Benton Weekly Update

We hope all families enjoyed the Monday holiday... I always find an extra day off helps me ease into the semester after the Winter Break.

Saturday School is coming up this weekend. If your student has an absence, attending Saturday School will make it up AND give them an opportunity to catch up on school work, get help with assignments, and have some fun!

ALSO this Saturday, Ms. Robertson and the Green Team are hosting the Butterfly Bowl from 10am-12noon. This gardening workshop, open to all students as well as their families, will help you learn what it takes to create your own backyard butterfly habitat.

This week we are adding both Karate and the Anime Club to our after school activities. The calendar of after-school activities is posted below.

A big THANK YOU to the students and parents who volunteered to help out at our Showcase last week. We are always proud to show off our school and programs and know that recruiting prospective students to sustain our enrollment also helps to sustain our programs.

YEARBOOK: Do you have a photo of your student on the 1st Day of School? Please email it to rridgeway@nlmusd.org for inclusion in the Yearbook! 8th Graders: Send your baby picture to Ms. Degener for inclusion in the Yearbook.

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!

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.

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:

These students made their own playing cards and created their own game which they were playing at lunchtime. (The principal needs to take a photography class, sorry for cutting off someone's head!) It's great to see students off their devices and interacting creatively with each other! See the graphic below for why it's good to give kids prolonged breaks from their devices.

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

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.

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

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

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. The list of students receiving an award is posted here.

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