NaNoWriMo

Hello, class!

      I was hoping to present this to you in person, earlier in the week, but since we are on our third day off, and today is November 1, it is time to write a note instead! Every November, the National Novel Writing Contest Organization hosts a challenge for writers, young and old, to write a full-length novel in thirty days. That's 50,000 words in 30 days. With some rough math, that means an average of 1,667 words per day, without counting proofreading.

     If you want to give it a try (and remember, this is OPTIONAL, and just for fun), you can sign up as a student at https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/ and use Classroom Code ZNCDNNKD. Read your terms and conditions, and if you are ready for a writing challenge unlike any you have faced before, join!

     Any questions you may have, or your parents may have, you can direct to me, or peruse their website and see if you can answer them on your own. 

     Remember, your classroom code is ZNCDNNKD. Write well!

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

A Reminder

Hello everyone,

     Please remember that tomorrow, Tuesday, September 12 is Picture Day here at BEMS. Students should come in prepared to get their photos taken; this will be the image used in the yearbook as well. Tomorrow evening is Open House (Back to School Night) from 6:00 – 7:00; come in and meet your teachers and get to see what their classrooms are like. This is not a conference night, and it is too early in the year to really discuss students' grades in any depth, but it is a chance to say hello and ask a few questions. Join us!

     If you have any questions ahead of time, please feel free to email.

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Week of Nov. 21 – Nov. 25

Good afternoon!

     This week is a short one from the school's point of view; there are only two days of classes, followed by Thanksgiving Vacation. The days are slightly unusual as well.

     On Monday, classes are their usual times for a Green day, but a few classes will be catchup periods. RTI will be primarily dedicated to Social Studies, with students who are set in that class given time to work on Math, Language Arts, and Science.

     On Tuesday, students will likely have shortened classes in the afternoon, and in the morning they will attend an assembly run by local meteorologist Charlie Lopresti. He will talk about extreme weather conditions, show some videos, and share his experiences working with a new company. This ties in nicely with our current science curriculum, which is about weather patterns. Tuesday is Full Chorus day during RTI. Yearbook club meets Tuesday afternoon, too.

     Wednesday through Friday is Thanksgiving vacation for students and teachers alike. Take this time to remember what good things you have in your life, and let someone who cares for you know you care for them. See family, smile, and share a few moments. The weather on Thanksgiving is supposed to be grey and rainy, but you can still appreciate the warmth indoors.

     Thank you for your time, and keep in touch if you have any questions.

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Week of Nov. 14 – Nov. 18

Good afternoon!

     This week is off to a great start; students were focused and attentive for the most part, and the weather was beautiful outside. This is also a pretty straightforward week, with only one aberration in the middle.

     Academically, all four classes are starting formal work with narratives; Gold, Green, and White classes began today with Elements of Literature definitions, while Blue class brainstormed what they knew about World War I, sharing it with the class. Every class will transition soon into story-based analysis over chosen books, with Blue class focusing on World War I literature that ties into Social Studies class.

     The rest of this week will be dedicated to choosing which book students will read in class; there are four options available, and students will be spending class time reading them, discussing them, and responding to them to develop their literary analysis skills. With rare exceptions, books will be kept in the classroom.

     Wednesday is a late arrival day, but other than that the weekly schedule seems normal. Next week, remember, is Thanksgiving, so we only have two days of school.

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Presentations

Hello,

     Remember that tomorrow (Thursday) is presentation day here in Clan Barclay; each of you must be prepared to present your claim and your evidence aloud to the class. Students may ask questions of you, and to earn a four on your presentation you must be prepared to show that they learned something from your work. To earn a four on your audience part, you must not only show that you listened and learned attentively, but you also can justify how well you feel the presenter did in his or her argument.

     Rest well, and tomorrow attend well. Thank you for all your hard work. As we say in Clan Barclay, engraved on our crest:  do or die! I am excited to see how well you all do!

Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

P.S. — On an unrelated note, the staff soundly beat the students at the staff-student soccer game today; the girls half was won 3–0, while the boys half was won 2–0.

Late Arrival Day!

Hello Everyone,

     Please remember that Wednesday, October 26 is a two-hour delay day for students (not staff) here at BEMS. Children can expect buses to be two hours later than usual, as the day begins at 9:10 instead of the usual 7:10. Staff members, as we always do on such days, will be up to our noses in faculty meetings and trainings during this time.

