Benton Weekly Update

Benton continues with SBAC testing this week. 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.

Have you got some unwanted items taking up space at home? Our Green Team and Ms. Robertson are holding a Community Swap this Saturday at Benton from 9-noon. It's kind of like a garage sale or swap meet, but no money changes hands. The idea is to find a new home for items you no longer need or want and trade them to someone else, thereby reducing waste. It is recommended that you bring no more than 10 items, and if your items remain unwanted, you must take them away with you at the end of the day. See the flyer posted below.

Speaking of the Green Team, did you know that Benton is an official Monarch Butterfly Way Station? All the students have been enjoying the garden, especially watching all the caterpillars on our milkweed plants and their evolution from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly. The first butterflies began emerging last week and soon our gardens will be filled with these wonders of nature. Thanks, Ms. Robertson and the Green Team!

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. But our biggest event of the year is our Kaleidoscope VAPA Festival coming up Friday, May 17th. At this event, all of our arts, performing and visual, will be on display. There will be performances, exhibits, and several food trucks. This is a community event showcasing the many talents of our Benton Artists; bring your families and enjoy an evening of the arts.

This past week the District held its Star Awards celebrating employee achievement. Benton was honored to have its Advanced Drama students performing Be Our Guest from Beauty and the Beast. It was a night to celebrate Benton all around as former Benton Principal (current Asst. Superintendent) Dr. Michael Gotto was honored along with Benton's own Mr. Geoff Summers, District Finalist for Teacher of the Year, and Ms. Terié Wohlford, District Classified Employee of the Year. It was a stellar evening celebrating the truly excellent people and students at Benton. Congratulations!

Make it a great week!

Benton hopes to expand its double-blocked Math Enrichment classes to 7th & 8th Grade next year. Would your student be interested? Although students give up one of their three electives for the double blocked Math Enrichment class, students benefit from more time and consistency with math. The Math Enrichment classes not only cover math concepts, but builds on students' growth mindsets and incorporates social-emotional learning. Students can build their confidence in math and be more prepared for high school. 100% of students who have taken Math Enrichment report the following: it raised their confidence in math and was worth losing one elective and they would recommend it to other students. Top 3 reasons for success: teaching style, more time, no homework. Please contact Ms. Ridgeway or Ms. Alcala if you would like your student in the Math Enrichment class.

There are less than 20 tickets still available for Disneyland. Payments for the Disneyland trip can only be made in the school office (cash or checks payable to Benton PTSA). 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.

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.

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 5B – 8B on Wednesday. This Wednesday, like all Wednesdays, dismissal is at 1:45pm.

The Green Team Community Swap is on Saturday, 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.

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 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