The Weekly Griffin
October 13th - #BuildingABetterGriffin #LevelUP
Sterling School Receives Whole Child Award
This week, we extend a BIG word of congratulations to our entire school community! As previously shared, of 22 schools who applied, Sterling School is the sole recipient of this year's South Carolina ASCD's Whole Child Award. On Friday (Oct. 11th) the award was given during the general session of the organization's annual Whole Child Conference. The following introduction was shared with participants to announce the award and to acknowledge our school's dedication to this important work.
The ASCD Whole Child Award is designed to recognize schools that have gone beyond a vision for educating the whole child to actions that result in learners who are knowledgeable, emotionally and physically healthy, civically active, artistically engaged, prepared for economic self-sufficiency, and ready for the world beyond formal schooling. This award acknowledges those schools that have changed the conversation about education from a focus on narrowly defined academic achievement to one that promotes the development of the whole child: a child who is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.
This year’s recipient has certainly demonstrated that they are committed to the tenets of the Whole Child, most specifically the tenet of SUPPORT. Common expectations and a positive language is shared throughout the school with their PBIS program and is evidenced in Griffin PRIDE-which stands for positivity, respect, integrity, determination, and empathy. Teachers have participated in in-depth professional development in social-emotional learning and the effects of trauma on students. In addition to improving their school’s guided reading and balanced literacy efforts, teachers have received extensive training to implement guided math, project based learning, and SmartARTs training, all of which are necessary to engage, support, and challenge students. A personalized approach to education is not only encouraged but supported and expected.
School leaders and educators clearly know that intentional, strong partnerships with supportive community organizations are key to the success of serving the Whole Child. This year’s winner has partnered with the Nicholtown Child and Family Collaborative and the Greenville City Police to support the students and families in the community they serve. Faculty has received training in gang awareness, partnered to hold weekly open gym nights and offered an annual summer camp that emphasizes good decision making and leadership. Our Whole Child Award recipient is not only a leader in creating a positive social-emotional culture within their district, they are also serve as a model within the state. Please join me in congratulating and celebrating the Sterling School in Greenville County Schools. #BuildingABetterGriffin #WholeChild #LevelUP
What's Ahead...
- October 15-17 - CogAT Testing (2nd Grade)
- October 16 - PSAT Testing for 8th Grade
- October 17 - Griffin Day for Middle School
- October 17 - Middle School Fundraising Deliveries to Come Home
- October 17 - Talent Show Dress Rehearsal, 2:30-5:00pm
- October 18 - Jr. Beta Club Bake Sale @ Lunch
- October 18 - Middle School Fall Dance, 2:45-4:30pm
- October 18 - Last Day to Nominate an Educator Who Makes A Difference (see info below)
- October 21 & 22 - Iowa Testing (2nd Grade)
- October 22 - Gifted Education Parent Session Series, 9:45-10:45 (See info below)
- October 24 - Sterling School Talent Show; 6:30pm, $3.00 Suggested Donation
Upcoming 2nd Grade Testing
Sterling FANS Now Hiring
For anyone who may be interested in working at the best school in Greenville County, we have a full time position to fill in our school's cafeteria. The hours for the position are 7:45-2:15pm each day. Interested candidates should contact Chris Spellman in the Food and Nutrition Services office at cspellman@greenville.k12.sc.us or access the district’s “Jobs” web page. (CLICK HERE!)
Winter Glove, Hat & Sock Drive
Ms. Duncan is collecting donations of NEW gloves, hats and socks. If you would like to donate please send items to school between now and November 15th. You may bring any size. Donations can be dropped off at Sterling School in the front office (Attention: Ms. Duncan). CLICK HERE for flyer.
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.
October 31st: "Boo"K Character Dress-Up
On Thursday, Oct. 31, we encourage your child to dress like a BOO-K Character (from a book s/he has read). We invite parents and caregivers to join us for our BOO-K Character Parade from 2:00-2:15 that day. We will exit the back door at the K4/K5 hallway, parade behind the school on the sidewalk, and continue to march up the sidewalk beside the school before entering the front door to go back to our classes. Please support our young readers by joining us after you sign in at the office. We can’t wait to present our best to you in our BOO-K Character Parade!
(If it rains, you are invited to attend our hallway parade.)
GCS Superintendent's State of the District
Recently, Dr. Royster made his annual State-of-the-District presentation at several recent PTA/SIC Superintendent Breakfast events. If you are interested in viewing the presentation, CLICK HERE! As a school who is directly impacted by his leadership and influence, we are grateful for Dr. Royster's guidance and leadership. As you'll see in the presentation, Greenville County Schools continues to lead the way in our state & nation! #BuildingABetterGriffin
Help NASA Name the Next Mars Rover!
