Dear Gateway Community,

In this edition of The Gate, Dr. Jude Wolf, Director of Gateway Middle School's Learning Center, explains a topic that is very important to us at Gateway: growth mindset. In short, students who have a growth mindset believe that their abilities and skills can be developed over time through dedication and hard work. Growth mindset is a concept that goes hand-in-hand with longstanding Gateway principles, and we're happy to have experts at both schools incorporating curricula that focus on such an important aspect of learning. We believe all children can learn at high levels and teaching students to believe that they can is half the battle. 

In a similar vein, the new Common Core standards bring hope for greater success for all of our students. Although the transition to the Common Core has been a bumpy ride in other parts of the country, the Common Core standards are actually designed to give students more options in their respective futures. Gateway High School's Assistant Principal Shawna Gallo thoughtfully distills what we can expect from the Common Core changes and why we feel they are a positive shift for our schools.

On another note, Gateway High School is currently up for charter renewal. We have passed the first two of three committee hearings with the San Francisco Unified School District's Board of Education. We want to thank everyone in our community for their support, whether they attended a hearing in person or wrote a letter of support. Please follow us on Facebook for the latest announcements of dates and times for the third and decisive hearing.

Finally, as we head into the last quarter of our school year, we are reminded that none of us can do this alone. Public education works - really works - when parents, teachers, staff, and the broader community decide to make it work. We've built our reputation on that notion, and we hope to capitalize on it for years to come. Our students deserve the best we can offer, and together, we stand a really good chance of doing just that.

Regards,

Sharon Olken