The Weekly Griffin
September 22nd - #BuildingABetterGriffin #LevelUP
What's Ahead...
- September 24 - Gifted Learners Parent Information Series: 9:45-10:30am (See Below)
- September 25 - 4K Half Day (until 11:30am); breakfast & lunch will be served.
- September 26 - Last Day of Middle School Fundraiser
- September 27 - Bob Ross Paint Night (3rd Grade & Up); 5:00-7:00pm (See Below)
- September 28 - Butterfly Garden Work Day (all ages), 9:00am-12:00pm
- September 30 - Middle School Spirit Night @ Big Air, 3:00-9:00pm
- October 2 - Deadline to reapply for Free/Reduced Meals (See Below)
Perfect! 2019 SCReady
Last spring, 47 of our students scored PERFECT on at least one section of the SC Ready (ELA or Math). This accomplishment deserves to be celebrated and is a tremendous honor. The students pictured below include those who are currently in grades 4th-8th. CONGRATULATIONS!
- 4th Grade: MATH: Isaac Banks, Amelia Bryant, Kale Davis, Henry Eglhofer (not pictured), Samuel Feldman, Mary Hazel Hinson, Zachary Holloway, Lauris Kukainis, Emerson Morris, Landon Prince, Logan Selfridge ELA: Lauris Kukainis, Jackson "Mac" Smith
- 5th Grade: MATH: Darby Burdette, William Howard, Monet Mothersbaugh, Julian Osorio ELA: Darby Burdette, Marshall Crawford
- 6th Grade: MATH: Joseph Dather, Jaren Mills, William Schumacher, Liao Liao Shi, Sashwath Sivaraman, James Strickland, Benjamin Webb, Adam Weekes, Gabriel Wood ELA: Charlotte Clark, Ryleigh Mason
- 7th Grade: MATH: Abhinav Bogadapati, Harper Bright, Jack Garvin, Aedan Honohan, Julia Hoskins, Olivia Lu, Dylan Olsson
- 8th Grade: MATH: Asher Brownlee, Atharva Shah ELA: Philip Buck, Hannah Kim
- 9th Grade: MATH: Emma Bao, Nathan Collot, Garner Hart, Eleanor Shepard, Owen Taggart ELA: Maggie Austin
Next week, we'll celebrate our SC PASS Perfect Scorers!
From the SIC Chair, Julie Cain Cwynar
The SIC (School Improvement Council) is excited to welcome Kadieshia Smith (Kay) to the SIC as a Primary Grades parent representative! Kay is the proud mother of five children, two of whom attend Sterling School – K5 and 3rd. Our new Middle School representative is Niki Peters, and we welcome her continued participation in the SIC. Niki served as an ex-officio board member on the SIC last year while serving as the PTA President. We welcome YOUR ideas and thoughts too! As the SIC chairperson, I would be delighted to talk with parents, teachers and community members. Please reach out! My email is JulieCainCwynar@gmail.com, and I can also be reached via text/phone at 412-215-9429. I look forward to hearing from you! Our next SIC meeting is Friday, October 4 at 8:30am. School families are welcome to attend.
THANK YOU to all of our SIC parent members for serving the Sterling/CTC school community! Kay Smith and RaKenya Lewers (PRIMARY), Crystal Andrews and Lance Feldman (INTERMEDIATE), Niki Peters and Julie Cain Cwynar (MIDDLE), and Sue Broder, Ashley Hefner, and Lisa Helsel (FACULTY)
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.
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!)
PTA Running Club
The Sterling School PTA Running Club is starting back up on October 7th. Club members will meet each Monday from 2:45-3:25pm and is for all students 3rd to 8th grades. Younger grades are welcome if they have an adult present. Students are required to have a permission slip to participate and can get those in the front office, the PTA Facebook page or the PTA Newsflash this week.
Bob Ross Painting Night
On September 27th from 5:00-7:00pm, students in grades 3 and up are invited to our school's first annual Bob Ross Painting Night. If interested, please return the following RSVP to Mrs. Harrington or Mrs. Spitler - CLICK HERE! Bring your family and friends and have a wonderful community night painting with the Art Honor Society members! All participating students must be accompanied by an adult. #WholeChild
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.
Help NASA Name the Next Mars Rover!
NASA is giving students the opportunity to name the next Mars Rover! Slated for launch in 2020, students have the opportunity to write essays explaining why their name should be selected. Previous rovers were named Sojourner, Spirit, and Curiosity. What do you think the next one should be? The contest is open to kids in grades 5K-12 and all Interested students may enter at https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/participate/name-the-rover/. All entries must be submitted by November 1st! Best of luck and we look forward to hearing what the new rover is named! #BuildingABetterGriffin #WholeChild
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.
Attendance Awareness Month #BuildingABetterGriffin
September is Attendance Awareness Month. All this month, we've shared the importance of school attendance. Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves, creating a greater opportunity for students to establish a sense of belonging. We miss our student when they are absent and we value their contributions to our school. We also need our parents' help with this; working together, we can ensure that our students reach their full potential. If your student is absent, please send medical documentation, parent note, or other documentation within two days of returning to school so that the absence may be excused. All other information regarding attendance and consequences of truancy may be found in the parent-student handbook. Consistent attendance will help our students do well in high school, college, work, and life. #WholeChild
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!)
Meal Application
Each year, interested families must reapply for free/reduced lunch. The online application for Free/Reduced Price Lunch opened Thursday, August 1st. CLICK HERE for more information.
Completing the application online is the best method to signing up. If you would prefer to complete a paper version of the application, these will be available this week.
All parents are reminded that this year's carryover period ends October 2nd. At this time, if no qualifying application is on file, all students will default to "full pay." Also, any student owing more than $20.00 to the cafeteria will be given an alternate meal until the bill is paid.
If there are any questions, Mr. Glackin, Sterling School FANS Manager, will be available at Meet the Teacher to help navigate the application process.
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 Named Whole Child Award School
Over the last two years, our school community has made a concerted effort to implement a comprehensive school improvement model known as the Whole Child. This student-centered approach to schooling is an effort to transition from a focus on narrowly defined academic achievement to one that promotes the long-term development and success of all children.
We are proud to announce that Sterling School has been named South Carolina ASCD's 2019 Whole Child Award School. The award will be presented to our school next month at SCASCD's Whole Child Conference. Former South Carolina Governor and United States Secretary of Education, Dick Riley, and current South Carolina House of Representative (District 23), Chandra Dillard, will serve as featured guests to present the award. Sterling School is the sole recipient of the 21 schools from across the state who applied for this year's award.
The Whole Child School 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 singular focus of standardized test scores to one that promotes the development of the whole child: a child who is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged.
This award will be received on the behalf of our entire school community. Because of the continuous support of our stakeholders, our students can achieve their fullest potential! #WholeChild #LevelUP
Building A Better Griffin,
Dr. P.
International Dot Day - Make Your Mark!
Last Friday, students at the Sterling School joined millions of people around the world to celebrate International Dot Day. This annual event encourages students to move the world to a better place by connecting, collaborating, creating, and celebrating all that creativity inspires and invites. Thank you, Mrs. Harrington & Mrs. Spitler, for spearheading this event AND thank you to the many volunteers who came to help out! #BuildingABetterGriffin #WholeChild
Be sure to check out our Facebook page for more highlights from the day!
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