Griffins Connect
November 22nd #BuildingABetterGriffin #WholeChild
A Thankful Word from Dr. P.
Congrats, Mrs. Spitler! SCAEA's Art Educator of the Year!
In his letter of support, Dr. Patterson wrote the following about Mrs. Spitler: "As Mrs. Spitler works directly with students from Kindergarten to 8th grade, it is her mission to inspire students in creative exploration at every age. She demonstrates an impeccable work ethic and the necessary determination to help every student find success. Mrs. Spitler truly understands the importance of educating and supporting the whole child."
What's Ahead...
This Week...
- November 25th-27th: Thanksgiving Holiday (no school for students)
Looking Ahead...
- November 30th: GCS Magnet Application Window Closes (see info below)
- December 1st-4th: 5K & 1st Grade Registration (see info below)
- December 2nd: GCS School Choice Lottery Window Closes (see info below)
- December 2nd & 3rd: MAP Testing (See info below)
**MAP Testing**
WHEN: December 2nd (Reading) & December 3rd (Math)
WHO: 1st Graders who were tested during LEAP Week & ALL 2nd graders (Face-to-face & Virtual)
TIME: 8:00am-10:00am (Parents will be contacted if more time is needed or if students finish early.
- Though statistics show individuals are safer from the risk of COVID inside our schools where protocols are strict, we could soon reach a tipping point where the number of employee absences would make it impossible for us to safely supervise students. This would result in a temporary return to eLearning.
- The community can help us stay on track by following recommended precautions outside of school: wear a mask when in public, avoid large gatherings, frequently wash or sanitize hands and high-touch surfaces, stay home and away from others when sick, and seek medical advice when running a fever, developing a new or worsening cough, experiencing shortness of breath, or losing the sense of taste or smell.
- Do NOT send students to school who are symptomatic of any contagious disease and follow DHEC instructions on COVID isolations and quarantines.
GCS Requests Community’s Help in Reversing COVID Spread
As COVID cases in Greenville County and the State of South Carolina continue to rise, Greenville County Schools is asking students, parents, and the greater community to help ensure the return to in-person school in the district is not derailed by rising numbers. GCS is asking all citizens to follow DHEC guidelines to help reverse the current increase: wear a mask when in public, avoid large gatherings, frequently wash or sanitize hands and high-touch surfaces, stay home and away from others when sick, and seek medical advice when running a fever, developing a new or worsening cough, experiencing shortness of breath, or losing the sense of taste or smell.
Thanks to the cooperation of employees and students, who have complied with established COVID-19 protocols while at school, the risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 remains lower in our schools than in the community as a whole. In fact, based on statistical analyses using DHEC community spread data and internal GCS reporting, the risk of getting COVID-19 for those who attend or work at a public school in Greenville County is about half the rate of the community as a whole. Still, the Superintendent cautioned today that even if schools continue to be a less risky environment than the surrounding community, there is a point at which the district could be forced to return to 100% eLearning if the number of employees and substitutes available to work was insufficient for the proper supervision and instruction of students.
“In addition to normal employee absences, we are currently averaging over 150 vacancies each day as a result of isolation due to a positive COVID diagnosis (avg. 40) or quarantining due to direct exposure or possible symptoms (avg. 110),” said Superintendent Burke Royster. “By comparison, 29 employees were in isolation and 66 in quarantine on November 1. We want to keep schools open for in-person instruction, move forward with our plan to return middle school students to full-time face-to-face, and increase high school in-person attendance, but we need the cooperation of the community.”
Teachers who quarantine or experience only mild COVID symptoms can teach remotely from home, but schools must still have a responsible adult in each classroom to provide supervision and ensure students stay on task. With a significant number of substitutes who have refused all offered assignments this year, it is becoming increasingly difficult to fill in for absent teachers. Media specialists, school counselors, instructional coaches, and administrators are all being called on to help supervise classes, but at the expense of their usual duties and responsibilities.
Earlier this week, principals were instructed to have teachers prepare eLearning lessons in case a spike in cases over the upcoming holidays required GCS to revert temporarily to 100% eLearning. “We are not planning to go backwards on our Roadmap, nor do we wish to do so,” said Royster, “but it would be irresponsible of us not to prepare for that possibility, given the current trend.”
LEAP Week Post-Assessment
On Friday, December 11, 2020, from 8:30-10:30 a.m., GCS Virtual Program students in Grades 3-8 are invited to take the SC ACT-142 TE21 Post-assessments at their home-based schools. Virtual students who participated in the SC ACT-142 Pre-assessments during LEAP Week (August 17-21) are encouraged to contact their home-based schools and RSVP to take the post-assessments on December 11. Virtual students who participate in the post-assessments at their home-based schools on December 11 will not be counted absent from their virtual classes that day. On December 11, virtual students must bring their Chromebooks and provide their own transportation to and from the home-based school location.
CTC Student Newspaper
Extra, Extra, Read All About It! The sixth edition of the CTC Student Newspaper, our school's student newspaper, is out! (CLICK HERE!)
A student newspaper teaches and reinforces a lot of skills that will benefit students today and tomorrow. Students who participate in a student newspaper learn a lot of workplace skills such as management, meeting deadlines, and communicating with others. School newspapers also enforce a need for teamwork.
