Griffins Connect
Week of October 24th #ReImagine #WholeChild
Sterling School Receives Sustainability Award
We are excited to announce that Sustaining Way has selected Sterling School as the first recipient of the Sylvia Palmer Sustainable Educator Award. This recognition is given to a teacher or school leading in environmental education and sustainability. Our school community will be recognized on October 26th during Sustaining Way's virtual Celebration of Sustainable Futures.
The Awards Selection Committee emphasized our school's sustainability leadership in a variety of ways, including the Sliding Rock improvement project, sustainability focused field trips with Sustaining Way, and the student directed activism project just to name a few. The committee noted our school's #WholeChild mission and the alignment of our values with that of Sustaining Way. Together, we look forward to future collaborations and possibilities. #ReImagine #WholeChild
JOIN US for Sustaining Way's Celebrating Sustainable Futures Virtual Event!
Sterling School has been working with Sustaining Way for many years to support student learning. Several classes have taken field trips to Annie's House where they learn about sustainability, how to maintain a garden and how to be a contributing member of the community. We look forward to growing our collaborative relationship with Sustaining Way.
YOU are invited to help Sustaining Way celebrate 10 years of commitment! Click the following Eventbrite LINK or select the image below to join us. Even if you are not able to participate, consider making a monetary donation to this great local organization. You can learn more about Sustaining Way HERE! #Whole Child #WholeCommunity
What's Ahead...
October 25-29: Red Ribbon Week 2021 (info below)
October 27: Middle School Lunch & Learn (Re: 6th Grade); 12-12:45pm (info below)
October 27: Parenting Webinar Hosted by Ms. B. & Dr. T; 12:45pm (info below)
October 28: CTC Middle School Drive-In Theater Experience (info below)
October 29: #ReImagine STEM Dress Up Day (info below)
Looking Ahead...
November 1-5: Book Fair (7:15-2:15pm)
November 2: Internet Safety Parent Webinar; 6:30-7:30pm (info below)
November 3: Band/String Recording for Veterans Day (info below)
November 3: Late Hours @ Book Fair (7:15-5:00pm)
November 5: Honor a Veteran? Submissions Due for Veterans Day Program (info below)
November 11: Wear Red, White, & Blue; Virtual Veterans Day Program
**Effective immediately, if parents would like to have lunch with their child, they may do so but must eat outside at one of our picnic tables. Due to guidelines and regulations, there is not enough space within our cafeteria.
8th Grader Abbey Quinn Tapped for U.N.'s Sustainable Goals Student Advisory Panel
The World's Largest Lesson which is funded through UNICEF to help teachers instruct students about the United Nation's Sustainable Goals is creating a Student Advisory Panel which will be made up of children from 18 different countries around the world, all of whom share their ideas and feedback on how WLL can help to support children who take action for the Global Goals. The students all went through an application process in which they had to submit teacher recommendations, what they have accomplished as far as activism, and so forth to be accepted. WLL will be highlighting the work these amazing students are doing throughout the year on their website.
Our very own 8th grader, Abbey Quinn applied and was accepted on this student panel! She will be meeting as part of this amazing group of students throughout the year to discuss activism worldwide and how the resources of World's Largest Lesson can be used to help support education about the UN Sustainable Goals.
The Following Annoucement Applies to 8th Grade Social Studies Only
Band/Strings Recording (7th & 8th Only)
We will be recording for our Veteran's Day Concert on Wednesday, November 3rd. Students will need to be dressed in their nice Concert Black attire for the recording. String students need to come to school dressed in their concert black, while band students can either wear the concert black to school OR bring it to change into before we record. Please note, that any student not dressed in concert black will not be able to record with the ensemble.
Veterans Day 2021
On Thursday, November 11th, the Sterling School will honor those who have fought for the many freedoms we, as American citizens, have today. While we will are unable to hold our usual in-person program, we are working to create a virtual program to share with our students, families, and school community.
- To honor and recognize a member of your family or special friend, we ask that you complete the following Google Form by Friday, November 5th: CLICK HERE! To bring greater awareness of this day for our students, you are encouraged to email a picture of your family member or friend (preferably in uniform) to Dr. Patterson. Be sure to include the name of the veteran and the relationship to our Sterling/CTC student, as well as the name of the military branch in which he or she served. (These questions will also be asked of you when accessing the aforementioned Google Form.)
- We invite all students to wear red, white, and blue on Thursday, Nov. 11th.
As always, we look forward to this exciting day, as we pay tribute to those who have served our country. Thank you, in advance, for your willingness to support our school in honoring our veterans!
Ms. Benvenuto & Dr. T Presents....
Sterling School is excited to begin offering our Triple P –Seminar series. Ms. Benenvuto and Dr. Tchouros will begin in October with “Power Of Positive Parenting.” You can find out more about Triple P here. Please register here to join us on Tuesday, October 27th at 12:45pm via zoom.
Middle School CTC Lunch & Learn
Mrs. Bennett will hold informational sessions for CTC Middle School parents. Session handouts & powerpoint will be e-mailed to participants & posted to the school’s website after each session for those that cannot attend.
