Enjoy the well-deserved day off; you’ve earned it!
Just a reminder there is no school Monday, September 7 due to Labor Day. All district offices and schools are closed. Enjoy your extra day off.
This week our current attendance is 95.69%, and our chronic absenteeism rate is 11.62%. Attendance matters! Research shows that good attendance increases academic performance and improves grades. Students who show up every day get higher test scores and better grades. It helps boost reading, comprehension, and writing skills. When students miss a day of school, it increases learning gaps, which makes it harder for students to understand lessons and causes frustration and task avoidance.
Attention all parents…. We NEED your help. We MUST have all students turn in updated physical and shot records. We have many students who do not have current immunization records on file. If your child has an appointment, please send official documentation of the appointment card to samantha.blevins@psd150.org
Parents mark your calendars for Tuesday, September 8th at 5:00 PM. Come join us for our PTO meeting. We want parents to help us plan activities throughout the year to support opportunities for our students. We hope to see you here!
Just a reminder of dates and activities for this week:
Tuesday, September 8- 21st Century After School Program starts. This will run Monday-Thursday every week after school until 5:30 PM. Students MUST be registered to attend the program. Email Mrs. McLeod if you have questions at nichol.mcleod@psd150.org
September 8- Girls’ Softball Game vs Glen Oak at CT Vivian at 4:00
September 8- PTO Meeting at 5:00 PM at Sterling in the Library
September 9- JV Cheer Practice 2:30-5:00
September 10- Varsity Cheer Practice 2:30-5:00
September 10- Boys’ Baseball Game vs Mark Bills at Peoria Stadium Dome at 4:00 PM
September 12- Girls’ Softball Game vs Von Steuben at Peoria Stadium Dome at 11:30 AM
Please click on the link below for this upcoming week’s newsletter for additional information for this upcoming week:
https://peoriapublicschoolsil.edurooms.com/newsletters/sterling-middle-school/newsletters/jaguar-parent-spotlight-newsletter-volume-6-september-7-12-2026
We will see everyone back on Tuesday, September 8th at 7:30 AM to kick off a great week ahead!
This week we will kick off Everything is Possible mindset which begins with belief. In this Dream Big lesson, students will explore how their beliefs, effort, and responses to pressure influence what is possible in their lives. They reflect on their personal interests and goals and consider how believing in themselves and continuing to try can help them grow and achieve meaningful outcomes.
We have made some progress with getting sports physical, current updated school physicals and immunizations for our 6th graders, but we still have many students that need to turn in current documentation. Please do not wait until the deadline. If you have questions, please make sure you contact Nurse Sam at samantha.blevins@psd150.org She will be happy to assist you on if your child is medically compliant or if they are missing documentation that the school needs on file.
Parents, we need your help! We have been having neighborhood issues filtering into our school causing disruptions to our learning environment. Please help us and talk with your child, monitor their phones through text messages and social media so that we can focus our efforts on a positive school culture and focus on our academic studies. We want every child to be their very best at school and be set up for success. We appreciate your support in talking with your child so that school can be a fun, safe, and enjoyable place for all to grow and be the best version of themselves.
Just a reminder of dates and activities that are coming:
Monday, August 31- Girls’ Softball Game vs Rolling Acres at 5:00 pm at Reservoir Gifted
Tuesday. September 1- Speech and Debate Team will be held after school 2:30-4:00 in the library.
Wednesday, September 2- Boys’ Baseball Game vs Rolling Acres at 3:45 pm at Peoria Stadium Dome
Thursday, September 3- Girls’ Softball Game vs Mark Bills at 4:00 pm at CT Vivian
Save the date- Our 1st PTO Meeting of the year will be on Tuesday, September 8th from 5:00-6:00. We can’t wait to get our parents involved! We hope to see you here on September 8th. Your voice matters!
Please click on the link below for the newsletter for August 31-September 4, 2026:
https://peoriapublicschoolsil.edurooms.com/newsletters/sterling-middle-school/newsletters/jaguar-parent-spotlight-newsletter-volume-5-august-31-september-4-2026
Enjoy the remainder of your Sunday and we can’t wait to see our Jaguars back Monday morning.
Please look at the newsletter for this week. Speech and debate practices have been changed to Tuesdays starting September 1st. There was a scheduling error, so we are adjusting to accommodate so students have this amazing opportunity.
Just a reminder that students interested in 7th and 8th grade Varsity cheerleaders will have cheer clinics on Monday and Tuesday this week and tryouts on Thursday.
Wednesday, August 26th is a half day. Dismissal will be at 10:30 AM. Students will be served lunch before they are dismissed. There will be bus services available for those students that ride the bus. Car riders please be sure your child is picked p at 10:30 AM.
Please click on the link below for the newsletter for August 24-28, 2026:
https://peoriapublicschoolsil.edurooms.com/newsletters/sterling-middle-school/newsletters/jaguar-parent-spotlight-newsletter-volume-4-august-24-28-2026
We look forward to seeing everyone back Monday morning.