NCFC Halloween Costume Collection
The Nicholtown Child and Family Collaborative is seeking gently used Halloween costumes for children ages birth to adult. All costume donations should be delivered to our school's front office by Friday, October 18. If you are able to assist, Ms. Duncan will serve as our school's coordinator. (CLICK HERE for flyer.)
Contact Ms. Chameka Duncan with any questions.
Sterling School Talent Show
Talent Show Dress Rehearsal
Congratulation to the students selected to participate in the talent show! We had so many wonderful acts, and we are sorry that we can't include everyone. All students participating in the show must attend the dress rehearsal after school on Thursday, October 17th. Bring your homework and a snack! The rehearsal will be from 2:45-5:00. All students will be dismissed at 5:00 and brought to the front carline for pickup (unless they are in AfterSchool).
Sterling School Talent Showcase: Thurs., Oct. 24 @ 6:30pm
We 'd love to see you at the Sterling School Talent Showcase on October 24th. We'll have music, dancing, comedy and more! Come and see our amazing students share their wonderful talents! The entertainment begins at 6:30pm and admission is a suggested $3 donation. The Talent Show is sponsored by the middle school Jr. Beta Club.
Educators Who Make a Difference
Upstate Parent magazine is seeking nominations for their annual “Educators Who Make a Difference” edition. Nominations must be made using the online form found here. Please submit your nominations by October 18. You may nominate more than one person, but may not nominate the same person more than once. Please share with PTA, SIC, your school website or other newsletters.
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.
Facilitators & Tutors Needed
We need you! Different teachers are in need of Book Club Facilitators to lead small groups of students in novel studies. Other teachers need special tutoring help with their students. If you would like to help with one or both of these needs, please contact Kim Marchbanks at
864-355-4482 or krmarchbanks@greenville.k12.sc.us.
2019 Veterans Day Program
On Friday, November 8th, the Sterling School will honor those who have fought for the many freedoms we, as American citizens, have today. We will have two programs. Our K-3rd grade program will begin at 8:30am and the 4th-8th grade program will begin at 9:30am. We invite all veterans in our Sterling family to join us as honored guests.
- If a special guest is planning to attend, we ask that you RSVP by Fri., Nov. 1st (CLICK HERE!). As a special treat, please send in or email a picture of your honored guest (preferably in uniform), the name and relationship to our Sterling/CTC student, and the name of the military branch in which he or she served. (You'll find this request within the Google Form as well.)
- Our PTA is planning a reception after each program for our veterans and their guests. Students of our veterans are invited to attend as well. If you would like to participate, please complete the same Google Form (CLICK HERE!).
- We invite all students to wear red, white, and blue on the day of our program, Fri., Nov. 8th.
We look forward to this exciting day, as we pay tribute to those who have served our country. Thank you, in advance, for your willingness to participate!
Testing Event for Potential CTC Students
- Registration due by noon on Tuesday, 10/22.
- Download the CTC Testing Registration Form: (CLICK HERE!)
There are many inquiries about how students are chosen to attend the Charles Townes Center for highly gifted student, 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 Tuesday, October 29, 2019, 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 or if his/her school administers this testing within the past two years, it is not necessary for your child to participate. You may just submit those test results to Jane Snyder via email.
Because candidates for CTC must first qualify as Gifted and Talented by SC Regulation 43-220, we will administer an aptitude test on Tuesday, October 29th. Upon reviewing data from this testing event, we will determine if other testing or information is necessary for your child.
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 Tuesday, October 22nd. Please return a form for each child that you wish to have tested. Students and parents will check in at the school office and assemble in the Media Center at Sterling School by 9:00 am on 10/29/18. Students will be tested in grade level groups. 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 individual package. During the testing, parents may participate in a tour given by CTC personnel. There will be plenty of time for you to ask questions, too! If your child has already taken testing that could help them to qualify for CTC, please bring copies of those results to the testing event. These copies will not be returned to you.
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.
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.
ICYMI: In Case You Missed These #WholeChild Moments!
Sterling School is EXCELLENT!
In case you missed it... earlier this week, the South Carolina Department of Education released our school's annual state report card. We are very excited to announce that our school received a rating of “Excellent” for our elementary grades and a rating of “Excellent” for our middle school grades.
Annual school report cards attempt to measure our academic achievement, student progress, college and career readiness, and school climate. All schools in our state receive a ranking of excellent, good, average, below average, or unsatisfactory. The results are based on test scores and surveys. The report also includes data on English Learners' Progress, Student Safety, and Financial information. To view our elementary report card, CLICK HERE; to view our middle school report card, CLICK HERE!
You will also find a link to our school’s report card on the homepage of our school's website.
As a school community, this is something we all should celebrate! Together, we are all working to ensure that every child achieves their fullest potential. As always, thank you for your support of our wonderful school community. #BuildingABetterGriffin #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