Vote on Yearbook Covers

Hello Students,

     It's time to vote on yearbook covers!  Click on this link to go to the page so you can vote; you must be logged in with your Bonny Eagle email address.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo

Hello All,

     The clever Sam L. found this treasure and shared it earlier today.  I give you perhaps the most ridiculous grammatically correct sentence you have ever seen.  Enjoy!

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo.
  
     You read that correctly; your eyes are not deceiving you.  That sentence is grammatically correct in every way, shape, and form.  Allow me to explain.

A buffalo is a bison, that large and shaggy plains animal that has been hunted to near extinction and now largely lives in small, privately controlled herds.

Buffalo is a city in New York.

To buffalo means to push or bully into something, as in, "He buffaloed me into doing my homework, even though I thought it was a terrible idea."

     Now, break the sentence into its individual parts.  The first two words, "Buffalo buffalo," mean buffalo from Buffalo, or bison from the city.  The second two words are the same.  The fifth word is the verb.  So, the first half of the sentence says, "City bison that city bison bully."

     Congratulations, we just wrote the subject of the sentence.

     Moving on to the predicate, we have three words:  buffalo, Buffalo, and buffalo.  The first word is the verb.  Those city bison that have been bullied by other city bison are starting to perpetuate the hatred and insecurity.  What do they do?  They buffalo!  Finally, we need to figure out the identities of their victims.  They are more Buffalo buffalo!  The vicious cycle is complete.  City bison that other city bison bully bully yet other city bison.

     Those poor, sad Buffalo buffalo.

     Thanks Sam!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Writing

Hello Everyone,

     Some days, I feel like this is how students treat the writing process.

That's awesome, so long as that "write" writing happens after all this.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

P.S. - That was a pun!  Punny, right?

Quarter One is Closed!

Hello Everyone!

     Quarter One is officially done.  I will have your grade posted by early next week, and report cards will come out shortly after that.  Thank you all for your hard work this quarter; we will build from it during Quarter Two for better skills and stronger enthusiasm.  You are all fantastic.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

The Personal Narrative

Hello Everyone!

     Tomorrow your personal narrative is due; you have had weeks to complete this, and I am looking forward to reading your final results.  For your convenience, I have attached the rubric I will use for this assignment; you can check your work against it before handing it in!

     Click here to access the rubric for the project.  This is a 100-point assignment, remember, so do well!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Quiz on Sentence Completion and Style

Hello Everyone!

     Today you take your sentence completion and style quiz.  Click this link to take the quiz online; it is entirely multiple choice, and you have thirty minutes to complete it.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

You have one more quiz for this unit!

Hello Everyone!

     On Tuesday, October 14, you will have your last quiz of the unit.  This quiz will be entirely multiple choice, and is designed to see if you can identify the difference between fragment, complete, and run-on sentences, as well as the difference between simple, complex, compound, and compound-complex sentences.  You will have the option to take it on the computer or on paper.

     Also, don't forget that Monday is Columbus Day, and you have no school.  Enjoy your three-day weekend, and be sure to study for the quiz!  If you can't remember the terms or the differences between them, look up assignment 02-12 or this handy review sheet.  Click this link for a completed review sheet for the quiz.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Figurative Language Quiz

Hello Everyone,

     Click on this text to start today's quiz.  You can take as much time as you reasonably need to complete it, which means you have all class.  When you finish, though, you should go back to your personal narrative and add figurative language to it.  When you finish doing that, you may Review and Improve some of your work for this class.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Quiz on Tuesday!

Hello Everyone!

     On Tuesday, October 7, you will take a quiz on figurative language.  This will be designed in a similar manner to the quiz you took this Tuesday (and likely retook today!), and will cover all nine figurative language terms we have been discussing in class for the last few days.  If you cannot remember all of them, they are:

• Simile
• Metaphor
• Oxymoron
• Onomatopoeia
• Hyperbole
• Alliteration
• Idiom
• Personification
• Pun

You must know how to define each term, be able to identify them in use, and spell them correctly.  If you have any questions, look up assignment 02-06 on Google Classroom or Infinite Campus and review the list.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

An Excellent Simile

Hello Everyone,

     Ziggy came up with an excellent simile on one of his assignments, and I want to share it with you all.  The assignment discussed the concept of slavery and freedom, and the life of a slave in the antebellum South.  In his words,

These slaves were treated worse than Evander Holyfield's ear during the Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield fight.

I couldn't agree more.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Puns!

Hello Everyone,

     We are learning about figurative language in class these days, and I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to share some excellent puns.  After all, a pun is a saying that uses word similarities for effect, usually for humor!

