Benton Weekly Update

Benton begins SBAC testing on Monday, April 22. We want all students to do their personal best; please ensure your child is well rested, has a good breakfast, and is present each day on time.

To secure the test environment, students will power off their phones and smartwatches and store them securely in the classroom. If your student does not need to bring them to school, please consider keeping their phone or smartwatch at home during testing.

Mark your calendars for our last big events of the year: Our Beginning Guitar students will perform at Benton on Tuesday, May 7th at 6pm. Our Dance Showcase will be Friday, May 10th at 5:30pm. Tickets will go on sale soon.

Our Kaleidoscope VAPA Festival returns this year on Friday, May 17th. Mark your calendars for this community event celebrating the arts and artists - performing and visual - at Benton. As we like to say, it's like Coachella but at Benton! There will be performances, exhibits, and food available for purchase. For a limited time, students, families, and staff can purchase their own Kaleidoscope t-shirt at this link.

Make it a great week!

Thank you to the Benton PTSA and our Parent Volunteers!! for a great 8th Grade Dance last Friday. The students rocked the red carpet and had a good time.

There are a limited number of tickets still available for Disneyland. Payments for the Disneyland trip can be made in the school office (cash or checks payable to Benton PTSA) or on zelle, rbentonms@gmail.com. Please be sure to reference your student's name and the activity. If your student has a pass, you only pay $10 for the bus, but you must make a reservation, take a screenshot of it, and present it to the office staff to receive a permission slip.

Check out our 8th Grade Webpage with information and news just for 8th grade students and their families.

For your reference, here is the Promotion Contract (which students already signed and returned) with criteria to participate in the Promotion Ceremony. Students received this contract in the Fall and most have returned it to the office. Letters regarding your student's current eligibility status for Promotion are going out this 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! For your convenience, the District is providing TDAP Clinics at its middle schools, the clinics will be at Corvallis 5/4, Waite 5/11, and the final clinic at Benton on 5/18. See the Benton flyer below.

All students will be testing in their ELA and Math classes. 8th graders (only) will have a 3rd week of testing in their Science Classes. You can see an overview of the testing in this SBAC Slideshow presented to students in their homerooms 3/27.

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

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 Green Team Community Swap is coming up on 5/4. At this event, people may bring items in good condition to swap. The goal is to find a new home or purpose for items you no longer want or use instead of throwing them away.

The 23-24 Benton Yearbook is on sale now for $35 in the front office only. You can purchase your copy now, after May 1, price will go up to $40. 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