Griffins Connect
May 31st #BuildingABetterGriffin #WholeChild
Thanks for Another Great Year!
As the 2020-2021 school year comes to a close, I am tremendously grateful... grateful to serve as your child's principal, grateful to work alongside educators who work tirelessly to provide the very best, and grateful for the parents who unconditionally support and encourage. It is truly an honor to be a part of the Sterling School community.
While certainly challenging and unprecedented, this year has brought many successes. We invite you to check out this year’s School Improvement Council’s Annual Report to Parents for many of this year’s highlights and achievements!
But our work is not finished. As a school community we must continue to see learning as a journey, not a destination. Our school, constantly evolving, must continuously adapt to meet the needs of each child. As we've seen over the last several weeks, to successfully meet our students' needs requires a progressive, responsive, #WholeChild approach. Together, we will continue in our collective effort to #BuildABetterGriffin.
Over the weeks of summer, please continue to keep our Griffins learning. Our school has provided a plan for reading over the summer (see in this newsletter below). Students can continue to access their DreamBox and Reflex accounts as well. Also, be on the lookout for communication from the school and our PTA. We will do our best to keep you informed of any need-to-know information.
In conclusion, I would like to wish everyone the very best for the summer break and look forward to welcoming you back, refreshed, for what will surely be an exciting new academic year. As always, it is an honor to serve as our school's principal. Again, thank you for your continued support and care.
Dr. P
What's Ahead...
This Week...
- May 31st: Memorial Day Holiday
- June 1st: 5th Grade Sterling Awards Program; 4:00pm
- June 2nd: 4th/5th Field Day; 8:30-10:30am **Unfortunately, parents cannot attend.
- June 2nd: 2nd/3rd Field Day; 12:00-2:00pm **Unfortunately, parents cannot attend.
- June 2nd: 5th Grade Day (after field day)
- June 3rd: 5K/1st Field Day; 8:30-10:30am **Unfortunately, parents cannot attend.
- June 3rd: Half Day: Elem Dismissal @ 11:45am; Middle Dismissal @ Noon
- June 4th: Half Day: Elem Dismissal @ 11:45am; Middle Dismissal @ Noon
- Last Day of School for Students/Start of Summer Reading. Have a Great Summer!
**Middle School parents, please do not get in the carline until Noon on the 1/2 days. (This is dismissal time for MS students.) We have 8th grade families coming through the car line early on Friday for our 8th grade send off. We need the open space in the carline/parking lot. Thank you for your cooperation.
Support a Griffin! Sign-Up to Mentor a Student Next 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.
Upstate Writing Project @ Clemson University Virtual Writing Camp
Be a Summer Reading Olympian! #FightTheSummerSlide
Here, you will find Sterling School's Summer Olympic Reading Challenge information. You can also find this information in your child's Thursday folder, on our school's webpage, and in forthcoming summer editions of the Weekly Griffin. The Summer Olympic Reading Challenge will begin at dismissal on Friday, June 4th. With this summer learning experience, students will have the opportunity to win exciting prizes and participate in a start-of-year celebration! There are several ways to participate: Greenville Drive Summer Reading All Stars, Camp Wonderopolis, and the Greenville Library Summer Reading Program. To learn more information, see the following flyer (CLICK HERE!).
End-of-Year Chromebook Collection
As the end of the year draws closer, please be mindful of this year's Chromebook collection dates:
- Monday, May 24: K4 & K5
- Tuesday, May 25: 1st-2nd grade
- Wednesday, May 26: 3rd-4th grade
- Thursday, May 27: 5th grade
- Friday, May 28: 6th & 7th grades
- Tuesday, June 1: 8th ALL in person & virtual
- Wednesday, June 2: Make-Up
- Thursday, June 3: 6th-7th Virtual & any mixed grades siblings via carline 1-3pm
- Friday, June 4: 4K-5th Virtual via carline 1-3pm
Additional Reminders:
- Chromebooks and chargers must be returned together
- Chromebooks should be charged to at least 80% when returned
- Lost chargers will incur a fee of $31
- Lost Chromebooks will incur a fee of $301
Final Student Report Cards
As a reminder, all grades can be accessed via GCS Backpack. If you are not registered with Parent Backpack, CLICK HERE and create an account. Please access directions by clicking on Creating a Parent Backpack Account. (English Directions; Direcciones en español)
If you would like a hard copy of your child's end-of-year report card, please make this request by emailing Carly Tan: ctan@greenville.k12.sc.us. For grades 4K-1st, teachers will send home a paper copy of the report card with the student on the last day of school.
Elementary & Middle Yearbooks
Elementary yearbooks have arrived and we still have a few for sale! If you haven't purchased an elementary yearbook, grab one before the year ends. They will be on sale this week on a first-come, first-serve basis. The cost is only $25!
Middle School yearbooks will be on sale the day yearbooks are distributed to the grade level. 8th grade yearbooks will be distributed on Tuesday and 6th and 7th grade can purchase on Wednesday. They are $35.00.
Get one before they are gone!
Register for 21-22 Extended Day Program
Our After School program is now accepting registration for 2021-2022. All registrations by the end of May are guaranteed a spot.
If you have any other questions please see the after school website (CLICK HERE!) or email Maxi Henry at mhenry@greenville.k12.sc.us or Candi Coffman at ccoffman@greenville.k12.sc.us. Thank you so much and we look forward to seeing you in August!
PTA 2021-2022 Carpool List
Are you interested in carpooling next year? CLICK HERE to join PTA’s 2021-2022 Carpool List! Families who submit their information by April 27 will receive a link to the carpool spreadsheet on April 29. Starting in May, we’ll update the spreadsheet each week as new families join through the summer and fall.
CTC Student Newspaper: Last Edition
Extra, Extra, Read All About It! The last edition of the 2020-2021 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.
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
Middle School Cold War Simulation
The 6th and 8th graders have been hard at work running their countries at the height of the Cold War last week and this week through a Cold War Simulation. They have been leaders - both political and military, ambassadors, and news/propaganda writers. All of the countries have been responsible for budgets of which they could spend on items such as infrastructure, military, weapons, or technology. The budgets increased or decreased depending on the items purchased. They were also negotiating with other countries via diplomatic dispatches to form alliances. If you ask your student, he/she will tell you a lot about the world during this time period, such as the unreasonable leader from the competitive country, the low budget of the underdeveloped nations, or the real fear of nuclear holocaust with nation after nation being nuclear.
This has brought about some real high-level thinking in the students. For example one student, Nicholas Arzt, on his own time, wrote a non-nuclear proliferation treaty, arranged for an international summit (on google classroom meet on their own time 3:30 - 4:30) and persuaded a lot of major countries to sign the treaty to stop nuclear war worldwide. Our own little SALT agreement! I think we will have to give our own Nobel Peace Prize to Nicky!
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