Griffins Connect
September 27th #BuildingABetterGriffin #WholeChild
First Grade Returning to Five Days
Beginning this week all GCS traditional (not Virtual Program) first grade students will begin a stepped phase-in to return to five day a week in-person instruction. First grade students will attend this Monday OR Tuesday based on their assigned color group, then ALL first graders will attend school on Wednesday and Thursday. The week of October 5 all first graders will attend Monday through Thursday. Finally, the week of October 12 and until further notice, all first graders in the GCS in-person program will attend school full time, Monday through Friday.
First graders were not required to wear a mask during the hybrid Attendance Plans 1 and 2, but with all students attending together, students should wear a mask during transition times and whenever social distancing is not possible. Student desks will be arranged in a socially distanced manner. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's first grade teacher or to any member of our school's administration.
Parent Backpack
Do you need another reason to enroll? It is progress report time. Progress reports are no longer printed for each student. If you want to see your child's progress report, you'll need to log into your Parent Backpack.
As a reminder, Parent Backpack is not the same as Student Backpack. To access Parent Backpack, CLICK HERE and create an account. Please access directions by clicking on Creating a Parent Backpack Account.
What's Ahead...
- Wed., Sept. 30th - ALL 1st Grade Students to Attend
- Wed., Sept. 30th - Middle School Lunch & Learn; "High School Credit Courses and GPA, Oh My!" (Recommended: 7th grade parents) Register Here!
- Thurs., Oct. 1st - ALL 1st Grade Students to Attend
- Fri., Oct. 2nd - ALL STUDENTS eLearning
Looking Ahead...
- Thurs., Oct. 22nd: End of 1st Quarter & Virtual Students & Make-Up Picture Day
- Fri., Oct. 23rd: Teacher Development Day; No School for Students
- Tues., Oct. 29th: 1st Quarter Report Cards
Join PTA!
2020-2021 Yearbook
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.
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!
8TH GRADE ADS
For our 8th grade students, here's the opportunity to include an ad to this year's yearbook. Just create an account and proceed to order: CLICK HERE!
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.
Middle School Lunch & Learn Series
Mrs. Noble, middle school counselor, will be holding informational sessions for CTC Middle School parents. The last 15 minutes of each session will be reserved for questions and parents sharing. Session handouts will be e-mailed to participants and posted to Mrs. Noble's website after each session for those that cannot attend. CLICK HERE for the invitation and registration information.
Purchasing School Pictures
To purchase this year's school pictures, parents should go to www.strawbrige.net and click "order pictures" and enter code FM348170. Packages are 100% guaranteed!
The following link (CLICK HERE!) will allow parents to sign up to receive updates via email regarding your student'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.
Virtual students will have their pictures taken on Thursday, October 22nd along with any make-ups. CLICK HERE to find the digital version of our order envelope/flyer.
Think Move
CTC Student Newspaper
Extra, Extra, Read All About It! The second 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
Sexual Health & Responsibility Education
Attendance Awareness Month #BuildingABetterGriffin
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
"A Flutter of Hope" #WholeChild
Sterling School has received an incredible gift from local artist and former Sterling and Charles Townes Center parent, Yuri Tsuzuki! The Japanese garden beside the front entrance to our school is now home to a very beautiful swarm of butterflies. This collection of butterflies, named "A Flutter of Hope," is the newest art installation created by Tsuzuki, cut from steel.
Yuri Tsuzuki used the image of the butterfly to symbolize transformation and hope. We think this perfectly speaks to our Whole Child mission at Sterling School. Our focus on the Whole Child seeks to develop each child’s full potential. During some of their most formative years, students at Sterling School undergo a transformation. Academically, emotionally, socially, and physically, students are becoming individuals who will lead and influence our society and world. As we aim to prepare and inspire, it is in hope that we launch our students forward, encouraging them to make their mark on life’s journey.
Yuri Tsuzuki has worked and lived all over the world, but calls Greenville home. She is most known for her large scale steel sculptures that you can see all over our community. You may have seen some of her butterflies on the Peace Center that overlooks Wyche Pavilion and the Reedy River. They also mark the entrance to the Cancer Survivors Park. If you keep your eyes peeled, you’ll also see them on light poles or street signs along Main Street. She will soon have large scale sculptures popping up in the Camperdown Project and the new fire station on Faris Rd, too. We are incredibly fortunate to have this collection on our school campus! If you haven’t seen the Sterling butterflies in person yet, check out the below feature from GCS’s Director of Communications, Tim Waller.