     All pun images were found on the Grammarly Facebook page.  Now, what is your favorite pun or word joke?  Add it in the comments section!

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Take a Quiz!

Hello Students!

     Click on this link to take your 02-08 Narrative Vocabulary Quiz.  Yes, all this text is one giant link to one decently-sized quiz.  Remember that you need to be logged in to your Bonny Eagle email account for this to work.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Quiz Tomorrow!

Hello Everyone!

     Please remember to study for the quiz tomorrow on the Narrative vocabulary terms from assignment 02-04:  Vocabulary of a Narrative.  You can find the list in that assignment.  The quiz will have two parts; the first part will require you to pick the best definition from a list of options for each word, and the second part will require you to write out the best word for each definition listed.

     This quiz will be worth twenty points.  Study for it.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Soccer at Home

Hello Everybody!

     Today our home game is soccer.  The Boys play Mahoney here at 4:45 PM, while the Girls travel to Mahoney for their game.  If you are in South Portland, be sure to go and cheer on the Girls; the rest of you should come to our game and rally the Boys for another victory!  Unless you're working, you should be there!

     Go Scots!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris


Good Evening!

     Not only did the girls beat Mahoney brilliantly 3-1, but the Boys absolutely crushed Mahoney tonight, scoring 5-0 over two heavily played halves.  Mahoney has some excellent kickers, but we played stronger, fought harder, and came out on top.  The team communicated well and played their best.  Well done, all of you!

      Go Scots!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Field Hockey at Home

Hello Everyone!

     Don't forget that we have a field hockey game versus Memorial Middle School today at 4:45.  This game is at home, so you have no excuse to be somewhere else!  Come out and support our girls as they dominate the field and bring us another victory!

     Go Scots!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris


Good Evening!

     We played well against a respectably capable team, and our final score was 1-1; a tie!  We managed to keep the ball on their side of the field for much of the second half, and the play was fierce and consistent.  You should be proud of all our players.

     Go Scots!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Home Soccer Today

Good Morning!

     8th Grade Boys and Girls play against Scarborough today; Girls start at 3:30 PM, and Boys start at 4:45.  Come out to Bonny Eagle Middle School and support our kids as we show Scarborough who has the best soccer teams in the state!

     Go Scots!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris


Good Evening!

      We fought hard and played well; you should all be proud of yourselves.  Despite some solid footwork and plenty of spirit, the Girls lost 0-3.  Scarborough had some impressive kicks that pushed the game into defense more than once.  The Boys rallied quickly, though, and won solidly 4-3.  Let's keep the spirit up, and get ready for the next game!

     Again, I say,
     Go Scots!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris 

Class Constitution!

Good Afternoon!

     All the students in Clan Dundee have been working hard for the last three weeks.  They are learning to cope with a new grading system, adjusting to a new teacher, and keeping track of their homework assignments.  Today, at long last, marks the completion of their first unit of study.  They studied parts of the US Constitution, and today they officially signed their own Class Constitution, which will now be the law of the land in Language Arts.

     You should be very proud of the work that went into this document.  This is entirely student-created, from the wording of the laws to the content of each Article and Section, which they also chose and organized.  As the year goes on, and some laws need to be revised or removed, the students and I will negotiate amendments.

     Read the Class Constitution below!

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris


    Dundee clan this year has written their own Constitution! The Constitution is about the rules of our ELA classes. These may include being safe, responsible, and respectful. Some of the rules also may apply for the whole school. The Constitution goes from being silent to having class debates. Yes, school may not be our favorite, but you must participate! Some other things may include asking questions and helping other students getting their work done. This year’s Dundee classes will be respectful, responsible, and safe.

Article I:  Safety

Section 1:
    We will keep all materials to ourselves and avoid distracting others with personal objects. We will sit in our chairs correctly to avoid injury or distraction to others, and when we leave we will quietly push in our chairs to keep the room looking sharp. To avoid damage to our laptops we will at all times keep food and drinks away from our laptops. Students will have the right to eat and drink in class, as long as they obey the laptops rules and don’t cause a distraction. If they break the rules their freedom to eat and drink will be taken away.

Article II:  Fun Learning

 Section 1:   
    To avoid sitting around and listening to lectures, students will have the right to have fun while being taught as long as they earn it. In the classroom, we will promote enjoyable learning by having class-wide activities. During class, we will make time for reading. Depending on how the week went, every Friday we may have the privilege to choose fun activities to do for the class. If we behave, we will be rewarded for our good behavior.

NWEA Testing and the Class Constitution

Hello Everyone!

     Today and tomorrow we will have NWEA testing in Language Arts class.  Some students may finish today, but you will all have the opportunity to finish the test tomorrow in class as well.  There are 43 questions on the test, and you will work on it silently in the classroom.

