L.I.V.E. your best Griffin Life!
Everybody matters, every moment counts, so LIVE!
More than a motto, L.I.V.E. reflects our commitment to developing confident learners, compassionate leaders, and responsible citizens who make a positive impact both inside and outside the classroom. The Sterling Program believes:
Lead: We lead with courage, character, and responsibility.
Leadership is not about a title. It is about the choices we make every day. We encourage students to take initiative, model positive behavior, solve problems, and serve others with integrity. Every Griffin has the opportunity to lead by setting a positive example and making a difference in our school community.
Inspire: We encourage others to become their very best.
We believe our words, actions, and attitudes have the power to motivate those around us. We celebrate effort, recognize growth, and support one another through challenges. By sharing our talents, showing kindness, and leading with optimism, we inspire others to dream bigger and achieve more.
Value: Every person has worth and every voice matters.
We celebrate the unique strengths, experiences, and perspectives that each individual brings to our school. We foster an environment where students and staff feel respected, included, and appreciated. By valuing ourselves and others, we build meaningful relationships rooted in trust, kindness, and belonging.
Empower: We equip one another to succeed.
Empowerment means believing in ourselves while helping others discover their own potential. We provide opportunities for students to think critically, make decisions, take ownership of their learning, and grow from their experiences. We encourage one another to take risks, embrace challenges, and confidently pursue our goals.
As students practice Leading, Inspiring, Valuing, and Empowering each day, they develop the skills needed to become compassionate leaders, resilient learners, and engaged members of their community. At Sterling School, we don't simply encourage students to do their best. We challenge every Griffin to L.I.V.E. Your Best Griffin Life!
What personalized learning looks like
Technology that extends learning
Technology enables teachers to extend the general curriculum in order to build foundational skills or extend beyond the grade level standards. Students in kindergarten through 2nd grade have Chromebooks and/or iPads in their classrooms to begin learning to navigate technology and build a strong foundation in technology proficiency. Every student in grades 3-5 is issued a Chromebook so that they have exposure to 21st century technology skills.
Guided reading and math
Our teachers utilize the guided reading framework for differentiated reading instruction based on ability level. Our teachers also utilize the guided math framework for differentiated math instruction based on student ability level. Ongoing professional development is anchored in the Laney Sammons' framework for guided math.
Hands-on science and social studies
Our teachers emphasize an inquiry-based, hands-on approach to learning in science and social studies through the use of our school's maker-space and STEM Carts, in addition to what individual teachers offer in their own classrooms.
Arts integration
Our teachers have also been Smart Arts Certified and integrate the arts into the core curriculum at every opportunity, including partnering with artists in residence to foster creativity in learning.
Flexible, data-driven placement
We do not believe student learning should be bound by the walls of a classroom. We believe in continually measuring and monitoring the progress of our students and using multiple data points to determine appropriate placement and setting for our students based on their needs rather than on their age or "typical grade level." Our unique situation, being home to both an elementary and middle school combined with hosting the Charles Townes Center for Highly Gifted Students, allows us to offer a highly personalized program of study with flexible grouping that other schools are unable to offer. For example, while all schools use student achievement data to inform student placement, we are able to use that same data (from MasteryConnect Benchmarks, MAP Scores, SC READY and SC PASS, etc.) to identify students who are advanced in one or more areas and we have developed a master schedule to allow for grouping by ability. All Sterling Program teachers begin the day with a 2 hour or longer block to teach reading/language arts, writing, and mathematics — so, for example, a 2nd grader advanced in math can join a 3rd or 4th grade class for math, but return to their own homeroom for reading. Unlike other elementary schools, we have the ability to provide academic support up to the instructional level of 10th grade because of our structure.
Focus on the whole child
All of these frameworks and initiatives are supported by our school's emphasis on the whole child. In addition to the academic content and cognitive skills your child will be taught, we also focus heavily on social-emotional learning. Research shows that students learn best when their emotional needs are met. We have a strong school counseling department that partners with our teachers, all trained in best practices for addressing the various challenges children face as they grow and learn. We strive to ensure that each child has the opportunity to learn and grow in a school environment that is safe, supportive, challenging, engaging, and promotes healthy development.