High School

    

High School

Our Grade 9 - 12 students are part of the Gateway/Thurber program (Gurber Program); half the day they are at Gateway and the other half at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School. Students will have the opportunity to attend Worship at Gateway once a week during the flex block. They are also able to take advantage of their Flex blocks at both schools, and to access supports for their success through teachers and support staff at both schools.

  • Grade 9 & 12 students will spend the first half of every day at Gateway Christian School where they will take their core courses, work during their flex block, and attend our all-school worship (Gr. 9 will participate will Bible classes). Students will spend each afternoon at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School where they will take their option courses as well as their Physical Education classes.
  • Gr. 10 & 11 students spend the first half of every day at Lindsay Thurber Comprehensive High School where they will take their option courses as well as their Physical Education courses and send the afternoon at Gateway where they will take their core courses.

Gateway’s commitment is to offer a Christ-centered program, within a loving environment, where parents and teachers work together to give every student the opportunity to reach their full potential. Gateway teachers are committed Christians who teach Biblical truths called ‘Throughlines’ woven throughout the curriculum and school life. These are the building blocks that guide our living that describe how we can become part of the restoration of Creation.                               

To access timetable of Gr. 9-12 courses offered at Gateway for the 2019-20 school year, click HIGH SCHOOL COURSES

Check out our  HIGH SCHOOL BROCHURE 

Gateway’s High School FAIL Safe Plan  

Philosophy:  It is our commitment to students and families to see all students who begin high school with Gateway Christian School through to graduation. There can be obstacles for students - academic uncertainty, equity issues, family pressures, indifference, peer pressure - the list is endless. Predicting and planning for these obstacles is key. 

The truth is, barriers to high school graduation turn into barriers to post-secondary options,  economic freedom, mobility, and vocational freedom later in life. Intervention early in a student’s academic career is essential to graduation success. 

Graduating high school means succeeding academically. It also means understanding the mission and vision of Gateway Christian School: to be equipped to SERVE God joyfully in every area of life. In that light, academic success is as necessary as personal enjoyment and fulfillment, athletic accomplishments, experiences with trades and the arts, extracurricular opportunities, a sense of belonging to a supportive community, and a feeling of purpose as students take steps towards the next chapters of their lives. 

Commitment to Students

In order to see all students graduate, staff at Gateway Christian school is committed to the following areas of supervision, evaluation, and encouragement. While this may not be an exhaustive list, it addresses areas that many students face barriers.

Attendance

Gateway’s high school attendance policy requires that students are in class. When students attend classes, they pass classes. While this may seem like an oversimplified equation, the truth is that when students are not in attendance, they struggle, miss assignments, get behind. Reporting attendance every class is essential. 

Commitments:

  • Teachers will follow up with students who miss classes by having work/notes/assignments ready for them when they return

  • Teachers will engage with students and parents to inform and address potential issues to attendance

  • Administrators will follow up with students who miss classes by enforcing a 90% non-excused policy. When students are not attending, or miss 3 classes (without excuse) an in-school suspension will be assigned. An Attendance Contract may be assigned

Communication of marks

Teachers are expected to regularly update PowerSchool. Marks will be kept up to date, and students and parents are encouraged to check on them regularly. Each semester, Parent Teacher Interviews occur, which is an opportunity for parents and teachers to discuss the current standing of students. 

Commitments:

  • Students are completing assignments on time and communicating when there are barriers to punctuality and completeness

  • Teachers are updating PowerSchool regularly

  • Marks are posted a MAXIMUM of two weeks after an assignment has been collected

  • 0 percent policy - Missing assignments can be excused (and therefore not affect a course mark) if students were excused from the classes that the assignments were worked on. Unexcused absences do not fall into this category. Giving students opportunities to complete assignments, even past their due dates is appropriate. In school suspensions could be assigned to help students complete these assignments. 

Failing Marks

Failing marks are often a temporary situation. Students can get behind in a class. Often, students have neglected to hand things in, or keep up with assignments. Getting a student to a passing mark may be simply collecting the things that remain outstanding. Every two weeks, a ‘fail list’ will be printed for students in grades 9-12. This list will inform teachers and administrators of next steps for specific students.

