHLETICS
| EMS Weekly Athletics Update- Week of: 10/26/26-10/30/26 Wrestling and Boys Basketball Tryouts Begin November 12th Sports physicals must be turned in to participate Stay tuned for Elko Middle School 2026/2027 Winter Sports schedule. |
EVENTS | Advisory Competition (Canned Food Drive) Click here to learn how to donate to the Henrico Heroes Advisory Food Drive. Join Elko's PTSA Click here to join Elko Middle School's PTSA and apply to serve as an officer or chair today! |
VOLUNTEER PROCESS
| If you would like to become a volunteer, please complete the online volunteer/mentor application via the link below. Click here to access the HCPS Volunteer Form. |
UPCOMING EVENTS | October 28th: student 1/2 day, staff clerical day |
COMMUNITY EVENTS | Click here to view the flyer for Senator Jennifer McClellan's Annual Harvest Festival. |
STAY IN THE KNOW WITH ALL THINGS ELKO & HCPS | |
ELKO LEADERSHIP TEAM | Tyrus T. Lyles, Ed.D.(Principal): ttlyles@henrico.k12.va.us Quantina Jackson (Associate Principal): qtjackson@henrico.k12.va.us Sharne' Francis, Ed.D.(Associate Principal, 7th Grade) sjfrancis@henrico.k12.va.us Akeela Tyson (Assistant Principal, 8th Grade) altyson@henrico.k12.va.us Blake Carrey (Assistant Principal, 6th Grade): abcarrey@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 Torre Siler (Administrative Aide): tsiler@hennco.k12.va.us Jocelyn Woodson (Administrative Aide): jrwoodson1@henrico.k12.va.us Kristina Harris (Administrative Aide): kvharris@henrico.k12.va.us Omar Peters (Administrative Aide): orpeters@henrico.k12.va.us |
