Please be sure to follow me on X (Formerly Known As Twitter @BensonTechPride.) (X)

Please be sure to go to our PPS/BHS Website at www.pps.net/benson for important school information, events and school activities that will be happening throughout the school year. (PPS/Benson Tech Website Calendar)

Parents/Guardians please be sure to download the Trivory App for up to date information regarding Benson Tech. This is a great communication tool for Benson Tech and we highly encourage all parents/guardians and students to stay connected with the school by downloading the app. https://trivory.com/

(Trivory App)

Principal Wilson

Thank you to all the Parents/Guardians and supporters that came out to support the Benson Tech Homecoming Dance this past Friday night. The students had a fantastic time and it was fun to see all the excitement, laughter and joy on the students faces throughout the evening.

Thanks again for supporting Benson Tech and our students.

Benson Tech Administration

Conferences will be held on Monday, November 25th and Tuesday November 26th from 8am-8pm with breaks at lunch and dinner. Monday the 25th will be by appointment either virtually or in person, and Tuesday with in person drop-in style. There will be no school November 27th-29th. Conferences are a valuable time to meet individually for 5-10 minutes with each of your student's teachers to collaborate regarding your student's accomplishments and challenges. Look for more details coming soon about how to reserve an appointment for Monday, and what to expect if you choose to attend drop-in sessions on Tuesday.

Sara Callies

Curriculum Vice Principal

Senior Night Celebrations

Thursday marked the last home game for Benson Tech volleyball, so we celebrated our six seniors: Isabel Abac, Mary Ragsdale, Farrah LeSueur, Noelani Reyes, Kylie Morrow-Gilmore and Maria Siquina. Girls soccer celebrated their seniors, Annie Stuart and Blanca Candia Hernandez, on Friday at Buckman Field when they hosted the Roosevelt Rough Riders. Boys soccer celebrates their seniors this Tuesday night at the Marshall Campus.

Homecoming Football Game

The Astros freshman football team secured their first victory on Thursday. They defeated the McDaniel Mountain Lions 44-8. Benson Tech has two more football games this season. They travel to Jefferson & Cleveland High Schools.

Athletics Schedule This Week

Monday, 10/21

JV2 boys soccer at McDaniel (Glenhaven Park), 4:15 PM

Tuesday, 10/22

Volleyball at Jefferson, JV at 4:30 PM and varsity at 6 PM

Varsity boys soccer hosts Wells at Marshall Campus, 7 PM

JV boys soccer host Wells at Delta Park, 4:15 PM

JV girls soccer is at Wells (Rieke Field), 4:15 PM

Wednesday, 10/23

JV2 boys soccer hosts Roosevelt at Delta Park for their last game of the season, 4:15 PM

Thursday, 10/24

Volleyball plays their last games of the season at Franklin, JV at 4:30 PM and varsity at 6 PM

Girls soccer plays their last game of the season at Delta Park against Grant, 4:15 PM

Varsity boys soccer hosts Grant for their last game of the season at Marshall Campus, 7 PM

Friday, 10/25

JV boys soccer plays their last game of the season against Cleveland at Delta Park, 4:15 PM

Winter Sports Registration is OPEN!

Please remember to register for winter sports if you haven't already done so! The first day of the season is November 18. In order to guarantee an athlete is cleared to participate on the first day, they need to be registered with a valid physical exam form turned in by Tuesday, November 12. The link to registration is here. Payment is not required at registration. The winter sports available are basketball, wrestling, and swimming. I'm happy to connect you with coaches if you have questions, just send me an email (jrussell@pps.net)!

Donate to Benson Athletics

Please consider donating to the Benson athletic department! While the district pays for coaches' stipends, transportation, officials' fees and uniforms every three years, many of the other costs fall on our department and the programs. The athletic department budget typically covers varsity letters, coaches' gear, equipment, and special contest fees (tournaments for team sports, invitationals for track & field, competition fees for cheer & dance). I try to assist with the other costs as I am able.

Any donations are greatly appreciated! $10 an athlete each season they participate is a great help. We can even move a donation directly into a team's account, so it would only be spent by that sport. Below is a wish list of goods and services I would ideally fund for teams. Here is the link to donate.

