Benton Weekly Update

Congratulations to our December Students of the Month! These students were selected by their teachers for demonstrating Benton P.R.I.D.E., Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Excellence. We are proud of our Students of the Month for making good choices, being a role model for others, and doing the right thing.

On Tuesday this week, 5th graders from La Mirada elementary schools will be visiting Benton. If 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!

We are excited to add Karate to our after-school activities. Our Senseis will be here on Mondays and Wednesdays after school for one hour. Students should wear sweatpants/leggings and a t-shirt, participation will be limited to the first 25 students who sign up. We also have our ProAcademy Coaches playing soccer and basketball (open to ALL students) after school on Wednesdays and Fridays. Competition teams have been formed for Girls' and Boys' Basketball with Ms. Estrada and Mr. Barajas. Students on the competition team practice Wednesdays & Fridays. We are wrapping up tryouts for Boys' and Girls' Soccer, Boys' practice is on Mondays and Wednesdays.

We are now entering the 2nd week of our second semester; report cards for semester one will be mailed home this week, and our Semester 1 Awards Ceremony will be on Wednesday, February 4th. A list of students receiving awards will be posted mid-January.

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!

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!

Valentine's Day See's Candy Fundraiser! The online storefront is now open, and orders are due by January 31st. Everything will be shipped directly to you, and all proceeds go towards Benton VAPA Boosters and the Spring Musical, Mary Poppins Jr. (hold down on the qr code for the link to the storefront:

Our retro sweatshirts are available for purchase in the Benton office.

Mary Poppins Jr. Program Fundraiser! Every year we give out hundreds of programs to everyone who attends the Spring Musical and offer friends and families the chance to purchase ad space (for a company or tribute to a cast member), sponsorships, or shout outs. All three can be purchased on https://bentonms.booktix.com, or by filling out the attached page and returning to the front office by February 25th.

Mary Poppins Jr. Rehearsals are now in full swing! Attached are the rehearsal calendars for all 65 actors in the show.

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 5B – 8B on Wednesday. This Wednesday, like all Wednesdays, students are out at 1:45pm.

There will be a meeting of the Benton School Site Council on Thursday, January 15 at 3:30pm in the Benton Conference Room. The agenda is posted at this link.

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

Saturday School will be on 1/24 from 8:00am-12:15pm. Breakfast and lunch available, students can make up an absence by attending Saturday School, get caught up on schoolwork, and have fun. Permission slips are in the office, or print out the one linked below. Please let us know you're coming and Sign up for Saturday School at this link. Upcoming Saturday Schools will be on 1/24, 2/21, 3/7, & 3/21.

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