Professionals Newsletter - Winter 2017-18

E V A S TE A D

the

Gala Chair: Lisa Wolman www.gatewayschool.org/giving/gala

STAY CONNECTED Instagram: thegatewayschool

CREDITS EDITOR

Andrew Ng, Associate Director of Communications

DESIGN

Soul Story Graphic Design Co.

PHOTOS YouTube: The Gateway School LinkedIn: The Gateway School

211 West 61st Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10023

PROFESSIONALS EDITION | WINTER 2017-18

Mandarin Oriental, New York 80 Columbus Circle

Gala

Facebook: gatewayschools

newsletter

Thursday, April 26, 2018 6:00 p.m.

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

Matthew Septimus and Gateway Staff Carolyn Salzman, Head of School Maureen Ryan, Chief Financial and Operating Officer Jennifer Cherney, Director of Institutional Advancement

NON-PROFIT U. S. POSTAGE PAID 04330 PERMIT NO. 121

Dear Friends and Colleagues, Welcome to the first issue of our redesigned newsletter for the professional community! If you are unfamiliar with The Gateway School, or know of us but have not interacted with us recently, we hope this first issue will give you a good sense of who we are, whom we serve, and how we can work together.

Gateway operates on a rolling admissions basis. We accept applications beginning in September for the following academic year and interview applicants year-round.

Admission is granted based on a variety of factors including the student’s learning profile (see sidebar), responsiveness to intervention, and class grouping. Gateway does not accept students diagnosed with Developmental Delay, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder/ Asperger’s Syndrome, Nonverbal Learning Disabilities, Emotional/Behavioral-Based Challenges, or Developmental Coordination Disorder as a primary diagnosis.

To learn more, please visit the Admissions section of our website (www.gatewayschool.org) or contact our Admissions office at admissions@gatewayschool.org or (212) 777-5966 x817.

Professionals_Newsletter_Winter17-18.indd 2-3

THE GATEWAY STUDENT We accept students from ages 5 through 13. The typical Gateway student has struggled in mainstream classrooms as a result of one or more of the following: • language-based learning disability (dyslexia, expressive and receptive language delays, reading and writing disorders) • attention deficit hyperactivity disorder • executive function disorder

211 West 61st Street, 6th Fl | New York, NY 10023 | www.gatewayschool.org

12/19/2017 11:08:05 AM

The Gateway School is a K-8, independent day school that transforms the lives of bright students with language-based learning disabilities and attention deficits.

At Gateway, our students become skilled, strategic learners and confident selfadvocates. Relying on direct, multisensory instruction and guided by an integrated curriculum, expert faculty teach students the language, literacy, and critical thinking skills that are the foundations for success in mainstream educational settings and beyond. Gateway believes a close relationship between the school and parents provides essential support as students grow and seek to realize their potential. In small classes and as members of a diverse and inclusive community, Gateway students experience academic and social success, recognize their strengths, and are empowered to become independent learners.

Deconstructing Our Mission Statement The Gateway School continues to refine its program as part of a five-year strategic plan, adopted by the Board of Trustees in 2014, that will secure Gateway’s position as one of the premier independent schools serving students with special needs. To support this vision and better describe the work that we do, the Board approved a new mission statement last year (see sidebar).

Our new statement has three parts: whom we serve, to what end, and how we do it. First, we serve “bright students with languagebased learning disabilities and attention deficits.” This is a narrower profile than in years past, and it lets us target areas of remediation more effectively, within the context of a well-rounded education. Specifically, behind the veil of our students’ learning differences are the hallmarks of language impairment and ADHD: deficits in working memory and processing speed.

Speed, however, has nothing to do with intelligence. Overall our students have above-average intelligence, and once they “learn how to learn,” they go on to higher academics and the workforce having become “skilled, strategic learners and confident selfadvocates.” Proof of this lifelong independence can be found among our 600+ alumni. Consider this quote from a 2004 graduate: “Being able to break down a word, whether it was two syllables or five syllables, that was my biggest struggle . . . just learning different tactics and skills to break down these words, still to this day I use them, in college and after, and it all started here.”

Like every good program, Gateway stays true to its core principles while constantly keeping pace with research in our field. Our program relies on “direct, multisensory instruction” and is “guided by an integrated curriculum.” At the core of our curriculum is a stronger-than-ever focus on language and literacy.