Commitments

  • The office will print no fail lists every two weeks

  • Students are handing in incomplete work and keeping up with assignments

  • Teacher is meeting with students who are behind, delinquent in work

  • Teacher communicates status with parents - NO SURPRISES!

  • HS teachers to meet with admin if student is failing - discuss steps that have been taken

  • Administrators assign in-school suspensions for students who are behind in classwork/assignments

  • Administrators may create attendance contract for student if spotty attendance is a factor

  • Log entries for students who are on attendance contracts, have teacher concerns, in-school suspensions (OTHER?)

  • Connection to CLW/Counsellor/Mental Health Worker if more follow-up is required

Failing Courses

At times, even with all of the above interventions, students may fail a course. Each failed course in grade 9 has the potential to affect the future of high school success for a student. Failed courses in grades 10-12 result in the missing out of credits that should/could have been earned for the class. Even 5 credits not recovered can result in a student failing to meet the graduation requirements. 

Commitments

  • Students must be constantly checking on their marks, and responsible for the work that they turn in, for their attendance in class, and for the work that is being done

  • Are students in the right stream? While they may have met the prerequisites, it is possible that students don’t have the capability to continue in a stream.

    • Is this the proper stream for students?

    • Can Gateway cater to the needs of the students? 

    • Are the courses that are available at Gateway appropriate for the student? 

  • If a grade 9 student fails a core class in semester 1, their schedule should be altered to RE-TAKE the course in semester 2. 

  • If a grade 10 student fails a course in semester 1, their schedule should be altered to RE-TAKE the course in semester 2 in order to recoup the lost credits. 

  • Failing a course will result in a meeting with administrators/teachers/parents. If schedules do not allow for retaking of courses, re-appraisals of the students course path must be explored to ensure that the necessary classes are achieved and completed. 

  • Summer School options will be explored and communicated with parents/students. 

Communication with Parents

A key piece to helping students overcoming obstacles to graduation is clear, consistent, and honest communication. We are committed to communicating effectively with parents so they are able to make decisions that are in the best interest for their children.

Commitments

  • Teachers use Remind, Email, Newsletter, etc. to establish communication with parents

  • Teachers pass out, post, and share clear course outlines, including a breakdown of assessment procedures and guidelines

  • Parent teacher interviews and Case Conferences are used to effectively communicate ideas and concerns about student achievement

  • Log entries are used when teachers:

    • have concern for students’ marks

    • have conversations with students about said concerns

    • have conversations with parents

    • assign in-school suspensions

Grade 12 Graduation is Friday, June 26th, 2020!

Internet Safety:  Parent Resource

​What a privilege to work in a Christian school, where we can talk about the love that God has for us. We love because He loves us! It is appropriate, right, and good to share warm wishes and kind words and thoughts with each other - it is a Community Building day!

It can also be a day that we think about loss, the imperfection within our relationships, and the brokenness that sometimes occurs within our lives. We live in a strange time of Almost, and not yet - God has done it all through Jesus, and we trust and believe in Him, but until He comes again we live in a time of waiting, and wanting. 

The work you do everyday with your children is critical. Your love and care for them, your conversations and example - you are the primary educators! At Gateway we count ourselves blessed to partner with you in that regard. 

As you know, next week is winter break - a time for students to be off school, and three days of professional learning and growth for school staff. The week after that, February 24-28, Gateway will be celebrating Pink Shirt Day, Random Acts of Kindness Week, and will be pursuing some healthy mindset initiatives within our SPARK, Health, and Bible classes. 

We wanted to share some resources with you as well! ​​​​Navigating the world today is tricky for everyone - especially children! Many have the wealth of the world's knowledge at their fingertips and sometimes even in their pockets with technology. Like all tools, we see the value in technology, but it too bears the mark of sin, and has the power to impact people's lives, relationships, and ways of thinking. 

Click INTERNET SAFETY RESOURCE, chat with your kids, ask if you have questions or need clarification, reach out when you feel you need support. We're in this together! 

Chris Kooman,  GCS Vice-Principal