     Enjoy the time! Also, remember that Thursday we start presenting persuasive projects in class; be prepared to demonstrate you know your material, and be prepared to stand up in front of your peers.

With Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Sick Day

Good morning,

     I am taking today off to avoid infecting the school with the obnoxious cold I have. I expect to be back on Monday, but for today students know to work on their persuasive projects and not waste their time. Enjoy the rainy weather and be productive!

Sincerely,
Mr. DeMaris

Week of October 10 – 14

Good Evening,

     This week has three major components:  arguments, NWEAs, and reading. On Tuesday, students get introduced to their big persuasive project, which will include written, visual, and presentation components. Students will get rubrics for each section in time to ensure they all have the opportunity to earn a three (3) or four (4) in every aspect of the project. There will be ample class time over the next couple weeks for students to work on this in school and to ask questions so the work they do at home will be successful.

     Remember, as students you are responsible for your own success. You have reached an age where you can ask for help when you need it, and you can recognize when you are struggling. While we, as teachers, check in and offer support, you must take charge of your work and stay focused.

     On Wednesday and Thursday, students will have regular Allied Arts classes followed by NWEAs before lunch. After lunch, they will have their standard afternoon classes for those two days. This way, thanks to the Green / White scheduling, they will have all of their four core classes once each over the two days. Students will read silently in Language Arts on those days, taking a break from the computerized tests and the pressure.

     On Friday, students will have a chance to work on their persuasive projects in class; they should be prepared to get up and announce their topics to the class as a whole by the end of the period.

     After school this week, Yearbook Club meets on Tuesday, and the same afternoon sees our field hockey teams facing Scarborough and girls' soccer teams facing King at home. Wednesday is Chess Club, and 8th grade soccer faces SMC. Thursday we play Gorham in field hockey, and on Friday our girls are home competing against Westbrook in soccer. As always, you should take an afternoon out of your busy schedules and come support your Scots — there is always more room for fans to cheer them on!

     Yearbooks are still for sale, but prices have returned to normal — $25 for hardcover, $20 for soft. Buy them online at jostens.com or in person by bringing cash or check up to Room 83. Make checks to BEMS Yearbook. Students will get yearbooks delivered to their homerooms in the spring upon completion of design by the club and printing and binding by Jostens.

    Thank you for reading, and remember to get in touch if you have any questions!

Kind Regards,
Mr. DeMaris

Our Upcoming Week

Good Evening,

     This is our first full week of school this year, five uninterrupted days at BEMS, and it looks like the weather will be a little cooler by the end of the week, too. Those of us upstairs are thankful for that; any break from the heat will be appreciated. Come December, we will appreciate our warmer spot, but right now it is just uncomfortable.

     On Monday, we in Clan Barclay will be watching the ESPN mini-documentary "The Man in the Red Bandana," a fourteen-minute segment honoring the memory of Welles Crowther, a man who sacrificed his life on September 11, 2001 rescuing others in the South Tower. We will discuss and write about the event as a part of history, a tragedy, and a moment that united the nation; this year's students are the first group where everyone was born after those events took place.

     Tuesday will be a reading day in class; all students should bring their reading books and read silently throughout the class period. Tuesday is also picture day here at Bonny Eagle Middle School! Dress your best, comb your hair, and smile for the camera; even if you do not plan to purchase photos from LifeTouch, you should still look good — these will be the student photos in the yearbook this year. Speaking of yearbook, our first club meeting will be Tuesday after school in my classroom; if you are interested, come join us!

     We begin discussing argument and persuasion on Wednesday; students will learn the basic terminology — claim, counterclaim, evidence, source, rebuttal. Students will memorize the terms and see which team can identify them all clearly first. The first Chess Club meeting is Wednesday after school in Room 98, down the hall. We also have a Cross-Country meet Wednesday afternoon at 4:00; come support your Scots!

     Throwback Thursday will be a discussion day; we will review argument definitions and read quotations on the purpose of democracy and government, and then students will have group discussions and small debates centered on those quotations. Remember, you are not allowed to use your laptop in Language Arts on Thursday, so come with a pencil or pen if you want to jot down notes. Thursday afternoon is the first Newspaper Club meeting; if you are interested in investigating your school, your community, and your world, or you like drawing cartoons, or you are just curious, stop in!