These are the fundamental building blocks of learning across all subjects—not just reading and writing, but also social studies, science, math, and more. Gateway has also refined its curriculum to be more robust and sequential, mirroring the curricula of mainstream schools, and it has introduced Research Paper Writing and Technology courses to help prepare students for success in 21st-century classrooms.

To enact this program requires “expert faculty [who teach students] language, literacy, and critical thinking skills.” The key word here is expert. Years in the making, we now have a formal professional development program in place, with many components: workshops, lectures, coaching, guided planning, and evaluations. The results are a cadre of expert teachers, highquality instruction, and a united pedagogy across the school.

None of the above would be possible without our community of parents, donors, colleagues, and champions who engage with us in myriad ways: attending our Gala, recommending the school, or simply reading this newsletter. Our parents—past and present— are especially vital partners, for “a close relationship between the school and parents provides essential support as students grow and seek to realize their potential.” Because of our community, the promise of our tagline is realized: Success Starts Here.

Professionals_Newsletter_Winter17-18.indd 4-5

new this year

Our Mission

Three Language Classes per Week To further emphasize language and literacy as the foundation of our program, younger classes in the Lower School now take an additional Language class each week with a Language Therapist, for a total of three Language classes each week. These are in addition to 90 minutes of daily instruction in Reading and Writing that all students take.

New Regulation-Size Gym Middle School students now enjoy Physical Education classes in a regulation-size gym located just two short blocks away at John Jay College. This facility provides our older students with ample space for team sports. In addition, they attend a fitness and exercise class at a nearby CrossFit SPOT facility.

Research Paper Writing Our successful Research course, introduced in the Middle School last year, has been extended to older classes in the Lower School. The Middle School course teaches students to research and write papers on topics related to their work in Humanities or Science, with increasing complexity from year to year. The Lower School course focuses on study skills and writing using Social Studies-related content.

Outdoor Team-Building Experiences The Middle School Teamwork Adventure and 8th Grade Class Trip are successful traditions that provide immersive, outdoor, team-building experiences for our students. In November, we added another to the list: a 6th Grade Class Trip.

This overnight retreat took place at the Ashokan Center in New York’s Catskill Mountains, and it connected with the students’ Science curriculum.

12/19/2017 11:08:14 AM

The Gateway School is a K-8, independent day school that transforms the lives of bright students with language-based learning disabilities and attention deficits.

At Gateway, our students become skilled, strategic learners and confident selfadvocates. Relying on direct, multisensory instruction and guided by an integrated curriculum, expert faculty teach students the language, literacy, and critical thinking skills that are the foundations for success in mainstream educational settings and beyond. Gateway believes a close relationship between the school and parents provides essential support as students grow and seek to realize their potential. In small classes and as members of a diverse and inclusive community, Gateway students experience academic and social success, recognize their strengths, and are empowered to become independent learners.

Deconstructing Our Mission Statement The Gateway School continues to refine its program as part of a five-year strategic plan, adopted by the Board of Trustees in 2014, that will secure Gateway’s position as one of the premier independent schools serving students with special needs. To support this vision and better describe the work that we do, the Board approved a new mission statement last year (see sidebar).

Our new statement has three parts: whom we serve, to what end, and how we do it. First, we serve “bright students with languagebased learning disabilities and attention deficits.” This is a narrower profile than in years past, and it lets us target areas of remediation more effectively, within the context of a well-rounded education. Specifically, behind the veil of our students’ learning differences are the hallmarks of language impairment and ADHD: deficits in working memory and processing speed.

Speed, however, has nothing to do with intelligence. Overall our students have above-average intelligence, and once they “learn how to learn,” they go on to higher academics and the workforce having become “skilled, strategic learners and confident selfadvocates.” Proof of this lifelong independence can be found among our 600+ alumni. Consider this quote from a 2004 graduate: “Being able to break down a word, whether it was two syllables or five syllables, that was my biggest struggle . . . just learning different tactics and skills to break down these words, still to this day I use them, in college and after, and it all started here.”

Like every good program, Gateway stays true to its core principles while constantly keeping pace with research in our field. Our program relies on “direct, multisensory instruction” and is “guided by an integrated curriculum.” At the core of our curriculum is a stronger-than-ever focus on language and literacy.

These are the fundamental building blocks of learning across all subjects—not just reading and writing, but also social studies, science, math, and more. Gateway has also refined its curriculum to be more robust and sequential, mirroring the curricula of mainstream schools, and it has introduced Research Paper Writing and Technology courses to help prepare students for success in 21st-century classrooms.

