The Weekly Griffin
January 5th - #BuildingABetterGriffin #LevelUP
Congratulations, Mrs. Nye! #DifferenceMaker
Congratulations and well deserved, Mrs. Nye!
What's Ahead...
- January 6 - Students Return From Winter Break
- January 8 - Winter Break Reading Challenge Logs are Due
- January 10 - School Spirit Day (Wear a Sterling/CTC shirt or school colors)
- January 11 - All State Orchestra Auditions & Region Band Auditions
Coming Up...
- January 14 - End of Q2 Grading Period
- January 15-17 - Members from the Sterling School Jr. Beta Club in grades 5-8 will be attending the Jr. Beta Club State Convention in Myrtle Beach. Students will be competing in many different events which include academic knowledge, artistic talent, and engineering skills. Be on the lookout for highlights!
- January 20 - MLK Day (No school)
- January 22 - Pancakes with the Principals
- January 24 - Q2 Report Cards Go Home
- January 29 - Parent Information Series Session: (Re: Math, See Info Below); 12:15-12:45
2019 Winter Break Reading Challenge
Thanks to all who participated in this year's #SterlingReads2019 Winter Break Reading Challenge! If your child participated don't forget to send in their reading logs by Wednesday, January 8th! Every student who successfully completed the Winter Break Reading Challenge will receive a PANCAKE BREAKFAST WITH THE PRINCIPALS!
NOTE: For the form to count, it needs to be completed between December 21 & January 5. Just follow the directions including a parent’s signature. All forms are due to homeroom teachers by Wednesday, January 8, 2020.
And if you ever doubt the importance of reading, check out these statistics! (Reference)
- Reading at least 6 minutes a day reduces stress by 68%. (An ultimate form of self-care!)
- When children have a home library, as little as 20 books of their own, they achieve 3 more years of schooling than children who don't have any books at home. (If you are in need of books, let us know!)
- Read 20 minutes a day and you'll read 1,800,000 words per year. (Encourage the practice at home too!)
- Children who read 1,000,000 words a year are in the top 2% of reading achievement.
- Children learn 4,000 to 12,000 words per year through reading. (Strong word knowledge is a big indicator of future academic success!)
#SterlingReads2019 Winter Break Reading Challenge
Return from Winter Break Reminders...
- Our attendance rate is currently at 97.5%. Our end-of-year goal is 98%. If at all possible, please ensure that your child is at school each and every day. As educators, we cannot adequately prepare your child if they are not with us.
- Our daily tardy list is growing. The tardy bell rings at 8:00am. Our doors open at 7:25am. Often times, students who arrive early use this time to read or work on class assignments. Please ensure that your child is in class by 8:00, ready to learn. For more information on our school's attendance/tardy police, see the handbook.
- Please utilize the full length of the sidewalk during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up. In the morning, students should exit the car at any point along the sidewalk; in the afternoon, parents are asked to pull all the way up before students load.
- Do not let your child unload before school doors open at 7:25am. It is extremely unsafe for students to be unsupervised without an adult.
Additional Reminders...
- While breakfast is free to all students, breakfast is not served after 7:50am.
- Students are asked not to bring breakfast from local restaurants into the building.
- No early dismissals after 2:00pm. To ensure a safe, efficient dismissal, we ask that parents sign their child out before 2:00pm.
- For any student who is absent from school, all notes (parent or medical) must be provided within 2 days of the student's return to be excused.
Save the Date: Black History Celebration 2020
Parent Information Series
Session Description: Have you ever felt frustrated when trying to help your child complete his/her math homework? What are these new math strategies and why are we using them? This session hopes to alleviate some of your stress related to “new age” math concepts. Session will apply mostly to parents of 3rd-5th graders, but is open to everyone.
To view upcoming session, CLICK HERE!
MyEnergyKit.org
Join the other 71 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?
Middle & Elementary School Yearbooks
Middle School:
Middle School Yearbooks are now on sale for $30! Go to the following website to order: CLICK HERE! Please note that the elementary and middle school websites for ordering are different.
Elementary:
Elementary School Yearbooks are also on sale for $20. Go to the following website to order: CLICK HERE! Please note that the elementary and middle school websites for ordering are different.
Preventing the Spread of Colds & 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.
Want to Get Involved? 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!)
Support a Sterling School Classroom
CLICK HERE to check out our school's classroom projects!
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.
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.
ACE Awards Nominations Now Open!
The ACE Awards (Advocates for Character and Education) is an annual award given to 72 male and female students from each of the 35 Greenville County middle and high schools. This award is designed to honor true “unsung heroes” who all too often are not recognized for their accomplishments. The selection process, established by Greenville County school counselors, focuses on identifying and selecting students who often go unnoticed for one reason or another, but have accomplished great things in their community, church or school.
If you would like to nominate a Greenville County 8th or 12th grader, please or go online to coaches4character.com and click the nominate button at the top of the page. All nominations must be submitted by January 31, 2019. An ACE Awards Advisory Committee at each school will choose finalists from among those nominated to complete an application for the ACE Award. One male and one female will be chosen from each middle and high school in Greenville County. All ACE award recipients will be recognized at the ACE Awards ceremony in the spring.
'18 ACE Winners
'19 ACE Winners
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