     On Friday, all students will write a "Week in Review" letter, reflecting on their first full week of school and connecting it, if they please, to their weekend or their plans for the future. This is an open opportunity to express themselves clearly and without any criticism of grammar and spelling, as it is only graded on completion. Once they have finished writing, they may free write or read quietly. We also have our first school-wide assembly Friday afternoon, so classes will be shorter than usual — roughly 40 minutes instead of the full hour.

     As usual, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, get in touch by email or phone, or even by commenting here. We are always interested in what you have to say.

Have a good week!

Mr. DeMaris

The Upcoming Week

Hello Everyone!

     We had our first day of school today, complete with tricky locker combinations, misplaced schedules, wrong turns, and plenty of laughs and smiles. Everyone has new faces and new names to learn, and we all took some time in the middle, of course, to get some food. It was, all in all, a good day.

     Friday we have no school, and Monday is Labor Day; in celebration of the holiday, we have no school again. This four-day weekend will be followed by a four-day school week, and we already have plenty to keep you busy, parents and students alike. Here is how it will break down.

     On Tuesday, students return to school and start their first genuine school day, without all the extra bits and modified schedules tacked on today. Tuesday will be a White Day, so our new Advisory period will take place from 9:15 – 9:45, where students will join small groups and meet with a staff member. Once school lets out, activity busses begin running that afternoon. In the evening, from 6:00 – 7:00, parents are encouraged to come to school (bring your kid back with you, too!) to attend our annual Open House, or Back to School Night. This is not a time for conferences, but an opportunity to meet teachers, see the clan, figure out what is where, and get a feel for how this year will go. Please be there.

     On Thursday, provided a parent has attended a technology seminar by that point, students will receive their new laptops from our IT department. These are fresh out of the box MacBook Airs, a slightly updated version of their previous machines. If you, as a parent, have not yet attended a meeting, please check the times on the district calendar here. There are sessions at all hours of the day, so there will be one to fit your schedule.

     On Friday evening, after this first nearly-complete week of school, students have the opportunity to attend their first school dance for 7th and 8th graders. Put on by the Pathfinder program, it runs from 6:30 – 8:30. Bring a friend or come alone, but students are welcome to dance and have a good time.

     In Language Arts today, students received their first reading books for the trimester, unless they identified books they are already reading. They also received their first assignment:  write a letter of introduction about themselves to me. Details about that assignment can be found on the assignments page of this website; see the link in the top menu.

     As usual, get in touch if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. We in Clan Barclay genuinely want you to know what is going on in the school and with your child, and communication is key to that understanding. Our email addresses are below, and you can call the school if that works better for you. Welcome to eighth grade, and welcome to Clan Barclay!

Sincerely,
Mr. DeMaris

Mrs. Grace Davis
gdavis@bonnyeagle.org
Mr. Andrew DeMaris
agdemaris@bonnyeagle.org
Mr. Dale Menard
dmenard@bonnyeagle.org
Mr. Lawrence Robertson
lrobertson@bonnyeagle.org

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

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?

Trimester Three Begins

Good morning,

     Monday is the start of Trimester Three here at Bonny Eagle Middle School. That means we have only three months until the end of school. While progress reports from Trimester Two will go home by the end of this week, students should be looking forward to see what they need to accomplish before the final wave of dismissals in mid-June.

     This week in Barclay Language Arts, students will reflect on how much they have accomplished so far this year, and how much they still need to accomplish. Reviewing their records, they will draft plans to finish the class as independently and productively as possible, based on the required skills they have yet to demonstrate.

     Enjoy the remainder of this gorgeous weekend; go out and soak in the sunshine before the rains come this week. Spring is on its way!

Sincerely,
Mr. DeMaris

Mythology

Hello Everyone!

     Right now, our classes are working on Norse Mythology — the stories of Odin, Thor, Freyja, Loki, Authumla, and the rest give insight into old Germanic lives, and they are fun to tell and listen to. While they are traditionally told aloud, attached you may find some PDFs of the basics of each story.

     In class, I am telling the stories and acting out the best parts in proper, traditional form. Each one has some connection to the old-fashioned "just-so" stories — a myth, after all, explains why something is the way it is. So, the Norse Germanic creation story, the history of swans, the shape of the sky, and even how Thor got his mighty hammer are all myths.

