On your child’s birthday, you may send a box of cake, cupcakes, or treats. Please send one treat per child. A birthday ring will take place, and your child will receive a crown.  We regret that full-scale birthday parties with invitations and presents will have to take place outside of school hours.  Hard copy invitations for parties will only be distributed at school if all boys and/or girls from the class are invited. A class list is made available on Class Dojo with the contact details of parents for sending invitations digitally.

We are proud to be one of Clarendon Park Primary School’s official feeder schools. Our children receive preference, subject to the feeder zone criteria as outlined on the Clarendon Park Primary School application policy, when being considered for acceptance for Grade 1.  Grade R parents are notified when applications open and are able to collect a form from reception in order to apply. Please refer to Clarendon Park Primary School’s application policy available on their website: 

Each class has a parent appointed to run a WhatsApp group to send reminders and share communications with their class. We encourage parents to be respectful of one another in the group by adhering to good practice guidelines, which will be shared when the group is created.  

Please send your child to school in suitable clothing and shoes.  “Dress-up” clothes e.g. masks, capes, crowns, jewellery, etc. are not allowed. Girls should wear leggings/shorts under dresses and skirts. We ask that shoes be appropriate for climbing and running. High heels and shoes with wheels or lights are not permitted. Keep one change of clothes, in your child’s school bag, in case of accidents.  Ensure that all clothes are marked. At the end of each term, remaining lost property will be donated to charity. Your child will receive a school t-shirt as part of their fees at the start of each school year.  Inquire at reception if you would like to purchase additional apparel.

New parents are asked to read, sign, and return the code of conduct acceptance form, either via email or hard copy.  Our code of conduct is in place to ensure a safe and happy environment for all our children, staff, and parents.  The code of conduct is available on our website. 

The Class Dojo App is the tool our school uses for communication. You will receive a digital invitation to join before school commences. You can correspond with our team via the app. If you wish to have a more in-depth, private meeting, please make an appointment to meet with your child’s teacher. 

Staff and parents are expected to communicate in a cordial and respectful manner.  Our behaviour is observed and imitated by our children, and we encourage all adults to be positive communication role models.  If you are unhappy with the service provided by a staff member, please address the issue with the Principal and not with the staff member directly.

Principal          Lindsay Steyn              principal@gatewayspre.com

Bursar              Rachel Adams             info@gatewayspre.com

We follow the CAPS curriculum as outlined by the Department of Education.  Our programme is further enriched and tailored to best support the variety of learning styles and ability levels within each class.

We strive to create a happy and harmonious environment for our children.  Positive affirmation and good behaviour is emphasized. The Grade R classes make use of a reward system on our Class Dojo App. If a child is unable to follow the general rules of the classroom, they will be spoken to by their teacher.  Should the behavior continue, the child will be asked to sit for time out in one of the designated areas within view of the teacher or given an appropriate consequence task, such as cleaning up a mess they have made.  Should behaviour not improve or if there are further concerns, parents will be contacted. For most children, the above steps prove effective.  However, some children will need further support and steps will be taken in accordance with our code of conduct.

Gateways Pre-Primary School recognizes that our cultural diversity is a valuable national asset and respects all languages used in the country, including South African Sign Language and the languages referred to in the South African Constitution. We aim to facilitate communication across the barriers of colour, language and region. We encourage respect for languages other than one’s own.

In accordance with the regulations promulgated in terms of section 6(1) of the South African Schools Act of 1996, the School Governing Body has determined that Gateways Pre-Primary School is an English medium school, and English is the primary language of instruction. Children with home languages other than English are not discriminated against and are welcomed at the school, with the understanding that they will be taught via the primary language of instruction of the school.

