Middle School

Welcome To Wonderland
A Sneak Peak at 2020/2021
Curriculum
Classes By Grade

Middle School (5 - 8)

Welcome to Wonderland!

Because school should be more than just a place you go
because you HAVE to.
At Gateway, we inspire leadership, academic excellence and a
world-class education. Students, parents and staff work together to create a family environment for each learner.

Middle school is an exciting time for children and for parents. It is a time that may also be filled with pressure and anxiety. Middle school students are on their way to becoming independent. They are developing their own interests as they prepare for high school and beyond.

At Gateway Preparatory Academy, your child will spend this time exploring the world of academics with exciting interactive daily tasks paired with traditional learning. Leadership will be a large focus of students daily activities. This will establish a foundation of success for a lifetime. Our academic and support staff understand that every child is unique and learns at their own pace. Our curriculum and testing is designed to help every child succeed!

What to expect during these transitional years

Tweens face a number of challenges during the middle school years such as puberty, bullying, dating and other issues. It's not a surprise that many young adults struggle with anxiety or exhibit behavioral problems. Self-esteem may suffer during these formative years in the life of a pre-teen and teenager as they compare themselves with their peers.

Gateway partners with you as a family to navigate this time in your child’s life. We invite you to come and visit with us.
Take a tour and see how your family will benefit by becoming Gateway FAMILY!

A Sneak Peek into 2020 / 2021

Our middle school is housed in the historic White building on our campus. This beautiful building was the first college west of the Mississippi in the United States. The original building was the original site for the St. Stanislaus Seminary.

The seminary was founded in 1823 as some log buildings and a large farm to feed the missionaries. They had come to Florissant from Maryland at the behest of Saint Philippine Duchesne. It was named for Stanislaus Kostka. The main building, once known as the Old Rock Building, was built from 1840 to 1849 from limestone quarried by the Jesuits. Pierre-Jean De Smet was based in St. Stanislaus Seminary for some years.

Today it is known as the Kenneth house to honor Gregory Kenneth Morrison. He tragically passed away in 2013. Gregory was a boy with a vision. He was a boy who saw that being a Hero was not about capes and powers but about living for others on a daily basis. A hero is only as great as their impact.
"The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by."
-Felix Adler

Gregory Kenneth Morrison
5/8/2000 - 7/12/2013

Each year our two main classrooms will be transformed into a magical learning environment in keeping with the years theme. This years theme is A Life of Wonder! One classroom will become larger than life filled with life size classic games. The walls will come to life with skill building fun. Our other classroom will take us down the rabbit hole into Alice in WONDERland! This room will keep our students filled with the wonder and love for education. You can watch the progress of our room transformations on Facebook.

There is a place, like no place on earth. A land full of wonder, mystery and danger! Some say, to survive it, you need to be as mad as a hatter. Which luckily, I am. – Alice in Wonderland

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Middle School Curriculum

Micro Electives are a cornerstone of our middle school program. These electives are a hands on explosion of FUN! Electives last two to four weeks of the school year and immerse students into the world of creativity all while learning to explore new worlds of learning. Each of these electives will be presented to our students with FUN class names that will have your child forgetting this is school!

Animation
Film Production
Music Production
Audio Production
Video Game development
Cooking
Home Economics
Sign Language
Journalism
Student Council
Horticultural
Zoology
3-D Art
Painting
Robotics
Wood working

Hero Force

As a member of the Hero Force, students are asked to show compassion outside the classroom through meaningful community service called Hero Force. This amazing program connects academic learning to community problem solving. Hero Force encompasses opportunities for the whole child to grow and flourish beyond the classroom walls. As a result Hero Force creates a well-rounded caring student body.

What are the benefits of Hero Force?
Serving others is beneficial to the student, family, student body, and community. Experiences that include interaction in the community, are interesting and relevant to the student. They are valued activities in the community. It can increase a student’s academic achievement and attachment, motivation, and engagement in school.

Participation in meaningful community service efforts:

builds character, relationships and social skills
grows empathy
develops an increased sense of social responsibility
provides an opportunity to apply academic learning to real human needs
strengthens organizational and leadership abilities
Trains teens to become innovative citizens, people who see beyond surface causes and effect change in their communities and beyond
promotes tolerance
provides services for communities they otherwise might not have
opens doors to career possibilities, and so much more

Virtual Field Trips
Weekly our classroom will whisk students into another world via Virtual Field Trips.  Students will explore learning opportunities they may not ever get the opportunity to experience otherwise. And it can all happen from the comfort of our classrooms. We will travel to new worlds and unique adventures from Mount Rushmore to the Amazon.  These amazing days will quickly become students favorite times in the learning year!  The first day of school students will receive their passport book of all the places they will experience during the school year.

Class trips
This year our students will travel to Orlando for four days of exciting learning and team building.  Students will be able to fundraise to pay for the cost of this amazing trip.

Emotional Skills Class
Self-awareness, impulse control, empathy, teamwork, and responsible decision-making are just some of the social emotional skills that help students succeed in and out of school. Unfortunately, many students aren't developing them.   At Gateway we use a life changing curriculum called Habitudes!

The Habitudes for Social and Emotional Learning curriculum uses memorable imagery, real-life stories and practical experiences to teach timeless skills in a way that is relevant to students today. Students are constantly using images to communicate via emojis, Instagram, and Snapchat. Why not utilize their favorite language to bridge the gap between learning and real-life application as part of your social emotional learning program?

Habitudes for Social & Emotional Learning helps middle and high school students: