Benton Weekly Update

I hope everyone enjoyed their 3-day weekend honoring Abraham Lincoln's Birthday and are ready for school. If you enjoyed it, we will do it again this upcoming Monday in honor of Washington's Birthday and Presidents' Day. Due to the Monday (A Day) holidays, Wednesdays this week and next will be A Days to make up for the Mondays. Because of the holidays, it is more essential than ever for students to be present and on time for school. When students are truly ill, they should stay home to prevent the spread of infection, but too often students stay home without being contagious or they are checked out of school early because it's "convenient". Students need to be in school in order learn, and according the article at this link,

The correlation between absences and below-grade-level performance grows stronger as students get older... In math, total absences, rather than just unexcused ones, were the most predictive of later performance on state tests. Because math lessons build on each other sequentially, even an engaged student who missed school for an excused reason like illness may struggle to catch up upon return, researchers theorized.

We hope you join us on Wednesday, 2/11 from 5-7:30pm at the Barnes & Noble in Fullerton. Benton students will be showcasing their talents in Poetry, Creative Writing, Music, Drama, and the Visual Arts. This is a great event for the entire family! Barnes & Noble will be donating back a percentage of sales (including the Starbuck's inside B&N) to Benton to benefit our classroom libraries.

Congratulations to our Soccer & Basketball teams! Our teams have played hard and so far, Girls' Soccer, and both Girls' and Boys' Basketball are undefeated. This week (barring rain cancellation) our Benton Girls' and Boys' Basketball and Soccer teams compete against Corvallis Middle School at Corvallis on Wednesday. Games will begin approx. 3:15pm. This is the third of the 4 games Benton will play against the other NLM middle schools. Teams with the most wins will go head-to-head at the championship game on 2/25 at Norwalk High School.

In other news, the Benton PTSA Nominating Committee met and agreed on a slate of officers for next year's PTSA Board. There are still positions open for which we are seeking nominations. If you are interested, please reach out to me or PTSA President Heidi Ojeisekhoba. Elections will take place after 30 days.

We held an 8th Grade Parent meeting last week to solicit parent volunteers for the various 8th Grade End-of-Year activities. At this point, we are looking to form parent committees to plan and organize the 8th Grade Dance, End of Year Luncheon, Field Day, T-shirt, and Disneyland trip. A google form will be posted soon in the 8th Grade Newsletter so that you can sign up for these committees. We are now accepting payments for Disneyland in the front office - $130 cash or check to Benton PTSA - or on zelle rbentonms@gmail.com. Don't wait, tickets are limited, reserve your spot today!

Do you have a 6th Grader? All in-coming 7th Grade students must have a TDAP vaccination. Start scheduling those doctor appointments now so your 6th Grader is prepared for 7th Grade!

Do you need a new hoodie? Our PTSA is selling hoodies with Benton's "Old School" Wolverine logo. Check out the post below for a preview, hoodies may be purchased in the Benton office. Get your new, old school Benton hoodies!

Make it a great week!

What's going on in Studio Art? Last month, art students in Ms. Hernandez's Studio Art class used the grid method and mixed media to create portraits of animals that are available for adoption at Long Beach Animal Care services. Prints of these art pieces were donated to the shelter and most of these pets have since been adopted! Thank you students, for using your art for a good cause!

Ms. Chang's Korean 1B students enjoyed a working lunch at Ribs & Co. in La Mirada last week. The students took the La Mirada Transit to the restaurant where they practiced their Korean language skills by ordering their lunch in Korean and enjoying the authentic flavors of Korean BBQ.

Benton's ASB hosted their Winter Dance, themed A Night Under the Paris Stars last Friday. Thank you to the ASB and our parent volunteers who helped decorate and set up for the dance, it was magnifique! The students were able to play games, get photos at the selfie-station, dance, and have fun.

See Ms. Hodge or Ms. Hernandez for details how you can enter your artwork into this contest.

The Nominating Committee of the Benton PTSA met on 2/2/26 and determined the slate of officers for the Association's consideration:

• President: Joo Yun Min
• Executive Vice President: Jane Kang
• Treasurer: Diane Delgadillo
• Secretary: Jose Lara
• Membership: Sarah Zurn

The following positions are still open:

• Programs
• Fundraising
• Auditor
• Historian

You can place an ad or well wishes for a student in the yearbook. Choose from a Full Page for $125, half page for $100, quarter page for $75, or eighth of a page for $50. Please provide finished artwork digitally to Mr. Dan at tdan@nlmusd.org and pay with cash or check payable to Benton ASB in the front office.

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.

To include your 8th Grader's baby picture in the yearbook:

• Must be a digital copy
• Must be received by 3/27
• "8th Grade Baby Picture" in the subject line
• Student's First and Last Name in the body of the email

Email photo to Ms. Degener at edegener@nlmusd.org

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.

There will be no school in honor of President Lincoln's Birthday on Monday, February 9th. Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States and is honored for his integrity and strength in leading the United States through the Civil War and preserving our union. Elected in 1861, he was assassinated just 42 days into his second term in office in 1865.

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

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!

There will be no school in honor of President Washington's Birthday, as well as the federal Presidents' Holiday on Monday, February 16th. George Washington was the first President of the United States. He was a general in the Revolutionary War which brought independence from England, and he presided over the Constitutional Convention. Washington wrote, "The power under the Constitution will always be in the people".

The next meeting of the Benton School Site Council (SSC) will be on Thursday, Feb. 19th at 3:30pm in the Benton Conference Room. The SSC will be reviewing the Benton Safe School Plan and providing input on the purchase of student planners for 26-27. The agenda will be posted soon.

The next Saturday School will be on 2/21 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 2/21, 3/7, & 3/21.

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.

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.

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

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