Love-Filled Learning at the Academy of Gateway ❅♥

Winter has continued to be filled with creativity, connection, and meaningful moments. Both inside the classroom and at home. Even with a few snow days spent snuggled up with our loved ones, the learning and love never stopped.

Our students explored creativity and sensory expression through ice painting, discovering color mixing, temperature changes, and texture while strengthening fine motor skills and curiosity. We also continued important conversations with equality art, helping your children express ideas around kindness, fairness, and respect through creative play.

To show our appreciation, we shared a donut treat for our families, celebrating the strong partnership between home and school.

As Valentine's day approaches, classrooms were filled with love and creativity. Students are creating valentine's art for loved ones, and valentine abstract chalk art to spark confidence in self-expression.

Through creative fun, we have practiced problem-solving, collaboration, and open-ended thinking! We are proving once again that play is POWERFUL LEARNING!

What a heartwarming and creative season it's been at the Academy of Gateway! We are so grateful for our families and love watching our students grow through art, connection, and joyful experiences. ❤❇

Winter Adventures & Meaningful Moments at the Academy of Gateway ⛇

Winter fun is in full swing at the Academy of Gateway, and our students have been learning, moving, and celebrating together through hands-on experiences that support growth across every learning domain.

Families were greeted with smiles at pick-up during our Melted Snowman snack to go!

Our halls came alive during Storybook Character Dress-Up Day, where children stepped into their favorite characters, supporting language development, imagination, and confidence through storytelling and play. Movement stayed strong with Fitness Fanatics activities like Iceberg Hop and Winter Movement Dice, helping build gross motor skills, balance, coordination, and listening skills.

Math and prediction skills were highlighted with our Marshmallow (Snowball) Guessing Jar, encouraging early math concepts, number sense, and critical thinking. Creativity continued with beautiful snowflake crafts, strengthening fine motor skills, pattern recognition, and artistic expression.

Sensory play was a big hit with our Snow Shovel Races Sensory Bin, where children worked on sensory processing, problem-solving, and cooperative play. We also popped into fun with Popcorn Day, celebrating both our amazing staff and families and reinforcing community connection and social development.

Today, we proudly honored Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through equality-themed crafts, helping children explore kindness, fairness, respect, and social awareness in age-appropriate and meaningful ways.

What a snow-packed, joy-filled, and purposeful season it’s been at the Academy of Gateway! We love watching our students grow through play, movement, creativity, and community.

❄️ Kicking Off the New Year with Winter Fun at the Academy of Gateway ❄️

We’re kicking off the new year the Gateway way with creativity, movement, and hands-on learning! The start of January has been full of winter-themed fun as our students explored new activities designed to support development across multiple learning domains.

Our classrooms cooled down with a snowman sensory bin, where children strengthened sensory processing, fine motor skills, and imaginative play while exploring textures and materials. To ring in the new year, students created a New Year’s craft, supporting creativity, self-expression, and early literacy through conversation and design.

January also introduced our Fitness Fanatics Fridays! Every Friday, students get moving with activities that build gross motor development, coordination, balance, and healthy habits. Strong bodies support strong minds!

Art and creativity stayed in full swing as children designed their own winter hats, encouraging fine motor control, color recognition, and decision-making skills. 

We continued the fun with a cozy hot cocoa sensory bin, promoting sensory exploration, social-emotional development, and pretend play as children played and learned together.

What a snow-tastic and energetic way to kick off the new year at the Academy of Gateway! We can’t wait to keep the learning, movement, and fun going all winter long. ❅

🎄 Festive Fun at the Academy of Gateway 🎄

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The past two weeks at the Academy of Gateway have been filled with joy, laughter, learning, and so much holiday cheer! Our classrooms transformed into winter wonderlands as students participated in a variety of festive activities that created lasting memories for our children, families, and staff.

We kicked off the season with Reindeer in a Cup, a fun grab-n-go activity that blended creativity with fine motor skills. Smiles were everywhere when we had a very special visit from the Grinch, who brought excitement, laughter, and just a little mischief to our day!

Our students proudly showed off their holiday spirit by wearing reindeer ears and participating in hands-on crafts, including a meaningful paper plate menorah craft as we learned about traditions celebrated by different families in our community. To keep things extra fun, we hosted an Ugly Christmas Sweater Day, and our classrooms were full of color, personality, and holiday flair.

Writing and literacy were at the heart of our celebrations as children wrote letters to Santa, sharing their wishes and practicing early writing skills. Santa himself even joined us to read a Christmas story, while everyone wore their favorite Santa hats—a truly magical moment!

Our Pre-K students shined bright during their Christmas concert, proudly performing for their families and showing just how much they’ve learned and grown. We also enjoyed a cozy PJ and Christmas Movie Day, complete with comfy pajamas and festive films.

To wrap up this incredible season, Santa delivered personalized letters back to our students, bringing smiles, excitement, and a sense of wonder that made the holidays extra special.

What a festive, fun, and memory-filled time it has been at the Academy of Gateway! We are so grateful to our families for sharing this season with us and allowing us to create such meaningful moments for your children.