Thank you, in advance, for supporting our students by taking a few minutes to read and admire their work! #BuildingABetterGriffin #WholeChild
GCS School Choice Lottery Window Opened Until December 2nd
Did you know... Sterling School is GCS's only total choice school? This means every single family who attends Sterling School is here by choice. While students of our Charles Townes Center Program are here by invitation, many people do not realize that students of our Sterling Program are also here by choice. So, if you've enjoyed your experience at our school, share the good news (and this digital newsletter) and invite them to join our family!
- Unique Learning Experiences! (Such as Painting a Collaborative Mural)
- We Believe in Educating the WHOLE CHILD! (and are Award-Winning)
- Our Two Programs Have a Tight Bond (See this article from the Greenville Journal)
- We are recognized as a South Carolina Palmetto Gold/Silver Award School
- And MUCH, MUCH more!
Greenville County Schools Change in Assignment School Choice (CIA) Lottery Window for the 2021-22 school year begins tomorrow, Monday, November 16, 2020, and remains open until Wednesday, December 2, 2020. All parents wishing to submit a CIA choice request should submit at their first choice school during this window. This does not apply to magnet schools.
2021-22 5K & First Grade Registration
If your child is starting kindergarten or first grade next year, we need your help! It’s extremely important that you enroll your child between December 1-4 to ensure we have enough teachers for every classroom on the first day of school.
Children who will be five years old on or before September 1 of the current year must enroll in public or private kindergarten unless the parent or legal guardian signs a waiver (see Kindergarten Non-Attendance Form). Any child who will be six years old on or before September 1 of the current year must enroll in first grade. Students who are currently enrolled in a GCS 4K or 5K program do not need to register.
There are two ways to enroll your child. You can visit the Parent section of the GCS website and set up a Backpack account. Open your Backpack account, look for “Enroll A Student,” and follow the instructions. If you do not have internet access, the Student Enrollment Form and Home Language Survey forms are available at each school. Be sure to bring all of the required documents when you visit the school.
The following documents are required for online or face-to-face registration:
Photo ID from any state or country
Two current “proof of residency” documents (all must contain property address). These can be a combination of:
Current bills – i.e. electric, gas, water, cable
Current mortgage statement or current signed lease agreement with landlord’s name and phone number
Child’s Birth Certificate
Signed Certificate of Immunization, Conditional Certificate of Immunization, or Religious Exemption Certificate (Religious Exemption Certificate provided by Health Department)
For your child’s school assignment and other information, visit the Kindergarten/First Grade Registration website or call INFOLine at 355-3100.
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
Congratulations, Mrs. Lisa Helsel! Sterling School's 2021-2022 Teacher of the Year!
This is Mrs. Helsel’s 14th year of teaching and her sixth year as a third grade teacher at Sterling School. Growing up in a small suburb of Atlanta, Mrs. Helsel’s desire to be a teacher showed itself at an early age. In first grade, she could often be found procuring discarded worksheets from her teacher’s trashcan to play teacher, and she loved the smell of a damp ditto sheet straight off the press.
After dabbling in majors in journalism and social work, Mrs. Helsel graduated from Georgia State University in 1997 with a degree in early childhood education. She started her teaching career at Harriet Tubman Elementary School in Atlanta, where she taught third grade for three years. In 2000, she made the huge jump to teaching sixth grade language arts at The Children’s School, where she enjoyed leading her students on many outdoor adventures through the school’s outdoor education program and discovered her love for teaching reading and writing. After being inspired by a coworker’s amazing abilities to connect with students, she returned to Georgia State University to earn a degree in Educational Psychology in 2005.
Mrs. Helsel moved to Greenville in 2005 with her husband, Brett, and, after welcoming their first daughter, decided to take on the role of stay at home mom for the next 8 years. During this time, Mrs. Helsel stayed connected to the community by serving as a volunteer teacher at The Greenville Literacy Association, helping launch the Greenville Master Gardeners’ Junior Master Gardener program at Roper Mountain Science Center, and coaching Girls on the Run.
As her two girls got older, Mrs. Helsel felt the call back to teaching. Her work with the Upstate Writing Project at Clemson University helped her share her love of writing with teachers across the Upstate. In 2015, she returned to the classroom at Sterling School. She’s enjoyed serving as a faculty representative on the School Improvement Council, welcoming teaching artists to her classroom through the MAC SmartArts program, and opening her classroom doors to Furman University students as a writing lab. Her favorite part of her job is the chance to build relationships with students and families and create a strong classroom community. Mrs. Helsel is so happy that her long teaching journey has led her to the Sterling School family!
District Magnet Academies
Veterans Day 2020 @ Sterling School
Here are some scenes from around the school on this year's Veterans Day at Sterling School. If you didn't get a chance to see this year's virtual Veterans Day program, we invite you to check it out. While we were unable to gather in person for our annual event, our students and faculty did a great job pulling this together. The direct link is provided below. Additionally, thanks to Mrs. Victoria Gosnell and our school's PTA for the beautiful display at our school's entryway. #SterlingSchoolWeGotThis
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