The Coming Week

Hi Guys,

You need to know three things about next week, May 30 – June 3.

1. Monday is Memorial Day, if you hadn't already heard, so it is a day off school. Take some time to consider who has given you the opportunities you have today and the freedom you so often take for granted. Show some respect and appreciation for those who have fought and fallen for your opportunities.

2. Wednesday, June 1, is the due date for the Final Project; make sure you proofread carefully and answer all the parts of each question. Some leeway can be given if you really need more time, but I have to grade all of these carefully before June 10, so I can't have everyone waiting until the last minute; I will literally not have enough time to grade your work, which will leave you on the list of potential candidates for Summer Academy. Don't do that to yourself, and don't do it to me.

3. Thursday, June 2, is laptop takeback day. MAKE SURE you save anything from the laptop you ever want to see again. These machines will be taken and shipped back to Apple once they have been processed, and you will never see them again. You will be issued a new laptop, essentially identical to your current one, once you get to the high school. Please remove all stickers, decals, cases, and any other additions to the laptop before you bring it in on Thursday.

Have a lovely weekend; Saturday looks to be a perfect day, Sunday a transitioning mix, and Memorial Day itself a rainy mess. Enjoy what you can and have some fun. And remember — rainy days are great for sitting with a good book… and finishing your project!

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Buy a Yearbook by June 1

To guarantee you get a yearbook, buy one by June 1! Order online at jostens.com, keyword Bonny Eagle Middle School, or bring cash or check to Room 83. Make checks to BEMS or BEMS Yearbook. Guarantee your copy of this year's memories, now in full color through and through!

Yearbook distribution will take place in early June.

—Mr. DeMaris

Out Friday

Hello All,

     I apologize for my sudden onset of poor health, but after my increasingly difficult headache today and the continuous sore throat that has progressed, disgustingly, to my sinuses and clogged nose, I have called in sick for Friday. I don't want to infect anyone, and I will not be much good at managing any work if I can hardly breathe and barely talk properly. I hope this is short-lived.

     Keep working on your projects and remember to stick to the story in your summary; don't judge or add your own opinion! If you do, it will not be objective, and that means it will be wrong. I hope to be back on Monday, as loud as ever.

Uncomfortably,
Mr. DeMaris

Upcoming Absences and Assessments

Hello All,

     I will be out of the classroom tomorrow, Tuesday, May 3; rather than pay a garage hundreds of dollars to replace the exhaust system on my car, I am taking the day to do it myself. As a man who doesn't own a garage or a car port, or even a nice pop-up canopy, I need to take the only partly sunny day in this week of rain to accomplish that. I'm sorry I won't be around, but it has to be done.

     Next week, Thursday and Friday (May 12 – 13),* I will also be out of the classroom, attending a conference at King Middle School on classroom design, lesson design, and modern teaching practices. This is a great opportunity to learn more about my job and hopefully experience a few good things. Believe it or not, I do always want to be a better teacher, so I take these conferences seriously and get what I can from them. I hate to be out of the classroom, especially with the year winding down, but this should be worth it.

     Tomorrow (Tuesday) students take the Voice and Mood quiz; you all have the notes on Google Classroom. The quiz is entirely multiple-choice, and involves definitions and examples. Make sure you know the differences between active and passive voice, and ensure you can differentiate between indicative, imperative, interrogative, conditional, and subjunctive moods. Remember, subjunctive is NOT the same as conditional. Look it up.

     Thursday of next week students take the SRI (Standard Reading Inventory), the in-class assessment of reading level and ability they have taken twice already this year — once in October, and once in February. Please do your best on it, and take it seriously. I want to see growth on these, not dismal scores. Even if you aren't confident, you should at least do better than you have in the past. Remember, the goal is not always to outdo the other students, but to outdo yourself. Take the challenge, and succeed.

     As usual, if you have any questions, please email me. I won't necessarily be able to respond from under the car tomorrow, but I can certainly address any concerns before or after.

Sincerely,
Mr. DeMaris

* — That was an en dash inside those parentheses; see how it replaces "to" or "through" in the list?