Updated link for Parent Newsletter for August 17-21, 2026
Please be sure to check out this week's newsletter link to review what your child needs to be medically compliant for school. We need to be sure that every child has updated physical and immunization records on file with our school nurse, Nurse Sam. If you have questions about this, please contact our school office and Nurse Sam will be happy to assist you to ensure that all students are medically compliant.
Shout out to our Jaguars with attendance so far! We are currently at 97.16% attendance rate this school year! We love that our Jaguars are coming to school and our focused on learning. We have had a strong start to our year, and we will be celebrating our students on Monday with a special treat. We want our kids to know that we see them making the right choices, being respectful, and showing up every day. We know it is hard to get back into a routine, but our kids are rocking it, and we are so proud of them!
August 17-21st Parent Newsletter Link:
https://undefined.edurooms.com/newsletters/sterling-middle-school/newsletters/jag-parent-spotlight-newsletter-volume-3-august-17-21-2026
Wow! What an amazing first 3 days of school! We had a great start to the year and are looking forward to continuing to grow each day. Thank you to our parents and families for helping this transition into this school year be one of the best yet! We are excited to see what this year has in store for us, but every day we are striving to be 1% better and continue to make positive impacts.
This week we will be taking the fall NWEA math and ELA benchmark to get a baseline of where our students are academically performing in math and ELA. We will use this data to help drive our instruction so we can ensure that every child is being challenged and working to their potential to meet our standards and high expectations.
Just a reminder that girls' softball tryouts are Monday and Tuesday this week after school until 4:00 PM and boys' baseball tryouts will be this Wednesday and Thursday after school until 4:00 PM. Please be sure you have arranged a ride for your child if they are staying after school for tryouts.
We look forward to seeing every child at school tomorrow. Attendance matters! We need our students at school on time every day to continue to be our best version of ourselves.
Please click on the link for this week's newsletter:
https://peoriapublicschoolsil.edurooms.com/newsletters/sterling-middle-school/newsletters/jag-parent-spotlight-volume-2-august-10-14-2026
Just a reminder that bus riders enter through the front doors and car riders and walkers will enter the building at the back of the building.
We are so excited to see all our returning Jaguars, and we can't wait to meet our new Jaguars who are coming to us. This is going to be a great year!
Our 2026-2027 journey will officially start Wednesday, August 5th. School will be in session 7:30-2:30. We can't wait to see you all!
Please click on the link to see additional information for August 5-7, 2026:
https://peoriapublicschoolsil.edurooms.com/newsletters/sterling-middle-school/newsletters/jag-parent-spotlight-volume-1-august-3-7-2026
📚 As students set sail on a new school year, our community is answering the call to Stand Up. Show Up. Be There.
Join us in cheering on our scholars and helping them start the school year strong!⚓ #AnchoredInExcellence
Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. We encourage our community to take time to learn, reflect, and uplift one another as we honor this important day. ❤️🖤💚
This week has been one for the books with celebrations and moments to be proud of for the 2026 school year. As of Friday, our chronic absenteeism rate is at 20%! We have been striving to get here all year and we finally made it! This past Monday, Sterling was recognized as the Third-Place winner for Most Improved Chronic Absenteeism for April in the district. Tuesday brought a wonderful opportunity for our Varsity Boys’ Basketball team as they were recognized at the City Council meeting at City Hall by Mayor Rita Ali. Thursday, we had some of our band and art students head downtown to participate in Peace Plays in Peoria. We wrapped up Friday celebrating our 8th graders as they completed their last full week as middle schoolers.
Congratulations to all of PPS High School Graduates:
We are so proud of all the graduates this weekend. All 3 high schools held their graduations on Saturday, May 16. We wish them all the best on their next adventure. Congratulations to the Class of 2026!
8th Grade Promotional Ceremony:
On Tuesday, May 19, we will be recognizing the Class of 2026 at our Promotional Ceremony. Here is some important information that was shared with our 8th grade students to bring home:
Doors will open at 4:15 p.m. Complex Gym (Richmond St) doors ONLY.
Students will need to arrive by 4:30 p.m.
Everyone must have a ticket to enter.
Clear bags only. Diaper bags are allowed but WILL be searched.
Balloons and posters are NOT allowed to be brought into the building.
Doors will be locked at 5:00 p.m. No one will be allowed to enter.
Please be aware that Richmond Street will be closed for the event. Students WILL NOT be able to be dropped off at the door.
Parking is available at the pool, on the streets, and behind the school.
Out of Uniform Spirit Week: themes brought to you by our Jaguar students:
Monday: 90s Day! Wear your flyest 90s outfit.
Tuesday: Toddler Tuesday! Dress like a baby or toddler.
Wednesday: Student/Teacher swap day
Thursday: Class Colors and Field Day with Kona Ice
5th Grade- Green
6th Grade- Blue
7th Grade- Red
Friday: Fresh Friday! Wear your freshest summer fit.
Please click on the link below for more information and opportunities in this week’s newsletter for additional information for the week May 18-27, 2026:
We will see everyone back tomorrow morning for a busy week ahead.
