Benton Elementary School

Benton Elementary School's fundraiser is almost over and we would love your help in finishing our program on a strong note. It's as simple as 1, 2, 3! Register TONIGHT at www.ShopFund.com Share custom support links with family & friends via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email, Text and more. Student Goal: 5 Online Supporters. REGISTER-SHARE-WIN: Sharing gets you tickets for chances to win over $100,000 in instant prizes. Fundraiser Links: Why We Fundraise - (https://vimeo.com/showcase/8770815) How To Videos - (https://vimeo.com/showcase/8752340) Kick-Off Videos - (https://vimeo.com/showcase/8754676) Parent Letter - (https://bit.ly/3lcJ3TW ) On behalf of myself and the staff at Benton Elementary School, thank you for doing your part to make our fundraiser a success.

Giving Tree Link https://forms.gle/cJymX2fKP8wd9YE77

Dear Families, Benton Elementary School will be sponsoring a Christmas Giving Tree for our students during the holiday season. If you feel that your family is in need of assistance, please complete the below form. Please note this is only for students at Benton Elementary. We are only able to fill requests for Benton students. If you have a child in another school please contact the counselor, as some schools are doing similar programs. All requests are strictly confidential. Please keep in mind the following when making a request: inappropriate requests will not be filled. This includes electronics, gaming stations and expensive items. Please fill out this form by November 8th. Please indicate one clothing item and include your child's size also one fun item your child would like. If you have multiple children attending Benton, please use this form to keep all names on one form. Please remember this is only for students at Benton Elementary. You will be contacted to pick up the gift at school when it becomes available. If you have any questions please contact your child's school counselor at 453-4240 Kelsey Rohman Grades 1-3 Marissa Martin Grades 4-6

Johnny's Selected Seeds donated 540 pumpkins to Benton Elementary! Students selected their pumpkins today. We cannot send the larger pumpkins home on the bus, so classroom teachers will be reaching out to families to schedule a time to pick up from the school. Thank you, Johnny's! What a wonderful gift for our students.

There will be a district-wide 1/2 day on Friday, October 29th. At Benton Elementary, dismissal will be at 12:00 PM. Please plan accordingly.

Benton Elementary School's fundraiser starts today, and we would love your help. It's as simple as 1, 2, 3! Register TONIGHT at www.ShopFund.com Share custom support links with family & friends via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Email, Text and more. Student Goal: 5 Online Supporters. REGISTER-SHARE-WIN: Sharing gets you tickets for chances to win over $100,000 in instant prizes. Fundraiser Links: Why We Fundraise - (https://vimeo.com/showcase/8770815) How To Videos - (https://vimeo.com/showcase/8752340) Kick-Off Videos - (https://vimeo.com/showcase/8754676) Parent Letter - (https://bit.ly/3lcJ3TW ) On behalf of myself and the staff at Benton Elementary School, thank you for consideration. We hope this fundraiser is a success!

We have two exciting opportunities for our Benton families! 1. Are you in need of a Thanksgiving basket? This will include a frozen turkey and some of the fixings! The Brady Martin Memorial Thanksgiving Food Drive will be providing baskets for any family in need. If you would like a basket, please fill out the form below. 2. A local non-profit organization called Box of Balloons has collaborated with Benton to provide children in need with a custom-made birthday box containing all the necessary birthday party supplies and gifts. If you would like a box of balloons, please fill out the form below. (The birthday box only applies to kids under the age of 12 at Benton Elementary School). https://forms.gle/p9uyHXKWbrjLajVUA

You're invited to our virtual October PTO meeting tomorrow at 6 p.m. We would love to see you there! Follow the link below to join: https://meet.google.com/zhn-mwbt-pry

Benton Elementary currently has 293 students and staff participating in Pooled Testing! As a result, 29 students who were close contacts were able to remain in school since beginning pooled testing. Each Tuesday, a team led by Mrs. Bridges, our school nurse, goes to each classroom to collect samples. Pooled testers take a swab and swirl the lower part of each nostril four times and put the swab in plastic vile. That's it! Super easy. Each pool is sent to the lab for a PCR test. If a pool tests positive, all staff/students in the pool take a BinaxNOW test as soon as possible. Only the person who tests positive on the BinaxNOW test needs to quarantine from school as they are the positive case. If you haven't signed your child up for pooled testing, please consider it as it helps keep everyone in our school community safe and reduces the amount of time students miss important instructional time. You can sign up electronically at the link below: https://www.msad49.org/article/539381

October BBB with Lunch and Breakfast Menus

Arrival/Dismissal Reminder: families are not permitted to park in the front parking lot during the school day due to busing. This is a safety issue. Please use the parent pick-up loop, park along School Drive, or park behind the school. Thank you

For clarity, childcare at Benton Elementary is closed this week.

As a result of a positive case of COVID-19, before and after school is closed this week. Close contacts can attend school during quarantine if they participated in pooled testing.

Fantastic first day! It was wonderful to see everyone. There were BIG smiles all around. Our students were so excited to be here today - thank you for all your support! Like every year, arrival and dismissal on the first day is tough because of the amount of parent drop-offs and pick-ups. We greatly appreciate your patience as we make it more efficient each day. Student safety is our number one priority, which initially delays the process. A couple of things to remember: parents need to wait for their child at the cafeteria entrance. Only staff and students are allowed in front of the Dancers sculpture and along the parked buses. Secondly, do not drive or park in the front staff parking lot as it endangers staff and students during dismissal. Please park in the back parking lot or on the street. Thank you!

Pooled Testing Information and FAQ from Assistant Superintendent Patricia Watts. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HzuMGWreUHySG3EutjsK6SZ1fQguiiI_JUILniTBrSg/edit?usp=sharing

Bus Routes are posted on our school website. https://www.msad49.org/o/bes

Letter and School Opening FAQ from Mr. Wedge https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kP22A6x0XjcQdfG0R22Xj3N25NkjS6fw5GWhTZvU5LA/edit?usp=sharing

Benton Guidance Needs Assessment The following assessment is to help determine the needs of our student body and to assist us in developing appropriate interventions. Please answer the following questions to the best of your best ability. The survey will remain confidential. If you have multiple children at Benton please fill this out for each child. The feedback that we receive will better prepare us as School Counselors in identifying what your child needs during the reopening, after the reopening, and beyond. Thank you and we look forward to working with your child! Kelsey Rohman and Marissa Martin https://forms.gle/qSGTkRDfVafPAGjG7

Correction on last message: 9 AM-10 AM. Thank you!

Step-Up Presentation for our incoming First Grade Benton Bulldogs! Please share with any 1st grade families and take a few minutes to watch (Youtube link below). Also, 1st grade families can get a brief Step-Up tour of the building and the playground from Mr. Wedge and Mrs. Blais on Wednesday, August 25th, from 9AM-10PM and from 6PM-7PM. We will meet in the front parking lot. Please bring a mask to wear for the inside tour. No appointment needed. https://youtu.be/CXu_-J-Uevw