Benton Weekly Update

It seems odd to start off the school week on a Wednesday, and this Wednesday is BUSY!

Our Mock Trial team heads back to Court this afternoon to compete again, this time featuring our Defense team. Good luck to them!

The NLM Middle Schools Football and Volleyball tournament is today at John Glenn HS in Norwalk at approximately 3:15pm. Benton's Girls' and Boys' Flag Football teams will be competing against Los Alisos for the championship. Good luck, Wolverines!

Benton's Cheer team will also be at John Glenn HS showcasing their routines alongside the other NLM Middle School Cheer teams.

On Thursday, 8th Grade students who live in Norwalk will be able to tour Norwalk HS or John Glenn HS & Southeast Academy to learn about the various pathways and programs at each school. All 8th graders will be able to tour La Mirada HS next week. The open enrollment period for students to attend the NLM high school of their choice will open on December 1st and close on January 31st. All three of our NLM high schools have Family Nights coming up (Norwalk HS on 11/13, LMHS on 11/20, and JGHS/Southeast Academy on 12/4) and all students are welcome to visit all three campuses.

On Friday, our fall play, Dr. Experimentor and the League of Evil debuts. This production features over 60 students on stage, as well as a student tech crew manning lights, sound, and props. Be sure to purchase your tickets on bentonms.booktix.com before the shows are sold out! Performances are Friday and Saturday this week and next week only.

Before the show on Friday, please visit the Benton Art Gallery between 4:30-5:30 to view works by the Studio Art, Cartooning, Media Arts, and Photography classes.

Last week, we had our Homeroom Assembly to recognize students with Perfect Attendance and our October Students of the Month. Congratulations to these students for demonstrating Benton P.R.I.D.E., Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Excellence. Ms. Burns' Homeroom was recognized for having the best attendance, and students received a front-of-line pass.

Our Advanced Choir students were able to attend a Vocal Workshop on the Disney Imagination Campus last week. You can see from the photo below that students had a lot of fun as learned about recording in a professional studio and career opportunities in the vocal industry.

With so much going on, is your student feeling overwhelmed with school, or concerned that they're falling behind? Our Counseling Team is here to support them! Dr. Sweney-Black and Ms. Aguilar-Solis are available to help students get back on track, and help them develop the skills to be successful. We have Saturday School coming up this weekend, and that's a great time to get caught up on school work, get the support they need if they're struggling in their classes, and recover an absence. Permission slips for Saturday School are available in the front office, or you can print out the one posted below.

Do you have an interesting career and would like to share about it with Benton students? Contact Bob Easton beaston@nlmusd.org if you would be interested in presenting at our Career Day coming up March 4th!

Make it a great week!

As part of our ongoing efforts to gather input for the Norwalk-La Mirada USD Facilities Master Plan, we are asking parents and community members to complete this School Community Survey.

There will be no school on Monday and Tuesday in honor of Veterans' Day. Students will return to school on Wednesday.

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 5B – 8B on Wednesday. This Wednesday, like all Wednesdays, students are out at 1:45pm.

The NLM Middle Schools Sports Tournament on 11/12 at JGHS, there will be a series of games held at different middle schools in the district. Bus transportation will be provided to all players, cheer, photographers, scorekeepers. Games start when all players arrive, approximately 3:00-3:15pm. For away games, buses will depart Benton at approximately 2:45pm, and will return to campus approximately 5:30-6pm.

Tickets on sale now at https://bentonms.booktix.com

Saturday School will be on 11/15 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 this semester on 11/15 & 12/6.

There will be no school during Thanksgiving Break. Students will return to school on Monday, December 1st.

Students will have 2 weeks for Winter Break. The last day of school, Friday 12/19 is a minimum day with dismissal at 1:15pm. Students will return to school on Tuesday, January 6.

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.

Don't forget to enroll on the 2026 East Coast Trip.

Click the link below to enroll:

https://enroll.efexploreamerica.com/2782313XM

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