Benton Weekly Update

Spring Break begins on Friday, April 3 through Friday, April 10th, and not a minute too soon! The students and staff are all looking forward to a week's rest so we can gear up for the final few weeks of the school year. (Notice: I will be traveling to Italy over the break, and your next newsletter might be a little tardy!) Thursday, April 2nd, the final day before Spring Beak, is a minimum day with dismissal at 1:15pm, the school office will close early, and there are no after-school activities scheduled on Thursday or during the break.

The La Mirada All City Concert is on Tuesday, March 31st at 6pm at the La Mirada Center for the Performing Arts. The concert features music ensembles from Benton, Hutchinson, La Mirada HS, and Biola University. The concert is free, but you do need tickets to attend. Contact the music teachers for tickets.

Our Softball teams won their games last week against Corvallis, this week we play Los Alisos at Los Alisos MS in Norwalk. Currently, the Benton teams are undefeated and we anticipate being in the Championship Game on 4/15 when we return from Spring Break. The Championship SB Game and the NLM Cheer Championship has been moved to our Los Coyotes campus here in La Mirada on Rosecrans just before Beach Blvd.

Students who are interested in applying to be in ASB/Leadership for 26-27 should plan to attend the informational meeting on Wednesday after school with Ms. Murray.

Speaking of next year's classes, students, have you entered your course requests into PowerSchool and turned in your course request form to the office? Don't make me choose electives for you!

Are you interested in trying out for the Cheer or Song teams? We are revamping our Cheer program for next year, adding a Song team, and both will be under the direction of Ms. Estrada and Ms. Truesdell. Information packets will be posted online and available in the school office later this week and after spring break. Tryout clinics for Cheer & Song will be on Thursdays after school beginning April 23.

Are you a supporter of Benton's VAPA program? You can join the Benton VAPA Boosters! Their next meeting will be on Monday, April 13th at 5:00pm in Room 85. Please join us!

The NLM school district is seeking your input on the LCAP, the Local Control Accountability Plan. Your feedback is essential in helping us:

• Identify student needs
• Set priorities for programs and services
• Allocate resources effectively

Please take a few minutes to complete the survey by Tuesday, 4/14. You should have received an email asking for your input and you can complete the survey at this link.

We will be administering the SBAC tests during regularly scheduled ELA and Math classes for 2 weeks beginning April 20. The CAST science test for 8th graders begins on May 4th. We want students to feel confident and prepared to do their individual best. We offer our SBAC Academy after school Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and on Saturdays for students to review key concepts and learn helpful strategies to do well and show what they've learned. This week, the SBAC Academy only meets on Monday & Tuesday.

Make it a great week!

The Benton PTSA Honorary Service Award Selection Committee is looking for nominations for deserving recipients for recognition at our annual Founder's Day Celebration. Nominated individuals or organizations who have made significant contributions to the wellbeing of children, youth or families in this school and/or community can be considered for this award. Current members, officers and teachers may also be considered for this award. Nominations accepted at this link.

Congratulations to all the Cast & Crew of Mary Poppins. It was an OUTSTANDING show, and audiences were blown away. Many thanks to all of our student performers as well as all the staff and students who have worked behind the scenes to make the show a success! Bravo!

Last week the Benton music students competed in the SCSBOA Festival and once again, earned unanimous superiors for their performances. Here's a sampling below:

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!

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.

The SBAC Academy will only meet on Monday and Tuesday this week from 3:05-4:00pm.

The Girls and Boys Competition Teams practice after school on Monday w/Coach Estes and Coach Martinez

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

Mark your calendars, we are out of school for Spring Break Friday, April 3rd through Friday, April 10. Thursday, April 2nd will be a minimum day with dismissal at 1:15pm.

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.

Our retro sweatshirts are available for purchase in the Benton office.

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