Sterling Jaguar Journal

Sterling families,

I am so thankful for this very special community and the role each of you play in it. Thank you for encouraging your students daily. Thank you for your hard work to establish routines at home that support ample rest and preparation for your students so they're successful in school. Thank you for talking with us about your children so we know how we can best serve them and your family. Thank you for being a community who comes together to support each other. Thank you for sharing your children with us each school day! There is much to be thankful for each and every day! I hope this Thanksgiving break is restful for you and your family and you're able to connect with those you love. We look forward to welcoming all students back on Monday, December 2. We will have three full weeks of school prior to winter break.

Sincerely,

Jennifer M. Short, Principal

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Creativity abounds in the Art room! First grade has been illustrating an alternate ending to Ellen Stohl Walsh's Mouse Paint. They have mixed secondary colors, added a setting, and included details to show what they think the mice would do while the cat is asleep. Second grade has learned about warm and cool colors to make a wax resist underwater scene. They are combining Art with Science and finding out what happens when the wax of a crayon (oil) is strong enough to push paint out of the way (water). Third grade has just finished an observational drawing of pumpkins showing symmetry or asymmetry. They blended chalk pastels to make different values of their colors to create the illusion of depth.

-Mrs. Ajima

As we are working to finish our Second Step bullying prevention lesson, we wanted to review some key points that we have taught our students about the difference between bullying and mean/rude behaviors.

First, we have taught that bullying is hurtful behavior that is done repeatedly, with the intent of causing harm to a person, and there is an imbalance of power. This means that one person is doing hurtful things to another, and the person being hurt is not participating in the hurtful behaviors and feels afraid or worried. All four of those indicators need to be there for a situation to be bullying.

We do talk about mean and rude behaviors and how they do hurt and can make an impact, but it is different because you don’t feel powerless around the person hurting you. We address ways they can get help from trusted adults both in and out of school to navigate these challenges as they arise.

We talked about Batman and the Joker, and how they are both doing hurtful things to each other for different reasons. We discussed this is an example of behaviors that are intentional, repeated, and hurtful. However it is not bullying because neither Batman or Joker feel helpless in regards to each other. We are here to help all of our students navigate any behavior that hurts their feelings and help them navigate how to best handle it. We encourage our students to talk to you as their parents and to us so we can work together to overcome any challenges with peers they may face.

-Mrs. Redlin

-Ms. Westrick

November in the library means parade month! Our fourth and fifth graders have been busy preparing for our 3rd Annual Sterling Parade. After reading about the history of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, our fourth graders create a city background, while our fifth graders create floats. This is one of our favorite library events! Check your child's library Schoology page for a video of the final floats on display

-Mrs. Burel

-Mrs. Jeffries

A highlight of our music program this month was our third grade musical! Our third graders worked so hard rehearsing their songs, lines, and dancing and it all came together in their awesome performance of A Froggy Day in Lindentown. We appreciate their collaboration as musicians and also the support of their families in preparing for the show and joining us for the performance.

-Mrs. Scarboro

Football season is in full swing, which means we have been learning the ways of Flag Football. Prior to becoming Quarterbacks & Receivers in class, students built on their throwing and catching techniques with different items besides footballs. There are a ton of GOOD throwing arms across the grade levels, but we've been talking about how it takes lots of practice to become GREAT at something. Never give up! Be sure to check Class Dojo every once in a while for sport related information and opportunities for your child to get active outside of their school day.

-Mr. Horvath

-Mr. Hosti

-Mrs. Daniel

We would like to invite you to attend our next family coffee, to enjoy a light breakfast and coffee with other Sterling families. Our next family coffee will be held in the Sterling Elementary Cafeteria on December 20, 2024, from 8 -9 am. For this December’s family coffee, we will be discussing trends in social media and internet safety. We hope to see you there!

-Mrs. Redlin

-Ms. Westrick

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