Benton Weekly Update

Congratulations to the April Students of the Month for demonstrating characteristics of Benton P.R.I.D.E. - Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Excellence.

Last Tuesday, Benton Track & Field competed in the NLM Middle School competition at John Glenn High School and came away with many individual 1st Place honors as well as overall 1st Place for the Benton team. Congratulations Coach Estes and all the students.

We have three weeks left until the end of the school year. Teachers are still teaching (and grading) and students are still learning. This is a busy time as we wrap up the school year with the Festival trip to Knott's, the Drama Banquet, and our End of the Year Awards Ceremony. We look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of our students and wishing our 8th graders well as they prepare for high school.

Make it a great week!

Last Friday, Benton held its Kaleidoscope Visual & Performing Arts Festival. It was a great event attended by over 600 students, families, friends, and community members. Below is a slide show of some of the exhibits, performances, and happy people of Kaleidoscope. Photo credits to Mr. Dan Meyers.

Benton hopes to expand its double-blocked Math Enrichment classes to 7th & 8th Grade next year. Would your student be interested? Although students give up one of their three electives for the double blocked Math Enrichment class, students benefit from more time and consistency with math. The Math Enrichment classes not only cover math concepts, but builds on students' growth mindsets and incorporates social-emotional learning. Students can build their confidence in math and be more prepared for high school. 100% of students who have taken Math Enrichment report the following: it raised their confidence in math and was worth losing one elective and they would recommend it to other students. Top 3 reasons for success: teaching style, more time, no homework. Please contact Ms. Ridgeway or Ms. Alcala if you would like your student in the Math Enrichment class.

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

The 23-24 Benton Yearbook is on sale now for $40 in the front office only. Yearbooks will be distributed during the last week of school.

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

There is no school on Monday in observance of Memorial Day.

Our End of the Year Awards Ceremony will be on Tuesday, 5/28 at 5:30pm in the Benton Quad. Students will be recognized for Honor Roll, Principal's Honor Roll, P.R.I.D.E., Perfect Attendance, and Outstanding Achievement in their classes. Our Salutatorian and Valedictorian will be announced, and Honor Cords awarded. A list of students receiving awards will be posted on Tuesday, 5/21.

The final School Site Council (SSC) meeting of the year will be 5/30 at 3:30pm in the Benton Conference Room. The SSC will review/revise and adopt the School Plan for Student Achievement.

6th & 7th Grade students will be turning in their iPad, charger, and cable on Thursday, 5/30. 8th Graders will turn in their iPads on Friday, 5/31.

The 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony will be at 9am on Wednesday, June 5th. Entry will be through the sliding gates in the parking lot. Each 8th grader will receive 4 tickets to Promotion. If your student requires more tickets, please contact Ms. Ridgeway.

Benton will be having Summer School this year for incoming 6th, 7th, and 8th Graders. There is limited space available, and classes fill up fast. You can sign up for Summer School at this link.

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