• team meal before or after a big game
• guest speakers
• coaching clinics
• Hudl (film review & college recruiting software)
• rental fees for indoor facilities for the first few weeks of tennis, golf, baseball, & softball
• end of season banquets
• travel costs for games out of town
• hoodies or other athletic department gear
• socks, belts, hats, keeper gloves, & other uniform pieces athletes are expected to buy themselves
• meals for coaches' meetings & game workers

Jessica Russell

Benson Tech Athletic Director

Picture Retake Day is scheduled for Wednesday, October 23rd during lunch in the Auditorium. If you have any questions, please reach out to Roi San or email her at randerson@pps.net

Roi San Anderson

She/Her Pronouns

Principal Secretary

Benson Polytechnic High School

503-916-5100 ext. 88401

Benson Tech Mental Health Team

Please find our 3rd edition of the Benson Tech Mental Health Newsletter linked below.

This edition includes:

• Depression & Domestic Violence Awareness Months
• Crisis and County Resources & more!

Dear AP Students and Families,

It's hard to believe it but the deadline for AP test registration and payment is coming fast - Nov. 1st.

The AP slideshow has been updated to include the payment and test registration information: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1YsFKaA0ApTk3ka54Z_jN1rrpX2gNYDTcd9oNQ99tNRs/edit?usp=sharing

Students: If you have any questions, please see Ms. Thomas (Rm 237) on A days or Ms. Bruer (Rm 166) on B days. You can also email Ms. Thomas at cthomas3@pps.net.

Christy Thomas

Benson Tech High School

AVID 11 /Government/Econ teacher

Pronouns: She/Her

** I work part-time on A days and will respond to emails when I'm in the building. If you need immediate assistance, please contact the main office at 503.916.5100.

Seniors and Senior Families:

Get ready for FAFSA by setting up a student and parent account now. Here's how:

• Go to the FSA ID website.
• Select “Create Account.”
• Fill in personal information, including name, Social Security number, mobile phone number & email address (or both).

· Set up a two-step verification method (text, email, or authenticator app) during the "Create Account" process.

For the latest college news, check out Benson’s College Newsletter. The Benson college team can help students build a list of good-fit and affordable college options, assist with college applications, review essays, find scholarships, and apply for financial aid.

Come by the College/Career Center or set up an appointment with:

Kathleen Reid, kreid@pps.net or 971-238-8322, set up appointment HERE

Or

Katie Clark, kclark@pps.net or 503-894-4660, set up an appointment HERE

------

Kathleen Reid (she/her)

College Counselor/AVID Coordinator

Benson Tech High School

Call/Text 971-238-8322

Set up an appointment with me HERE

Lots of yearbook info. Keep reading for links!

Yearbook info for everyone:

The Deadline for name changes is November 8th. It is important to us on Yearbook Staff that your student's name is accurate. We use the preferred name on file in Synergy. If that is not accurate, please contact ghunting@pps.net.

Got great photos related to this school year? Is your student doing an extracurricular activity? A sport or club? The yearbook would love to print your photos of your student! Here's how to share: FOLLOW THIS LINK to Josten's sharing portal and we'll get the image(s) in front of the staff. And Thanks!

Still need to reserve a 2025 yearbook? ORDER TODAY!

Yearbook information just for seniors:

Senior Portrait submission. Deadline: January 24, 2025. It is a tradition at Benson that families of graduating seniors can choose to have professional portraits taken; we can put them in the yearbook! Our amazing photography department also offers free digital portraits for seniors (date TBD).

• To submit your student's professional photo, follow THIS LINK and follow the prompts.
• To request more info about the free portraits through the school, email ghunting@pps.net to connect with Greg Huntington (yearbook advisor)
• Special senior portraits are not required; we'll use the official school photo if no submissions are made.
• All questions can be directed toward Mr. Huntington.

Sponsor a yearbook program is back: To help make our yearbook more accessible to our whole community, we are again selling senior ads. Reserve a quarter-page to honor your graduate with photos and/or a personalized message. The cost is $45. For every ad purchased, we buy a yearbook for an Astro who needs it. Learn more ABOUT SENIOR ADS HERE

Career News: Astros, there are many amazing internships, jobs, and career exploration opportunities. Please check out Benson Tech's Career Opportunities board for an updated list of current opportunities for all grade levels. If you have any questions or need help applying, please connect with Katie Clark, College Coordinator, kclark@pps.net

Katie Clark (she/hers)

College & ASPIRE Coordinator

Benson Polytechnic High School

Cell: 503-894-4660 (Text/Call)

Schedule a meeting with me here!

