Quarter Three Ends Friday

Hello All,

     Quarter Three ends this Friday, April 3, 2015. In Language Arts, you have until 2:10 PM on that day to hand in any assignments from this quarter; at 2:11, you may no longer submit anything toward your grade.

     I am staying after school today to help students with catching up, and you are all, as always, welcome to stay for Learning Lab after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Check Infinite Campus; you all should know how you are doing in all your classes.

     Let me know if you have any questions, and work hard. You have had all quarter to do well, and now it is crunch time if you have not. Don't waste your time.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Picture Day is On its Way

Hello All,

     Tuesday, April 14, 2015 is Spring Portrait Day here at Bonny Eagle Middle School. Background selection forms are going home today for parents to select the background of their choice. Even if you are not interested in purchasing spring portraits, choose a background and return it to your homeroom teacher as soon as possible, or by April 14 at the latest.

     On April 14, student portraits will be taken, but no money will be paid. Instead, once portraits arrive after vacation, students and parents will have the choice to purchase them. Student bring home portrait packets for review; if you want to keep them, the student brings in money. If not, the student brings back the portraits and returns them to the school.

     Contact the school if you have any questions, and be sure to mark your calendars!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Ferry Beach

Hello All,

     Tuesday and Wednesday Dundee Clan will attend The Ecology School at Ferry Beach, down in Saco. Students are to leave cell phones and other electronics behind to take twenty-four hours to simply live together, learn together, and experience an interactive education on ecosystems and the environment. Teachers will have their phones in case of emergencies, and we will be back in time to dismiss on regular buses Wednesday afternoon.

     You can find more information here, at The Ecology School website. http://www.theecologyschool.org/overnight

     Students should bring a change of clothes, basic bedding (or a sleeping bag), dry socks, and basic amenities. The Ecology School provides all meals and houses students and teachers in dorms. As we are taking this trip in March, students should remember to bring warm clothes, including gloves and hats; this is an interactive education, so they will spend much of their time outside.

     Any questions may be directed to Mrs. Davis or a member of Dundee Clan, or you can contact The Ecology School at the number or email address on their contact page. http://www.theecologyschool.org/contact-us

     Bundle up, and remember to bring your sleeping bag.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

High School and Progress Reports

Hello All,

     Don't forget to bring in your high school class signup sheets on Thursday, March 12! Also, you need to bring in your signed progress reports or you will begin dealing with the consequences of that lack of communication. Talk to your parents and get that taken care of.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

A Story

Hello Everyone,

     Inspired by the twist ending to "The Cremation of Sam McGee," Marie wrote a little story of her own!

Once there were three bears—a little bear, a medium bear, and a big bear. One day they went out to shop. Then as they left, a little girl broke into their house and sat on their beds. The big bed was tooooo big. The medium bed was too big also. But the little bed was perfect.

So she stole the little bed.

The End


Thank you, Marie!

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

Out

Dear Students,

     I'm afraid I am out today; I said I don't take sick days unless I really need to, and today I really need to. Believe me, you don't want me in the classroom right now.

     Please be very nice to the substitute; he or she is there to help, and not everyone has the same tolerance level for your shenanigans and noise level as I do. Complete 06-16 completely, including the review questions at the beginning on commas and em dashes. Follow the directions and listen to the sub, and please stay out of trouble.

     I intend to be back tomorrow. I will see you then.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

This Week in Preview

    This week's standard is L.8.1:  "Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking."

    Our focus is on parts A and B:

"Explain the function of verbals (gerunds, participles, infinitives) in general and their function in particular sentences."

"Form and use verbs in the active and passive voice."

     This week's story selection is "The Cremation of Sam McGee" by Robert Service (1907). A link to a reading by Johnny Cash is included below.

Monday——Make a list!

Quickly review last week’s skills as needed, introduce the story selection and Words of the Week, and take a skills prequiz. The Words of the Week are the words you must be able to spell, identify parts of speech for, and define by Thursday. This week, they are:

brawn (n.)

grisly (adj.)

hearken (v.)

homely (adj.)

scowl (n.) and (v.)

Once we cover these items, students may read "The Cremation of Sam McGee," this week's story selection. It is a poem by Robert W. Service about an unfortunate southerner who travels north in search of gold.

Tuesday——Time for work!

Cover skills and story selection for the week. Students who demonstrated proficiency in the skills on the content prequiz may sit in the back of the room today and read the story selection as a group, then answer questions about it collectively. The majority of students will take notes on the skills and practice their use individually and as a class.

This week, we discuss verbals and verb voice.

Wednesday——Write!

This is writing day in Language Arts. Answer a series of questions about the story selection. The Wednesday Write will always relate to both the skills and the story selection. For full credit, use and identify a gerund, a participle, an infinitive, and active and passive voice in your answers. You may write a short story with a surprise ending for more credit.

Thursday——Think it over!

In the first ten minutes of class, take the Thursday Think, a quiz on the Words of the Week; use it to spell, identify part of speech for, and define each word. After that, review the Wednesday Write as a class. In the remaining time, review verbals and verb voice in preparation for the Friday Finish.

Friday——Finish!

First, complete the Friday Finish, a review or quiz on the week’s skills and the story selection. Then, write a letter to Mr. DeMaris about your week; this Week in Review letter is only graded on completion, not on grammar or spelling.* Once complete, you may Review and Improve any missing or inadequate work. If you have none, you may read or write quietly or help a classmate with his or her work.

Each week is graded as follows:

Ten         (10) points apply to the     …    …    Wednesday Write.

Fifteen     (15) points apply to the     …    …    Thursday Think.

Twenty     (20) points apply to the     …    …    Friday Finish.

Five         (5) points apply to the     …    …    Week in Review letter.

This is a total of fifty (50) points per week. Extra assignments may be added or adjusted as negotiated by individual students and the teacher.


Sincerely, 


Mr. DeMaris

*——Mr. DeMaris always encourages proper spelling and grammar, though—— so try!