Benton Weekly Update

As February winds down, I realized that this is Leap Year. What will we do with that extra day? This is good time to ponder and reflect on goals for the new year. Are we making progress, do we need a course correction?

Students will meet in their Homerooms this week and have an opportunity think about their goals and to explore different careers on the California Colleges Guidance Initiative (CCGI) platform in preparation for their sessions during our Career Day next week. CCGI is a great site to help students discover their interests, learn where to find higher education to support those interests, and plan for their futures.

In students' immediate future, Parent Conferences are coming up March 4-8. If your child is struggling in any of their classes, academically or behaviorally, please reach out to their teacher to schedule a conference.

There are just two more Saturday School sessions coming up, this weekend March 2nd and again on March 16. Students who attend Saturday School can recover an absence and get caught up on school work. It's important for students to be in school all day, every day - if they're not here, they're not learning - but for those unavoidable times that requires an absence, Saturday School can make that up.

Tickets are now on sale for our spring musical, Beauty and the Beast Jr. You can buy your tickets at this link. Performances are Thursday-Saturday at 6pm on March 14, 15, 16, 21, 22, & 23. They're selling fast, get your tickets today!

Check out the tab on our website with information and news just for 8th grade students and their families.

Make it a great week!

Current 6th & 7th Grade students need to enter their course requests in PowerSchool AND turn the course request forms into the office.

6th Grade Students will need to get a TDAP vaccination before entering 7th Grade. Start scheduling those appointments now!

Ms. Choe took her Korean Language students from Benton and Hutchinson on a field trip to the Korean Education Center last week. Students learned more about the Korean culture, ate Korean food, learned to play music on traditional Korean instruments, and practiced their Tae Kwon Do

Girls' softball tryouts will be held on Monday 2/26 for 6th and 7th graders, and on Tuesday 2/27 for 8th graders. Both will be from 3:15-4:15ish. Girls need cleats and a softball glove for the tryout.

We are finalizing the coaching lineup for Boys' Softball, tryouts are likely to be Thursday & Friday after school until 4:15. The Middle School Softball Tournament is scheduled for 3/21.

Students will attend periods 5B - 8B on Wednesday. This Wednesday, like all Wednesdays, dismissal is at 1:45pm.

The SSC will review and discuss the Single Plan for Student Achievement and begin the process of drafting the plan for 24-25. Agenda will be posted in the school office.

Saturday School for students to recover an absence, get support with school work, and get caught up on assignments. Please turn in the permission slip to the office. Both breakfast and lunch are available.

8th Grade Parents: each year in the yearbook, we feature a page with baby pictures of our 8th grade students. Now is the time to send a digital baby photo of your 8th grader to edegener@nlmusd.org. You only have a few weeks to submit those photos, do it now and be sure to include your student's name.

Thursday, March 7th at 6pm. Save the Date, more details coming soon.

The 23-24 Benton Yearbook is on sale now for $35 in the front office only, our webstore link is temporarily unavailable. You can purchase your copy now, Yearbooks will be distributed during the last week of school.

ENGLISH LEARNERS ADVISORY COUNCIL (ELAC)

Parents of students identified as English Learners are invited to participate on the ELAC. The ELAC provides advice to the School Site Council on the development of Benton's Single Plan for Student Achievement, the plan for improving the performance of English Language Learners.If you would like to serve on this body, please contact me or Ms. Alcala lalcala@nlmusd.org.

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 .

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 Visual & Performing Arts Magnet school. Follow us on Instagram @Bentonwolverines.

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