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Griffins Connect
Week of March 24th #Together #WholeChild
Finish the School Year Strong!
Welcome Back! We trust everyone had a fantastic Spring Break. As we approach the final quarter of the 2023-2024 school year, it's natural to feel a bit weary, less focused, or even complacent. You may be tempted to ease up on checking homework, allow later bedtimes, or adjust expectations compared to earlier in the year. As a fellow parent, I completely understand these feelings. However, let's strive to stay strong and finish the year on a high note.
Parents, your role is pivotal in our mission to prepare our students for the challenges of tomorrow's world! You wear multiple hats - coach, teacher, mentor, disciplinarian, counselor, and more. Your contribution to our school community is invaluable. Without your ongoing involvement and support, we cannot fully unlock each child's potential.
As we approach the final weeks of this school year, please know how deeply we appreciate your dedication and engagement. Stay focused by reading with and to your child, ensuring homework completion, maintaining open communication with teachers, and staying actively involved. If there's anything more we can do to strengthen our home-school partnership, please don't hesitate to reach out. We are here to support and collaborate with our Sterling School families. #Together #WholeChild
Dr. P.
📆 What's Ahead...
Monday, March 25: Art Honors Showcase; 4:30-6:00pm in Vegas Room (additional info below)
Wednesday, March 27: F.A.B. (Families and Books) Event; 5:30-6:30pm in Media Center (info below)
Wednesday, March 27: Deadline to Purchase Middle School Block Party Ticket (info below)
Thursday, March 28: Spring Middle School Block Party; 2:45-4:30pm (info below)
Thursday, March 28: Deadline to Nominate a Student for A.R.M.E.S. (info below)
Friday, March 29: No School for Students
Saturday, March 30: All Hands Garden Workday; 9:00-11:00am (Sign-up HERE!)
Friday, April 5: Spring Pictures: Prepay only; Background to be used
- Order online @ www.strawbridge.net; click "order pictures" & enter code: FM436460
Saturday, April 6: iMAGINE Upstate (Downtown Greenville); 11:00-5:00pm (info below)
Monday, April 8: eLearning Day (Solar Eclipse): Read more HERE!🥳 Thank YOU, PTA & Sterling School Families! 🥳
PLAYGROUND ENHANCEMENTS
Some exciting things happened on the upper and lower playgrounds over Spring Break! Enjoy a sneak peek of the new pickleball courts, basketball lines with new nets for all goals, four square courts, and hopscotch games! Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we continue to make improvements to our school thanks to the funds raised by the PTA’s Griffin Bubble Run!
2024 Honors Art Showcase
Parents, families, our members of our school community are invited to come see the show during school hours on Tuesday (4/26) and Wednesday (4/27).
Sterling School FLL Team, Argent Agents, Advance to World Championship
The Argent Agents are a 3rd year team, consisting of members in middle school (and one high school student): Lily Arzt, Nicky Arzt (high school), Jackson Champion Wescott, Benjamin Frick, Jackson Haughton & Henry Quackenbush. Coach: Chris Arzt Congratulations and best of luck!
CTC 20th Anniversary Celebration!
We are excited to invite our CTC community, both past and present, to help us celebrate 20 years of the CTC program. Come visit with staff, students and families who have played a part in making CTC what it is over the past 20 years!
Please help us spread the word. Feel free to share this invitation on your social media! Even if you can't make the event, we invite you to make a donation to the CTC Legacy Fund. All links, including RSVP can be found on our anniversary website. Just follow the QR Code!
Look forward to a walk down MEMORY LANE!
2024 Middle School DownTownes
These special field trips for 6th, 7th and 8th grade students are approaching quickly.
- 6th grade: DownTownes event is Friday, April 12th. Permission forms and payment are due by April 1st.
- 8th grade: DownTownes event is Thursday, April 18th. Permission forms will be sent out this week. Permission forms and payment will be due by April 8th.
- 7th grade: DownTownes event is Thursday, May 16th.
If your child is in 7th or 8th grade and they would like to order a new DownTownes t'shirt, please be sure they complete this T'shirt order Google form by this Thursday, March 28th.
📚 March Families And Books! 🚌 Note The Time 🕗
From the Sterling/CTC PTA
Spring Middle School Block Party - This THURSDAY!
The Middle School Block Party is only a few days away on March 28th from 2:45 until 4:30pm! TICKETS are on sale now for $5 and include admission, drink, and snack. Purchase online by March 27th or pay at the door. Additional snacks will be available for purchase $1/each (cash only).
Middle School Volunteers Needed!
We're seeking volunteers from middle schoolers (Grades 6, 7 & 8) to assist with our school's booth at the iMAGINE Upstate STEAM Festival 2024. The festival is scheduled for Saturday, April 6, from 11 am to 5 pm. It's the largest STEAM festival in Greenville and provides a great opportunity for us to showcase our school and engage with the community. Join us in making a difference! SIGN UP HERE!
HOG Day Donations
On Saturday, April 20th, the United Way of Greenville will be hosting HOG Day in which volunteers from around Greenville County will come to our school to help with general landscaping, maintenance, and housekeeping needs.
Please help us support and thank the volunteers by SIGNING UP to provide bottled water and/or snacks. Donations can be dropped at the front office and should be labeled for HOG Day no later than March 22nd. Thanks for your support!
April Arts Needs Your Fabric Scraps!
We're accepting pieces larger than 6 inches, made from any fabric. Please label your donations and drop them off in Mrs. Harrington's room. Let's add some color and creativity to this fun event!
2024 Health Careers Night @ Fluor Field
Join the Greenville Drive, in partnership with Prisma Health & Greenville County Schools, on Wednesday April 10th for Health Careers Night at Fluor Field – an annual celebration and workforce development event aimed to educate and inspire our region’s next generation health care workforce.
