Welcome to January-it's time to start thinking about classes for next year! Students in grades 8-11 are actively creating and reveiwing 4-year plans in preparation for class registration for the 2023-2024 school year. 8th graders are meeting 1:1 with Mrs. Nesbitt to create 4-year Plan's. The 4-year plan is a fluid document that outlines what classes students want to take each year that they are in school. We use the term fluid becasue we know the 4-year plan can and does change over time. Grades 9-11 are actively updating 4-year plans. Registration for the 2023-2024 school year will occur later this month in advisory periods. We encourage parents to ask to see your son's and daughter's 4-year plans, and let us know if you have any questions.

Before out winter break, MS Student Council sponsored a classroom door decorating contest right before winter break. It is so fun to see their creativity.

On Friday, December 16, Benton Community 8th graders got the opportunity to travel to the Linn Regional Center for the STEAM event, organized by the Workplace Learning Connection. STEAM is the acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics. The group of 8th graders were divided into 6 groups and each group got to see 3-30 minute presentations on a career that uses one of the categories of STEAM. Some examples of what they saw were Collins Aerospace, Meteorology, Policing, and Physical Therapy. Not every group got to see the same presentations. Overall, this trip is a great time and learning experience for our students. They get to see how some of the content they are learning in the classroom can be applied to different careers in the future.

Students begin establishing their high school GPA (grade point average) right away in their freshman year. It is important to maintain good study habits, homework habits, and time management skills to receive the best grades possible. Often, colleges look specifically at GPA and grades from the freshman year to make predictions on how a student makes major transitions.

If your grades for the first half of the year are not where you would like them to be you may want to reinforce your focus on grades during the last 2 quarters of this year.

The summer 2023 internship portal will be open from December 12 through February 10 for current high school sophomores and juniors. Internships are 45 – 90 hours in length and students may be able to earn high school credit.

The winter/spring 2023 job shadow application portal will be open Jan. 2 – 27. High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors have the opportunity to explore a variety of careers and gain useful information about what it takes to succeed in different fields in a short two- to four-hour experience.

If your picture is missing from this collage, please submit a photo ASAP. These are used for the yearbook, class composite, newspaper and more. We want all of our Seniors spotlighted. Talk to Mrs. Knaack if you need someone to take your picture.