Griffins Connect
Week of September 24th #Together #WholeChild
💙 Sterling School Named National Blue Ribbon School 💙
“This is an incredible achievement for the students, staff and community at Sterling School,” said Superintendent Dr. W. Burke Royster. “Their commitment to student achievement and ability to foster growth have created a successful learning environment deserving of this national recognition. Sterling school sets the bar for Greenville County Schools, schools in South Carolina and schools across the country.”
“To our students, school staff and community, your hard work and commitment to our school is what makes us who we are - a community who takes care of one another and prioritizes learning each and every day. Congratulations and well done, Griffins!” said Dr. Josh Patterson, principal at Sterling School.
Sterling School now joins the previous 18 National Blue Ribbon School in Greenville County Schools. To everyone throughout our school community who contributes to teaching, learning, leading, supporting, serving, and caring - THANK YOU! This recognition is possible because of our school's collective belief to the Whole Child. As our mission, a Whole Child approach looks beyond a test score, ensuring a student-centered approach that promotes the long-term, comprehensive development and success of each child.
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private elementary, middle, and high schools where students achieve very high learning standards or are making notable improvements in closing the achievement gap. The award affirms the hard work of students, educators, families, and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools where students master challenging content. A National Blue Ribbon School symbol gracing a school’s building is a widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning. National Blue Ribbon Schools are an inspiration and a model for schools still striving for excellence. #Together #WholeChild
📆 What's Ahead...
September 26: 7th Grade: High School Credit Courses & GPA; 12:00-12:45pm: RSVP Here
September 27: 6th Grade: Managing Middle School; 12:00-12:45pm: RSVP Here
October 2: Fall/Yearbook Pictures: View Package Options Here!
- THIS LINK will allow parents to sign up to receive updates via email regarding their child's school portraits. These updates include promotions, additional deals and the ability to order more pictures at a later time. When entering student information, parents should be sure to enter the student's name as it is on file at the school.
October 2 & 3: PTA Spirit Night @ Papa Johns: Use PROMO CODE | STERLING (info below)
October 3: High School Fair: 9:00-10:00am (info below)
October 5: School Improvement Council Meeting; 1:00-2:00pm
October 7: Spirit Day at Paladin Stadium, 2:00pm (Furman vs The Citadel); ticket info below
October 12: Teacher Workday (No school for students)
October 13: Teacher Workday (No school for students)
🍎 From the Sterling School/Charles Townes Center PTA 📚
GRIFFIN BUBBLE RUN
WE DID IT! Thank you to all who supported our very first Griffin Bubble Run. We appreciate each and every donation, and together, we more than TRIPLED our FUNdraising goal!
With your support, 51% of students participated and donated more than $61,000! Way to go, Griffins! This generous income will directly support our playground improvements and programs sponsored by the PTA.
Stay tuned for more details about our school wide celebration, dates for the gaming truck, and many other prizes!
Again, our heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported this effort not only through monetary donations, but by volunteering and showing up to support our students on the day of the run!
Please enjoy a glimpse of the fun!
THANK YOU TO OUR 2023 -2024 SPONSORS
Sterling School PTA is pleased to acknowledge the following businesses for their generous support! Their investment in PTA enables us to continue providing top-quality support to all the students, families, faculty and staff at our school.
2023-2024 PTA Reflections
Unleash your creativity through the PTA Reflections Art Contest!
Reflections is one of a few nation-wide art programs offering students Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12 an opportunity to explore their artistic talents and express themselves! Entries can advance from the local level, to state, to the national level.
REFLECT on the theme. CREATE art. And BE RECOGNIZED! Students are encouraged to submit original works of art by December 1st in one or more of the following categories:
Dance Choreography
Film Production
Literature
Musical Composition
Photography
Visual Arts
Please contact Jagy Lenka or TJ Jaconetti for more information.
SPIRIT DAY AT PALADIN STADIUM
Join your Griffin friends and families on Saturday, October 7th (kickoff 2pm) for an afternoon of fun and SOCON FOOTBALL at Paladin Stadium as Furman takes on The Citadel! You don’t want to miss this exciting Spirit Day as students/siblings will have an opportunity to participate in the High Five Tunnel and go on the field pre-game!
Tickets are available for purchase here or by scanning the QR code! Additionally, 50% of all ticket sales purchased through the Sterling School ticket page will be donated back to the PTA to benefit our school!
Stay Home & Raise Dough with Papa John’s!
Tuesday, October 3rd and Wednesday, October 4th when you order from Papa John’s and use the code Sterling our school gets 15% of the proceeds! What a great reason to order pizza for lunch or dinner! And even better are the participating locations: Anderson, Greenville, Spartanburg, and select spots in North Carolina. Encourage all of your family and friends to participate!
