The Roar
February 2021
A Message from Ms. Wyndi
Hello King’s Gate Parents!
As we go into February, there are so many things to be thankful for!
The Growing King’s Gate Phase II Strategic Planning process is underway. Thank you so much for your participation in the two live events and the virtual event. It is exciting to hear your heart for the future of the school. It is such a special time to be part of King’s Gate. Seeing the success of the key focus goals from Phase I increases our faith to dream big for Phase II! We anticipate that we will see the power of GOD during Phase II as we plan, pray, and work together to build our school!
Now that we have completed the information gathering stage, the input will be organized into categories and then into key focus goals. Growing King’s Gate Phase II will include several goals that are ongoing including increasing scholarship opportunities, improving staff salaries, and the completion of the top floor of the Next Generation Center to provide additional classrooms.
We have already begun to implement some of the strategies that emerged from stakeholder communication including an online enrollment process that begins TODAY! You will also see an increase in the cost of tuition to allow us to provide compensation increases for our Team. Finally, we have added a Communications Director to help us plan and implement marketing and communication efforts.
King’s Gate is not just a place! It is not a person or a single classroom. King’s Gate is a way of loving and respecting children and families that is founded on a rich legacy of faith and love. There is no school like King’s Gate, so each new grade and each new student increases our commitment to the King’s Gate way and our legacy of faith and love!
Thank you for your pioneering spirit and your prayers as we build a school together!
The best is yet to come,
Wyndi Bradley, Ed. S.
Head of Schools
King's Gate Christian School
405.283.0144
“The plan in the heart of a man is like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out.”
Proverbs 20:5
Online Scholastic Book Fair Feb. 1-14
The book fair connects your children to notable books and inspiring characters, helping them become lifelong readers. We're sure you'll love the new option to shop for Book Fair exclusives directly from the interactive booklist.
Enjoy special online features, including:
- Access to over 6,000 products
- All orders ship direct to home
- FREE shipping on book-only orders over $25 (be sure to select free standard shipping during checkout)
- All purchases support our school - we earn us 25% of sales in rewards
Would you please consider posting the link to our bookfair on your social media pages and share this opportunity with your friends and family? We get rewards for every sale associated with our link: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/kingsgateschool
Enrollment is Open Online!
Welcome to the 2021-2022 School Year Online Enrollment Portal through Sycamore!
We greatly value that you continue to choose King’s Gate Christian School as your partner in educating your child. Thank you! Throughout our school year, we receive feedback from our parents on ways we can improve our enrollment process. We are pleased to inform you that we have heard your requests to streamline our re-enrollment process and that King’s Gate Christian School Enrollment is going online!
We've added a page on our website for returning family enrollment. You'll find step-by-step instructions about how to enroll under the "Enroll Now" button.
Please call us at 405-283-0144 if you have any questions.
Community Open House Thurs., Feb. 4
We're running an ad on Facebook and we'd be so grateful if you'd share it with your friends.
Summer at King's Gate
Cost is $270 (includes enrollment fee). Look for forms to come home with your child next week!
Parent/Teacher Conferences on February 12, 2021
2nd Semester Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held Friday, February 12, 2021 for grades Kindergarten-9th grade. We want to be able to provide parents time with teachers in person. Precautions that we will have in place include:
· scheduled times to limit the number of people in the building,
· clear tabletop dividers between the teacher and parents,
· encourage parents to wear masks while in hallways and traveling to the classrooms
·
To schedule your conference time, please use your Sycamore login at https://app.sycamoreschool.com. Our school ID is 1877.
- Look for My School on the left side of your screen.
- Under My School, look for P/T conferences.
- Choose your child's name, teacher and date to schedule your time. 4th and 5th grade students, please choose Stacie Dunn as teacher. 6th-9th Grade students, please choose Debbie Neal as teacher. 4th and 5th grade students will meet with both Mrs. Griggs and Mrs. Dunn. 6th-9th grade students will meet with all Upper School teachers. Please contact your teacher with any questions.
· If you do not feel comfortable with in person conferences, please contact your teacher to make other arrangements.
· Please contact our office at 405.283.0144 if you have questions regarding your Sycamore login information.
SNOW MAKE-UP DAY MONDAY, FEBRUARY 15
Monday, February 15th – SCHOOL WILL BE IN SESSION - this is a snow make up day due to the ice storm back in October. We will NOT have school on Friday, February 12th for conferences, but we WILL be in school on Monday, February 15th.
Share a Feast a Big Success!
Thank you for participating in our Share a Feast mission opportunity. Our students gathered 1,098 pounds of food for the Manna Food Pantry in Yukon. But first, they enjoyed building can castles. We love the creativity that pours out of our students! And we love their hearts for others.
STRATEGIC PLANNING UPDATE?
Staff Highlights - Meet Stacie Dunn
She is a 4th/5th Grade Teacher and is in her first year with King’s Gate. She has been married for 22 years. She and her husband have 3 adult children and 2 dogs.
