Elk Hills School District

Staff Spotlight: Mrs. Linnell, Academic Intervention Coordinator My name is Kelsea Linnell and I am the Academic Intervention Coordinator for Elk Hills. My first job in education was working as an aide with special needs students, and I instantly knew that teaching was where my heart was. After ten years of teaching second grade, I made the move to Elk Hills where I taught third grade for five years, and I’ve spent the last four years working in our intervention program. I have always enjoyed working in small schools, and Elk Hills is so special because of how everyone works together to create a positive learning environment for our students. There’s such a sense of community and teamwork here, and I’m proud to be a part of it! In my spare time I love to travel, play games, read, and spend time with my family. I love going to trivia nights with my friends and watching Jeopardy with my husband. My goal for this year is to see our students continue to make growth in their foundational reading and math skills!

Elk Hills monthly Community Bingo Night is tonight! Thursday, January 16th, 2025 from 5-6:30PM in the cafeteria! Join us for an evening of free fun and prizes, see you there!

Come cheer on our Elks as we go up against several other small schools during our annual Small Schools League 6th-8th Grade Basketball Tournament! The tournament will be held at Maricopa Unified School District located at 955 Stanislaus St. Maricopa, CA 93252. The tournament is this Friday, January 17th, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. A cash-only snack bar will be available, please see the fliers below for more information.

Elk Hills monthly Community Bingo Night is this week! Thursday, January 16th, 2025 from 5-6:30PM in the cafeteria! Join us for an evening of free fun and prizes, see you there!

Our School Wide Spelling Bee will be Thursday, January 16, at 1:45pm. Our finalists in grades 4th-8th grades will be competing to move on to the regional bee. Parents of the finalists are welcome to attend the bee!

Join us for our monthly PTO meeting tomorrow, 1/1/4/25, from 3-4PM in the cafeteria! We will discuss upcoming events, fundriasing ideas, and more!

Good morning, One of our bus drivers had to go home ill today. We are asking any parents that can help by picking up your students after school would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

Staff Spotlight: Mrs. Soto-Valencia, School Social Worker. My name is Mrs. Soto, and I am a School Social Worker at Elk Hills, where I have been working for the past four years. I hold a Master’s in Social Work from CSUB and am currently working towards becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. What I love most about my role is the opportunity to build deep, meaningful relationships with students and their families.The sense of community here is truly special, and it allows me to collaborate closely with teachers and staff to create a nurturing and supportive environment. Outside of work, you can find me spending time with my family, attending my kids’ sporting events, or getting crafty! If I did not pursue a career in Social Work, I would have probably become a party planner. This school year, my goal is to strengthen relationships, and feel more connected to the school community.

Attention Elk Hills Parents & Guardians, Beginning Tuesday, January 14, our students will take their winter benchmark tests in reading and math. It will be administered through NWEA. Please see the post below for helpful tips to provide the optimal testing experience for your student. We look forward to more academic growth as we progress through the year!

Come cheer on our Elks as we go up against several other small schools during our annual Small Schools League 6th-8th Grade Basketball Tournament! The tournament will be held at Maricopa Unified School District located at 955 Stanislaus St. Maricopa, CA 93252. The tournament is on Friday, January 17th, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. A cash-only snack bar will be available, please see the fliers below for more information.

If you are in need of a new car seat please reach out to me or Mrs. Soto-Valencia! Thanks to First 5 Kern County we have two brand new, in the box, car seats ready for someone who needs one. Please call 661-765-7431 and ask to speak with Cassandra McGowan or Griselda Soto-Valencia, or email camcgowan@elkhills.org or grsoto@elkhills.org. If you need assistance with something else like extra food, baby supplies, clothing, shoes, or something else please reach out to one of us so we can help!

Community Bingo Night will be held next week on Thursday, January 16th due to a scheduling conflict. I look forward to our first bingo night of the new year and apologize for the inconvenience!

Dear Parents, Elk Hills will be recognizing students earning Honor Roll, Principal's List, Perfect Attendance, Elk of the Month, and Spelling Bee Finalists at the First Semester Awards Assembly on Friday, January 10, 2025. Please see the following post for grade level assembly times. We look forward to recognizing our students' achievements!

Hi Elk Hills Parents! Report cards will be sent home with your student at the end of the school day. Grades reflect the first semester grading period. We will have an awards assembly on Friday, January 10, 2025 recognizing students who have earned Principal's List, Honor Roll, Perfect Attendance, and Elk of the Month.

Staff Spotlight: Mr. Weyant, Special Education Coordinator My name is Joseph Weyant and I am the Special Education Coordinator at Elk Hills School District. This is my 6th year at Elk Hills. I have a BS in Psychology from University of Phoenix and an MS in Educational Administration from Point Loma Nazarene University. I love the sense of community at this school.I know at least a little bit about each student, and they all know who I am, greeting me in the hallways. In my free time I enjoy playing video games, BBQing, and baking (mainly cookies, just cannot figure out cakes for some reason). I am also into the NFL (go Chargers WOOOOOOO) and in Soccer Wrexham and LAFC.I have been married for 17 years to my lovely wife Amanda we have one child, a daughter named Zoe. I was in the Navy for 8 years after High School and between my 4 deployments I have traveled completely around the whole world. From Kindergarten to Senior in high school I attended 16 different schools. This year I would like to see every student I work with grow and find their own love of learning, just as I found when I was growing up.

School resumes Tuesday, January 7th, 2025 at 8:30 a.m. We look forward to welcoming you all back!

Happy New Year from Elk Hills School District!

Staff Spotlight: Mrs. Wingle, 8th grade teacher Hi! I’m Mrs. Wingle, the 8th-grade teacher here at Elk Hills School. This is my 6th year teaching 8th grade and being part of this wonderful community. I absolutely love working at Elk Hills because of our tight-knit, family-like atmosphere—it reminds me so much of the school I attended as a child. Here, we truly look out for one another, making it feel like one big family. One of the highlights of my time here has been teaching siblings and getting to know each student’s unique personality and strengths. It’s such a joy to watch them grow and thrive in their own ways. When I’m not at school, I love spending time with my family and our Goldendoodle, Ruby. Together, we enjoy traveling, sports, and staying active in our church community. This year, my goal is to build an even stronger sense of unity and belonging in our classroom. I want every student to feel included and valued. My hope is that they will discover a passion for learning—whether it’s math, reading, or any subject that excites them—and develop a lifelong love for education. Here’s to an amazing year of growth and connection! 💚

Merry Christmas to our Elk Hills family! We hope you all have a wonderful day!

Staff Spotlight: Murray Sinden, MOT Director Hello, I am Murray Maintenance,Operations ,Transportation Director and school Security/Supervisor. I really enjoy working for Elk Hills School District. It can be quite overwhelming at times but for the most part it is very pleasant. I have been in the schools for 23 years, and 19 of them here at Elk Hills. I have seen a lot of students come and go over the years, but I run into some of them periodically and it's good to hear how they loved it here too and how well they are doing in life now. I like driving the students to and from school and watching each one of them grow from year to year. I grew up here in Tupman with three brothers and went to school here also. I went to Taft High School, graduated, and started working in the construction side of the oil fields. I became a hydro crane operator then I started working at Elk Hills School. I left after 10 years of service and went to Belridge school for a few years, then became a backhoe operator for a few years before coming back to Elk Hills School to finish out my working career. I have two wonderful daughters and a son who I am very proud of. I have two grandsons and one granddaughter that attend Elk Hills also, my other granddaughter is not old enough yet . Im married to a great person, Sherry Sinden, and she is on the PTO for Elk Hills School.