Must Use School Promo Code when ordering online, on the app, or by phone for our school to receive credit! OUR SCHOOL'S PROMO CODE | STERLING
✏️ 23-24 Student Clubs & Info Updates 📷
Board Game Club: Begins this Monday, September 25th from 2:30 - 4:00 pm. Students will report to the Vegas room at 2:30. Participants are encouraged to bring their favorite games to teach/share with others. There is still room to apply if you wish to participate. Applications are available in the front office or outside Ms. Foulkes office in M.S. hall. The Board Game Club is for 3rd - 8th graders.
Running Club: Begins this Monday, September 25th from 2:30 - 3:25. Students will report to the gym at 2:30 to check in for attendance before walking down to the track. Students should come prepared with a refillable water bottle, and appropriate shoes and clothing.
📢 Introducing New Members of the Sterling/CTC Family 📢
Alison Justice: Mental Health Specialist
Hello! My name is Alison Justice, and I am super excited to be the new Mental Health Specialist at Sterling School. I earned both my bachelor’s and master’s degree in Social Work from Limestone University.
I am originally from WV, but I have been in Greenville for many years, and it is now our home.
In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my husband and 2 daughters, reading, walking, and traveling.
I am excited about this new journey, and I look forward to getting to know the kids, families, and staff at Sterling!
Jordan Winters: Speech-Language Pathologist
Hello, I’m Jordan Winters, and I’m so excited to be joining the awesome team at Sterling/CTC as a Speech-Language Pathologist.
I am a SC native and have lived in the upstate all my life. I earned both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in the area of Speech-Language Pathology. I hold my state license and national certification from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). I have had the privilege of working at various schools in the upstate, in a hospital rehabilitation center and my own private practice.
When I’m not working, I’m busy keeping up with my own three children (ages 7 and 4 yr. old twins) who also attend Sterling. I look forward to serving the students of all ages at Sterling/CTC this year!
WYFF's Golden Apple Award
Ingles and WYFF News 4 wants to reward teachers who are going above and beyond. Each week, an area teacher will be selected to receive the Golden Apple Award and profiled Thursdays on WYFF News 4. These weekly winners will be chosen by a panel of judges. At the end of the school year, a Teacher of the Year will be selected from the weekly winners.
To nominate an educator for the Golden Apple Award, pick up an official nomination form from an area Ingles store or CLICK HERE, then complete and mail to:
WYFF News 4
Golden Apple Award
505 Rutherford Street
Greenville, SC 29609
For submission details, CLICK HERE.
2023-24 School Improvement Council News
Congratulations to Sterling School parents, Dr. Sarah Frick and Mrs. Chloe McGoogin! Because they ran unopposed there is no need to vote in this year's SIC elections. Dr. Frick will fill the seat for Sterling Program grades K4-2nd and Mrs. McGoogin will represent Sterling Program grades 3rd-5th.
Our next SIC meeting will be held on Thursday, October 5th @ 1:00pm. We invite all to join!
As a reminder, the SIC meets each month during the school year (meetings this year are planned for the 1st Thursday of the month, alternating between 8:30AM and 1:00PM to accommodate different schedules).
SEPTEMBER IS Attendance Awareness Month
Did you know September was Attendance Awareness Month? Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Your student can start building this habit now so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Consistent attendance will help children do well in high school, college, and at work. #WholeChild
DID YOU KNOW?
Missing 10 percent (or about 18 days) increases the chance that your student will not read or master math at the same level as their peers.
Students can still fall behind if they miss just a day or two days every few weeks.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Set a regular bed time and morning routine.
Prepare for school the night before, finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
Don’t let your student stay home unless they are truly sick. If you question this, feel free to bring them to our school nurse for a second opinion.
Sterling School Celebrates Circle Week
This week our school is celebrating our community read aloud of The Circles All Around Us by Brad Montague. Last week, all students read the book in their classrooms (click image or link to join us!) and this week, we are committing to making our circles bigger through acts of kindness. Students will meet up with their buddy classroom for the first time, create a collaborative art display and find ways to intentionally support, encourage and celebrate each other through our daily kindness challenges and word of the day.
We encourage your family to join us in our kindness commitment at home with these Kindness Challenges from author Brad Montague! CLICK HERE to see the Family Kindness Challenge.
🌱 Garden Adoption Program
Is your student looking for more ways to earn volunteer hours during the school year?
In addition to our regular "All Hands" garden work days, we are offering more opportunities to earn volunteer hours by taking part in our Garden Adoption Program.
Just follow these easy steps:
- Sign-up (via Sign-Up Genius) for at least one date to visit the Garden. You can choose between the Asian or Butterfly Garden spaces.
- You will be assigned a small section of your chosen Garden that will be your "adopted zone," and will be provided with a guide to the plants in your section.
- Arrive on your signed-up date to pull weeds, prune plants, or pick up trash in your adopted section (approx. time commitment = 1-2 hours)
- Confirm your hours by emailing your arrival & departure times along with a photo of your completed garden section (before & after pics are great!).
Follow the Signup Genius link for more details or contact April Boyer - aprilcboyer@gmail.com with any questions.
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
🍎 From the Sterling School / Charles Townes Center PTA 📚
Principal - Sterling School & Charles Townes Center; Greenville County Schools, South Carolina.