Dear GCC students, families, staff, supporters, and community members,

The Gateway Community Charters and the world ended the 2020-2021 school year in an unprecedented but hopeful manner. As we begin the 2021-2022 school year, we recognize the continuing pandemic, increased awareness of inequities, and the reopening of our economy. I am pleased to represent the GCC as we seek excellence in these uncertain times. Gateway Community Charters continues to refine, improve and fulfill its vision of creating quality school choice with an emphasis on serving vulnerable populations. As the GCC enters its nineteenth year, we are inspired by the story of the lotus flower. The lotus flower, is rooted in mud, surrounded by water and somehow finds a way to bloom and grow... A lotus flower is a survivor, it pushes its way through muddy waters and finds the sunlight. This year our motto is GCC Strong-Curiosity, Courage, and Commitment. This message will inspire, inform and guide our work across our nine schools and 19 physical locations in the 2021-2022 school year.

 

This document is a shared blueprint that outlines our work to ensure;

 

a) that our students will be prepared to succeed in the world they live in now, and the one they will inhabit in the future and,

b) that our organization retains its' focus on innovation, autonomy and sustainability.

 

The Blueprint for Excellence is a living document with input, revisions and additions made by multiple stakeholders, including the GCC staff and cabinet, school site administration, parents, our Community Business Advisory Council, GCC Foundation, and the GCC Board.

 

The Blueprint is designed to make clear the vision, mission, core values, beliefs, core commitments, goals and future plans of the organization. It is our bold desire, our calling, and our focused intent to create a whole system of excellence, rather than episodic pockets of excellence. We are committed to using data and metrics – qualitative, quantitative, and anecdotal - to hold ourselves accountable for our students’ success.

 

As a Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase organization, we believe that strong positive relationships are the foundation for everything we do from the classroom to the boardroom and out into the community.