Griffins Connect
Week of November 5th #Together #WholeChild
Sterling School Celebrates Veterans Day
This Friday, November 10th, Sterling School will honor those who have fought for the many freedoms we, as American citizens, have today. We will have two programs; everyone from our school community is invited to attend.
Our K-3rd grade program will begin at 8:30am and the 4th-8th grade program will begin at 9:30am. Veterans, their guests, and student(s) are invited to attend a reception in Vegas immediately following each program. Everyone is encouraged to wear red, white, and blue! We look forward to this exciting day, as we pay tribute to those who have served our country.
The PTA is hosting a reception for our veterans and their families following each of our Veterans Day programs and need volunteers to send in food, set up, greet guests and clean up.
📆 What's Ahead...
November 7-8: PTA Papa John's Spirit Night (info below)
November 9: Deadline to purchase Thanksgiving Lunch tickets
November 9: PTA Board Meeting; 12:30-1:30 in Vegas Room
November 10: Veterans Day Program; K-3rd @ 8:30am, 4th-8th @ 9:30am (info below)
November 10: Wear Red, White, and Blue
November 10-17: Starbook Book Fair (info below)
November 13: GCS School Choice Lottery Window Opens (Closes December 1); info below
November 14: Thanksgiving Families for Lunch: K5 (10:20), 1st (10:30), 4th (11:15), 6th (12:10)
November 15: Thanksgiving Families for Lunch: K4 (12:00), 3rd (11:15), 7th (12:10)
November 16: Thanksgiving Families for Lunch: 2nd (10:25), 5th (11:05), 8th (12:10)
November 22-24: Thanksgiving Student Holiday
Sterling School SIC Corner
Every month, the Sterling School School Improvement Council will provide families with a recap of our monthly meeting (video below). In addition, you will find the approved minutes from the previous month's meeting: CLICK HERE!
Ultimately, our goal is to provide open communication of the important work that is happening from the group and to increase engagement and involvement across our school community. As a reminder, members of our school community are invited to attend our monthly meetings. We meet on the first Thursday of every month from 8:30-9:30am. We hope you'll join us! #Together #WholeChild
Thanksgiving @ Sterling
Here is this year's schedule:
- Tue 11/14: K5 (10:20), 1st (10:30), 4th (11:15), 6th (12:10)
- Wed 11/15: K4 (12:00), 3rd (11:15), 7th (12:10)
- Thurs 11/16: 2nd (10:25), 5th (11:05), 8th (12:10)
We hope everyone can join us for this wonderful annual event!
Starbooks Book Fair
Purchase Your Yearbook Today!
Don't forget to order your child's yearbook! The process is super easy! Visit the Jostens site to order.
- Elementary: CLICK HERE!
- Middle School: CLICK HERE!
Upcoming Community Art Events
Check out the following community arts events:
- From the Classroom to the Gallery Art Teacher Show: Mrs. Harrington will represent our school with her beautiful painting in the GCS Art Teacher Showcase at Artists Guild Gallery of Greenville! Visit the gallery at 200 N. Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601 on Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm or Sunday 1pm to 5pm.
2023-24 MS Collaborative Art Show: The Greenville County Collaborative Middle School Art Show is currently on display at the GCS District Office, 301 E. Camperdown Way, Grenville, SC 29601. Together with Mrs. Harrington and Mrs. Spitler, our talented students invite you to enjoy their showpieces!
8th Grade Lunch & Learn Follow-Up
Last Wednesday, 8th grade parents gathered for a very special lunch and learn with Furman Admission's Director, Melissa Cline. Ms. Cline shared a variety of information with families who are preparing for the transition to high school and how that can overlap with the college admissions process. (A word of THANKS to Miss Treloar for leading this effort!)
Ms. Cline shared if she could choose one thing to tell parents, it would be to support their student through each transition. In addition, here is the article Ms. Cline referenced in her presentation, "How Many AP Classes are Enough?", which mentions "Taking and doing well in more than 5 AP classes doesn’t significantly improve a student’s chances of getting good first-year college grades and four-year degree completion."
We hope to continue hosting this opportunity with increased participation! If you have any feedback or suggestions please reach out to Miss Treloar!
🍂 From the Sterling/CTC PTA 🍂
Starbooks Book Fair
The Starbooks Book Fair is coming to the Media Center on Monday, November 13th through Friday, November 17th. Families visiting for Veterans Day & Thanksgiving lunch will also have a chance to visit our Book Fair.
You can shop online November 7-20. This is a great option for grandparents, friends, and other family members who want to support their student's love of reading and our school, but can't make it to the fair. Parents can go online and make a wishlist for their child.
Give your student a safe, cashless way to shop at the Book Fair with eWallet. This digital payment option can be used at the in-school Book Fair or online.
Book Fair Volunteers Needed!
Stay Home & Raise Dough with Papa John’s!
Tuesday, November 7th and Wednesday, November 8th 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
Thank You, PTA Sponsors!
The 23-24 Reflections Art Program is Underway!
Reflections is an arts recognition and achievement program sponsored by the National PTA. 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 or Visual Arts.
All Sterling/CTC students can participate!
