Sterling Jaguar Journal

Sterling families,

We are more than half-way through our third marking period of the school year. Our teachers are being intentional in their targeted instruction to meet each student where they are, and our students' achievement levels are soaring! Thank you for being partners in your child's education. Here are a few things that help set our students up for success each day:

• At this age, most students need 10-12 hours of sleep each night. A predictable bedtime routine can set students up for a good night's rest. You can even include packing the backpack and picking out school clothes so the morning goes more smoothly.
• Continue to build strong personal habits such as arriving on time for school and attending every day.
• Each afternoon/evening, spend time talking with your child about their day. Open-ended questions can get them talking and help you learn a lot about what they're experiencing.
• Every child needs to read at least 20-30 minutes a day. This is so important and impacts EVERY area of their learning! If your child has little siblings at home, they can even read to them. Please let us know if you need more books at home.

Thank you again for the many ways you support your child in their learning!

As you take time to read the newsletter below, you'll find a form parents/guardians can submit to share traits of their child as we begin to consider classroom placement for the upcoming year. There is also information on kindergarten registration. Every child who will be 5 by September 30, 2024, is considered school-aged. Call us with any questions, but also be sure to register them and attend our registration event this Friday, March 1. You'll also find highlights from our outstanding specialist team. They offer our students opportunities to grow in the arts and their physical fitness in addition to academics.

Sincerely,

Jennifer M. Short, Principal

Do you have a child who will enter kindergarten next year? Or do you know someone who is new to LCPS? The online pre-registration portal for kindergartners and all new students is open! Once pre-registration has been submitted, the school will contact parents/guardians to schedule a registration appointment. Parents/guardians may also contact their zoned school directly. Registration appointments will occur starting March 1. Pre-registration is only for:

• Students, grades kindergarten to 12, who are new to LCPS

• Current LCPS pre-kindergarten students entering kindergarten

• Students who were formerly enrolled and may be returning to LCPS

Victor O'Neill Studios will take spring pictures on Friday, March 8, 2024. You will be able to view and order your child’s photos in their online gallery approximately ten days after picture day. If you have any questions leading up to picture day, please reach out to Victor O’Neill Studios by emailing Underclass@vosphoto.com .

In February, first grade used their detective skills to find clues of the different animals used in the illustrations from Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. They then invented their own imaginary creatures by mixing three (or more!) animals, including a habitat that made sense for their creature's features. To complete their illustrations, they used oil pastels and created custom colors. Fifth grade completed their drawings for this year's yearbook design contest. The competition was steep as we have ample creativity and talent across the grade level. After two rounds of voting, the top design was designed by Lidia Sanchez Salmeron. Her drawing will be featured on the front cover of the book. The four runners up will be featured on the back cover. They were designed by Suri Haidari, Brihanna Orozco Hernandez, Daniel Sorto-Ortiz, and Liliana Vigil. Be on the lookout for yearbook order forms coming home mid-March.

-Mrs. Ajima

There's so much to celebrate in the library during the month of February! In addition to Valentine's Day, we're celebrating Lunar New Year and Black History Month. First and second graders are busy reading our 2024 Virginia Reader's Choice selections. We'll vote on our favorites in April. Third grade wrapped up a unit on Ancient Civilizations. Fourth grade has been studying the American Revolution and debunking some common myths. Our fifth graders have been learning about text structure and the way an author chooses to organize information. We are all looking forward to our Book Fair the last week in March!

-Mrs. Burel

-Mrs. Jeffries

In music this month, third graders have practiced many musical skills including folk dancing, beat passing games, singing, playing instrument ensembles, and learning about music from many cultures. Our fifth graders had the opportunity to select their music classes for middle school and even got to try the instrument choices at the middle schools. We are also so excited for our first graders as they prepare for their musical performance next month.

-Mrs. Scarboro

-Ms. Walsh

Sterling students have been having fun in the gym while they explore some new and some old activities! Safety was emphasized when used the hockey sticks, which resulted in an enjoyable experience for everyone. We learned offensive and defensive strategies as well as finding the open space in invasion-type games such as basketball. Coaches from ION Training Center came in to offer kids free ice-skating passes and teach them a little about figure skating and what it's like to ice skate. Check out some of these active kiddos!

-Mr. Horvath

-Mr. Hosti

Lots of fun going on in SEARCH this month! Kindergarten and first grade students got a chance to do some sneaky spying by spotting the difference between two pictures that at first glance look the same. Afterwards, each child got to create their own to bring home to share! Did you get tricked? Kindergarten got to be creative by looking at an ordinary black dot and changing it into something new and different. Lots of awesome creativity to be seen in this unique challenge. First graders got to try to solve the snowflake puzzle which practiced their understanding of odd and even numbers by rearranging 10 snowflakes on a grid to produce only an even amount of snowflakes both horizontally and vertically. Second graders got to play my number challenge game called “Secret Number.” In this game, students were given a 100’s chart and four clues to locate the target number. Their number sense knowledge helped them to determine which numbers to eliminate until only one number remained. Mrs. Rodeffer and I continued to team up to teach third grade portfolio lessons. They have been working so hard and have really been showing perseverance and a wonderful work ethic. Way to go, third grade!

-Mrs. Daniel

We would like to invite you to our next family coffee for light snacks and coffee. During the family coffee we will be presenting on helping children with self-regulation skills. This topic is important to help our children understand their emotions and how to deal with them. We will discuss the topic, tips, and have time to share ideas and ask questions. We hope to see you there!

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