The Weekly Griffin
February 2nd - #BuildingABetterGriffin #LevelUP
What's Ahead...
- February 5 - Mentor Upstate Mentor Training; Vegas Room, 12:00-1:00pm: Register Here
- February 6 - Nomination Window Opens For ARMES (rising 3rd-8th grade)
- February 7 - Last Day to Order Dinner for Middle School Curriculum Night
- February 11 - Middle School Curriculum Night: 6:00-7:00pm; Dinner @ 5:30 (CLICK HERE!)
- February 13 - Applications Open for GSSM Summer Camp (See below for more info)
- February 14 - Class Picture Day (Elementary)
- February 14 - School Spirit Day (Wear a Sterling/CTC shirt or school colors)
- February 14 - SIC Meeting; 8:30-10:00am
- February 17 - Presidents Day (No School)
- February 20 - Gifted Information Series: Arts Integration, 8:45-9:30: See Flyer
SAVE THE DATE:
- February 27 - SAVE THE DATE: Black History Celebration; 6:30-7:30pm
Register Now: 4K Pre-registration
In order for our Griffins to start their education on the right foot, we encourage participation in our high quality, full day 4K program! To be considered, children must turn four-years-old on or before September 1, 2020. Parents may pre-register at any district elementary school or child development center UNTIL MARCH 20, 2020. Pre-registration will NOT be accepted after March 20th. Children do not have to live in the school attendance area to pre-register at that location. Pre-registration does not guarantee enrollment in a GCS 4K program. Notification of 4K acceptance will be mailed to parents late March 2020. PLEASE NOTE: 4K screening will be held for pre-registered children April 1-3, 2020.
4K Pre-Registration Flyer: CLICK HERE
Mentor Upstate Mentor Training
On February 5th from 12:00-1:00pm in our Vegas Room, Sterling School will host a New Mentor Training/ Informational Session for anyone interested in learning more about mentoring a child in a school near you. Visit a child ONE time each week during lunch or breakfast at his/her school and make a positive difference in that child's life! All are welcome... you can mentor at Sterling School or at any Greenville School after attending this training. CLICK HERE to register for this event!
Please bring your picture ID (driver's license) as this is required to enter any Greenville County School. Thank you!
Relay for Life Club
The Relay For Life club will start meeting next week, February 4th and will continue until the end of the year. We will meet on Tuesdays from 2:30 (45) - 3:30pm in the Media Center. If you are a student, parent, or faculty member who is interested in fundraising to help find a cure for Cancer, then please join our team. We meet weekly to discuss ways to fund raise for our team and support one another. All students in Third grade or above may join the team. We celebrate our fundraising efforts on the date of Saturday, April 25, 2020 at the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life. All proceeds raised will go to the American Cancer Society. Please consider joining us!
Please contact Maxi Henry at mhenry@greenville.k12.sc.us or Chrissy Hammonds at cdhammon@greenville.k12.sc.us for more information.
Current 5th, 6th, & 7th Grade CTC Families
Families of rising CTC middle School students, be sure to mark your calendar for Middle School Curriculum Night on Tuesday, February 11th at 6:00pm! CLICK HERE for event flyer.
Our administrators and middle school counselor will talk about the registration process for next year's classes. You'll also find lots of information about elective options and what to expect from next year's core subjects. It's a great opportunity to talk with teachers and get answers to all of your questions!
For families who may be coming from work or extra-curricular activities, our PTA is providing the convenience of an at-cost dinner option. You must pay in advance to reserve meals for your family. Season's will cater a Build-Your-Own Pasta Bar, which has been very popular in the past! Adult portions are $10 and child-sized portions are $5. Dinner will be served in the cafeteria from 5:30 until 6:15pm. The program starts at 6:00pm, but the initial presentations will be in the cafeteria so families can listen while they eat. CLICK HERE to order dinner for your family no later than Friday, February 7th.
DINNER MENU:
Garden Salad
Assorted Field Greens
Diced Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Aged Cheddar Cheese
Homemade Croutons
Ranch and Italian Dressing
~
Build Your Own Pasta Bar
Alfredo Sauce
House Marinara
Assortment of Fresh Chopped Vegetables
Grilled Marinated Chicken Breast
Meatballs
Parmesan Cheese
~
Brownies
Tea and Water
If your student is currently in 3rd, 4th, or 8th grade... the PTA could REALLY use your help!!
We'll need volunteers to serve and clean up dinner, while rising middle school families are busy eating and participating in Curriculum Night. A Sign Up Genius link will be posted on PTA's Facebook page and in next weekend's Newsflash.
SAVE THE DATE: BLACK HISTORY CELEBRATION 2020
Special Parent Info Series: March 18th @ 6:30pm
In March, the Charles Townes Center will host our 2nd Annual Gifted Educators Conference. As part of the event, we are inviting all Sterling School/CTC families to hear from this year's keynote speaker, Lisa Van Gemert. Lisa, "The Gifted Guru" is an educator, speaker, author, and mom. She is also the author of the book Perfectionism: A Practical Guide to Managing “Never Good Enough.
Lisa's workshop for parents will be March 18th @ 6:30pm in our Vegas Room! All Sterling School/CTC families are invited to attend. CLICK HERE for the event flyer and more information.
MyEnergyKit.org
Join the other 85 Sterling School families who have signed on for a FREE Energy Kit! As part of the Sterling School community, we are working to conserve energy and protect our environment. If we reach 100 kits, our school will receive a $250 check. Sterling School families and staff can request their FREE Energy Kit and credit your school by going online to MyEnergyKit.org or by calling our hotline at 1-855-386-9548.
