The Weekly Griffin
Week of August 19th, 2018 - #BuildingABetterGriffin
First Week Reminders
Morning Drop-Off
- Please move through the morning and afternoon car line with extreme caution.
- Do not let your child unload before school doors open at 7:25am.
- In the morning, we ask all car riders to exit the full length of the awning.
- If you do not have your student's dismissal tag, you are asked to pick this up in the main office when dropping your student off in the morning. We cannot release a student to a parent without this tag; students who ride the bus will be returned to school.
Afternoon Pick-Up
- During the first couple of weeks, afternoon dismissal is typically longer. We ask for additional patience as we strive to ensure that our students leave us safely.
- Elementary parents please use the right lane, middle school parents use the left lane.
- Remember to have your dismissal tags with you, visible on the driver's side.
- We recommend, cutting the sheet apart into 3 separate tags: one in the car, one at home, and one for backup.
- If your elementary student waits for an older middle school sibling, they will wait in the cafeteria and will be dismissed at 2:45.
- During the first week of school, we recommend that parents of middle schoolers not arrive for pick up before 2:45.
- If you are involved in a carpool and need additional car tags, you may pick up extra tags from the front office. Please email Mrs. Hammonds and these tags may be sent home with your child.
Here are a few other general reminders:
- Our doors will open at 7:25am. The tardy bell rings at 8:00am.
- 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.
- Please return the blue "Thursday folder" to your child's teacher tomorrow.
- 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.
- An "absence" in elementary school is defined as being at school for less than 3 hours; in middle school, students who are present for less than 30 minutes will be considered absent.
- All medication(s) must be given to Nurse Brenda in the original container(s) with directions for administering. Students are not allowed to carry medications.
What's Ahead...
- August 20 - Students Return (First Day of School)
- August 20 - Sip, Sob, & Shout! 7:30-8:30am in Media Center
- August 22 - Sweet Summer Reading Chances Forms Due
- August 27 - PTA Spirit Night @ Big Air Trampoline Park
- August 30 - Attraction Book Fundraiser Kick-Off (Elementary)
- August 31 - College Colors Day
- September 3 - Labor Day (No School for Students)
- September 4 - Fall Pictures
Sib, Sob, or Shout!
Who: ALL parents!!!
What: Drop-In for coffee and a light breakfast
When: 7:30 - 8:30am on Monday, August 20th
Where: Sterling School Media Center (Library)
Why: To visit with fellow parents! Catch up with old friends or make some new ones!
Parking at Phillis Wheatley
For the safety of your children, we encourage you to drop-off/pick-up in the car line. Only children who walk home may be walkers. Parents must sign the Walker Release Form before students will be allowed to leave campus unsupervised. Thank you, in advance, for your understanding and cooperation.
Volunteer Training
Sterling School Lunch Menu
Again this year, Sterling School will have our very own school specific lunch menu! We are grateful to the district's food services department for making this happen. As a reminder, breakfast is free of charge to all students. Breakfast will be served from 7:25-7:50. Students must arrive before 7:50 to eat breakfast.
CLICK HERE to access the Aug-Nov menu.
If you've like to add money to your student's MySchoolBucks account, please CLICK HERE!
Join PTA
Focus on Safety #WholeChild
This year, we are excited to announce that our school has been assigned a full-time on-duty officer. While the officer may differ each day, we are grateful to our district leadership for this added measure of safety.
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. If you are ready to jump in, you may begin by completing the mentor application 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 .
School Supply Drive
The Sterling School Guidance Department will gratefully accept donations of any item on the Back to School Supply Lists. The items below are especially needed. Please consider donating gently used (or new!!) book bags, as these are urgently needed. Contact Ms. Chameka Duncan with any questions.
Below is a list of needed supplies:
· Pencils
· Cap erasers/pink erasers
· Composition notebooks
· Washable markers
· Pencil boxes & pouches
· Crayons
· 2 pocket folders
· Elmers glue
· Colored pencils
· Pens
· Small safety scissors
· Spiral bound note books
· Highlighters
· BOOKBAGS
Calling All Experts! (Namely... YOU!)
[CLICK HERE to go directly to COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP DIRECTORY]
Marine biologist, conservationist, and writer Rachel Carson (1956) once stated, “If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.” Fortunately, the students at the Sterling School do not just have one adult who eagerly shares in the excitement of ongoing discovery and exploration—they have many. BUT we need more!
The faculty at Sterling School & Charles Townes Center are working to implement a schoolwide framework of inquiry-based learning. Through the use of inquiry, namely PBL (project-based learning), we seek to continuously innovate and transform our school’s approach of teaching and learning through student-centered, personalized instruction. PBL prepares students for academic, personal, and career success, readying them for the challenges they will inherit in our world.
While our teachers are super smart :-), they do not know everything! To further our students' learning, we need various experts with professional experiences to engage our students. As a district, our Graduation Plus emphasis strives to ensure that all students are career and college ready. Exposing our students to various careers and professions within the context of meaningful, hands-on learning will strengthen our school's instructional program.
As we look to next school year, we are creating a database of partners and parents who have various expertise. As a school, we will utilize the database when seeking experts to support various curriculum, PBL units. If you are willing to be added to our expert directory, please complete the following Google Form (CLICK HERE!). #VisionInAction #GriffinPride #WholeChild
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