Bonnie Gentry Elementary

Wow! Look at our Gentry Cubs! 🐾💙🤍

We got to celebrate our amazing Gentry Cubs who have reached 20 Paw Points for showing Gentry Pride and going above and beyond to demonstrate Positivity, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Excellence! 🌟

We are so proud of you, Gentry Cubs! Keep making great choices, working hard, and showing your Gentry Pride every day!

Now… let’s reach for 40 Paw Points! 🐾💙🤍

What an amazing Hispanic Heritage Event! 🎉💃🏽🌎

We kicked off the celebration with an incredible performance from our 4th and 5th grade students! Our students truly showed out! 👏🏽 A huge shoutout to Mr. Fanner, our amazing music teacher, for putting together such a wonderful show. 🎶

After the performance, we had the opportunity to celebrate, learn about different countries and cultures, and taste some amazing food! 🌎❤️

Thank you to all of our Gentry families, staff, and community members who came out to celebrate with us. Your support made the evening so special!

💙 Happy National Custodian Day! 💙

Today, we celebrated our four amazing custodians with lunch and some of their favorite goodies!

Thank you for all you do to keep our school clean, safe, and welcoming for our Cubs each day. We appreciate you more than you know! 🐾✨

A big THANK YOU to our amazing Gentry PTO parents for spreading a little extra joy on National Coffee Day on Tuesday! Our wonderful volunteers went around campus serving our staff coffee and pastries to help brighten their morning. ☕🥐

We are so grateful for our PTO and the love and support they show our Gentry staff. Thank you for helping us feel appreciated and starting our day with a little extra sweetness! 💙🤍

A little rain didn’t stop us from having a great start to the day!

Umbrellas up, smiles on, and spirits high! ☔️🐾

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade artists learned about the Mexican folk art tradition of Alebrijes.

Each student dreamed up their own fantastic creature, wrote about their design, drew an outline of their Alebrije, and then filled the negative space with colorful patterned paper that they printed themselves!

Be sure to check out their finished masterpieces during Hispanic Heritage Night on October 1st!

🎉 Congratulations to our October PTO Monthly Perks Winners! 🎉

Our Gentry Cubs and staff have signed up for some pretty cool perks this month, including Principal for the Day, Lunch with the Principal, skipping the car line for dismissal for all students in their family, and so much more! 🐾

We are so excited to celebrate our students and give them these fun and memorable experiences! 💙

Be on the lookout for our November Monthly Perks coming soon! You won’t want to miss out! 🎉

Congratulations, Gentry Cubs! 🐾💙

Gentry is so lucky to have the best counselor ever!!! Thank you for everything you do for our students, families, and our staff!! We are proud to celebrate you for Hispanic Heritage Month

🌺 Meet Mayra Mendoza, School Counselor at Bonnie Gentry Elementary! This Hispanic Heritage Month, we’re celebrating her journey, her deep pride in her Mexican roots, and her passion for helping students and families feel supported, empowered, and capable of reaching their goals. ❤️💙

🌎 HISPANIC/LATINO HERITAGE OR CULTURAL BACKGROUND

I was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, and came to the U.S. when I was 7 years old. I’m incredibly proud of my roots and grateful for the opportunities and accomplishments I’ve had as an immigrant. My parents taught us the value of education, hard work, and never forgetting where we came from. Because I personally understand the challenges of language barriers and navigating two cultures, I knew I wanted to become an educator and support our bilingual and immigrant families.

✨ WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A SCHOOL COUNSELOR?

I was originally inspired to become a school counselor because of the struggles and misinformation first-generation and immigrant students often face when pursuing higher education. After becoming a bilingual elementary teacher, I also discovered how much I loved being part of a child’s earliest years of education and helping them build lifelong social-emotional skills. Counseling gave me the opportunity to combine both passions, education and advocacy.

💙 WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT BEING A COUNSELOR?

I love being a trusted adult for our students, someone they know will listen, care, advocate for them, encourage them through difficult moments, and remind them of their potential. I also treasure the relationships I’ve built with families and educators as we work together to help our students feel supported, valued, and successful.

🌸 A CULTURAL TRADITION, FOOD, SONG, SAYING, OR CELEBRATION THAT IS MEANINGFUL TO YOU

Everything! ❤️ Our Hispanic culture is so rich in tradition, flavor, color, warmth, music, and family that it’s impossible for me to choose just one. I love how we celebrate together, support one another, and always find a reason to gather around good food. And, of course, we definitely know how to throw a party!

✨ A MESSAGE OR PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR HISPANIC/LATINO STUDENTS

Embrace who you are, and let your experiences and your family’s experiences motivate you to keep moving forward. Take advantage of the opportunities available to you, work hard toward your goals, and trust in yourself and the contributions you can make. When you accomplish your goals, don’t forget to give back to your community.