Principal's Message 2023-2024

2 months ago

Greetings Bobcat Family,

 It is hard to believe that the 2023 – 2024 school year is coming to an end! February, March, and April is a busy time at Benson High School. Many of our seniors are beginning to receive notifications from their respective colleges and universities. Winter sports are wrapping up with our spring sports just around the corner.

Our staff has been working with our students to ensure they meet our Arizona state standards to be prepared for whatever the future holds for them. Arizona has chosen the ACT and the ASPIRE as their state standardized tests that will be taken in the spring semester. All juniors will take the ACT beginning April 9th and 10th, and all freshmen will take the ASPIRE test April 2nd and 3rd. Our overall ACT scores and attendance have an effect on our State Report Card. The better our scores and attendance, the better our overall school grade will be and more importantly school funding! We look forward to monitoring the progress our students are making in all academic areas. More importantly, the ACT can help when looking at possible scholarships and best of all; we are providing this important assessment FREE of charge!

Arizona Science Test:

Arizona Science Test is a Standards Based Assessment that measures student proficiency of the Arizona Academic Content Standard in Science. A passing score on Arizona Science Test is not required for graduation but has an effect on our overall school report card. All juniors are required to take this assessment and will be given on Tuesday, April 4.

 This is an important time for many students. As you know, it takes 25 credits to graduate from Benson High School. Credits are earned at the end of each semester. If a student has a semester grade of D or higher, he or she earns credit for that semester in that class. Certainly it is important for students to do their best to pass all facets of all courses they are taking. Please stress to your son or daughter not to let his or her grades slip as the end of the semester nears. Failure to earn credit for the semester may result in the necessity of repeating the entire semester. Now is the time for students to take responsibility so we are not discussing retaking courses in summer school or at online recovery classes.  

 Civics Test:

In 2015, the Arizona legislature passed the American Civics Act (House Bill 2064). This bill will require students, started with the graduating class of 2017, to pass a civics test based on the United States Immigration and Naturalization civics questions. Students will be required to score 60% or higher in order to graduate from high school. 

I encourage you to take this opportunity to set some new goals with your child that will help him or her succeed academically. High school is just one step in the educational process. It is vital that parents and educators work together to make sure that students are prepared for the next step after graduation, whether that step is college, a career, or the military.

Our seniors are beginning preparations for graduation and for all graduation-related activities. Parents of seniors, please check with your son or daughter regarding their senior class meeting, held Wednesday, January 18. Please review the handout given to seniors to find a list of important dates and early release procedures.

If you are the parent of an underclassman, please begin to discuss next year’s course choices with your son/daughter. A tremendous amount of preparation, time, and effort go into the scheduling process. Mrs. Reynolds, guidance counselor and Mrs. Sturgeon, Academic Advisor, will meet with students in February to explain the process of requesting courses for the following school year. I hope you will take time to look through the course selections with your son or daughter, and to help him or her select appropriate classes. Good decisions about scheduling now help to avert disappointments and regrets in the fall.

Parents, please continue to reinforce good attendance habits with your child. Attendance and accuracy of attendance are extremely important in school. Excessive absences result in missed work, which may be difficult to make up. This may cause a loss of continuity in learning and may produce an irresponsible attitude toward daily obligations, ultimately resulting in failure in school.

It is our desire that the second half of the school year be excellent for all. If you need to meet with a teacher, guidance counselor, assistant principal, or me, please do not hesitate to contact us. We suggest that parents call to schedule appointments before coming to school.  Our goal is to be ready to meet with parents promptly.  We respect your valuable time.

We look forward to seeing parents and guardians at the next parent/teacher conference night, which will be on Wednesday, February 28th from 3:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. in the high school gymnasium.

As a reminder, any visitor to the campus should report to the appropriate office (main office), sign in, and receive directions from staff about the current safety procedures and navigating through the building. The safety and security of our school is always our top priority and a responsibility we all share. We take pride in being a place that welcomes our community, yet also a place that provides a safe environment for our students and staff. We appreciate all your support.

In the meantime, I hope all Benson families have a great 2024. Together, we can make Benson High School an excellent place for all students to learn. Be the Best – The Benson High Way!

 

“Go Bobcats”

Jeff Thompson, Principal  

Benson High School Spiritwear
Time Change

The FAFSA Workshop (1/30/24) is now scheduled to begin at 5:30p.m. Sorry for the inconvenience.