This week, elementary students will be learning more about Tsuzuki and her sculptures in art class (E-Learning and in person days) with “Butterfly Week.” If you’d like to learn more about the artist and her work, please visit her website, watch this video feature, or follow along with your elementary students e-learning plans. We hope you can take a moment in the coming months to visit the butterflies in person.
A special word of thanks is also in order for Mrs. Mollye Spitler, art educator, and Mr. Todd Cook, plant engineer. #SterlingSchoolWeGotThis #BuildingABetterGriffin
2021 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards
So many of you have gone above and beyond in serving the community! We encourage you to apply for the 2021 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards.
The 2021 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards recognize middle and high school students who have made a difference through volunteering. Honors are granted at the local, state, and national level for students who submit an application and qualify for this recognition.
You may access the application at spirit.prudential.com or CLICK HERE!
The deadline to apply is November 10, 2020.
Contact Ms. Reynolds for more information.
Student Chromebook Repairs
If you're need of Chromebook repair this year, look no further! Please see the following information for both face-to-face and virtual option students.
Chromebook Repairs – Face to Face/E-Learning Students
On days that students physically attend school, students may turn in their Chromebook for repair at their school and receive a loaner device. Once repaired, the Chromebook will be returned to the school and must then be returned to the student.
On days when students participate in E-learning, students may call (864) 355-4357 for assistance with minor issues. If the Chromebook is not functioning properly, students should bring Chromebooks to the nearest career center (Mon-Thu, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM) for repair and to receive a loaner device. Once repaired, Chromebooks will be returned to the student’s home school and must be returned to the student in exchange for the loaner Chromebook.
Chromebook Repairs – Virtual Students
Virtual students may call (864) 355-4357 for assistance with minor issues. They may also bring Chromebooks to the nearest career center (Mon-Thu, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM) for repair and to receive a loaner device. Once repaired, Chromebooks will be returned to the student’s home school. The school staff will then contact the student to notify them that the Chromebook is available for pickup.
Career Center Locations
Donaldson Career Center
100 Vocational Drive
Greenville, SC 29605
(Use the “B” parking lot entrance located behind the school off Perimeter Road)
Enoree Career Center
108 Scalybark Road
Greenville, SC 29617
Golden Strip Career Center
1120 East Butler Road
Greenville, SC 29607
Harley Bonds Career Center
505 North Main Street
Greer, SC 29650
(Use Main street entrance)
Students/COVID Steps to Return to School
We encourage all families to become aware of the steps they should take in the event of COVID-19 concerns. These concerns include COVID-19 symptoms, exposure (within six feet of a positive case for more than 15 minutes), positive test, etc. The following graphic should help provide possible next steps. To be safe, we ask families to notify Dr. Patterson anytime there is a concern related to COVID-19 so we can provide guidance based on DHEC regulations. Keep students at home if they present with any of the following symptoms:
- cough or 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.
We also ask families who have traveled internationally to follow all quarantine directives they receive when re-entering the country. Anyone who has been directed to quarantine when re-entering the country should not attend school for the period of the quarantine – usually 14 days. Additionally, we encourage you to test your knowledge by taking the following quiz (no worries, it's annoymous) to help your understanding around school exclusions, quarantines, isolation, etc.
COVID Exclusions and Notifications Quiz: CLICK HERE!
GCS will follow DHEC guidelines regarding the notification of families when COVID-19 cases are present in schools. Under current guidelines, anytime a student or staff member in any GCS school receives a positive test for COVID-19, a notice will be placed on the GCS website, alerting the school and community. Additionally, parents will receive a personal phone call if the positive case was in their child’s classroom or part of another school group to which their child is connected. Please note the importance of social distancing.
Per DHEC regulations, any staff or student identified as having spent 15 minutes or more within six feet of a positive case are considered close contacts and will be excluded from school for a minimum of 14 days. Absences due to documented COVID-19 infection will be an excused absence and will not count against a student’s required seat time/attendance. Students and staff who were not close contacts will be allowed to remain at school. We will be sure and let you know if these notification requirements change. Additional information is available on the GCS Parent Resource webpage.
Thank you for all your support in helping us keep our faculty, staff, students, and families safe!
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