The Weekly Griffin
Week of April 29, 2018
State Standardize Testing Begins This Week
More immediate testing dates for each grade level/subject area are listed on the school calendar below. To find the full list of dates, please see the homepage of our school's website. Parents, thank you for helping children prepare for test days just as you would for any other school day by ensuring they
- arrive on time (be at school by 8:00am!)
- get plenty of sleep the night before
- eat breakfast
- bring necessary school supplies such as pencils and paper.
What's Ahead...
- May 1st - Elementary Music Showcase: Grades 1-3 @ 9:00am
- May 2 thru May 4 - Middle School DownTOWNES
May 2nd - ELA Day 1 (Writing) – 3rd-5th grade
May 3rd - ELA Day 2 (Reading) – 3rd-5th grade
- May 4 - Deadline to RSVP for Volunteer Breakfast
- May 4 - 8th Grade Dance; 7:00pm (group picture @ 6:45)
- May 5 - HOG Day
May 8th - 3rd Math
- May 11 - Volunteer Breakfast; 8:15am in Vegas Room
SIC: Annual Report to Parents
Volunteer Breakfast
Current Issues & Trends in Gifted Education (Follow-Up)
Recently, Mrs. Johnston & Mrs. Newell provided a workshop, entitled "Current Issues & Trends in Gifted Education." During the presentation, parents received information about nationwide trends in gifted education and how those trends currently impact instruction. The session also included strategies to help parents effectively advocate for the gifted child. If you were unable to attend, you are invited to view the following link: CLICK HERE!
Hands on Greenville (HOG) Day - Sat., May 5th
GHS has adopted our school for HOG Day 2018! Over 100 GHS employees will join us on May 5th to help us landscape and beautify our school. We desperately need AMBASSADORS and SMALL PROJECT LEADERS from our school! Would you be willing to help? If so, please contact Julie directly at JulieCainCwynar@gmail.com or call/text at 412-215-9429 or (CLICK HERE!)
Vision In Action: Community Partnership Directory
Calling All Experts! (Namely... YOU!)
[CLICK HERE to go directly to COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP DIRECTORY]
Marine biologist, conservationist, and writer Rachel Carson (1956) once stated, “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.” Fortunately, the students at the Sterling School do not just have one adult who eagerly shares in the excitement of ongoing discovery and exploration—they have many. BUT we need more!
The faculty at Sterling School & Charles Townes Center are working to implement a schoolwide framework of inquiry-based learning. Through the use of inquiry, namely PBL (project-based learning), we seek to continuously innovate and transform our school’s approach of teaching and learning through student-centered, personalized instruction. PBL prepares students for academic, personal, and career success, readying them for the challenges they will inherit in our world.
While our teachers are super smart :-), they do not know everything! To further our students' learning, we need various experts with professional experiences to engage our students. As a district, our Graduation Plus emphasis strives to ensure that all students are career and college ready. Exposing our students to various careers and professions within the context of meaningful, hands-on learning will strengthen our school's instructional program.
As we look to next school year, we are creating a database of partners and parents who have various expertise. As a school, we will utilize the database when seeking experts to support various curriculum, PBL units. If you are willing to be added to our expert directory, please complete the following Google Form (CLICK HERE!). #VisionInAction #GriffinPride #WholeChild
First Lego League
The window to apply for next year's First Lego League is now open to students in grades 4-8, so current 3rd through 7th graders are the only ones eligible to apply for next year's teams. Applications are available in the front office or you may download the application.
Please return completed applications to the front office or to Ms. Emmel by Tuesday, May 1st.
Fourth Quarter Griffin & House Awards
2018 District Progress Report
Elementary Yearbooks
- Yearbooks are no longer available to purchase online. If a child wants to purchase a yearbook they will need to come see Mrs. Howard, Mrs. Kelley, or the front office staff.
- Starting May 1st yearbooks will increase to $20. Students must have exact change to buy a yearbook. We will keep selling yearbooks until all are gone. We have around 70 extra ones to sell.
- All yearbooks will be disturbed to all students on May 30th. Teachers will have these delivered to their boxes the afternoon of May 29th. If a child wants a yearbook after yearbooks have been distributed it will be on a first come first serve basis and sold through the office. Same rules apply to the purchasing of a yearbook---exact change.
MakerSpace/STEM Supply Drive
Parents - In the midst of your spring cleaning, please consider donating to our "MakerSpace" supplies. These resources will be used for students to participate in STEM/STEAM activities in which they will design and/or build prototypes.
Collection Bins will be available in the main hallway of our school through April Arts!
- buttons
- hardware
- yarn
- nuts/bolts etc.
- rope
- Legos
- cardboard (various types & sizes)
- Lincoln Logs
- wood scraps
- shoe boxes
- scissors
- gardening tools
- ribbon
- large spoons
- CD's / DVD's (can be used or blank)
- glass jars
- old remote controls, etc. (don't have to be working)
- canisters
- aLL kinds of tape (especially duct tape)
- fabric, felt, etc.
- wall paper samples
- paint color chips/samples
- carpet samples
Attention Parents/Guardians of Rising 7th Grade Students
In accordance with SC State regulations, all students entering 7th grade are required to receive a TDAP vaccination. Parents/guardians must provide their child's school with one of the following prior to the first day of school (08/20/18). Students who do not have this record on file at their school will not be allowed to attend classes and we will not release their fall schedule.
Acceptable documentation includes:
· Certificate of Immunization listing TDAP
· Religious Exemption
· Medical Exemption
If your student has already received the TDAP vaccine, and you have not previously submitted documentation, please do so as soon as possible. You may fax records to 864-355-9477 or hand-deliver to the health room. Please contact Sterling's School Nurse @ 864-355-4687 if you have any questions
Greenville County Schools Hall of Fame Nominations
Sterling Shoutout: Summer Festival 2018
While all are invited, Summer Fest 2018 is specifically intended for all Sterling Program families. The event provides an opportunity for parents and students to meet rising grade level teachers, learn how to prepare for the upcoming school year, and have some fun!
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
CTC Spotlight: The Wreck of the S.S. Sterling
Recently, our fifth grade students experienced a new PBL unit entitled, "The Wreck of the S.S. Sterling". In this unit, students worked to produce artifacts and documents to simulate the sinking/resurrection of the S.S. Sterling. Students were divided into six groups: cartographers, historians, authors, marine biologists, geologists, and artists. Each group had a different job but together they collaborated to design and create what is seen in this unit culmination! Check it out! #VisionInAction #GriffinPride #WholeChild
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