3 fun facts about Stacie are:
- The best card in her wallet is her Library of Congress ID card😊
- She used to be a cook at Charlie’s Chicken where she made trashcans (clean, of course) of coleslaw with an oar. She no longer likes coleslaw.
- She is an UberEats delivery driver, with a 99% satisfactory rating over 1,300 trips.
Staff Highlights - Meet Stephanie Scott
She's been with King's Gate for a little over a year serving as Assistant to Head of Schools. She's been married for 10 years and has 3 children, 2 dogs and 2 cats.
3 interesting things about Stephanie are:
- She is an RN and worked in Organ, Tissue, Eye donation and transplantation for over 25 years.
- She has flown in helicopters and private planes/jets to many areas of U.S. to retrieve and deliver organs for transplant.
- She grew up on a farm and family of custom wheat harvesters.
Staff Highlights - Meet Nicole Payne
I am so happy to be teaching Pre-K at King's Gate this year! My husband, Matt, and I met in high school and have been married for 21 years. We have four children - Mason (17), Maguire (14), Mattie (12) and Maddox (12). Mason is a senior at Yukon High School this year and Maguire, Mattie and Maddox attend King's Gate. This is my third year on staff at King's Gate and my second year teaching. In addition to teaching 6th grade Bible last year and teaching art during Summer at King's Gate, I am the Children's Ministry Director at my church, GC Surrey Hills. Before moving to Surrey three years ago, I taught lower elementary art at Studio B in Claremore, OK. I was also the Preschool Ministry Coordinator at Cedar Point Church in Claremore before moving here. I am grateful for the opportunity to build relationships with all the wonderful people who GOD has brought into my life through King's Gate and I can't wait to see what amazing things GOD has in store for the future of our school!
COVID-19 UPDATE February 2021
In January we had five individuals who were positive for the virus. Our Kindergarten, 1st Grade, and Upper School classes were quarantined due to direct exposure to COVID. None of the individuals, who were quarantined due to direct exposure, ever developed symptoms nor tested positive for the virus. All individuals completed the required period of quarantine before returning to school.
We currently have one individual out due to testing positive, and several classes (3rd Grade, 4th Grade, and Upper School) out due to direct exposure. None of these are school related cases.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION to remember:
A “direct exposure” is one in which an individual is directly exposed (has close contact, i.e. are within 6 feet for ≥ 15 minutes) to a COVID-positive individual. An “indirect exposure” is one in which an individual is exposed to someone else who was previously, directly, exposed to a COVID-positive individual.
Per the Back to School Guidelines, Canadian County Health Department (CCHD) is contacted for notification and recommendation in each situation. For direct exposures, the exposed individuals are required to quarantine for 14 days following their last day of direct exposure, even if they test negative at any point in time during the 14-day quarantine period. For individuals who experience an indirect exposure, quarantine not required, as per CCHD and the CDC, there is “little to no risk” of contracting the virus in this type of exposure.
Notification and follow-up with affected individuals/families takes place in each situation while also maintaining compliance with HIPAA regulations.
We are continuing to grow in our knowledge and experience in responding to exposures, and we appreciate the input and information that many of you have shared with us regarding your own experiences and desire for better and ongoing communication and information.
As always, we pray daily for exceptional health and safety for our students, teachers, and all our King’s Gate families. May God keep you and bless you, each and every one.
ACSI Day of Prayer February 23, 2021
This year's theme, "Flourish," points us to Acts 12 where we're reminded that “the word of GOD continued to spread and flourish.” We may be facing different obstacles than those of the early church faced, but the same GOD that helped generations of believers is the same GOD that will help you, your students and your school community today.
Important Dates and Events
February 1st-15th
Scholastic Online Bookfair Event
Thursday, February 4th
Open House for prospective new families - Invite your friends to learn about King's Gate at this prospective new families only event 6:00pm-7:30pm. *Because we have to limit the number of people in the building, we are not open for current King's Gate families at this event.
Friday, February 12th
NO SCHOOL - Parent/Teacher Conferences for Kindergarten-9th Grade
CDC Professional Development Day
Monday, February 17th
SCHOOL IS IN SESSION - This is a Ice Storm/Snow Make Up Day
March 1st-5th
Dr. Seuss Week! Celebrate reading with us this week!
Tuesday, March 9th
Individual & Class Pictures, Kindergarten-9th Grade
Wednesday, March 10th
Individual & Class Pictures, Primer, Preschool and Pre-Kindergarten classes
March 15-19
Spring Break
Friday, April 2nd
NO SCHOOL - Good Friday
Monday, April 5th
NO SCHOOL - Easter Monday
King's Gate Christian School
Email: kgcs@kingsgateschool.com
Website: www.kingsgateschool.com
Location: 12421 N Mustang Rd, Yukon, OK, USA
Phone: 405-283-0144