Herndon Junction

Our family recently moved from Lowes Island to Sterling Cascade, and the transition to Sterling Elementary has been an absolute revelation. If you are a parent considering this school for your children, please know that it is a hidden gem. Principal Jennifer Short and Assistant Principal Colt Fletcher lead with total transparency and a deep commitment to safe community, diversity, and academic excellence.The progress of our daughter Aafiya in the Special Education program has been life-changing. Thanks to the expertise of Ms. Karen Rios, Ms. Ericka Valles, Mrs. Long, Ajima Sarah, and her other dedicated teachers, Aafiya improved so much in just six months that she transitioned to the standard school bus. She is more communicative, confident and engaged than ever before. Our first-grader, Sophia, is equally thriving under Ms. Jessica Thor and her team, including Ms. Alissa Westrick, Maria Burel, and Cody Horvath. Sophia comes home excited and curious every day, which is a stark, positive contrast to our previous school experience.The administrative support here is truly unmatched. Ms. Rubidia Saravia Martinez spent an hour personally helping me navigate ParentVue and transportation forms to ensure everything was correct. She helps with everything you need as a parent. Additionally, Mr. Rafael Cruz (Transportation Lead) was incredibly responsive and helpful as we navigated the StopFinder app. Finally, the school’s use of ClassDojo is a total game-changer for parent-teacher communication, keeping us connected to our children's progress daily. We are so grateful to be part of the Sterling Elementary community. Ms. Short, thank you so much for all the wonderful things you and all your great staff and teachers do for our children and community.

Thanks a lot from Kristin.Bashore she is very helpful and nice with people I ragestred my Doaghter she explained everything for me I recommend her higherly .

Today was an extremely upsetting experience for a mother and her 6-year-old son. He was supposed to be dismissed as a walker, and his mother was waiting for him after school. After about 40 minutes, the school staff and management discovered that, by mistake, he had been sent on a school bus instead.Imagine being a parent waiting for your 6-year-old child and not knowing where he is for 40 minutes. There were also police present while everyone was trying to figure out what had happened. Thankfully, he was eventually found safe, but this situation should never have happened in the first place.I am very disappointed with the school’s dismissal procedures and management. A child’s safety must be the highest priority, and staff need to be responsible and know exactly where every child is at dismissal. This was a serious failure in supervision and communication.The school needs to take full responsibility, investigate what happened, hold the responsible staff accountable, and make immediate changes to ensure this never happens to another family. Parents should be able to trust the school with their children’s safety.