October 13 Newsletter

The Gentry Scholastic Book Fair will be held November 6-9 in the Gentry Cafetorium. Scholastic will be releasing Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway on November 7.  Our school is pre-selling these books so you can have a copy the day they are released. If you are interested in purchasing one, please fill out the attached form and return to the Gentry Media Center by October 31st. The total with tax is $9.70. We accept cash or checks made payable to Columbia Public Schools.  If you need more information, please contact the Gentry Middle School Media Center.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Info

Pre-Order Book Form

Early Release Schedule

Dr. Bishara sends out the parent newsletter via email/Parentlink each Friday and teachers routinely send group emails. If you are not receiving our emails, please check with guidance to be sure we have your correct email address on file. If you are still not receiving our emails, here are some tips that might help those come through to your account:

Many of our emails are sent to large groups of students and or guardians. Your spam catcher could be kicking it out since it is going to so many addresses.  Here are some things the sender can do to help that:

• Check your junk mail frequently to see if you have cps email in your junk folder and retrieve it from there.
• Add “@cpsk12.org” as a safe domain.
• Add teacher email addresses to your address book for those teachers who are sending mass emails.
• Check to be sure you haven’t inadvertently added ‘CPS’ to your junk mail for blocking.

If your student rides their bike to and from Gentry during the week, please be sure to encourage them to lock it to the bike rack that is located by our parking lot while they attend school.  We have many students who we observe in the morning that simply roll their bike onto the rack and then walk away without securing it for the day.  Better to be safe, than sorry!  

Please plan on joining us for our Gentry fall theatrical production:  Silver's Secret.  Our performance dates are fast approaching so be sure to mark your calendars now for an entertaining evening of fun!  Production dates are:  October 19th and 20th.  The show will begin at 7:00 pm each evening.  Please see a brief summary of the production's story line below.  Hope to see you there!

This goofy pirate play is a treasure chest full of silliness with cheerleader mermaids, ghosts, smugglers, and lobsters as comic stagehands!  As the famous pirate Long John Silver lies on his deathbed, he sends for his sons, Red Beard and Black Beard, and his daughter, No Beard.  Alas, his offspring didn't inherit their father's pirating skills!  Luckily, each bumbling pirate has a "smee" as an assistant, because their father sends them off to find the three keys to the treasure chest that holds his life's treasure.  The children and their respective smees dash off to adventures, for whoever finds the keys first will inherit the booty!  Silver's Secret is a swashbuckling good time for everyone! 

Our 7th/8th girls and boys basketball team tryouts are fast approaching!  If your 7th/8th grade student is interested in trying out and playing basketball for Gentry, please be sure that all of their MSHSAA paperwork is completed and on file in the main office.  Your student will not be permitted to tryout without having ALL of this paperwork completed and on file in the office.  If you have not yet completed this paperwork for your student, please click on the link below or have your child pick up a packet in the main office. 

A master list of students who have already submitted this paperwork is kept in the main office.  Feel free to call our office if you would like to check to make sure that your student's paperwork is on file.

MSHSAA Paperwork

Seventh grade girls and boys basketball team tryouts:  October 16th-20th.

Eighth grade girls and boys basketball team tryouts:  October 23rd-27th. 

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact the main office.  Go Jaguars! 

CPS is once again offering flu shots to students.  Our Gentry clinic will be on October 31^st from 8:00-10:00 in the cafetorium.  A consent form must be filled out in order for your child to receive this immunization.  These were included in the registration packets at schedule pick- up in August.  Additional copies are available in the Gentry office as well as on line. 

If you have any questions, please contact the health office at 214-3246.

School Flu Clinics

Flu Consent Form

8^th graders have now had their iPads for about 3 weeks and things seem to be going well.  Here are a few reminders for 8^th graders

• The 8^th grade keyboard case does not have removable keycaps. Students should not take the key caps off of the keyboard as it will damage them from being used.
• If you haven’t created a charging station and plan at home to charge, please set this up with your student.
• Teachers are expecting the iPads to be charged so they are prepared for class each day.
• If your student hasn’t updated their iOS to 10.3.3 please ask them to do so. We are finding that this update is solving a lot of the issues we are having with iPads.
  
  
• Students should always carry their iPad with BOTH parts of their case attached for maximum protection.

Students may bring in iPads before school during morning study hall from 7:05 – 7:21 am each morning for iPad help.  Please contact the media center with any comments or concerns you have with your students iPad.

 We are pleased to say that the new iPads have arrived for 6^th and 7^th grade students. They will be checked out next week during the student’s weekly library visits with their English Language Arts teacher. Here is some quick information about the iPads:

• Students will receive an iPad, protective case, cable and brick.
• All students will be bringing their new charger home. Please look for it and have them keep the charger at home.
• Create a “charging station” where students can get in the routine of charging the iPad each afternoon/night so it will be ready for school the next day.
• Teachers expect students to come with their iPads fully charged, but do have charging stations in the classroom when needed for emergencies.
• Students should leave their iPad in the school issued case and will be expected to return the iPad, Case, Brick and Cable and the end of the year.
• The iPads will be issued to a different student next year, so they should not personalize the case in any way.  All iPads have labels with the student’s name on them.

Students may bring in iPads before school during morning study hall from 7:05 – 7:21 am each morning for iPad help.  Please contact the media center with any comments or concerns you have with your students iPad.