Benton Weekly Update

Happy New Year and Welcome Back! I hope all students and families had a restful Winter Break. Students return on Tuesday, which is the start of the 2nd semester. This is a great time for students to reset and refocus on doing well and finishing out the year strong. Is your student's iPad fully charged and ready to be placed in their backpack?

Report cards will be mailed home next week, and our Semester 1 Awards Ceremony will be on Wednesday, February 4th. A list of students receiving awards will be posted mid-January.

Our after-school activities resume this week with the addition of a Karate class on Wednesday (limited to 25 students). Coming soon will be Korean Fan Dancing!

On Wednesday this week we have our Homeroom Assembly recognizing students with Perfect Attendance for December and our December Students of the Month. We will also be reviewing student behavior expectations and guidelines to help all students be successful in school.

Is your student missing a hoodie, shoes, or water bottle? Our Lost & Found Rack is FULL of an assortment of hoodies, water bottles, shoes, and a pair of jeans. Please encourage your student to check for those missing items before we donate all of it. Do you need a new hoodie? Our PTSA is selling hoodies with Benton's "Old School" Wolverine logo. See the post below for a preview and information about how to purchase your new, old school Benton hoodies!

Benton will be forming girls' and boys' competition teams for Basketball and Soccer; regular Wednesday games will start in mid-January with the NLM Middle Schools tournament in late February. We have tryouts this week after school on Thursday for the Soccer team and Boys' Basketball. The tentative schedule of after-school activities is posted below, and will be updated throughout the week as tryout and practice schedules are finalized.

Open Enrollment in NLMUSD continues through January 31st. If your 8th Grader (or 5th Grader!) is thinking about attending a school that is not your school of residence, make sure you complete the Open Enrollment Application to attend the NLMUSD school of choice

Make it a great week!

Open Enrollment in NLMUSD continues through January 31st. If you have a 5th Grader and Benton is not your school of residence, make sure you complete the Open Enrollment Application to attend Benton.

Do you know a student who would be interested in attending a nationally recognized award winning arts school? Be sure to tell them about Benton's Showcase on Wednesday, January 14! Prospective students and families can tour our campus, see our programs, and learn more about Benton's exceptional Visual & Performing Arts classes!

Please note the times and locations of the different activities. The hours vary from one activity to another. All students must sign in each day for attendance using the QR code.

Students will attend periods 1A – 4A on Wednesday. This Wednesday, like all Wednesdays, students are out at 1:45pm.

There will be no school on Monday, January 19th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday.

On Wednesday, February 4th from 8:40-9:30am we will have our Semester 1 Awards Ceremony. Students will be recognized for Honor Roll 3.5-3.99 GPA, Principal's Honor Roll 4.0 & above GPA, and Perfect Attendance for the first semester. As well, we will be awarding our Movers & Shakers, students who have significantly improved their GPA from last semester.

Mark your calendars and plan to join us at Barnes & Noble in Fullerton from 5pm-7:30 as students showcase their talents on an open mic. Benton receives a percentage of all purchases made that night!

8th Grade Students and Families, we have a newsletter curated just for you! The 8th Grade newsletter contains information specific to you, 8th Grade Students and Families, to help you make the most of 8th Grade, and to plan for the end of the year.

You can now purchase the 25-26 Benton Yearbook on our Webstore. The Yearbook is produced by Benton students and is delivered the last week of school. It's important to purchase your yearbook in advance, as we only print the number of books we sell in advance. Don't miss out, secure your yearbook now!

The Benton Yearbook needs your photos! Do you have any Back to School photos you would be willing to share with us? This includes photos you may have taken at home holding "1st Day of Middle School" type signs. If you would email a digital copy to me at rridgeway@nlmusd.org, that would be appreciated. We hope to create a collage of Back to School photos in our yearbook.

The PTSA is a huge support to students and Benton's programs, and we hope all families choose to join, support, and get involved at Benton. Join the Benton PTSA online at this link or by scanning the QR code below.

Parents, please help us by checking your student's outfit before they leave for school. If students are out of dress code, the students will be asked to change into P.E. clothes or a loaner shirt or shorts.

As you can see below, we have A Days and B Days. Students have periods 1A-4A on A Days, every Monday and Thursday, and periods 5B-8B on B Days, every Tuesday and Friday. On Wednesdays, we alternate between A Days and B Days.

Benton Middle School is a nationally recognized, award winning Visual & Performing Arts Magnet school. Follow us on Instagram @Bentonwolverines.

Email: rridgeway@nlmusd.org
Website: benton.nlmusd.org
Location: 15709 E. Olive Branch Drive, La Mirada, CA 90638
Phone: (562) 210-2500
Facebook: facebook.com/bentonmiddleschool

Instagram: @BentonWolverines