The registration fee received on enrolment is a non-refundable administration fee. School and Aftercare fees are annually increased, as determined by the Governing Body. Parents are notified at the end of the year in writing of increases that take effect at the start of the following year.  Parents may choose to pay the fees monthly over 11 months or as a lump sum with a discount as reflected on the fees letter.  We encourage parents to arrange for direct debits with our Bursar via info@gatewayspre.com.  No cash payments will be allowed. Invoices are sent out to parents monthly via email. A Letter of good standing, from Gateways Pre-Primary, is required by most schools when applying for Grade 1, and the efficiency with which fees are paid is disclosed.

Aftercare children are suspended from aftercare if fees are in arrears. Please note that the school does not receive a subsidy from the Department of Education and relies on prompt payment of fees.

All our staff members have first aid training, which is renewed every three years. Should your child sustain an injury at school, one of our staff members will treat the injury.  Should an injury require an explanation, parents will receive a message on Class Dojo, outlining the injury and treatment given.  If an injury occurs and the child shows signs of concussion, requires x-rays or stitches or needs monitoring; parents will be called to fetch their child immediately. In case of an emergency, we will contact Gardmed to transport the patient to hospital.

Our school relies on fundraising to enrich our environment with improvements and resources, allowing us to keep school fees as low as possible.  Parents are required to participate in our fundraising projects to assist us with our yearly goals.  Every attempt is made to use the funds raised promptly, so that our children benefit right away. 

The Governing Body consists of a minimum of four parents and three staff members.  Parents vote from the nominees to fill open posts, at the Annual General Meeting. The responsibility of the Governing Body is to create, manage and implement policies that are in the best interests of the children, staff, and parents of our school. Each member takes on a portfolio which they are responsible for.  The parent portfolios include: Staff Appointments and concerns, Financials, Property Management, and Secretary.

Each year, parents are invited to sign up to join the Kindness Club. You may be called on at some point in the year to offer a kind gesture to a family in the school who needs support due to hospitalization, births, illness, etc.  The kindness gesture could be a meal for the family, flowers, a gift, or offering a play date for their child, etc.  This is an opportunity to develop our sense of community within the school and role model to our children what it means to show kindness towards others. 

Part of the Sundries Fee is used to buy books for the school. This helps our library stay fresh and vibrant.  Library day will take place on Fridays.  Children may take a book home and exchange it the following week. Please ensure that your child takes good care of the books. If books are lost, please send R75.00 so that the book can be replaced.

Please check the lost property box on a regular basis. This box is kept outside the reception area.  All lost property not claimed by the end of each term will be donated to charity. All marked clothes will be returned to the owner.

Please ensure that your child has a healthy lunch each day, e.g. sandwich, fruit, yogurt, etc. Place lunch into a lunch box your child can manage on his/her own. Cool drink should be sent in a reusable, spill proof bottle.  Please avoid sending soft drinks and energy drinks. Each child is required to have their own cool drink bottle and lunchbox. If your child stays for aftercare, it is recommended they bring two lunch boxes for morning and afternoon snack respectively.  Aftercare children receive a light lunch provided by the school.

Gateways Pre-Primary School has a safety officer, who is responsible for checking all equipment and play areas on a weekly basis.  Maintenance is carried out timeously and all efforts are made to ensure the safety of our children. 

Payments should ideally be made via eft or card machine at reception. Alternatively, you can pay with cash at reception.  Place the correct amount of money into an envelope, bank bag or Ziploc bag.  Please write your child’s name, the amount of money given and the reason for the payment on the envelope.

The school is open from 7:00. We would like all children to be at school by 8.00 at the latest.  School ends at 12:00 for the junior classes.  The senior classes end at 12:15.  Aftercare is open until 17:00.  Please ensure that you fetch your child on time. Parents who collect their child late will be asked to pay the appropriate overtime to the staff member who has waited for them to collect their child. Failure to pay the staff member directly will result in the amount being added to the school fee invoice.

We have one outing on a Friday, during the year.  We ask that parents transport their children to and from the venue.  Parents who are unable to attend are asked to arrange for another parent to take responsibility for their child’s transport.  We invite guests to visit our school throughout the year e.g. civil servants, puppet shows, dog shows, etc. 

