School Profile

Introduction:

Gentry Middle School is located in the southern area of Columbia. Our campus borders Bethel Park, a park that is available to our students and faculty.  We use the parks resources to expand our environment with trees, a lake, play area, and walking trail.  In addition to Bethel Park, our immediate area consists of community neighborhoods and local shopping centers. 

Gentry Middle School adopted the Mission Statement: “To Educate and Motivate Our Students to Take on the World.”   We believe our responsibility is to prepare students for College and Career readiness.  Therefore, our Mission Statement reflects our school’s purpose; to prepare our students not only for high school, but more importantly to know how to access information and resources that will be used throughout their lifetime.

Strengths:

Gentry Middle School promotes the value of attendance, school involvement, and student learning.  We believe that in order for our students to reach their full potential, they must be in attendance each day.  In order to achieve high attendance, students must be motivated, supported and connected to our school.  Our teachers are committed to providing this type of learning environment through a challenging curriculum that stretches student learning, a collaborative atmosphere that builds respect toward one another, and the opportunity to develop positive relationships.

We are proud to offer several opportunities for our students to be involved in additional activities; including Performing Arts, Athletics, and numerous School Clubs. Being involved in one or more school activities allows our students and teachers to meet new people and form a solid school connection outside the classroom.  Our school community has strengthened as a result.

Progress:

Gentry Middle School is committed to our three chosen focus areas:  Literacy, Evidence, and Student Support.  We believe and communicate this underlying foundation via our Professional Learning Community structure.  Through PLC’s, our staff continues to work collaboratively to improve teaching skills and impact the performance of students in all areas of life.

Growth:

As a building we have a direct focus on Literacy across all content areas.  Our teachers are provided professional development and on-going support so they gain a deeper understanding of “why” we focus on building Critical Reading skills.   The application of “how” a student interacts with text provides additional strategies our students can utilize.

We recognize the importance of community resources, therefore we plan to continue to develop our Business Partnership with Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance.  We hope to explore new ideas on how to access their support, expertise and commitment to our student’s growth.  

Vision Connection:

Gentry Middle School’s Vision Statement: “Gentry is an inviting and collaborative community that utilizes all of our resources and skills to support students and increase learning.”  Our school strives to support all of our families.  We are aware students have different needs, challenges, and strengths.  Building relationships and getting to know students personally – their interests, learning styles, and goals, are all part of how we “live” our school vision.