NEW TO KING'S GATE

What makes King’s Gate different from other private schools or public school?

Heart – King’s Gate is not just a place, or just a group of people. King’s Gate is “a way” of respecting and loving children that spans more than 30 years. King’s Gate is a Christian school where every child is loved and recognized as a unique creation of God by a Christian staff working together to provide each child with the best start possible. The King’s Gate atmosphere is overflowing with elements that are basic for inspiring students to pursue and value godly character. Children start their week with chapel where they are introduced to biblical life principles and godly attributes. The teachers reinforce these values throughout the week through prayer, songs, stories, the use of Bible verses to help guide, and the classroom Bible center. Children are surrounded by a climate of mutual respect that improves self-esteem while they are inspired and empowered to solve their own problems and become self-directed learners, effective communicators and productive citizens.

Multiple Accreditations – King’s Gate is accredited on state, national and international levels. Many schools have memberships in accrediting organizations, without acquiring the accountability of accreditation. Some schools acquire accreditation, there is not another Christian school in Oklahoma with the level of multiple accreditations maintained by King’s Gate Christian School.

Extended Day – We offer programs for children 3 years old through 3rd Grade. Parents are able to bring their children for extended hours before and/or after their child’s class time. You can drop off as early as 8:00 and pick up as late as 5:30. You can also choose which days of a program your child is going to come early or stay late. We know that your family is unique and your world does not fit into a mold.

Highly Qualified Staff – Even though accrediting organizations are constantly raising the qualification requirements for teachers, King’s Gate continues to exceed the requirements. The King's Gate Elementary teachers are highly qualified with degrees in early childhood education, elementary education, child development and special education. The preschool teachers have their degrees in the field of education and child development. Our music teacher is certified in music education and our Spanish teacher is certified in foreign language education. Our science teacher is a wildlife biologist.

Team Teaching – While classrooms in other schools are taught by a teacher (that may or may not have a degree or certification), and some classrooms are lead by a teacher with an aid; King’s Gate preschool and pre-K classrooms are taught by certified teachers. These classroom that have more than 10 children will have 2 certified teachers, instead of a teacher and an aid. Working together as a team, the classroom teachers and the entire faculty apply their combined experience and education to teach and assess children. All the King's Gate teachers and staff will get to know your child.

Science – Through our unique science program, children learn not to be intimidated by problems but rather to walk through the scientific process of testing theories, collecting data and building on prior knowledge. So rather than becoming intimidated by a problem, King’s Gate students learn to find answers. Ms. Laurie McIvor Gillum, our science teacher, shares her incredible life experience from the rain forests of Hawaii and the Amazon, the barrier beach system, and the oceans of Alaska and Canada, as well as her experiences working to save endangered species. Ms. Laurie, our 4-acre outdoor classroom, animals in residence, an early childhood science fair, and the integration of science across our curriculum are just the beginning of the reasons why the King’s Gate’s science program is beyond compare.

Music – Music is also integrated across all areas of the curriculum. Each King’s Gate classroom will go to music once a week with Ms. Leah Sherman. Using an experiential approach, she will cover music theory, concepts, and experiences that include: vocal exploration, sound/no sound, pitch/tone, melody, steady beat, tempo, dynamics, rhythm, patterns, an introduction to music notation, orchestral instrument families, Orff instruments, and percussion instruments. 

Quality Curriculum – The children at King’s Gate learn through experimentation with a wide variety of materials and through direct instruction by the teacher. Each class has a new thematic unit each week and is designed to be a balance of teacher-directed and child-initiated learning. Concepts are taught through a developmental approach. Math, science, social studies, music, literature and art are all integrated into each unit. Language development is also an important area of our curriculum. A thematic unit schedule is sent home at the beginning of each year, and lesson plans are posted outside of each classroom. The classrooms are organized in such a way as to encourage independence, promote caring and to maximize learning. Our curriculum is designed to provide opportunities that will challenge children at the edge of their capabilities and our environment is a safe and loving place to test their theories and learn from their experiences.

Christian Character Education – Each week begins with chapel where a godly characteristic is introduced and defined through stories and songs (i.e. love, appreciation, friendship, cooperation, kindness, effort, truthfulness, respect, peace). The attribute is discussed and utilized throughout the week in Bible stories, books, music class, art activities, journals, group time discussions and dramatizations. We use Bible verses to reinforce a life of character. For example, a teacher might ask two children who are in a disagreement, “As far as it depends on you are you at peace with your friend?” (I Thessalonians 5:13). We practice the word of the week in Happy Happenings through Bible verses, songs and music with Ms. Leah.

Team Planning – Our classrooms do not stand alone or in competition with one another. The King’s Gate faculty, with our director, does lesson planning together in order to ensure that every classroom is the very best it can be.

A One-of-a-Kind Outdoor Play Environment – Our new playground was under development for more than 4 years and the playground was installed in the fall of 2008. The research for the design of our structure covers more than 8 years. We observed and interviewed children on playgrounds all over Oklahoma and a few in Texas. We interviewed teachers to find out what they wished manufacturers would remember in their designs. Then we challenged manufacturers to surpass the federal guidelines of safety and to take into account how a child develops and their tendencies during their early years. Every single aspect of our playground was selected after researching 1000’s of available options. Many parts of our playground were custom designed at our request in order to make the total environment more early childhood friendly and more accessible for the handicapped, as well as safer and more fun for all children. In addition, our design is easily supervised and easily accessed by teachers when a child needs assistance. The play value and safety of our total playground environment is over the top and children will remember playing on the King’s Gate “lighthouse” playground forever!

Trike Track – Our outdoor play environment includes a trike/bike track.