     This means the final classroom discussion of the Class Constitution will be online, in the form of a vote.  Click here to access the voting form for the line-item vote.  Then, click here to access the grading form for this project.  You must be logged in with your Bonny Eagle email account to vote; consider that the equivalent of your Voter ID.  You will have two options for each law:  yea or nay.  You are not graded on your answer, only on whether or not you vote.  When you are done, click the green "Submit" button at the bottom, and your votes will be added to the class total.

     Voting is open only on Wednesday and Thursday.

     We will start class on Friday by officially signing the Class Constitution, making it the foundation of our government and the law of our classroom.  As of Monday, this means students and the teacher must abide by all laws within that Constitution.

     Vote carefully, and good luck!  Once again, here is the link to the voting form.

     Click here to access the voting form for the line-item vote.

     Click here to access the grading form for this project.

Yours Sincerely,


Mr. DeMaris

Infinite Campus and the Gradebook

Hello Everyone,

     I do not know what it looks like from your end as students and as parents, but right now I am having trouble with the Gradebook form on Infinite Campus.  It is not loading correctly for me, which means I cannot put grades into it.

     Until our wonderful and busy Technology Department can help, I will be keeping grades on my own.  I doubt this will take more than a day or two (everyone is really helpful around here), but if you have any questions about your grades, email me instead.  I will let you know what I have.

     In other news, we had our first assembly today, and it was fantastic.  The kids had a great time, there was plenty of music and games, they were respectful and listened to all the announcements, and when it was finished, we all went outside for the remainder of the afternoon to get some sunshine and enjoy the freedom.

     Have a safe and excellent weekend, and I will see everyone again on Monday!  Remember, if you didn't finish your persuasive essay on rules in class, it's due at the start of class.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

A Reminder

Hello Everyone!

     The school year is off to a great start, and I'm happy to report that the Technology Department distributed laptops yesterday.  Students should bring these to school every day, and charge them every night.  We only have so many plugs in the wall, and cords are a tripping hazard.

     I want to remind you all that Monday, September 8 is Picture Day here at BEMS!  Dress appropriately.  Clan Dundee has their pictures taken from 10:15 to 10:45.  Also, next Wednesday, September 10, we have our Back to School Night from 6:30 to 7:30.  This is your chance to meet the teachers and see the classrooms, so come over and visit.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Our First Project

Hello Everyone,

     Our first project this year is to write a Class Constitution, which will embody all the rules and regulations we feel are appropriate for our classroom.  Students will read and analyze the original US Constitution for this project, and will base our Class Constitution on its design and concepts.  This will be our "Code of Cooperation."

     Click here to access and read the rubric for this unit.  All homework, classwork, and the final product will be graded based on this rubric.  The completed Constitution will be a 100 point project grade.

     If this is your first time reading one of my rubrics, I suggest you click here to access and read my handy guide on "How to Read a Rubric."  There is a permanent link in the Links column to the right.

Yours Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Hello!

Andrew DeMaris
Bonny Eagle Middle School
92 Sokokis Trail
Buxton, ME 04093-3059
(207) 929-3833 ext. 167
agdemaris@bonnyeagle.org
demaris8.blogspot.com

August 28, 2014

Dear Parents/Guardians:

My name is Andrew DeMaris, and I have recently accepted the position of English Language Arts teacher with Clan Dundee at Bonny Eagle Middle School.  I am very excited about this opportunity to teach your students, and look forward to meeting and getting to know each and every one of them over the coming school year.  As I am new to the district, I want to introduce myself and let you know a little about me.

I graduated from the University of Maine in 2011 with two degrees, one in Education and one in History.  I completed my Master’s this spring, and last year I worked for the Greenbush School Department, north of Bangor.  I love to read old books, and hope to share my love for good writing and interesting stories with my classes here at Bonny Eagle Middle School.  I got married in August 2011 to my lovely wife Alise, who just took a position as a speech therapist here as well.  She and I live in North Windham.  I have lived in Maine, Connecticut, and Washington state at various points in my life, and after experiences with 1,800-student city schools in my youth and the small town of Greenbush, I enjoy the idea of working with such a close-knit community within the larger district here.

I like to communicate often with parents and students.  I have created a website where I will post updates on classes and activities, including any letters like this that I send out.  You can find all my contact information above, including the school phone number and my email address.  I check email daily, and will gladly return phone calls if you would like to talk.  I will be sending home information on class assignments with students once school starts full-speed; if you have any questions about their coursework or homework, please feel free to contact me.

I am looking forward to a great year!

Sincerely,




Andrew DeMaris