King's Gate Connections
May 2021
YOU Helped Us Exceed Our Own Expectations!
Health and Safety
What an incredible year we had in the midst of the most unusual times any of us have ever experienced! On the heels of a major move from Our Lord's Community Church to our Village and Surrey Hills Campuses and the Covid outbreak, we chose to open our school to in-person 5 days a week education at a time when many others were still offering remote learning. With well-managed responses to Covid cases, we were able to keep our school open and can report that not one case could be traced back to exposure at King's Gate. Collectively, we experienced GOD's supernatural protection as our students experienced a typical school year during a worldwide pandemic. We are so grateful to the LORD for His protection and we are thankful for the efforts of our families and the KG Team for how they worked together to ensure the safety of all.
Enrollment
We did not anticipate the large outpouring of curiosity and interest in our school from public school families. Our Open Houses this spring at both campus saw record numbers of interested families. Our enrollment right now is 26% higher than what it was this time last year (and equivalent to the number of students we currently have enrolled).
Fundraising
Our two major fundraisers, the winter Gala and the spring Amazing gRace event surpassed our expectations. God has been gracious to us and continues to bless us through each of you! THANK YOU for answering His call to join us in our mission to take the love of Jesus Christ to the community by partnering with families to equip the whole student for their individual calling through a rich, experiential education.
Strategic Planning
Our first strategic planning event happened during the 2014-15 school year. We not only accomplished all that was on that plan in five years, but we completed two significant projects that were on the ten year plan - the Surrey Hills building addition and our state-of-the-art science lab! We held our second strategic planning event this past spring and are excited to move into this next season of expansion!
Accreditation
We completed our ACSI accreditation process which included accreditation for high school for the first time. It was a blessing to host our accreditation team. They were encouraging to our staff and board. We cannot wait to get the final report so we can share it with you.
YOU Did This!
All of this is possible because of YOU! Our supporters make King's Gate a viable option for many families who wouldn't be able to experience what we offer. Your prayers, financial support, words of encouragement, time and service make us who we are. Without any of it, we wouldn't have been able to even open the doors this year. YOU are our heroes!
We are so excited about our 2021-22 school year and seeing our new dreams become reality. King's Gate is truly a special place...because of YOU! THANK YOU!
Summer @ King's Gate Filling Up: Join us June 14-24
Summer @ King's Gate, for ages 2 years old through entering 4th grade, meets Mon. - Thurs. from 9:30am-2:30pm at our Surrey Hills campus. It's open to all students, regardless of where they attend school.
Did you know, like Ms. Wyndi, many of our full-time students began their King's Gate journey at our summer program? We're proud to offer an excellent summer educational opportunity to all students in the OKC metro. When families get a taste of King's Gate in the summer, many of them choose King's Gate for the rest of their educational needs.
Do you know how important word of mouth is? We've come to understand that at least half of our new enrollees for next year are here because someone shared our story with them. Please invite your friends and neighbors to Summer @ King's Gate so they can see for themselves what makes King's Gate special...our staff, our students, our families, and our generous supporters. Thank you for sharing our story!
Amazing gRace Wildly Successful!
WOW! Our 17th Amazing gRace event was the most successful one, yet! You really stepped up and answered the call! We set an "audacious" goal of $35,000 and raised $42,563.77! THANK YOU! We sent 119 students home with 12 sponsorship envelopes each, with the promise of free Chick-fil-a lunch if they brought all 12 back. 98 students earned free lunch! 66 students received t-shirt sponsorships, putting their names on the back of the t-shirt.
We're grateful to our corporate sponsors:
- Millard Constructing
- Bank 7
- Elite Window Cleaning
- JE Dunn Construction
- LaGree Associates, LLC
- Sane Industries, LLC
Human Ice Cream Sundae!
Pie in the Face!
Student Winners
Congratulations to the following students for rising to the challenge:
- Lynden Scott - $100 for raising the most in sponsorship money.
- Cope Scott - $100 for bringing the most sponsors
- Sage Ferguson - winner of the $200 Top Golf Gift Card
It was a great day for a race! Thank you for your AMAZING support of our Amazing gRace event! Because of you, we're able to purchase new equipment, chromebooks and curriculum to ensure our students have access to the best education!
WELCOME KYLER KANADY!
We're so excited to welcome Kyler Kanady to the King's Gate Board! Kyler writes:
King’s Gate is more than a school, it is a haven. In the business of life and through decades King’s Gate stands still and welcomes all who want to learn. My wife of 13 years, Stephanie, and I have had the privilege of sending both of our children, Jack and Olivia, to King’s Gate. I now have the honor of serving God through the school, its families, and their children.
I am excited to use my past and current experiences of leading an energy company, being associate pastor at church, a dad, a husband, and a student to build upon the foundation laid so faithfully at King’s Gate. As a part of the leadership body of King’s Gate, I will challenge and be challenged to grow this haven into the fullness of God’s plan.
“If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here. For how then will it be known that Your people and I have found grace in Your sight, except You go with us? So we shall be separate, Your people and I, from all the people who are upon the face of the earth. Exodus 33: 15-16 (NKJV)
Thanks to the Kuykendall Family!
The Kuykendall family purchased an ice cream party for our 2nd grade class at our Gala Auction. Ice cream day arrived and it was so "cool" to take a break from class for a sweet treat! Thank you, Kuykendals, for blessing our 1st graders with your generosity!