Find out about college support and events here!

Greetings Benson Tech families!

The Benson Wellness Center has COVID-19 and Flu vaccines. Supplies are limited, with hopes for an actual vaccine clinic in the coming weeks.

Students MUST be registered as patients with OHSU. After that, they can walk in and schedule their appointment.

Parents/guardians, you can call to schedule, too, but it might be faster to ask your child to do it.

OHSU Patient registration: 503-494-8505 (one time call); Appointment line: 503-418-0409 (answered M-Thursday)

Chrysalis Program

We are excited to offer a group called Chrysalis again this year. Chrysalis is a school-based skills group for female identifying trauma survivors in 11-12th grade. If there is space, we can allow sophomores, but it is not a good fit for 9th grade.

Here is some more information. If you have a female identifying Benson student you think might benefit, please let me or your counselor know. You and the student do not have to disclose specifics about trauma stories to qualify.

Most participants report that this is a really helpful experience--we regularly have students asking to do the group again!

Please reach out with questions!

Sincerely,

Caroline Bleckmann, LCSW, She/her

School Social worker, Benson Polytechnic High School

For all meeting requests click here or use google calendar for PPS employees

Benson staff referral form

Benson Wellness Center

Benson Community Resources

Cell/Non-urgent texting: 503-729-3486

Monday-Friday, 8-4:00

How can the School Social Worker help me?

Outside of office hours, if you or your loved one is experiencing a mental health crisis, please call the Multnomah County Crisis line at 503-988-4888.

We are short on chromebooks at Benson. When students check out a loaner computer sometimes they aren't bringing them back by the end of the day. This makes it challenging for others who are having theirs repaired, or just need one for a day.

Please help us out by searching for, and returning, any PPS extra chromebooks that might be in your homes.

A PPS computer has a Silver IT sticker on the back and has an Identification number that starts with IT00-123456

We would also like to encourage you to talk with your students about keeping their devices safe at school and not leaving them out unattended, not loaning them to other students or leaving them behind in their classrooms.

Also, please remind your students to charge their chromebook nightly. Many teachers assign most of their work using computers.

Having a charged chromebook helps your student succeed in their classes.

Sincerely,

Carl Larson

Benson Tech Librarian

If you are needing to pick up your student(s) during school hours for appointments, etc..please allow at least 30 minutes BEFORE they need to leave for their appointment / pick up.

Due to the size of our new building, it gives staff time to find your student and have them meet you in the office or out front.

You can call or email the attendance office with these requests.

PH: (503) 916-5100 --- choose attendance line

Email: bensonattend@pps.net

Thank you for your assistance.

Benson Tech Admin

Parents/Guardians of our Senior Students,

Please be sure to read the attached letter from my office regarding the venue change for our Graduation Ceremony scheduled in June.

Principal Wilson

SchoolPay Information for Payment of Fees and Donations

SchoolPay is the online tool for families to make payments for fees and donations easily from home or a mobile device. We recommend that you sign in and use your SchoolPay account so you have a saved history of your payments in one place. HERE is the link with more information and to get started. If you have any questions, please contact the bookkeeper, Sheli Bryan.

ATHLETIC PAY TO PLAY FEE LINK For students participating in PIL athletics, the fee is $200 per sport for the first two per year and the fee for a third sport is waived. If you qualify for Free/Reduced Meals, the fee is $35.

PE UNIFORM FOR 9TH GRADERS LINK All families of 9th grade students are asked to pay $25 to cover the cost of the uniform, a combination lock, and to help support the costs of the PE/Health course.

Suggested Donations

STUDENT ACTIVITY FUND LINK Families who are able are asked to contribute funds to school-wide projects, classes and programs each year. The school operational budget does not cover all the needs of our students, classrooms, programs, activities, and building/equipment improvements. We rely on voluntary contributions from families to enhance the overall experience for our students. As the school year progresses, we will highlight needs as they arise for teachers and student groups. Individual teams and teachers may be sharing information as well. If you are able to contribute a suggested $25, or whatever you can afford, to our Student Activity Fund, these dollars will help fund school-wide activities for all students. Thank you.

Sheli Bryan (she/her)

Bookkeeper

Benson Polytechnic High School

546 NE 12th Ave.

Portland, OR 97232

Parents/Guardians,

Please be sure to read the attached memo from my office that covers Benson's New Cell Phone Policy.

Thanks

Principal Wilson