Benton Weekly Update

This week we are excited to welcome La Mirada 5th graders on campus for their middle school visit. Students will be able to tour the campus and classrooms and start thinking about next year. Our Choir, Guitar, Band, Orchestra, Drama, and Cheer students will perform for them. Student tours of Benton and Hutchinson are based on where students live. If you know of a student who did not get to tour Benton, please reach out to Ms. Ridgeway for a private tour.

Mark your calendars, our Semester 1 Awards Assembly will be Wednesday, January 31st from 8:40am-9:30am. More details below.

Tryouts for Boys' Soccer are Tuesday after school 3-4:15. Students trying out should bring their cleats and shin guards.

Boys' Basketball practice will be Tuesday and Thursday after school from 3-4:15, Girls' Basketball practice is only on Thursday.

Career Day March 6th: Are you interested is speaking to middle schoolers about your career? Benton's Career Day will be from 9:00am-10:30am; speakers will give three 30-minute presentations to different groups of students. If you would like to be a presenter and can commit to being available on 3/6/24, please contact Mr. Bob Easton at beaston@nlmusd.org for more information.

8th Grade Parents: each year in the yearbook, we feature a page with baby pictures of our 8th grade students. Now is the time to send a digital baby photo of your 8th grader to edegener@nlmusd.org. You only have a few weeks to submit those photos, do it now and be sure to include your student's name.

Make it a great week!

Open Enrollment for NLMUSD is 12/1-1/31/24. Returning 6th & 7th graders do NOT need to resubmit an Open Enrollment application. 8th Graders transitioning to High School will need to submit a permit if you live outside NLMUSD or if you plan to attend a high school that is not your school of residence.

Looking for a great middle school? If you know of students who are interested in attending Benton next year, please refer them to the Choose Benton tab on our webpage or contact Principal Robin Ridgeway at rridgeway@nlmusd.org for a school tour.

Monday is a school holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.

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

The SSC will meet to review the Benton School Safety Plan. Meeting will be in the Benton Conference Room on Thursday, January 18th at 3:30pm. The agenda is posted in the school office.

Saturday School for students to recover an absence, get support with school work, and get caught up on assignments. Please turn in the permission slip to the office. Both breakfast and lunch are available.

The Semester 1 Awards Assembly will be held in the Benton Quad on Wednesday, January 31 at 8:40am. Students will be recognized for Citizenship/P.R.I.D.E., Perfect Attendance, Honor Roll (GPA 3.5-3.99), and Principal's Honor Roll (4.0 & above). A list of all students receiving an award will be posted soon.

There will be no school Monday, February 12 in honor of Lincoln's Birthday.

The NLM Middle Schools Basketball and Soccer Tournament will be held at Benton on Friday, 2/16. Spectators may enter through the sliding gate after 8:45am. No pets allowed on campus.

There will be no school Monday, February 19 in honor of Washington's Birthday and Presidents' Day.

The 23-24 Benton Yearbook is on sale now for $35 in the front office only, our webstore link is temporarily unavailable. You can purchase your copy now, 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