All K-12 students will receive a COMPLIMENTARY ticket to Health Careers Night. Click here to learn more event information and to secure your tickets today!
This annual Drive event – taking place for the 8th time in 2024 – is one of the most creative, fun, and impactful events hosted each year at Fluor Field where we engage, excite, and educate middle and high school students and their parents about the wide variety of careers available in the rapidly changing health care industry. The scale & impact of Health Careers Night continues to improve every year, and we’re excited for our best event yet in 2024.
Breakfast Bars Needed
Let's ensure our students start their day right! Please help us restock breakfast bars in the front office for those arriving too late to eat in the cafeteria. A nutritious breakfast helps improve focus, attitude, and overall academic performance.
Performing Arts Club: Save the Date
Come check out the Sterling Performing Arts Club's amazing production! Hamilton, Annie, The Wiz, Matilda, and more! Thursday, April 25 @ 6:30. We can't wait to see you there!
2024-2025 Carpool Interest Form
Are you interested in carpooling next year? Please fill out the 2024-25 Carpool Form. We’ll have several new incoming CTC 3rd grade families joining the list! The spreadsheet will be shared in March.
Butterfly Garden - Sign Up to Help!
The weather is warming and it is officially time to kick off our Butterfly Garden Revitalization Project!
Using the funds awarded to Sterling School by the Greenville Master Gardeners Association's 2024 Community Grant, we will be able to update and expand our current Butterfly Garden area. This is where you and your family can help!
In addition to our large "All Hands" garden work days, this signup includes a list of flexible dates for smaller garden tasks that individual students/families can sign up to complete. Sign up for as few or as many dates as works for you!
Please contact April Boyer with any questions. Thank you for investing your time in our beautiful outdoor learning space. We rely on our school community to make projects like this successful and your support is truly appreciated.
Annual Parent School Climate Survey
All Sterling School parents have the opportunity to share your voice via the Parent School Climate Survey. The Parent School Climate Survey will be available via Backpack for Parents on the My Students page. One survey per family should be completed per student. Parents of multiple students at different school locations may complete a survey for each school their students attend. Parents of students in any grade level are invited to complete a survey.
Sterling/CTC Orchestra Receives High Marks!
Congratulations to the Sterling/CTC Orchestra for achieving a Superior with Distinction at South Carolina Music Educators Association Concert Performance Assessment last Thursday at Furman University.
"The South Carolina Concert Performance Assessment is designed for middle school and high school orchestral ensembles – both string and full. These assessments allow students and directors an opportunity to perform for state and nationally known adjudicators for comments and ratings on prepared repertoire."
FTC Competes @ State Championship
We are excited to share that the First Tech Challenge (FTC) team -Sterling Stormers competed in the FTC State Championship at Columbia, SC on March 1-2, 2024. They received the Controls Award at the event for the innovative controls that they coded in their robot.
FTC is the next step up from FLL for kids in grades 7 - 12. In FIRST Tech Challenge, students develop STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills and practice engineering principles while realizing the value of innovation. Teams are challenged to design, build, and program robots with Java programming language in a thrilling head-to-head competition.
They presented their Robot Design to FTC judges from the industry at the event. They talked about their robot design, and talked about how they worked as a team to come up with an innovative solution to this years challenge. The Sterling Stormers were honored to receive the Controls Award.
2024 Read Across America
March is National Reading Month and we're celebrating the joy of reading all month long! #ReadersAreLeaders
Mrs. Matthews & Mrs. Sheppard presented at the South Carolina Association of School Librarians annual conference.
Students in Mrs. Parks' class "Stop & Read!"
Dr. P. participates as "Waldo" in Book Character Dress Up Day
PTA Reflections 2024 Winners
Congratulations to the winners of the Sterling School PTA Reflections Contest! Reflections is an annual PTA-sponsored contest encouraging students to express themselves in their artwork, tap into critical thinking skills, and experience the joy of making art. Thank you to our hardworking PTA Reflections Chairs who make this program possible!
WHHS Musical Theatre Camp: Click Image to Register!
Can You Serve As A Substitute?
At Sterling School, we have amazing substitute teachers. These dedicated individuals help ensure that our school operates smoothly when a classroom teacher is absent. However, our list of active subs is short.
If you are able to help serve as a substitute for Sterling School and Greenville County Schools, please follow this link to get started and be sure to let us know (email Dr. Patterson!). We will be happy to help facilitate the process or connect you with current substitutes who can answer any of your questions. You may choose to work at any school or you can select Sterling exclusively. Work only on the days that fit your schedule. We appreciate your consideration to help the school by serving as a substitute!
Support a Griffin & Become a Mentor!
The Sterling School has a partnership 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 are willing to volunteer 30 minutes of your time weekly, we need you!
If you are interested in serving as a mentor, please complete the interest survey found HERE! Near the start of the 2023-2024 school year, we will follow-up with training information and other pertinent details. For any questions, email Mrs. Lindsay Berry (school counselor).
We Need YOU! Volunteer Training
Thinking of chaperoning a field trip, becoming a room parents, or mentoring a student? Parents at Sterling School may now participate in volunteer training either in person or online.
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.
To apply to be a Level II volunteer, please CLICK HERE! Follow "Level II" process and select "Field Trip Chaperone" as one of your functions/roles (even if you never want to go on a field trip). This needs to be selected to pull the background check. You may select as many other roles or all that you may be interested in. This does not commit you to anything.
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.
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
Principal - Sterling School & Charles Townes Center; Greenville County Schools, South Carolina.