Catch Gateway's stories in real time by bookmarking Gateway Public Schools' "News & Events" page, following us on Twitter, and subscribing to our YouTube channel. Content is posted throughout the week and gives you inside access to the classrooms, students and teachers at our schools, as well as interesting topics in education. 

Here's what you may have missed this month: 

 

August 17, 2012

Students pose with Cal's mascot as part of the day's scavenger hunt

At Gateway, we believe that all of our students are entitled to graduate high school with both a life-long love of learning and the ability to steer their lives in any direction they choose. This means having access to not only skilled teachers, but also ongoing college counseling and preparation. 

We think there's no better way to set our students' sights on college than to take them there--this year, to one of the nation's most iconic universities.

 

Freshman, grouped in the advisories that will support them throughout their time at Gateway, spent their first day of school taking a tour of the UC-Berkeley campus, stopping periodically to chat with a panel of Gateway High School alumni, investigate the price of textbooks (high!), and create goals for their next four years of high school. 

 

We're thrilled also to have hosted Jill Tucker, a reporter for the SF Chronicle, who wrote a piece about the day's events which you can read here. To see more images, you can click here to be rerouted to a video slideshow that includes audio of Jill chatting with KCBS news about her experience. 

Each month, we profile a member of our staff or alumni, so that you can get to know our community. Our Griffin of the Month is Mwapagha Mkonu (known as "Mkonu" to both staff and students), the new After-School Program Coordinator at Gateway Middle School. 

Under Mkonu's leadership, Gateway's after-school program creates and sustains a safe learning environment where students can receive tutoring and enrichment programs outside of school hours.  Academic tutors are on-site every day to give students support in subjects such as reading, math, writing, science, and social studies. Throughout the year, various enrichment activities--such as building a rooftop garden, playing intramural sports, or designing websites--will be planned to inspire and challenge students to discover new things. 

If you are interested in learning more about our After-School Program or volunteering your time and expertise, please contact Mkonu at mmkonu@gatewaymiddle.org or 415.922.1001. We are always looking for interested and engaged volunteers to work with our students!  

Throughout their time at Gateway High School, our students will change in many ways yet one thing will stay the same: Advisory. Each student, from orientation onward, is grouped with a faculty member and team of peers for all four years of high school. Students learn best when they are known as more than just a number on a piece of paper, 

which is why advisories are such a foundational part of Gateway's culture. 

 

The advisory groups function as small learning communities, or "Houses", within the larger community. Comprised of no more than 14-18 students from varied grade levels, the groups meet twice per week to offer peer-based guidance and support. Each year, all the houses compete in a variety of challenges, one of which was The Marshmallow Challenge. 

 

Jane Kern and Sean Gass, teachers and advisors at Gateway High School, came across the Marshmallow Challenge while viewing YouTube videos from the 2010 TED Conference. One talk in particular, given by Tom Wujec, a Fellow at Autodesk, immediately inspired them. Wujec had hosted over 70 marshmallow challenges with "designers, architects, students - even leadership teams of the Fortune 50," as part of a design workshop, and had learned some compelling insights about how groups function best. 

 

Looking for an easy way to help our students? Register with eScrip and we'll get even closer to our fundraising goals.