Gateway Elementary School is helping all students develop the world class skills and life and career characteristics of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate by providing a safe, caring and academically challenging learning environment. We provide such an environment through the implementation of our school vision: “Success Begins Here!” We remain true to our vision by directly aligning the professional development of our teachers to exemplary research based practices that result in a full menu of academic programs and practices that challenge each student and create a solid foundation for continued success.
Our teachers are fully trained in the Fountas and Pinnell Balanced Literacy delivery method for English Language Arts, which allows us to instruct our students at their specific academic level. Additionally, two teachers have completed extensive Literacy Mentor training in the Fountas and Pinnell model and their classrooms serve as learning labs for our staff. In keeping with our commitment to challenge all students with a rigorous academic environment, we implement the Lucy Calkins Units of Study writing curriculum in every grade level. This rigorous delivery method encourages students to write and produce meaningful, purposeful pieces that reflect their own style, thoughts and opinions. This innovative approach to teaching writing enriches our curriculum as the students’ progress as writers, and equips them with essential writing skills for career, real world, and advanced education purposes. Additionally, our teachers use effective, current math strategies in the classroom, such as Digital Calendar Math, Reflex, First in Math, IXL and Number Worlds. To further enhance our mathematics instruction, we welcome the opportunity to learn from experts in our field each year. During the 2017-18 school year, our staff attended The Laney Sammons math workshop training session, to strengthen our implementation of this exemplary model in all classrooms. Our Response to Intervention (RTI) services are prescriptive and targeted to the unique needs of the learner. This vast menu of services is offered at each grade level, and utilizes state of the art delivery methods such as Leveled Literacy Intervention (LLI), Number Worlds, Comprehension Tool Kit, and SOAR to assure the success of students who may need additional instruction in the area of reading and math. Enrichment opportunities are purposefully integrated into the lesson design at each grade level. As a team, our teachers develop a monthly common formative assessment that measures the strengths and weaknesses of each student. During monthly data team meetings with teachers and administrative staff, crucial conversations and in-depth discussions occur that inform daily classroom instruction. We are committed to catering to each student’s academic level through ongoing, rigorous classroom instruction.
At Gateway Elementary School, we believe that the success of our students should be measured by more than academic excellence. Our students are fully immersed in “The Seven Habits of Happy Kids”. Our guidance lessons and school-wide behavior and character expectations are based on these essential character building traits and are celebrated throughout our building. Our students also actively participate in community outreach projects such as Junior Beta Club Fundraisers, Jump Rope for Heart, Reading All Stars, Travelers Rest High Spirit Week, Box Tops for Education, and the St. Jude Math-a-Thon. Gateway Elementary School is committed to providing our students with a high quality, student-centered educational program that represents a true learning community. We understand the importance of assuring that our students receive a strong foundation very early in their school careers, and that this foundation cements their continued success as they become future South Carolina graduates and world leaders.