Once we return to school in the fall, we'll begin to gather auction items for our winter Gala. If you want to donate something to our auction, please call us at 405-283-0144. If you own a business, please consider a donation of your goods or services. Non-business owners in the past have donated experiences and the use of vacation homes. Think outside the box. Thanks to all who have donated and purchased items at our Gala. 20% of the cost to educate a King's Gate student is covered by funds from the Gala and Amazing gRace. We're thankful for our ministry partners!
Teachers Feel Appreciated!
Our Story: Meet the Bogaskis
Choosing a school for your child is one of the most daunting decisions as they get older. Especially in today’s unpredictable and ever-changing world, there are so many factors to consider. In the spring of 2020, I found myself very uneasy about any of the options I had to send my young child to school. I reluctantly researched private school options, as they provided more of a consistent schedule and I wasn’t in the position to stay home with him at a moment’s notice. When I came across King’s Gate, I enrolled him right away because it seemed like my only viable option.
As we prepared to start the school year and businesses began reopening, I found myself so grateful for a school that promised to stay open and was also committed to maintaining the health and safety of our kids. On Meet the Teacher night, any reservations or qualms I had about King’s Gate were eased. I immediately felt confident in the decision I’d made and was excited for the upcoming year. Since then, the affirmations that I made the right choice have piled on one after another. Not only do I trust that my son is safe and loved beyond measure, but his social skills and knowledge have skyrocketed. I got to see my shy, reserved baby come out of his shell and turn into a confident big kid.
As public schools are reopening full time, I again faced the decision of where to send him to school next year. This time, it was a no-brainer. He thrives at King’s Gate and I would choose it 100 more times.
If you are at a crossroads or are feeling uneasy about the seemingly monumental decision regarding where to send your young child to school, consider this your sign. We truly feel so lucky to be loved and supported by King’s Gate teachers and administration, and we hope every child gets to have the same experience of uncompromising quality that we’ve gotten there. - Hannah Bogaski
A Word from Ms. Wyndi Bradley About Phase II
Thank you students, families, staff, and Board for your participation in the strategic planning process that took place throughout January and February. Through a series of live and virtual events, key initiatives were identified and confirmed. Since that time, action steps have been laid out and work has begun to accomplish these key priorities including:
- The addition of key leadership to support and implement communications, fundraising, and Upper School development.
- The provision of additional extra-curricular activities.
- The implementation of a more aggressive marketing strategy.
- Growth of our library especially with fiction titles for Upper School students and nonfiction titles for early education and elementary students.
- Provision of a mobile computer lab for the elementary.
- Completion of the top floor of the Next Generation Center to provide more classrooms.
Please pray for King's Gate as we continue to move forward! We serve a merciful and faithful GOD! It is so exciting to watch GOD’s plans for King’s Gate unfold, especially knowing that He used the requests and urgings from our families to encourage us to expand the school through 12th grade.
The best is yet to come!
Jasco Products doubles all gifts to Growing King's Gate
Facebook Birthday Fundraiser
Close to your birthday, Facebook will ask if you'd like to create a fundraiser. When you choose King's Gate and share your story about why you believe we're worthy of support, you not only give others the opportunity to join you in support, but you share our story with more people who may not even know about us. Please mention the matching grant. People appreciate knowing their gifts are doubled. Once your fundraiser is over, 100% of money raised is deposited directly into our bank account. It's so easy. And it's often surprising who answers your call!
Amazon Smile
As an Amazon Smile partner, King's Gate receives 0.5% of every purchase made from our supporters. Go to smile.amazon.com and select King's Gate as the charity to support. There's a small catch: it doesn't work with the amazon shopping app. We recommend putting items in your cart then accessing it from smile.amazon.com. It costs you nothing, but every purchase adds up to support our school.
Office Depot
When you shop at Office Depot, mention to your cashier that you want to support King's Gate and we'll get 5% of your purchase! Our ID# is 70204137. Put that in a note in your phone so you have it ready. Like Amazon Smile, this costs you nothing, but combined with other purchases and the matching grant helps turn our dreams into reality for our students. If you know a business or organization that utilizes Office Depot, please pass along our Office Depot ID #.
These are easy ways to contribute to our ministry. Share these with your friends, and be sure to tell them about our Jasco matching grant. Feel free to post these ideas on your own social media pages. You may be surprised at their enthusiasm to help.
ROOM to GROW: Your gifts go towards Phase II of the Growing King's Gate campaign including the Second Floor of the Next Generation Center!
Redirect Your OK Tax Dollars to Benefit King's Gate
OSF offers scholarship help to students in grades K-12, with an emphasis on lower-income Oklahoma families. Students and families have more affordable education options with accredited private schools through our scholarships.
You are eligible for Oklahoma tax credits, and charitable contributions when you itemize your deductions. Individuals or those filing jointly may receive a tax credit of up to 75% of their donation. Individuals may be credited up to $1,000 and those filing jointly may be credited up to $2,000. Qualified businesses may be credited up to $10,000!
Won't you join us in expanding our ministry to students who may not have the opportunity to experience learning the King's Gate way? If you have to pay the tax anyway, why not dictate how it's spent?
If you have questions, please call Linda Ford at 405-283-0144.