February 2020
Gateway Elementary
From the Principal
Greetings Great Gateway Families!!

I hope that February finds you and your family in good health and spirits. February is a month all about love and heart. Here at Gateway, we celebrate National Heart Month by wearing red and, of course, we celebrate Valentine’s Day. As we did last year, we are going to focus on kindness and spreading our love and gratitude out into the community as well as within our building this year. Classrooms may be making cards for community groups and/or for each other. Each classroom teacher will send out details to parents as we get closer to Valentine’s Day. One thing to note: since we do not have school on Valentine’s Day there will not be a day where all classrooms are having parties. 

Outside of these events, what comes to my mind is the importance of love in our daily lives and the recognition of all the different types of love that fill our lives. It is our Gateway family love that ties us together, that brings 400 adults and children together as one, and that unites us in pride, friendship, and respect. I am so proud to lead a staff that focuses every day on loving your children, our children.

I would also like to remind you that our magnetic calendars contain a mistake this month. Please note that there is no school for students February 14-21. I hope that you have the ability to take some time during this week to focus on family events and activities.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns or would like to get involved at Gateway, don’t hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email.

Sincerely,
Principal Ashley Lawson
Schedule of Events
Click on the link for a printable February calendar.

Parent Teacher Conferences
February 13th - 5 - 8 pm
February 14th - 8 - 4 pm

Check with your child's teacher for a Slyreply link.
conference
Let's Stay Healthy!
Wash jackets, hats, gloves and mittens, backpacks, lunchboxes, etc. and help fight the spread of germs and sickness. Use disinfectant wipes if washing is not recommended.
Want to order online?


Order code:  47907E  

The online order option will shut off the night before pictures.
Classroom Photos - February 27
Classroom group pictures will be taken on Thursday, February 27th. Individual pictures will be taken ONLY if you pre-order them. Order forms will be coming home soon. You will be able to order group pictures as well as individual pictures.

Cultural Night
Join us on Thursday, February 6th from 6:00-7:30 pm at Gateway Elementary for an evening of tasting food from families with international connections.

Literacy Night - Coming in March
Join us for District Family Literacy Night at Gateway Elementary on Thursday, March 5, 2020, from 6:00 - 7:30 pm. Pizza will be served from 6:00-6:30. From 6:30-7:30 families can circulate through literacy games and activities. There will also be a book swap. Bring your slightly used books and swap them for “new to you” books. We hope to see you there! 
Mindful Corner

Mindfulness can help children improve their ability to pay attention, to calm down when they are upset and to make better decisions. In short, it helps with emotional regulation and cognitive focus.

As you and your family kick off a new year, it is a great time to visit with your children about how they are feeling emotionally. Give them your full attention by asking questions and listening to their responses. Doing this helps promote a safe and happy place for them to share how they are feeling.

Below is one of our breathing techniques we practice here at Gateway.

Smell the flower and blow the flower.

"What's the WORD?"

Our February Word of the Month is  " Leadership"

Please help you student come up with some ideas to demonstrate leadership while they are at school.

May 2020 be everything you want it to be!
Retro Night
Gateway's Annual Retro Night is February 28th, from 6-8 pm. This fun family event includes games, a dance party, a selfie booth, face painting, food, prizes and more all put on by Gateway's Parent Group, Watchdogs, and Gateway staff.

We need as many parent volunteers as we can to help with the different games and activities so we can let the staff have some fun with the students.

A Slyreply will go out to sign up for positions. We appreciate all the help we get to put on this fantastic event that is a longstanding Gateway tradition!
Spirit/Popcorn Day - February 13th
Students please wear your Gateway shirts to show your school spirit. Popcorn will be sold in the morning for $0.50 per bag. All money earned from popcorn sales goes into the parent group fund and supports activities at Gateway.

Volunteers are needed to help pop, bag and distribute popcorn. Let Megan know if you can help.

Playground supervision begins at 7:35 am. Children may be dropped off at
7:20 am for Open Gym and breakfast.
Flow Lane Safety
  • Refrain from using a cell phone
  • Pull all the way forward
  • Children should exit on right side of vehicle
  • Park in parking spot if you need to leave your vehicle
  • Use crosswalks when going to and from your vehicle
puppy
Please refrain from bringing animals onto school grounds.