The Weekly Griffin
Week of March 31, 2019 - #BuildingABetterGriffin
Gifted Educator Conference
This Tuesday (April 2nd), the Charles Townes Center at the Sterling School will host our first gifted educators' conference. We are anticipating approximately 80 guests from various schools, districts, and higher education institutions across our state. With this in mind, we are asking for your help.
1) Parking will be very limited throughout the day. Conference attendees will be on campus from 8:00am until 3:30pm.
2) During morning drop-off, please be patient as we anticipate parking to be very limited and may have a longer car line than usual as visitors are arriving.
3) If your child needs to be released early for a medical appointment, please email your child's teacher in advance so as to minimize disruptive calls to classrooms during the day.
4) Many of our teachers will be encumbered with extra responsibilities related to the conference, so please be mindful that they may not be as available as they usually are to respond to email or phone messages.
We are extremely excited about this milestone at our school and we look forward to sharing more in next week's Griffin! #BuildingABetterGriffin #WholeChild
Battle of the Books: District Champions!
What's Ahead...
April 2 - Report Cards
April 2 - CTC Gifted Educator Conference
April 5 - Spring Pictures
April 5 - April Arts, 5:30-7:30pm
April 10 - Families for Lunch
April 11 - Deadline to apply for ARMES program
*As a reminder... Please continue to be mindful of our drop-off and pick-up.
- Have students exit and load the full length of the awing.
- Keep this area "cell phone free!"
- Do not let students out at "roundabout" near Phillis Wheatley.
- Do not let students out in the faculty/staff parking lot along the Phillis Wheatley property.
- We discourage the use of the parking lot at Tanners. Please utilize our school's driveway.
- Do not text your child at dismissal and request that they walk to Tanner's without an adult.
The CTC Newspaper: 3rd Edition
Band Gives Perfect Performance
April Arts is This FRIDAY!
Be sure to join us for April Arts this Friday, April 5th, from 5:30 until 7:30pm!!
April Arts is Sterling School's signature event! This night brings together our school community of parents, students, neighbors, and friends to celebrate all forms of the arts. Last year, over 800 people attended April Arts!
Student artwork from the entire year is displayed in the hallways, students perform throughout the evening, and we offer hands-on art activities for all ages!
This year's theme is Arte y Arquitectura: Build Your Creativity! All activities will focus on Spanish and Hispanic influence in art and architecture.
If you are able to donate any of these items, we'd greatly appreciate it! Send items to the art teachers or the front office.
Broken Dishes, especially with patterns/designs
Ceramic Pieces
Glass Marbles or Beads
Puff Paint
Ultra-fine tip Sharpies (all colors)
- Volunteer at an activity station during April Arts, or help with set up before the event: CLICK HERE!
- Volunteer to serve dinner, sign-in guests, or clean-up: CLICK HERE!
- April Arts T-shirt Orders: CLICK HERE!
Teacher Pay Increase Crucial for Recruitment, Retention
Lawmakers have declared 2019 the year of education reform. The bill up for debate would raise teacher pay 4% and make the minimum teacher salary in South Carolina $35,000. If you look at cost of living and student debt, many young teachers are facing serious financial struggles.
Please take a few minutes to view this video that was shared at a recent School Board meeting. It is the story of four GCS teachers and the financial challenges they’ve experienced as young professionals. Special thanks to the GCS Communications Department for their work on this and “humanizing” this budget process in Columbia.
Items Needed for MakerSpace
Our MakerSpace is up and running, but we still need items to complete the space and keep it stocked!
Small Legos & Lego mini-figures
Puzzles
Packing tape
Glue Sticks
Scissors
Construction Paper
Colored Paper
Duct Tape... Lots of Duct Tape!
PLA 3D Printer Filament
PLA 3D Pen Filament
K-Nex
Lincoln Logs
Mega Blocks
Polly Pocket Figures
Little People Figures
Looney Labs Educational Games
These items would help make the Sterling School MakerSpace an even more amazing place for our children to create, inspire and be inspired! Bring donations to the Media Center or leave them in the Front Office with a note that says “For Media Center.”
