Sterling Jaguar Journal

Sterling families,

As we conclude the month of February and prepare to head into March and the spring season, I wanted to highlight some of the great work our students and staff continue to display.

• Our fifth graders recently participated in their middle school visits. The principal made a point to connect with me to share how outstanding our students are. He mentioned their excellent behavior, their adherence to rules--even the little things like having their hoods off their heads and listening right away, and the overall respect. He also complimented our staff for the sincere and loving ways they engage with our students. He mentioned how our students AND staff stood out in a positive way!
• In division-wide LCPS meetings, Sterling students' Lexia data was highlighted as a display and model of their dedication to consistent usage as well as academic growth. That highlights our students' hard work as well as the intentionality of our teachers AND our parents'/families' partnership.
• We recently received multiple compliments from visitors highlighting the warmth of every stakeholder in the building.
• Central office staff members recently visited to observe a couple grade level teams and their practices in instructional planning. They plan to return to video tape one level while another school will come to observe another grade level in order to share their excellent work.

We encourage our students to display excellence every day and do their best. Our students are rising to the high expectations, and our staff is doing an exceptional job modeling that for them.

We are thankful for our families as our greatest partner in our work. Thank you for cultivating a love for learning in your child by encouraging strong attendance and their best every day as well as asking about their school experience each day. Thank you for supporting their skill practice at home and reading alongside your child routinely. We know the values our students have instilled in them come from you, and we appreciate your great commitment and partnership.

Sincerely,

Jennifer M. Short, Principal

It is time to register your new LCPS student for the 2025-2026 school year! The online pre-registration portal for kindergarteners and students new to LCPS opened Monday, January 6. Current LCPS students do not need to complete this process. The LCPS student registration process involves two steps: online pre-registration and in-person registration appointments. The online pre-registration process includes determining your student’s home school, gathering the documents required for registration and uploading them to the pre-registration portal. Once pre-registration is complete, our registrar, Ms. Martinez, will contact you to schedule a registration appointment. Paper registration forms are also available at our school, or you may download them from the LCPS website. If you have questions, please contact us or LCPS Student Registration at RegistrationServices@lcps.org. See more information about Student Registration on the LCPS website.

Victor O'Neill will take Spring Pictures on Friday, March 7, 2025.

You will be able to view and order your child’s photos in their online gallery approximately ten days after picture day. If you have any questions leading up to picture day, please reach out to Victor O’Neill Studios by emailing Underclass@vosphoto.com .

Wow, February really flew by! Fourth grade made marbled backgrounds for a drawing of a person from an ant's eye view using shaving foam and paint. It can be messy, but the beautiful results are worth it. Third grade has been working on their weaving. They will have the option to stitch their finished weavings into a pouch or pillow. Kindergarten read Snow by Uri Shulevitz and have made collage towns out of construction paper. Soon they will be adding details to the town with crayons and adding snow to the collage using puffy paint.

-Mrs. Ajima

Sometimes library occurs outside the library! With the help of our Instructional Technology Facilitator, Mrs. Fielden, our fourth and fifth graders began third quarter with our first ever STEM Prowl. Students spent half a day rotating through hands-on science centers. We explored light, sound, motion, electricity, and more! Fun was had by both students and teachers.

We will begin March with our Book Fair! Students will be able to purchase books March 3-7, with Family Night on March 6th from 5-6:40pm. Come browse the Book Fair and join us for our schoolwide Reading Under the Stars event.

-Mrs. Burel

-Mrs. Jeffries

It's all about instruments in the music room this month! Second and 5th graders have been studying the instruments and families of the orchestra. We are practicing playing technique with barred instruments in 2nd and 3rd grades. Kindergarten is learning about high and low sounds and how instrument size affects pitch. Fourth graders are so excited to have started their recorder unit!

-Mrs. Scarboro

With all the winter weather and being stuck inside, we've taken full advantage of indoor activities. Hockey was a blast with an emphasis on sportsmanship and safety. This month we've also reviewed the food groups and the physical as well as mental benefits of a healthy and balanced diet. Kids are looking forward to our basketball unit next. Enjoy some action shots below of students being active and having fun!

-Mr. Horvath

-Mr. Hosti

-Mrs. Daniel

Join us for Family Coffee on March 28, at 8:00am in the school cafeteria to learn more about building resilience in children and families! We will collaborate on what it means to be resilient, the importance of resiliency as well as strategies, and asset-based approaches to strengthen resiliency.

-Mrs. Redlin

-Ms. Westrick

Join Us for LCPS Student Success Talks!

Families are invited to attend a Student Success Talk with Superintendent Dr. Aaron Spence. Held across all eight election districts through May 2025, these sessions provide practical tips on supporting students’ academic, social and emotional success.

Topics include ParentVUE, digital tools, testing, college and career readiness, mental health and family involvement. Sessions run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on scheduled days in each district. Visit the LCPS event calendar or the Student Success Talks webpage (www.lcps.org/successtalks) for details.

Interpretation services are available—contact the Superintendent's Office at clerk@lcps.org at least three days before the meeting.

Email: jennifer.meresshort@lcps.org
Website: https://www.lcps.org/sterlinges
Location: 200 West Church Road, Sterling, VA, USA
Phone: 571-434-4580
Twitter: @SterlingElem