Gateway Elementary School

10/22/2026

🎨🌎 Growing in Greatness!

Our 6th graders are bringing science and art together at the Desert Empire Fair! 🌦️ Students incorporated their weather unit into beautiful watercolor maps of North America, adding weather markings such as isobars, high- and low-pressure fronts, and hurricanes. They even created a key with definitions to explain their work!

A special thank-you to the Senior Girl Scouts from Troop 330 for volunteering their time to help set up the display!

Want to see their work? Visit the Still-Life Exhibit in Joshua Hall at the Desert Empire Fairgrounds!

📍 520 S. Richmond Road, Ridgecrest, CA 93555
🗓️ Exhibit Hall Hours
* Friday, October 23: 4–10 PM
* Saturday, October 24: 2–10 PM
* Sunday, October 25: 2–9 PM

We’re proud of our Gators for showcasing their creativity and learning beyond the classroom! 🐊

10/22/2026

10/22/2026

Growing Together at Gateway! 🐊

Our Gators aren’t the only ones who enjoy a little creativity and hands-on fun! After yesterday’s meeting, our staff had the chance to put work aside for a bit, get creative, and enjoy time together. 🎨✨

We love sharing the learning, laughter, and connections that make Gateway special, not just in our classrooms, but throughout our school community.

Because when we grow together, we grow stronger! A huge shout out to Ellies Ark Design Co for these incredible kits!

10/21/2026

🧪✨ Life at Gateway!

Our preschool and TK students got hands-on with science this morning! 💚 They explored chemical reactions, giving our youngest Gators the chance to experiment, observe, and discover science in action! 🔬

We love seeing our little learners’ curiosity grow as they explore the world around them! 🌱

10/21/2026

Did you know Gateway has a Lending Locker? 💜

Our Lending Locker is a collection of extra clothing and essentials available to students who may need a little help during the school day. Whether it’s a bloody nose, a restroom accident, a dress code concern, or simply needing a clean change of clothes, our Lending Locker helps students feel comfortable, confident, and ready to learn!

We would love your help keeping it stocked!
💜 We’re accepting gently used, clean clothing:
Short- and long-sleeve shirts
Pants, leggings, and stretchy bottoms
Shorts
Sizes 4T through Youth Large for boys and girls

💚 We’re also in need of NEW packages of:
Socks
Underwear
Sizes 4T through Youth 9/10 for boys and girls

Donations can be dropped off at our school office. Every donation, big or small, makes a difference! 💕Thank you, Gateway families, for always showing up for our students and helping us make Gateway a wonderful place to learn and grow!

🐊 Rooted in Kindness, Growing in Greatness! 💜💚

10/20/2026

🌱💚 Growing in Greatness!

Mrs. Turner’s 2nd graders are taking ownership of their learning! Yesterday, students discussed what it means to be a Self-Directed Learner and worked together to identify the characteristics that help learners succeed.

Today, each Gator chose a personal goal for the month, shared steps they’ll take to reach it, and identified how they’ll know when they’ve mastered it! 🎯

We love seeing our Gators set goals, build responsibility, and take steps toward becoming their best selves! Capturing Kids' Hearts

10/19/2026

📚 Life at Gateway: Growing Strong Readers!

Our first graders are strengthening their reading skills through Orton-Gillingham (OG), a structured, multisensory approach to teaching students how to read and spell.

In this video, Mrs. Simon’s first graders are practicing a Vowel Intensive, part of OG’s three-part drill that all of our first graders participate in three times a week! Students practice identifying and producing vowel sounds, helping them build the foundational skills they need to decode words and become confident readers.

10/19/2026

🍞 Life at Gateway!

Mrs. Halligan’s 5th graders brought science to life with a hands-on yeast experiment! Our Gators explored what activates dormant yeast by comparing warm water and yeast with warm water, yeast, and sugar. Once the yeast became active, students took it a step further by mixing, kneading, and baking their very own bread!

A huge thank you to our cafeteria team, especially Abby, for helping bake the bread, Sue Leblanc for making it possible, and the families who donated flour and mini bread pans! What a delicious way to connect science to real-world skills! 🐊

10/19/2026

Here’s what’s happening at Gateway this week!