Safe Kids Day @ the Greenville Drive
Middle School Yearbook
Time is RUNNING OUT to purchase a CTC Middle School Yearbook. After May 3rd you will not be able to order one. A few will be available on a first come first served basis on the last day of school, but there will not be many of them! So if you want a yearbook, PLEASE go the the WEBSITE below and order one! (CLICK HERE!)
From the Sterling SIC: Volunteer Flyer
Local service organizations, businesses, and churches are always looking for ways to give back to their communities. What better way that volunteering at Sterling School! Our School Improvement Council has put together a helpful flyer for our families to share with their networks that describes all the opportunities available and provides helpful contact information. CLICK HERE for Sterling Volunteer Flyer.
April Arts T-Shirts
PTA Family STEM Night
Thurs, April 25th - Family STEM Night (Grades 3rd-5th): Families can participate in fun, hands-on STEM activities! Great enrichment opportunity! (See flyer below for more information.)
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 .
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 at jmurphy@greenville.k12.sc.us or (864) 355-4480.
A Word from Dr. P: Finish Strong
Tomorrow marks the end of the 3rd 9 weeks; on Tuesday, we start the final quarter of the current school year. With 3 weeks until Spring Break, we may find ourselves tired, unfocused, or complacent. You might feel tempted to check homework less frequently, allow your child to stay up later, or hold different expectations than you did in August or September. As a parent, I understand. We must resist these temptations and finish strong.
As we enter the final quarter of the school year, please know how much we appreciate you and your involvement! Remember to remain focused... read with and to your child, ensure they complete all homework, communicate with their teachers, and continue to be involved. If there is anything we can do to further support our home/school partnership, PLEASE do not hesitate to let us know! We are here to serve and partner with our Sterling School families. #BuildABetterGriffin #WholeChild
PTA Reflections Winners!
PTA will present awards to our school's Reflections winners at 5:15pm in the cafeteria just prior to April Arts! If your child is a school winner, please try to be present so they can be recognized. Winners will receive a unique award and a movie voucher! We are so proud of all of our school winners!
The Griffin Reflections team is proud to announce the following PTA Reflections Program winners at the School, District, and State levels!
= District & State Winners =
Elizabeth Barr
District Award of Excellence, Middle School Photography
Mary Hazel Hinson
District Award of Merit, Intermediate Film Production
Yashavini Ranganathan
District Award of Excellence, State Award of Excellence, Middle School Literature
Yashavini Ranganathan
District Award of Excellence, State Award of Merit, Middle School Dance Choreography
Yashavini Ranganathan
State Award of Merit, Middle School Film Production
= School Level Winners =
Literature Intermediate Division
1st: Lena Alioua - Robert
2nd: Darby Burdette - The Ones Who Care
3rd: Sashwath Sivaraman - Hound in Our Darkest Hour
Literature Middle School Division
1st: Yashasvini Ranganathan - Hero in My Heart
2nd: Stephanie Hu - My Hero Writing Homework
3rd: Tarika Desai - Poverty’s Silence Can Thou Be Heard?
Visual Arts Intermediate Division
1st: Lena Alioua - Heroes Around Me
2nd: Aditya Harikumar - Our Local Heroes
3rd: Sashwath Sivaraman - Prayers for Our Troops
Visual Arts Middle School Division
Yashasvini Ranganathan (2 entries tied) - A Hero’s DNA & Our Local Heroes
Photography Intermediate Division
1st: Mary Hazel - Hero Hugs
2nd: Sashwath Sivaraman - Guiding Light
Photography Middle School Division
1st: Elizabeth Barr - Our Planets Heroes
2nd: Yashasvini Ranganathan - Shining Hero
Music Composition
Darby Burdette - Heroes
Film Production Intermediate Division
Mary Hazel Hinson - Bear in There
Film Production Middle School Division
Yashasvini Ranganathan - What is a Hero?
Dance Choreography Middle School Division
Yashasvini Ranganathan - Vishnu The Protector & My Hero
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