We make every effort to recycle all wastepaper and plastic at our school. Children are taught to place plastic and paper in the recycle bins in our classrooms.  Our recycling is collected weekly.  We reuse resources during our creative activities and are always in need of suitable waste materials e.g. cardboard, scrap paper, newspaper, wool, toilet rolls, small boxes, magazines, buttons, ribbon, lace, Styrofoam chips, straw, wood shavings, etc. 

Gateways Pre-Primary School follows a Christian ethos.  We teach morals and values using Bible stories and songs. We teach our children to respect the religions of others, to be of service to others, to expand understanding, and reduce prejudice. Religion Education is justified by its contribution to the promotion of social justice, and respect for the environment, that can be served by this field of study within the school curriculum. Although, Gateways Pre-Primary School is Christian based, children from all religions are welcome to attend. 

Religion is not considered during our application process. Parents may notify the school if their child is not allowed to participate during Christian activities. We encourage and facilitate Religion Education as a curricular programme with clear and age-appropriate educational aims and objectives, for teaching and learning about religion, and religious diversity in South Africa and the world.

Please walk your children to reception and ensure that they are safely inside before you leave. If you are running late to fetch your child, please inform us so that we can reassure your child.  Inform us if anybody out of the ordinary is going to be fetching your child.  We will phone and check with you if a person arrives to fetch them that has not been preapproved.

A medium bag with a zip is preferable.  It needs to be able to fit into your child’s locker, fit an A4 sized book, spare clothing, and your child’s lunchbox in the bag. Bags with wheels are discouraged.

The South African Schools Act, 1996 requires ordinary public school to admit learners with special education needs, where this is reasonably practical. Every effort is made to accommodate children with disabilities and special needs.  The school facilities are unfortunately not wheelchair friendly and as such cannot accommodate children with mobility needs. 

Teachers work collaboratively and in consultation with one another and the child’s parents to create an IEP (Individual Learning Programme) to best serve the child’s needs. Teachers will make recommendations for specialist support as needed and value the communication with these therapists to facilitate the learning strategies recommended.

The Sundries Fee is paid monthly or in a lump sum at the start of the year. 

This fee covers: stationery, shows, spring day plants, toiletries, school t-shirt, developmental screening tests and book donations towards our library.  The aim of this fee is to reduce the effect of a once-off fee on the families’ budget at the start of the year or requests for various amounts on an ongoing basis, instead spreading them over the year evenly in eleven instalments.

No toys, make-up, blankets, pillows, sunglasses, or bug boxes are allowed at school.  Umbrellas may be brought on rainy days and will be kept out of reach till home time.

According to the Automobile Association, in terms of Regulation 250 of the National Road Traffic Act (NRTA), no person can transport children in the goods compartment of a vehicle for reward and includes the canopied area of bakkies. It is our recommendation that parents make use of safe and reliable transport options for their children. 

Our social and emotional programme is an integral part of our school culture and curriculum. “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” – Aristotle. Gateways Pre-Primary agrees with this sentiment and aims to develop social and emotional skills through weekly lessons incorporating the key values we hope to instill in our children.  These skills influence a child’s self-confidence, empathy, their ability to develop meaningful relationships and a sense of importance and value to those around them. We explore our toolbox taking tips from the animal kingdom to make challenging concepts relatable and easy to interpret and understand. 

Each year, we introduce Cami, the confused chameleon, and sort out her emotions to explore and label our feelings.  This leads us into each concept, throughout the year.  The children will receive sticker rewards when they demonstrate our core values. A sticker chart will be sent home at the beginning of each year.  Your child can complete the chart by adding each sticker as and when they receive their rewards.

Wild animals are a wonderful starting point to make challenging concepts, simple and age appropriate and we look forward to our children reaping the rewards and to take these values and the emotional tools with them into adulthood.