SGS's February Newsletter

The snow has finally melted and we have had a glimpse of springlike weather to end January. We are full of love as we head into the month of February. Thank you to all the parents who made sure their children were dressed appropriately to play outside in the deep snow. As you are aware, or becoming aware if you are new... SGS takes full advantage of outside recess no matter the weather.

This month, we are focusing on the theme of kindness as part of our ongoing character education program. We encourage families to engage in conversations about what it means to be kind and how we can all contribute to a positive and supportive school environment. Small acts of kindness can make a big difference! Ask you students about how they can earn some time in the KINDNESS IGLOO!

We also have several exciting events planned this month:

At lunch students are playing the Celebrity Crush game. If their name is drawn they get to try and match the staff member's to their Celebrity crush. This activity has sparked conversations with staff and students about famous people they may have learned about. Today Clara Barton was matched with Mrs. Wilson, our school nurse.

February 5th is our half day. Cub groups will eat together. Teachers will participate in Learning Communities that afternoon.

February 7th - School Spelling Bee. - teachers have been narrowing down the winners to participate in the Spelling Bee on Friday the 7th. The school winner will advance to the next round.

February 11th - 3rd grade Fundraiser - Bake Sale Auction at High School basketball game. Information below to find out how you can help.

Valentine's day celebrations will be Friday, February 14th. Watch for information regarding your class parties from your student's teacher.

February 17th - NO SCHOOL - STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

February 26th - Site Council Meeting @ SGS Conference Room

February 27th - ALL - STATE honor choir will perform at ESSDACK

Lastly, we will end the month with our KINDNESS assembly on February 28th, 2025. Our assembly will start at 2:45pm and last until 3:15pm. We like to celebrate our students and staff during the assemblies, so we would ask if you need to check a student out for during our assembly times, we would ask you do so either before or after the assembly.

Thank you for all your support and kindness,

Jamie Burtner

Sterling Grade School Principal

Pre-K learning how to inhale and exhale using pinwheels.

We all know February is a month for HEARTS, but did you ALSO know it is the month for KINDNESS? Students can earn time in our HEART IGLOO by committing random acts of KINDNESS. They can eat lunch, complete assignments, interact with others by playing games, or teachers can even assign a study session in the IGLOO.

3rd Grade students will be having a DESSERT AUCTION on February 11th, 2025 in between the varsity basketball games. This dessert auction will help raise money for the 3rd grade bill that they passed and provide a BOOK VENDING MACHINE that will contain books for the students to purchase with incentive money. These books will pertain to KINDNESS, ANTIBULLYING, and Character traits for positive change!

School counselors are just one part — but an important part — of a system that ensures students have excellent educational experiences. As part of a school support team, school counselors provide critical social-emotional and academic supports. Through a comprehensive school counseling program that promotes success and achievement for all students, school counselors can help set students on a path for postsecondary success.

SGS's school counselor is Emily Fankhauser. She is a dedicated and compassionate school counselor with a decade of experience in education. She earned her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education with a focus on English as a Second Language from Kansas State University and later completed her master’s degree in School Counseling at Fort Hays State University. Before becoming a counselor, Emily spent two years teaching 6th grade, where she developed her passion for supporting students' growth both academically and emotionally. In addition to her career in education, she has held unique and adventurous jobs, including high ropes course instructor, rock climbing belayer, and dance and water aerobics instructor. Emily believes that being a school counselor is the best job in the world, as it allows her to help students navigate challenges and achieve their full potential every day. She gets to meet with students individually and in small groups, She plans and teaches 16 lessons a week, spends a lot of time talking on the phone to parents, and plan and organize our very successful CUB groups. She also creates the yearbook which takes a substantial amount of time. She is the head ESL coordinator of the district and head of the social committee at SGS.

Students and teachers will be on the lookout for students being kind. Students have been learning how "to fill each others emotional buckets" with acts of KINDNESS. Every Friday at lunch a "CAUGHT BEING KIND" form (below) will be drawn from our box of bucket fillers. The student drawn and the person who nominated them will be allowed to eat their lunch together in our Igloo of full of hearts.

3rd Grades were tasked with researching and creating a presentation about a famous Kansan. They knocked it out of the park!

Email: burtnerj@usd376.com
Website: usd376.com
Location: Sterling Grade School