The Purr
King's Gate Christian School Newsletter - January 2021
Happy New Year
Goodbye 2020! Hello 2021! Though there are unknowns about the future, we can rest in the knowledge that our GOD is unchanging in His character and in His great love for us. We can also celebrate all the ways GOD blessed us during 2020. We completed an entire spring quarter of distance learning (March through May, 2020) keeping our students on track for the next school year. We kicked off a new matching grant endeavor to raise $1.2M to finish the second floor of the Next Generation Building. We added 9th grade at the Surrey location and full-time Pre-K at our Village location. Through your hard work and generosity, over $40,000 was raised in our first ever virtual Connect-at-Home Gala! We have accomplished significant goals for Phase One of the Growing King’s Gate effort including the construction and equipping new classroom space, the completion of a state-of-the-art science lab, and the growth of our scholarship funds. We are so grateful for GOD’s provision and for your partnership!
As we look forward into the New Year, I am excited to invite you to a very special strategic planning event coming up on Friday, January 15th. We will all work together again to build the strategic plan for the next phase of the Growing King’s Gate effort. Jill White, a school thrivability specialist, will be here to lead the event. Please put January 15th on your calendar. We will have three different sessions that day (8:30AM-10:00, 1:30-3:00PM, 6:00-7:30PM) in hopes that one of the time slots will work for you. The Surrey Hills sanctuary will provide plenty of space for distancing. We are looking forward to dreaming together with you about the future of our school! Please click HERE to sign up for your preferred session. Our time together will include a State of the School presentation with information about enrollment, finances, staffing, facilities, programming, and the status of the Growing King’s Gate efforts. We will brainstorm through a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats). In addition, we will dream together about the future. The outcome of this event will be the development of the Phase Two Growing King’s Gate Strategic Plan, our continuous school improvement plan. This plan will set the key priorities for the future. Your input matters! Together as pioneers, we are building a school!
We are so glad to be back together again! Thank you for partnering with us to build on King’s Gate’s rich heritage of love and learning!
The best is yet to come,
Wyndi Bradley, Ed. S.
Head of Schools
King's Gate Christian School
405.283.0144
"And the peace of GOD, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:7
Parent/Teacher Conferences - Monday, January 18th
Enrollment for the 2021-22 School Year
Online Scholastic Book Fair - February 1st-15th
It's a new year... let's instill a new-found love of reading!
End of Year Tax Information
- King's Gate Christian School's tax id # is 27-0522172
- You can access your financial information by going to https://app.sycamoreschool.com and use your login information.
- View financial statements under "My Accounting". Click on Summary. Click on each account category for additional information.
Healthy Habits
Healthy Lunches
One of the best things you can do for your child is pack a healthy lunch.
Healthy lunches and snacks for your child are important because:
- Children’s bodies are in a constant state of growing and require a steady stream of nutrients and calories to keep growing.
- Children will have better overall health.
- Children will learn better in school.
Those children who fill up on sugary foods for lunch are often tired and disinterested in school by early afternoon. This includes a large amount of carbohydrates like crackers, pretzels and chips. Even large amounts of applesauce and pudding simply turn into sugar without a good, healthy protein.
In addition, children who have healthier diets tend to be healthier missing less school and enabling them to gain a better education.
It is important to pack healthy lunches for your child. An example of a healthy lunch would be:
- A lean meat—a protein
- Cheese cubes or stick
- Fresh vegetable— celery, carrots, broccoli, pepper, cauliflower, cucumbers
- Fresh fruit—banana; grapes; strawberries; berries; slices of melon, apple, apricot, nectarine, peach, pear, orange, plum (fruit can be applesauce or a fruit cup)
Getting Enough Sleep
Getting enough sleep is very important, from birth to adolescence. Children require daytime naps up to age 4 or 5 years of age. A child that does not get enough sleep can be very fussy, irritable, aggressive and of course has a decreased capacity to learn and play well with other children. Each child is unique, but this graphic serves as a general guide to help you know the typical sleep requirements of children based on age. Please help ensure that your child gets at least the minimum.
COVID-19 Update
In December we had 4 individuals who were quarantined due to direct exposure to COVID outside of school. 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.
Following the Christmas break, we currently have 3 individuals out due to either being positive for the virus or for a direct exposure. None of these are school related cases.
We want to reassure all our families that we are continuing to take precautions against the Coronavirus, while still maintaining the best learning environment for our King’s Gate students and teachers as possible. We will be providing this COVID-19 update in the newsletter moving forward to keep you informed of how COVID-19 is affecting our school, specifically at The Village campus.
We have had opportunity to respond to a handful of exposures. Here is some important information to know. 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. We have responded to two indirect exposures, and five direct exposures, one of which required an entire classroom to quarantine for 14 days.
Per the Back to School Guidelines, Canadian County Health Department (CCHD) was contacted for notification and recommendation in each situation. For direct exposures, the exposed individuals were required to quarantine for 14 days following their last day of direct exposure, even if they tested negative at any point in time during the 14-day quarantine period. For the individuals who experienced an indirect exposure, quarantine was not required, as per CCHD, and the CDC, there is “little to no risk” of contracting the virus in this type of exposure. We have, depending on the specific circumstances of the indirect exposure, asked that the individual be tested and receive a negative result, prior to returning to school. This action was above and beyond the recommendation from CCHD as we are striving to ensure the safest possible environment for our King’s Gate family. Notification and follow-up with affected individuals/families took 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 each and every one of you.
Important Dates
Strategic Planning Event at Surrey Hills
Choose from 3 time slots, 8:30am-10am, 1:30pm-3pm or 6:00pm-7:30pm.
(No childcare provided)
Monday, January 18th
NO SCHOOL - Parent/Teacher Conferences
February 1st-15th
Scholastic Online Bookfair Event
Thursday, February 4th
Community Open House at Surrey Hills
Invite your friends to learn about King's Gate at this prospective new families only event 6:00pm-7:30pm
Monday, February 17th
SCHOOL IS IN SESSION - This is a Ice Storm/Snow Make Up Day
Thursday, February 25th
Vision screenings
March 1st-5th
Dr. Seuss Week
March 15-19
Spring Break
King's Gate Christian School
Email: kgcs@kingsgateschool.com
Website: www.kingsgateschool.com
Location: 12421 North Mustang Road, Yukon, OK, USA
Phone: 405-283-0144