Griffins Connect
October 4th #BuildingABetterGriffin #WholeChild
Upcoming Parent Teacher Conferences
The mission to #BuildABetterGriffin is a big responsibility. Not only does this require an intentional effort to design and implement a challenging, progressive curriculum that is tailored to our students’ unique needs, it also requires a strong home/school partnership, and a call to development of a growth mindset. Having a growth mindset acknowledges that we are not there...yet. A mindset that acknowledges that we are a work in progress, that we will never truly reach the finish line. A mindset that does not see a grade of “A” as the goal but embraces and celebrates the growth that comes with challenge and productive struggle. I must admit, as a parent of four school-aged children, this is not always easy. As an educator, this requires that I allow my students to feel appropriate tension in a space that encourages growth, problem-solving, and resilience. In our culture, this is not always easy. To help our children achieve their full potential, we must fight the temptation to make things easy and to do the task quicker, easier, and without resistance.
Over the next couple of weeks, your child’s teacher will be communicating details of upcoming parent/teacher conferences. This year’s meetings will be virtual and are scheduled for all elementary students. It is our goal to have 100% participation for all students. During this time, teachers are encouraged to share strengths and weaknesses, to share the areas of success as well as the areas for growth. Parents, you are encouraged to do the same. If forgotten or omitted, challenge your child’s teacher to consider ways they can partner with you to help your child grow. Through transparent conversations, goals should be discussed and established. Together, we are your child’s supportive team. It is our hope that these important meetings are not simply to “check a box” but spur our students in a trajectory that furthers every single child in their learning and social-emotional development. #WholeChild
Dr. P.
What's Ahead...
- Wed., Oct. 7th: Middle School Lunch & Learn: Transitioning to High School (Recommended: 8th grade parents), 12:00 - 12:45 PM (Register Here!)
Looking Ahead...
- Wed., Oct. 21st - Tues., Oct. 29th: 2nd Grade CogAT/IOWA Testing (see info below)
- Thurs., Oct. 22nd: End of 1st Quarter & Virtual Students & Make-Up Picture Day
- Fri., Oct. 23rd: Teacher Development Day; No School for Students
- Fri., Oct. 23rd: Testing Event for Potential CTC Students (see below)
- Tues., Oct. 29th: 1st Quarter Report Cards
Testing Event for Potential CTC Students
- Registration due by noon on Friday, 10/16/2020.
- Download the CTC Testing Registration Form.
There are many inquiries about how students are chosen to attend the Charles Townes Center for highly gifted students, located within Sterling School. The criteria can be found on our website: (CLICK HERE!)
Many private schools in our area do not administer nationally normed aptitude tests along with an achievement test. For that reason, on Friday, October 23, 2020, there will be an opportunity for students who reside in Greenville County and attend home or private schools to take an aptitude test. If your child has already taken an aptitude test within the past two years, or if his/her school administers this testing it is not necessary for your child to participate. You may just submit those test results to Jane Snyder via email.
Upon reviewing data from this testing event, we will determine if other testing or information is necessary for your child. These results may not be available until after Winter Break.
Please print the Registration Form and send it to Jane Snyder via scan/email or fax: jsnyder@greenville.k12.sc.us or 864-355-9042 by noon on Friday, October 16th. Please return a form for each child that you wish to have tested. Students and parents should check in at the front of Sterling School by 9:00am. Unfortunately, current restrictions related to COVID-19 require that we not allow parents to access the building; therefore, tours of the building will not occur. Additionally, students are required to wear a mask when moving around the building or otherwise not able to social distance. Masks may be removed once seated during testing.
Students will be tested in small grade level groups to allow appropriate distancing. Please have each child bring 2 pencils for testing. Allow two and one-half hours for your child’s testing which includes breaks for them. If you feel that your child needs to have a snack for one of the breaks, please send it in an individually wrapped package. Students should bring a water bottle.
For further information, you may contact Jane Snyder by email at jsnyder@greenville.k12.sc.us (best way to communicate!) or by phone at 355-4821.
CogAT/IOWA Testing
If you are choosing to allow your student to opt-out of CogAT/Iowa testing, please inform Mrs. Harris no later than October 12.
Virtual Students & Make-Up Picture Day
On October 22nd, all virtual students (GCS & CTC) will be provided the opportunity to have their school/yearbook pictures taken. Please use the following link to sign up. Please see the schedule below for your child’s assigned time. Any Thursday in-person student will be included during the school day. Students who are eLearning on Thursday should sign-up from 4:00-6:00 using the following link: Sign Up Genius. Your child’s teacher will accommodate this schedule in the day’s instructional plans. The deadline for signing up is Sunday, October 18th.
- 1:00 - 1:30 Emmel
- 1:30 - 2:00 Lane
- 2:30 - 3:00 Nyvall
- 3:00 - 4:00 Middle School
- 4:00 - 6:00 GCS Virtual & Make-Up for Thursday eLearning
Join PTA
Need a Mask?
Thank you Marshall Orthodontics for donating masks to Sterling School! We appreciate the support of our community. Anyone wanting a mask may stop by the office to pick one up.
Educators Who Make A Difference
Do you know a teacher, coach, guidance counselor or school administrator who goes above and beyond to help students succeed? The January 2021 issue of Upstate Parent will profile a number of the Upstate educators who are making a difference in children's lives. Nominate an outstanding teacher, coach, or administrator today! Nominees may be from Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson or Pickens counties only, and MUST work in a public or private elementary, middle or high school. YOU MAY NOMINATE MORE THAN ONE PERSON, but may not nominate the same person more than once. Nominations must be made using the online form found at http://bit.ly/2d0LHpZ. Deadline for submissions is Friday, October 16.
Google Classroom
Learn more about Google Classroom:
- What is Google Classroom?
- How is information organized?
- How does my student access Google Classroom?
Follow this Link for Google Classroom to watch a short video.
Parent Backpack
Learn more about Parent Backpack:
- Would you like to track your student's attendance and grades?
- How do you access Parent Backpack?
Follow this Link for Parent Backpack to watch a short video.
New Lunch Menu
Save the Date: The Gifted Guru
On Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at 7:00pm, we invite all Sterling School/CTC families to a special virtual workshop with 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.
More information, including registration, will come in the coming weeks.
District Magnet Academies
Clemson Reading Program
The Clemson Reading Program encourages kids to read more books by rewarding them with exclusive Clemson Athletic prizes. This Program is open to all kids in 6th grade or below and is free to be a part of. Clemson wants to promote and encourage literacy with kids throughout the state of South Carolina. The Clemson Reading Program is easy to join, you just need a computer or smartphone to join, log your books, and redeem your free prizes. You can sign up at ClemsonReadingProgram.com today!
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.
Purchasing School Pictures
To purchase this year's school pictures, parents should go to www.strawbridge.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.
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
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.
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
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