To enact this program requires “expert faculty [who teach students] language, literacy, and critical thinking skills.” The key word here is expert. Years in the making, we now have a formal professional development program in place, with many components: workshops, lectures, coaching, guided planning, and evaluations. The results are a cadre of expert teachers, highquality instruction, and a united pedagogy across the school.

None of the above would be possible without our community of parents, donors, colleagues, and champions who engage with us in myriad ways: attending our Gala, recommending the school, or simply reading this newsletter. Our parents—past and present— are especially vital partners, for “a close relationship between the school and parents provides essential support as students grow and seek to realize their potential.” Because of our community, the promise of our tagline is realized: Success Starts Here.

Professionals_Newsletter_Winter17-18.indd 4-5

new this year

Our Mission

Three Language Classes per Week To further emphasize language and literacy as the foundation of our program, younger classes in the Lower School now take an additional Language class each week with a Language Therapist, for a total of three Language classes each week. These are in addition to 90 minutes of daily instruction in Reading and Writing that all students take.

New Regulation-Size Gym Middle School students now enjoy Physical Education classes in a regulation-size gym located just two short blocks away at John Jay College. This facility provides our older students with ample space for team sports. In addition, they attend a fitness and exercise class at a nearby CrossFit SPOT facility.

Research Paper Writing Our successful Research course, introduced in the Middle School last year, has been extended to older classes in the Lower School. The Middle School course teaches students to research and write papers on topics related to their work in Humanities or Science, with increasing complexity from year to year. The Lower School course focuses on study skills and writing using Social Studies-related content.

Outdoor Team-Building Experiences The Middle School Teamwork Adventure and 8th Grade Class Trip are successful traditions that provide immersive, outdoor, team-building experiences for our students. In November, we added another to the list: a 6th Grade Class Trip.

This overnight retreat took place at the Ashokan Center in New York’s Catskill Mountains, and it connected with the students’ Science curriculum.

12/19/2017 11:08:14 AM

E V A S TE A D

the

Gala Chair: Lisa Wolman www.gatewayschool.org/giving/gala

STAY CONNECTED Instagram: thegatewayschool

CREDITS EDITOR

Andrew Ng, Associate Director of Communications

DESIGN

Soul Story Graphic Design Co.

PHOTOS YouTube: The Gateway School LinkedIn: The Gateway School

211 West 61st Street, 6th Floor New York, NY 10023

PROFESSIONALS EDITION | WINTER 2017-18

Mandarin Oriental, New York 80 Columbus Circle

Gala

Facebook: gatewayschools

newsletter

Thursday, April 26, 2018 6:00 p.m.

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP

Matthew Septimus and Gateway Staff Carolyn Salzman, Head of School Maureen Ryan, Chief Financial and Operating Officer Jennifer Cherney, Director of Institutional Advancement

NON-PROFIT U. S. POSTAGE PAID 04330 PERMIT NO. 121

Dear Friends and Colleagues, Welcome to the first issue of our redesigned newsletter for the professional community! If you are unfamiliar with The Gateway School, or know of us but have not interacted with us recently, we hope this first issue will give you a good sense of who we are, whom we serve, and how we can work together.

Gateway operates on a rolling admissions basis. We accept applications beginning in September for the following academic year and interview applicants year-round.

Admission is granted based on a variety of factors including the student’s learning profile (see sidebar), responsiveness to intervention, and class grouping. Gateway does not accept students diagnosed with Developmental Delay, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder/ Asperger’s Syndrome, Nonverbal Learning Disabilities, Emotional/Behavioral-Based Challenges, or Developmental Coordination Disorder as a primary diagnosis.

To learn more, please visit the Admissions section of our website (www.gatewayschool.org) or contact our Admissions office at admissions@gatewayschool.org or (212) 777-5966 x817.

Professionals_Newsletter_Winter17-18.indd 2-3

THE GATEWAY STUDENT We accept students from ages 5 through 13. The typical Gateway student has struggled in mainstream classrooms as a result of one or more of the following: • language-based learning disability (dyslexia, expressive and receptive language delays, reading and writing disorders) • attention deficit hyperactivity disorder • executive function disorder

211 West 61st Street, 6th Fl | New York, NY 10023 | www.gatewayschool.org

12/19/2017 11:08:05 AM