About Us | Ivy Gate Preschool

Our Unique Curriculum

The curriculum at Ivy Gate Preschool is a highly integrated and accelerated program designed to deeply engage the gifted preschooler. Our curriculum centers on robust, overarching monthly Big Ideas, such as "Changes Over Time" and "Cosmic Connections."

These themes serve as the intellectual foundation for all learning areas, ensuring that subjects are not taught in isolation but are deeply interwoven to reflect the complexity of the real world.

Meet the Team

Gayle Bentley, Ed.D.

Founder & Director

Dr. Gayle Bentley is a leader in gifted education who brings 26 years of teaching experience in preschool through grade 12 classrooms.

Melanie Brown, M.S.

Administrative Director

Melanie Brown brings over 15 years of progressive experience as a project manager and specialist in the Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) sector.

Allisandra Rha, PhD

Founder of inqLAB Learning

Allisandra Rha is passionate about nurturing and amplifying the innate curiosity of young

learners

Lin Lim, PhD, MBA

Consulting Psychologist

Lin Lim holds a doctorate in Human Development Psychology and an Executive MBA

Maureen Montanía, MSc

Consulting Researcher

Maureen Montanía is a psychologist and researcher specializing in gifted education.

Our Core Values

Intellectual Depth & Mastery

We value and foster the inherent need to learn deeply. Our focus is on providing opportunities for advanced exploration, critical thinking, and a drive toward mastery, rather than simply covering a broad range of topics.

Joyful Inquiry & Curiosity

We cultivate a climate where intense curiosity is celebrated and drives instruction. We prioritize hands-on discovery and open-ended exploration to ignite a lifelong passion for asking questions and seeking knowledge.

Respect for Rapid Learning

We recognize and respect the ability to learn quickly by offering a flexible, accelerated, and individualized curriculum. We ensure that advanced learners are consistently challenged and never bored, allowing them to progress at their own optimal pace.

Social-Emotional Nurturing

We are committed to supporting the whole gifted child. We value empathy, self-awareness, and emotional regulation, recognizing that giftedness can come with unique social and emotional intensities. We create a supportive community that fosters confidence, resilience, and positive peer relationships.

Specialized Content Areas

STEM-Based Activities:

Specialized STEM-based activities are created specifically for high-potential preschoolers by scientist, Dr. Allisandra Rha.
The inqLAB Learning curriculum combines hands-on activities and complementary learning modules aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for grades K-2 to create an immersive and comprehensive science experience. Each science module is thoughtfully aligned with Ivy Gate’s monthly Big Idea, allowing students to see how scientific ideas are interwoven with the world around them.

Core Academic Domains:

Traditional subjects are not separate; literature, history, writing, and math are seamlessly embedded into the monthly themes

Kodály-Based Music Lessons:

Dr. Gayle Bentley, the school’s founder, develops the Kodály-based music lessons.
These lessons are uniquely designed to align with the monthly Big Ideas. The Kodály method emphasizes inner hearing, rhythm, and pattern recognition, which are areas where gifted learners often excel.

Our Unique Curriculum

Meet the Team

Our Core Values

Specialized Content Areas

STEM-Based Activities:

Specialized STEM-based activities are created specifically for high-potential preschoolers by scientist, Dr. Allisandra Rha.

Core Academic Domains:

Traditional subjects are not separate; literature, history, writing, and math are seamlessly embedded into the monthly themes

Kodály-Based Music Lessons:

Dr. Gayle Bentley, the school’s founder, develops the Kodály-based music lessons.

​These lessons are uniquely designed to align with the monthly Big Ideas. The Kodály method emphasizes inner hearing, rhythm, and pattern recognition, which are areas where gifted learners often excel.

These lessons are uniquely designed to align with the monthly Big Ideas. The Kodály method emphasizes inner hearing, rhythm, and pattern recognition, which are areas where gifted learners often excel.