Griffins Connect
Week of October 19th #ReImagine #WholeChild
Sterling School Receives 2021 VALUED Lives Award!
CONGRATULATIONS to the Sterling School community for our selection as the 2021 William “Bill” T. Wylie VALUED Lives Award for School Excellence in Diversity! Our school will be 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 learn more about this year's event HERE.
As stated in our selection letter, "Sterling School now joins a group of prestigious individuals and organizations in the Upstate who have been recognized for their tireless efforts at being diversity champions across our Upstate region."
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
What's Ahead...
October 21: Fall/Yearbook Pictures Make-Up
October 21: 1st Nine Weeks Report Cards
October 22: Middle School Fall Block-Party; 2:45-4:15pm (info below)
October 22: Early Bird Registration for GOTR 5K (info below)
October 23: Optional Virtual Author Visit (info below)
**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.
Looking Ahead...
October 25-29: Red Ribbon Week 2021 (info below)
October 27: Middle School Lunch & Learn w/Mrs. Bennett (Re: 6th Grade); 12-12:45pm (info below)
October 27: Parenting Webinar Hosted by School Counselors Ms. B. & Dr. T; 12:45pm (info below)
October 29: #ReImagine STEM Dress Up Day (info below)
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: Want to Honor a Veteran? Submissions for Veterans Day Program Due (info below)
November 11: Wear Red, White, & Blue; Virtual Veterans Day Program
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
Middle School Block Party!
Our fall block party for grades 6-8 will be on Friday, October 22 from 2:45-4:15pm (rain date Oct. 29). Students can wear costumes (no Halloween masks, weapons, or inappropriate costumes) and we will have a DJ and large lawn games like giant Jenga, giant Connect 4, etc.
The dance will be held in the back parking lot. Admission is $5 and includes one snack and one drink. Extra snacks and drinks will be $1 each (cash only).
- Admission can be pre-purchased through MemberHub with the link below or students can bring cash to the party: CLICK HERE!
We need volunteers to help staff the block party (supervise games, sell concessions, assist with set up & clean up) and volunteers to send in snacks and games for the dance. Please plan to park in the front parking lot as we will use the back parking lot for the dance and games.
- Please sign up below if you are able to help! CLICK HERE!
Spend Saturday Morning With Authors Kate DiCamillo, Jason Reynolds, and More!
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!
Reflections Arts Program
The 2021–2022 Reflections theme is "I Will Change the World By…."
The wonderful thing about this contest is that you can express yourself through dance choreography, film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts.
Details on how to submit your entry are coming soon. In the meantime, "reflect" on how YOU will change the world because you ABSOLUTELY CAN! Show, sing, play, tell, snap, paint, draw, film and let us know how.
All entries can be made online this year for those who choose to do so virtually or we can help get your work scanned in or uploaded for you.
You Are Invited to the GOTR 5K! Register Today!
Save the date for the Girls on the Run 5K presented by Cigna: Saturday, November 20th at USC Upstate. This is a celebratory, non-competitive event and we welcome you to participate as a Running Buddy or Community Runner.
- Running Buddy registration is intended for anyone who wants to run with a particular girl or GOTR team.
- Community Runners celebrate all of our participants and programs by moving at their own happy pace through the course. Community Runners are not attached to a specific girl or team.
Register (CLICK HERE!) by October 22nd for registration fee savings!
Ms. Benvenuto & Dr. T Presents....
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
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!
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.
Elementary & Middle School Yearbooks on Sale
Elementary and middle school yearbooks are now on sale!
Elementary Yearbooks
Cost: $20.00 now; $25.00 starting January 1st
Link to purchase: CLICK HERE!
Middle School Yearbooks
Cost: Starting at $35.00
Link to purchase: CLICK HERE!
#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