Benton Weekly Update
Yikes, it's been hot this past week! We are expecting another hot day Monday with a slight cool-down Tuesday and normal temperatures for Wednesday and the rest of the week. Students should dress in light clothing, bring a water bottle*, and wear a hat and sunscreen when outdoors. Our MPR, Library, and several classrooms are open at Break and Lunch for the students to get out of the heat. Last week, I had to remind many students to get out of the sun and into some shade; have a talk with your student about the importance of finding some shade during this extreme heat.
Due to the extreme heat, P.E. classes will continue to meet in air-conditioned spaces and students will not dress out on Monday. We expect to back to our usual routine Wednesday (possibly even Tuesday) so make sure those P.E. clothes are laundered and ready to go.
*Water Bottles: did you notice the photo last week of all the water bottles in our Lost & Found? None have been claimed and we have added to our collection. Remind your student to look for their bottle in our office. Although all students receive free meals, our cafeteria does have bottled water for sale. Unfortunately, our cafeteria is not set up to receive cash. If students wish to "purchase" bottled water, they must have money in their LINQ Connect meal account. Check out our Nutrition Services webpage for links to menus and more!
In other news, the NLMUSD is seeking community input on its search for a new Superintendent. Please see the flyer below for more information on how you can participate in this process.
Also below, information on our Benton School Site Council election, auditions for our upcoming Fall Play, parent training for Suicide Prevention, and information from our school counselors, Dr. Sweney-Black and Ms. Ruiz. Read below for more information about what's happening this week.
You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram @BentonWolverines.
Make it a great week!
Side note: Invariably, as soon as I send this newsletter out, I spot a typo or something I want to add or change. I can go in and edit this newsletter, but if you don't open it up in a browser window, you may not see those changes. For ease of reading (and to translate this newsletter into another language) I recommend you click on it and read it in a browser window.
I've had a few parents reach out to me concerned about their student's grades. The student may not have known how to correctly upload their assignment into Schoology, received a zero, and now they have an F in the class. First, we have a video here that can help you and your student understand how to upload assignments into Schoology.
But I do want to caution parents that each time an assignment is entered into the grade book, there will be a fluctuation in the grades. And this early in the school year, because there are fewer assignments, one missing assignment or one poor test score will temporarily, disproportionately, affect the overall grade. These grades are not final, they are a snapshot of what the status is at a given moment in time. For this reason, I recommend that parents set up their PowerSchool Parent Portal account to send you weekly emails with an update on your student's grades.
It's helpful if you see an F to know that the student either didn't turn something in, may not have written their full name on a paper (rendering it unidentifiable), or perhaps they need to study what they got wrong and ask to re-do an assignment or test. Error analysis, the process of learning why something is incorrect and then learning the correct answer or the correct way to do something, is the most powerful kind of learning. Most of our teachers provide students with the opportunity to analyze why they got something wrong and redo or resubmit the assignment or test for an improved grade.
The most important thing for parents and students to keep in mind is that we don't expect all students to be experts (if they were, why would they need school?) and learning is a journey, a process, and failure is a part of that process of learning.
I am a book hoarder. I love books and over the years have bought hundreds of books for my classroom. All of those books, as well as overflow from other teachers' libraries are up for grabs in our MPR. All Benton students, and their families are welcome to help themself to any books they want. They are free, and there is no limit. Whatever is not claimed by the end of September will be donated to whoever or whatever entity will take them. If you're a teacher (whether in NLM or not) please come by our MPR and help yourself. We have empty boxes to put them in!
Spotlight on Learning: Advanced Drama
Advanced Drama are already in costume and getting ready for their Lip Sync Project. Every year drama students perform a lip sync to a song of their choice. This year Advanced drama students did an amazing job recreating songs from Singing in the Rain, Nightmare Before Christmas, Weezer, Grease, Annie, Mean Girls, and Taylor Swift! Beginning Drama students will start this project in a few weeks.
6th Grade Science Camp: Register Now
Our 6th Grade Science Camp in Arrowhead will be October 14th-18th. The total cost (including deposit) is $425. Students can register by completing the registration form and paying a $100 deposit. Deposits can be paid in the office (cash or check to Benton ASB only) or you may do so with your My School Bucks account at this link.
You can find out more by visiting our Science Camp website at this link.
Navigating Pick Ups and Drop Offs
If you click on the image to the left, you will find a helpful video on navigating school pick ups and drops offs. By following the guidelines in this video, traffic will move efficiently and the parking lot can be cleared out within 10 minutes. We encourage all parents to exercise a little patience, follow the guidelines, be respectful of traffic rules and our neighbors' driveways, and help us to keep students safe.
About Us
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