To Attend: Sign Up Here // For Flyer: CLICK HERE!
- *Wednesday, October 27th: 12:00-12:45 PM Managing Middle School during the Pandemic Recommended: 6th grade parents
#ReImagine STEM Day
There's no way around it - children are significantly better off with strong science, technology, engineering, and mathematics skills. That's why on Friday, October 29th, we will be celebrating "Reimagine STEM Day!"
Students are encouraged to DRESS UP as their favorite scientist, technological innovation, engineering feat, or math fact. For our aspiring artists, give us an "A" and turn STEM into STEAM by adding your creative flair!
STEM (and STEAM) represents some of the
fastest-growing and in-demand fields in the world today. Sterling School is passionate about inspiring the next generation of engineers, artists, and innovators!
We can't wait to see your STEM-tastic outfits!
Sterling Receives 2021 VALUED Lives Award!
Last week, the Sterling School community was awarded the 2021 William “Bill” T. Wylie VALUED Lives Award for School Excellence in Diversity! Our school was recognized along with the other 2021 Upstate Diversity Leadership Award recipients at the virtual Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Summit this Wednesday, October 20th. You can view all of this year's award receipents HERE!
This annual award, given by The Riley Institute at Furman University and sponsored by the Greenville Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Upstate Chambers, honors K-12 schools for their tireless efforts in championing for diversity. The award recognizes Sterling School’s ongoing effort to place restorative practice, character, and leadership at the heart of the school’s instructional program. Specifically, the selection committee noted the school’s emphasis in supporting student needs through SEL, mentoring, and trauma-informed practices, culturally responsive instructional practices such as activism and service learning, and community partnerships with local law enforcement and nonprofit organizations. #ReImagine #WholeChild
Congratulations to our October Faculty/Staff Member of the Month!
Congratulations to Miss Katalin Bartz (Faculty) and Mrs. Chrissy Hammonds (Staff) for their recent selection as our school's Faculty/Staff Member of the Month!
Miss Bartz currently teaches kindergarten (5-year-old) and is in her fifth year at Sterling School. Here are a few things our faculty/staff had to say about Miss Bartz: "Miss Bartz is an exceptional teacher that goes above and beyond simply being a classroom teacher. She consistenly and creatively shows that she cares about the whole child on a daily basis."
Mrs. Hammonds is our school's attendance clerk and likely one of the first people you will meet when entering our building. Mrs. Hammonds has been at Sterling School since 2006. This is what some of our faculty/staff had to say about Mrs. Hammonds: "Mrs. Hammonds is always a breath of fresh air, always smiling, even when working hard 'behind the scenes.' She handles all the busyness of our school with such kindness and grace and helps out however she can."
These individuals provide our school with great examples of #GriffinPRIDE who work hard to meet the needs of the #WholeChild. Join us in celebrating this well-earned recognition! #ReImagine
#SubsForSterling: Parents, We Need YOU!
Parents, YOU might be able to help keep our students in school AND get paid while doing it. We need SUBS! When teachers have to be out for long periods of time for quarantine or in more rare cases positive test results, we do not have enough substitutes to keep all classes covered. Often times the teacher is either teaching remotely or will prepare student materials via Google Classroom, but we still need an adult to supervise classes and make sure all safety protocols are being followed.
If you are able to help serve as a substitute for Greenville County Schools, please follow this link to get started and be sure to let us know (email Dr. Patterson!). We will be happy to help facilitate the process. You may choose to work at any school or you can select Sterling exclusively. Work only on the days that fit your schedule. We appreciate your consideration to help the school by serving as a substitute!
DonorsChoose
CLICK HERE to check out our school's classroom projects! We currently have TWO projects to fund.
Supporting a DonorsChoose project is super easy...
1) Find a classroom project that inspires you and give as little as $1. We're a public charity, so your donation is tax-deductible.
2) When a project is fully funded, DonorsChoose will purchase all the requested items and ship them directly to the school.
3) When funded, every donor gets a thank-you letter from the teacher, photos from the classroom, and a report of how each dollar was spent.
The mission of DonorsChoose is simple...to help students in every community have the tools and experiences they need for a great education.
We Need YOU! Volunteer Training
Thinking of chaperoning a field trip, becoming a room parents, or mentoring a student? Parents at Sterling School may now participate in volunteer training either in person or online.
Upon completion of the online training module, you will be asked to take a short quiz which will be submitted to Mr. Murphy for scoring. All volunteers must answer each question correctly. Failure to do so will result in potential volunteers being asked to review the training module again or attend a face-to-face training. If you have questions about the process or anything related to volunteering at Sterling, or if you prefer a face-to-face training, contact Mr. Murphy via email or (864) 355-4480.
Sterling School
Email: jpatterson@greenville.k12.sc.us
Website: www.greenville.k12.sc.us/sterling
Location: Sterling School, John McCarroll Way, Greenville, SC, United States
Phone: 864-355-4480
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theSterlingSchool
Twitter: @SterlingSchool