Thank you, in advance, for requesting your kits and making a difference for our planet. When you request and use your kits, energy is saved. It’s as simple as that. And we’re hoping that by the end of the school year, we will have saved 10 million kWh of energy together. Can we make it?
Greenville Civitan Club: Middle School Essay Contest
The Greenville Civitan Club is again sponsoring an Essay Contest for the Greenville County Public Middle Schools. This year the theme is "Building a Better World Through Good Citizenship." Essays will be judged on relevance to theme, style, grammar, spelling and clarity of writing. Maximum length is 500 words. Essay submissions are due March 17, 2020. For more information, CLICK HERE!
Help Fund A Donors Choose Project for Middle School Health/Fitness
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.
Save the Date: GSSM Summer Camp Returns to Sterling!
iTeams Xtreme for current 5th-7th grade students
June 15-18, 8:30am - 4:00pm
(Micro)control Your World!
Dive into microcontrollers and their applications through one of two tracks:
Arduino & Robotics
Explore the world of computational thinking and microcontrollers using Arduino technology and robotics. Learn how to program your very own microcontrolled robot and pit it against other students' robots in camp-wide competitions such as Maze Runner and Robot Wars.
Arduino & the Internet of Things
Explore the world of programming with Arduino technology. Increase your programming skills while learning about digital communication, cybersecurity, and the Internet of Things.
Applications open Feb. 13th, 2020 for iTeams Xtreme. Join the GSSM mailing list!
CREATEng for current 7th and 8th grade students
June 22-25, 8:30am - 4:00pm
Innovate. Design. Create.
CREATEng is GSSM’s one-of-a-kind engineering and design thinking day camp for rising 8th and 9th graders. Students take on the role of NASA engineers charged with developing a sustainable colony on Mars. Working through project-based, hands-on team challenges, students learn what engineering is and what engineers do. With a focus on civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering students work through a series of mini challenges from building windproof structures and protecting transportation with impenetrable wheels for the Rover, to using Arduino technology for greenhouse automation.
CREATEng students will interact with guest speakers and go on a field trip to a local company to see engineering in action.
Applications open Feb. 13th, 2020 for CREATEng. Join the GSSM mailing list!
Our Students Need YOU!
Become A Mentor!
According to Harvard University's Center on Developing Child, "Every child who ends up doing well has had at least one stable and committed relationship with a supportive adult." The Sterling School has partnered 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 can give 30 minutes a week, we need you!
If you have any questions, you are invited to email Jennifer Medlock, director of Mentor Greenville. And if you're ready to jump in, you can sign up for an upcoming training session! (CLICK HERE!)
Become a Tutor!
Are you willing to make a difference in a child's life? One way you can do this is through tutoring. Tutoring has been shown to not only increase a student's academic performance, it also increases their chance of success in life!
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer tutor, Sterling School needs YOU! We have many students who could use your time, help, and knowledge in a small group and/or partner setting. Teachers will provide needed lessons and materials.
If interested or know someone who may be interested, contact Kim Marchbanks @ krmarchbanks@greenville.k12.sc.us .
Volunteer Training
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.
Preventing the Spread of Colds and Flu
Each school has a comprehensive health and safety plan, which includes daily disinfection of restrooms, health rooms, water coolers, desks and doorknobs. We work closely with the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) and follow DHEC’s guidelines for all diseases. Each Greenville County public school has a school nurse who assesses students with flu-like symptoms. Any student with a fever of 100 degrees or higher is sent home. School nurses and teachers always emphasize the importance of good hygiene, including frequent hand washing and cough techniques to reduce the spread of viruses.
To fight the spread of illness, your child should:
- Stay home if sick.
- Wash hands thoroughly and often.
- Cover cough with sleeve.
- Stay away from people who are sick.
- Do not share eating utensils, food, or drinks.
- Eat a healthy diet and get plenty of rest.
If your child complains about not feeling well, please check their temperature before sending them to school. Do not send your child to school if they have a fever.
Your child should not return to school until they have been fever-free without the help of Tylenol or another product for 24 hours, has not vomited for 24 hours, and has not had diarrhea for 24 hours. If your child starts to have symptoms of the flu, call your healthcare provider or your local health department for guidance.
Make sure that your child’s school has your current telephone numbers.
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
National Junior Art Honor Society
Congratulations to our newly inducted members:
Eva Beliaeva
Abri Brady
Veronica Craft
Evy Honohan
Avanti Keskar
Sohini Kulkarni
Adam Weeks (Not Pictured)
Julia Weeks
Planning for DownTOWNES
The CTC DownTOWNES program for grades 6-8 will take place on April 29, 30 and May 1 2020. DownTOWNES is a three-day learning experience where we use Greenville as our classroom so that our middle school students can make connections by discovering and exploring the real-world environments around them.
Since many of the activities are off-campus, we ask that there are no late-arrivals or early dismissals during DownTOWNES. Please take this into consideration as you are making doctor appointments.
In order for this event to happen, parent help will be needed! Keep an eye out for volunteer requests from the middle school team.
We're also looking for help in other ways:
- Do you have an interesting career that you'd love to talk about with our students? We're looking for speakers who can share information and ideally have a hands-on activity.
- Our 8th graders will be going out into the community to volunteer on Friday, May 1st. Do you know of an organization that could use the help of some 13-14-years olds for a few hours?
If you have any questions or can help with DownTOWNES, please contact Linda Reynolds at lreynold@greenville.k12.sc.us
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