Griffins Connect
Week of September 6th #ReImagine #WholeChild
#ReadersAreLeaders: Summer Reading Celebration
What's Ahead...
September 6: Labor Day Holiday (No School)
September 17: Fall/Yearbook Pictures
- THIS LINK will allow parents to sign up to receive updates via email regarding their child's school portraits. These updates include promotions, additional deals and the ability to order more pictures at a later time. When entering student information, parents should be sure to enter the student's name as it is on file at the school.
Attractions Book Fundraiser
Our Attractions Book Fundraiser is off to a great start! The books are packed with money saving coupons that your friends, family and neighbors will love! We have fun prizes for top sellers, top selling classes, and even for just setting up a seller's page. We appreciate all your help earning money for our school!
Our Students Need YOU! Mentor Training for Sept. 15th @ 10:00am
This year, we are excited to continue our partnership with Mentor Upstate. As a partner, this organization supports our school’s commitment to the #WholeChild. If you or someone you know can give 30 minutes a week, our students need you!
WHAT IS MENTOR UPSTATE?
Mentor Upstate recruits & trains people from our community to be mentors for students that need extra encouragement and support. Mentors commit to visiting a student during lunch or breakfast at school once each week during the school year. And that’s it!! This important relationship often results in improvements in the students' behavior, grades and attendance.
READY TO GET STARTED?
Mentor Upstate recruits & trains all mentors (including what is required to be a Level 2 Volunteer). Once trained, our school will match you with a student. Ready to get started?
Simply fill out this survey (CLICK HERE!) and attend the scheduled Zoom training on September 15 at 10:00.
2021-2022 Sterling School Clubs
CLICK HERE for more information!
Readers Arrrgh Leaders!
Aye Mateys! It's almost that time again! Are you ready to walk the reading plank?
Sunday, September 19 is National Talk Like a Pirate Day, and Sterling School will celebrate this special day during the week of September 20-24. Students will be treated to guest readers both online & in-person, book recordings by middle school students, dressing like a pirate (Friday, Sept. 24) and other activities. Feel free to Shiver Our Timbers by volunteering to read. Please contact your child’s teacher or Kim Marchbanks at krmarchbanks@greenville.k12.sc.us.
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!
Community Advisors Needed: 7th grade Project
The 7th grade Social Studies and ELA teachers are preparing to work on the Activism Project with their students. They are looking for community members to come in and work with students to provide outside perspective and support to students as they work through their individual projects. This advisor time would be once a month either on Mondays from 7:45-8:30am or on Fridays from 9:30-11:00.
If you are interested, please reply using the following link, which is a Google Form interest survey: 2021-2022 7th Grade Activism Advisor Form. There is information at the top of the survey that can answer any questions a mentor might have about the nature of the project.
For further information, contact Linda Reynolds at lreynold@greenville.k12.sc.us
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.
2021-2022 School Meals & FANS Info
Free & Reduced Meals (FARMS) Applications is a requirement to receive the Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) cards that will be distributed by the SC Department of Social Services to eligible families. Paper FARMS applications will be sent to school by August 2nd. Online FARMS applications are currently available on the GCS FANS website: https://gcsfans.com.
Meals for Virtual Program Students: FANS will not be providing after hour meals pick up options for Virtual program students during the 2021-2022 school year. Virtual program students may receive meals each day by pre-ordering them one business day in advance from the cafeteria manager at their assigned school. Proof of GCS enrollment will be required to receive meals. Sterling School FANS Manager: Veronica Stewart (email: vastewart@greenville.k12.sc.us // phone: 355.4692)
#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!
Sign-Up to Mentor a Student This School Year!
The Sterling School has a partnership with Mentor Upstate, a nonprofit organization that seeks to support children with one-on-one positive relationships. We are looking for committed adults who are willing to support and encourage ONE student for the year. If you or someone you know from our school community are willing to volunteer 30 minutes of your time weekly, we need you!
If you are interested in serving as a mentor, please complete the interest survey found HERE! Near the start of the 2021-2022 school year, we will follow-up with training information and other pertinent details.
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.
Serving @ Sterling School
COVID-19 Update: Please Read
Thank you for an excellent start to the new school year! As COVID-19 numbers within our community and state remain high, we will continue to do all that we can to support the health and wellbeing of students, faculty, and staff. Please take note of the following items:
Changes to Quarantine Guidelines for Students: DHEC defines a close contact as someone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more, within 24-hours. If both the Covid-19 positive student and the close contact were both wearing a mask, the close contact would not have to quarantine, unless they were closer than 3 feet. Please review the "New Close Contact Guidelines and Scenarios" document below for a few helpful graphics.
Any vaccinated person who comes in close contact with a Covid-19 positive person does not need to quarantine unless they develop symptoms. If symptoms develop they must quarantine and be tested for Covid-19.
Important Reminder: We would also like to remind parents not to send their children to school when they are not feeling well (i.e. cough, shortness of breath, or difficulty breathing; fever of 100.4 or higher or chills; muscle or body aches; vomiting or diarrhea; or, new loss of taste or smell). There are not attendance incentives in place for students. We encourage you to screen your child for symptoms each morning. If they are not feeling well, please let your child's teacher know and/or communicate with Nurse Garrison. Report all known positive COVID-19 exposures and positive cases immediately to Dr. Patterson.
Week 3 Reminders
- Until further notice, parents and outside visitors are not allowed to join a student for lunch.
Morning Arrival:
Elementary (K4-5th) students should be dropped off in the front car loop; only middle (6th-8th) school students should utilize the back bus loop.
Please have your child ready to unload before you reach the awning (i.e. bookbag ready, shoes on, etc.)
Our doors open at 7:10am and the tardy bell rings at 7:45am. Students are expected to be in the their classrooms ready to learn by 7:45am.
In the morning, we ask all car riders to exit the full length of the awning. (Parents who wait to drop off at the front of the school cause the line to back up and result in unnecessary delays.)
Any middle school students being dropped off at or after 7:45 must be dropped off in the front car line.
Do not utilize the Tanner's or the Phillis Wheatley Community Center's parking lot for morning drop-off or afternoon pick-up.
Afternoon Dismissal:
Elementary pick-up begins at 2:15; middle school pick-up begins at 2:30.
Middle school parents should not arrive before 2:30. Preferrably, middle school parents are encouraged to arrive at 2:40 or later. Arriving early causes the line to back up to the road and blocks elementary parents from getting through.
Middle school students who carpool (with middle or elementary students) should utilize the back bus loop. All other middle school students should use the front traffic loop.
If picking up at the front, elementary pick-up should line up in the right-hand pickup lane upon entry. Middle school pick-up should line up in the left-hand lane upon entry beginning at 2:30.
Cars will be expected to load along the full length of the sidewalk/awning.
All cars must turn right as they exit the parking lot/car line.
Free Strengthening Families Program Starts September 13th: Register Today!
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