Participation is organized by division:
- Primary: PreK-Grade 2
- Intermediate: Grade 3-5
- Middle School: Grade 6-8
Student works are critiqued against others in the same division. This allows recognition and judging of artworks by appropriate developmental age and skill levels.
Students may submit multiple entries but a new submission must be made for each entry. Be sure to use a parent email, not district issued student email. State winners will be notified through email and students may not be able to receive emails from outside sources, including PTA. Entries can only be submitted electronically. The rules and guidelines can be found in the link to the Rules & Guidelines.
Please contact Reflections co-chairs, TJ Jaconetti or Jagy with any questions.
Bubble Run Celebration Assembly - Mario Kart Madness!
We had bubbles, foam, pizza parties, and multiple visits to the game truck! We finished celebrating our Bubble Run Fundraiser success with a fun-filled school wide assembly! Our Griffins enjoyed an action packed Super Mario Kart Race between their favorite administrators, teachers, and special student participants! We also announced our Grand Prize Winners, held a raffle for a student in every homeroom to receive a special goodie bag, and awarded Mr. Whittaker’s homeroom the first ever Bubble Run Trophy for their top place finish!
We are thrilled to share the Grand Prize Winners: First Place, Kaiden Patel (Meta Quest VR System); Second Place, Ella Beard (Nintendo Switch); and Third Place, Addison Oehler (Beats Headphones). Congratulations and thank you for your hard work!
We are so grateful to our amazing leadership team and teachers for making this such a great assembly! Thank you again to everyone who helped with our Griffin Bubble Run Fundraiser. We appreciate your generosity and support!
Daylight Savings: The Importance of Sleep
As part of our school's #WholeChild mission, our school works to advocate and support the importance of a physically healthy child. This weekend, families across America will turn their clocks back one hour. This shift can make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep for the recommended 8 or more hours each night, leading to fatigue, distraction and stress. Check out these science-backed tips for a good night's sleep as the seasons change.
- Preschoolers (ages 3–5): 10–13 hours (including naps)
- School age children (ages 6–12): 9–12 hours
- Teenagers (ages 13–18): 8–10 hours
Insufficient sleep can impact students’ concentration and ability to retain information. Sleep is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle and supports success in school.
Swamp Rabbit's Stomper Follow-Up
Stomper had such a great time here at Sterling during our Stomper Stomps Out Bullying Show that he has invited us to a very special Swamp Rabbits Hockey Game. On Sunday, November 12th the Swamp Rabbits will take on the Everglades during a STEM DAY event. Children’s tickets can be purchased for $10 and Adult tickets for $16 using this discounted ticket link and using the promo code “STERLING.” Please reach out to adepuy@swamprabbits.com or gnicholson@swamprabbits.com if you have issues purchasing tickets.
Choose Sterling School! 24-25 School Choice Lottery Window Opens Nov. 13th
Did you know... Sterling School is Greenville County's only total choice school? This means every single family who attends Sterling School is here by choice. While students of our Charles Townes Center Program are here by invitation, many people do not realize that students of our Sterling Program are also here by choice. So, if you've enjoyed your experience at our school, share the good news (and this digital newsletter) and invite them to join our family!
Why Attend Sterling School?
- We are a National Blue Ribbon School (Blue Ribbon Announcement)
- We have a longstanding reputation as a Top Performing School (Pep Rally Celebration)
- Unique Learning Experiences! (Such as Painting a Collaborative Mural)
- We Believe in Educating the WHOLE CHILD! (and are Award-Winning)
- We have a strong community partnerships (National PTA School of Excellence)
- And MUCH, MUCH more!
Greenville County Schools Change in Assignment School Choice (CIA) Lottery Window for the 2024-25 school year begins Monday, November 13, 2023, and remains open until Friday, December 1, 2023. All parents wishing to submit a CIA choice request should submit at their first choice school during this window. This does not apply to magnet schools. Contact for CIA Requests: Planning and Demographics office, 355-7266 or 355-7263.
Principal Appreciation Month
**This is a special "hijack" message from the students and staff of Sterling School.....
October has been Principal Appreciation Month and we want to say a special THANK YOU to Dr. Patterson, Mr. Murphy and Mrs. Harris for all the hard work they put into making Sterling School such an exceptional place. The success of Sterling takes a great leadership team working to support our amazing teachers. Please take a moment to send in a note or offer a word of appreciation anytime you interact with our principals. They truly support the tenets of the whole child in all that they do on a daily basis.
Thank YOU Jr. Betas & Families!
Many thanks from Ms. Foulkes to all the Middle School Jr. Betas who sent in needed items, helped with prepping and especially to all those who played a role IN the haunted house on Friday night. You all were AMAZING and everyone had so much fun! We had almost 400 people go through the Haunted House! Way to go Betas! Special thanks to the parents who supported this effort, our awesome PTA and Ms. Foulkes' incredible team mates, Anna Doyle (Instructional Coach) and Alyssa Likens (Literacy Specialist) for making the haunted house come to life! Could not have done this without you all!
Middle School Buddies
We will be getting together with our 3rd grade buddies in the next couple of weeks. Specific dates for each group will be posted in your HR Google Classroom soon!
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.