The Weekly Griffin
September 15th - #BuildingABetterGriffin #LevelUP
Sterling Named Whole Child Award School
Over the last two years, our school community has made a concerted effort to implement a comprehensive school improvement model known as the Whole Child. This student-centered approach to schooling is an effort to transition from a focus on narrowly defined academic achievement to one that promotes the long-term development and success of all children.
We are proud to announce that Sterling School has been named South Carolina ASCD's 2019 Whole Child Award School. The award will be presented to our school next month at SCASCD's Whole Child Conference. Former South Carolina Governor and United States Secretary of Education, Dick Riley, and current South Carolina House of Representative (District 23), Chandra Dillard, will serve as featured guests to present the award. Sterling School is the sole recipient of the 21 schools from across the state who applied for this year's award.
The Whole Child School Award is designed to recognize schools that have gone beyond a vision for educating the whole child to actions that result in learners who are knowledgeable, emotionally and physically healthy, civically active, artistically engaged, prepared for economic self-sufficiency, and ready for the world beyond formal schooling. This award acknowledges those schools that have changed the conversation about education from a singular focus of standardized test scores to one that promotes the development of the whole child: a child who is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.
This award will be received on the behalf of our entire school community. Because of the continuous support of our stakeholders, our students can achieve their fullest potential! #WholeChild #LevelUP
Building A Better Griffin,
Dr. P.
What's Ahead...
- September 18 - PTA Mix & Mingle; 7:45-8:45am in Vegas
September 18 - Talent Show Forms Due (to Mrs. Reynolds)
September 19 - Fall/Yearbook Pictures
September 20 - Readers Arrrgh Leaders Community Readers Day w/Melinda Long Author Visit
September 20 - Chick-fil-A Biscuit Sale, $3.00: 7:25am (Until Sold Out)
September 24 - Gifted Learners Parent Information Series: 9:45-10:15am (See Below)
International Dot Day - Make Your Mark!
Last Friday, students at the Sterling School joined millions of people around the world to celebrate International Dot Day. This annual event encourages students to move the world to a better place by connecting, collaborating, creating, and celebrating all that creativity inspires and invites. Thank you, Mrs. Harrington & Mrs. Spitler, for spearheading this event AND thank you to the many volunteers who came to help out! #BuildingABetterGriffin #WholeChild
Be sure to check out our Facebook page for more highlights from the day!
Educators Who Make a Difference
Upstate Parent magazine is seeking nominations for their annual “Educators Who Make a Difference” edition. Nominations must be made using the online form found here. Please submit your nominations by October 18. You may nominate more than one person, but may not nominate the same person more than once. Please share with PTA, SIC, your school website or other newsletters.
WYFF Golden Apple Award
Ingles and WYFF News 4 wants to reward teachers who are going above and beyond. Each week, an area teacher will be selected to receive the Golden Apple Award and profiled Thursdays on WYFF News 4. These weekly winners will be chosen by a panel of judges. At the end of the school year, a Teacher of the Year will be selected from the weekly winners.
To nominate an educator for the Golden Apple Award, pick up an official nomination form from an area Ingles store or CLICK HERE, then complete and mail to:
WYFF News 4
Golden Apple Award
505 Rutherford Street
Greenville, SC 29609
For submission details, CLICK HERE.
Facilitators & Tutors Needed
We need you! Different teachers are in need of Book Club Facilitators to lead small groups of students in novel studies. Other teachers need special tutoring help with their students. If you would like to help with one or both of these needs, please contact Kim Marchbanks at
864-355-4482 or krmarchbanks@greenville.k12.sc.us.
Talk Like A Pirate Community Readers Day
2019-2020 Parent Information Series
**Any Sterling School parent, Sterling Program or CTC, is invited and encouraged to attend.**
Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Time: 9:45am - 10:15am
Topic: Issues & Trends in G/T Education
Presented By: Jennifer Johnston & Sara Newell
Would you like to know more about the world of Gifted Education? Are you curious about how leaders and research impact your child’s classroom experience? This session will include information about nationwide trends in gifted education and how those trends are impacting instruction. We will also include strategies to help you effectively advocate for your gifted child.
Bob Ross Painting Night
On September 27th from 5:00-7:00pm, students in grades 3 and up are invited to our school's first annual Bob Ross Painting Night. If interested, please return the following RSVP to Mrs. Harrington or Mrs. Spitler - CLICK HERE! Bring your family and friends and have a wonderful community night painting with the Art Honor Society members! All participating students must be accompanied by an adult. #WholeChild
Middle & Elementary School Yearbooks
Middle School:
Middle School Yearbooks are now on sale for $30 along with FREE icons with personalization until Sept. 6th! Go to the following website to order: CLICK HERE!Elementary:
Elementary School Yearbooks are also on sale for $20. To order elementary yearbooks, use this link: CLICK HERE! Please note that the elementary and middle school websites for ordering are different.
2019 Sterling School Talent Show
Sterling School's Annual Talent Showcase will be held on Thursday, October 24th at 6:30pm. The Talent Show is sponsored by the Jr. Beta Club and is a fundraiser for Jr. Beta activities. Admission is a suggested $3.00 donation.
Chick-Fil-A Biscuit Sale
Attendance Awareness Month #BuildingABetterGriffin
DID YOU KNOW?
- By being present at school, your child learns valuable social skills and has the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships with other students and school staff.
- Absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other potentially serious difficulty.
- By 9th grade, regular and high attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th grade test scores.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Talk to your student about the importance of attendance.
- Talk to your students’ teachers if you notice sudden changes in behavior. These could be tied to something going on at school.
- Encourage meaningful after school activities, including sports and clubs.
Support a Sterling Classroom
CLICK HERE to check out our school's classroom projects!
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.
Meal Application
Each year, interested families must reapply for free/reduced lunch. The online application for Free/Reduced Price Lunch opened Thursday, August 1st. CLICK HERE for more information.
Completing the application online is the best method to signing up. If you would prefer to complete a paper version of the application, these will be available this week.
All parents are reminded that this year's carryover period ends October 2nd. At this time, if no qualifying application is on file, all students will default to "full pay." Also, any student owing more than $20.00 to the cafeteria will be given an alternate meal until the bill is paid.
If there are any questions, Mr. Glackin, Sterling School FANS Manager, will be available at Meet the Teacher to help navigate the application process.
Volunteer Training
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.
ICYMI: In Case You Missed These #WholeChild Moments!
#ReadersAreLeaders: Summer Reading Celebration
We had 100 elementary students to successfully participate in our school's summer reading program. Thank you, parents, for helping us#FightTheSummerSlide. Last Friday, qualifying students were recognized and received a "sweet treat" and extra recess. Additionally, students were entered into a drawing for an opportunity to receive a prize.#BuildingABetterGriffin #WholeChild #LevelUP
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