Dear Gateway Community,

What a first semester! With Finals upon us in both of our schools, we can feel the winter break within reach. My sincerest thanks go out to all of our teachers, faculty, and students for a terrific first half of the school year. And thank you to all of our parents, guardians, volunteers, and friends of Gateway: the work we do together really makes a difference in the lives of our students!

This is the time of year when we reflect on all the wonderful things we've accomplished as a community, and there is so much to celebrate. We have now sent over 1,200 students on to college. In the last two years, 100% of our graduating high school students were accepted into colleges and universities across the county. And earlier this semester, we were granted a significant change in our enrollment process that will give us seven consistent years with students in order to prepare them for an ever-changing world and competitive job market. 

As we look forward to the coming year, we have our middle school charter renewal in the spring. We will need your support as we move into the process, so stay tuned for updates. We also continue to build out the initiatives that will share our best practices, leverage strategic partnerships, and provide resources and infrastructure to support students throughout San Francisco and beyond. And don't forget: Project Weeks kicks off at the high school right after the Winter Break. If you haven't yet, please follow us on Facebook - a great place for day-to-day goings on. 

We work every day to make sure our students go on to lead productive and fulfilling lives. We are equally committed to supporting our faculty and staff in meaningful ways that promote their retention and personal stability. And on occasion, we have the opportunity to wish our colleagues well as they undertake extraordinary new adventures of their own. In this vein, please join me in wishing well Kathryn Hecht, our dear Director of Communications, as she flies off to do great things for students in Northern Sonoma County. In her short time at Gateway, Kathryn helped define the best things about our community and put the superb work of our schools proudly on display for us and the rest of the world to enjoy. Thanks, Kathryn!

There is much to look forward to and a great deal for which to be grateful. All of us at Gateway wish you and yours a warm and joyous holiday season. 

Regards,

Sharon Olken