Welcome to Gates Elementary School! I am thrilled to continue my role as principal at Gates this year. Before coming to Gates, I worked in Santa Ana since 1994 in various roles including bilingual teacher, bilingual resource teacher, assistant principal and principal of a dual language immersion school.  My husband is also a teacher, and my own children attended a two-way immersion program.  

I am passionate about the exciting benefits of providing our students a bilingual, biliterate, and multicultural education focused on high academic achievement that prepares them for a global society.  Students have the opportunity to continue the dual language immersion program at Los Alisos Middle School and Laguna Hills High School. Our SVUSD program is a member of the International Spanish Academies (I.S.A.), which is part of the Ministry of Education and Science of Spain.  

At Gates, every adult on campus strives to make a difference in the lives of children. We have talented teachers and incredible staff who are ready to support all students both academically and socially and create a culture of learning that will ensure college and career readiness for all.

In addition, we believe in integrating creativity and technology into classroom instruction. Students in all grades have either Chromebooks or iPads. Teachers use a variety of applications to ensure collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking in their use of technology, in two languages!

We encourage all parents to become involved in our school. We have two wonderful parent organizations that support us. Please consider volunteering your time with the Parent Teacher Association (P.T.A.) or Advocates for Language Learners (A.L.L.) 

Please explore our website to learn more about the benefits of Dual Language Immersion and for more detailed information about this innovative program and to find information about our monthly campus tours.

If you have an incoming Kindergarten student and would like to contact us, please complete this Dual Language Interest Form.

Diana Clearwater