     Click here to learn about the creation of the world.

     Click here to learn about the Gods and their lives.

     Click here to learn about how Thor got his hammer, and Loki learned to shut his mouth.

     Students will produce their own myths before February vacation; in the spirit of traditional mythmaking, their final project will be a verbal presentation of the myth, preferably recorded as well, so they can experience and demonstrate storytelling as well as listening skills. One class has already begun, and is doing a splendid job of it.

     Have a great weekend!

Sincerely,
Mr. DeMaris

Two Announcements

Hello Everyone,

     End-of-Trimester Progress Reports went home on Friday; students should have turned them over to parents by now. They include all the skills/standards we have covered in Trimester One, including the behavior and self-discipline skills as identified in the Guiding Principles.

     There is a two-hour delay for students on Wednesday, December 9; keep that in mind as you prepare for your week. Teachers will be meeting that morning, and school will start at 9:10 instead of 7:10.

Sincerely,

Mr. DeMaris

A Scene

Summer

by Nicole

    Summer sounds like bugs. Bugs buzzing while I see then fly through the air. Bees landing on dandelions. I hear kids playing outside. I feel the humidity in the air. It smells like BBQs cooking. Summer tastes like BBQ food and grass that my friend dares me to eat. I see the bright, yellow, sun shines up in the light blue sky.

The Five Senses

Here is an excellent scene written by Ricky; it has vivid language and clear, if brief, descriptions.

     On a warm sunny night in mid August of 2014, the sun was just half over the horizon. The air was crisp and smelt of fresh grass. Me, Myself, and I were in a canoe, simply fishing. I felt as if my butt was made of fire ants because of the wooden bench seat in that canoe. Suddenly, my fishing pole had a slight pull or jerk, if you would, and a beautiful splash of the crystal clear natural water. I start reeling it in and boy it felt like a whale. But then I hear an eagle's call… I look up and I see it coming from 75 yards out. I frantically reel in my whale/fish. It's so close, I can see it! I get it in the canoe and its literally a bass that is 7 inches long. I was so bummed out, I threw it back and paddled back to camp.

Yearbooks and Book Sale

Hey All!

     This is the LAST WEEK of the discount sale on yearbooks; after this, prices go up again. Buy one now! We still need to purchase many more to make our payment quota to Jostens, so go online and order away.

     After you buy a yearbook, if you have any funds left, bring a few bucks in cash tomorrow (Wednesday) and look through the Scholastic Book Fair down in the library. During Language Arts class, interested student can go peruse the sale and buy books of interest to them.

     The staff beat the students 4–1 in the soccer game this afternoon. The scores were split 3–1 for the girls' half and 1–0 for the boys' half. Muddy J. and Grady J., among others, represented Clan Barclay well in the match, but Mr. Robertson and the rest of the staff were simply too powerful for them. All played well, although I think if we had refs they would have called a few dangerous or off-sides plays. Good game!

Exuberantly,

Mr. DeMaris

A Story to Read

Please note the use of ellipses and dashes!

by Amanda O.

    What was I supposed to do? It was all so confusing. I looked into Scotts glowing yellow eyes, and that was proof enough. After trying to get my life together as it is, now I have to balance the supernatural world on top of that. We were standing in the Beacon Hills Veterinary Office, where we both work. Our boss, Dr. Deaton, had just left the room and Scott told me news that he looked like he couldn’t hold in any longer.

    “Scott… why didn’t you tell me before?” I asked him as his eyes returned to their normal dark brown color that matched his hair, the color I knew as my best friends eyes.

    “Stiles was the only other person who knew. When I went back into the woods to retrieve the inhaler that I had lost… I, I don’t really remember much. I just remember being chased by that wolf-like creature…” He replied with his head down. I never would have imagined anything like this happening to my best friend, and I was slightly hurt that he told our other friend Stiles about it before he told me, but thats beside the big point here. My best friend is a werewolf.

    It all just seemed so distant. Ever since I was a little kid, I have always been intrigued by this whole new world of supernatural creatures, I always enjoyed reading the myths and legends. And even still at age 16, I still got little excited at the mention of wolves. I just can’t picture my best friend out there fighting mythical creatures defending himself… although it is kinda cool…

    I hate to admit it, but I might be a little jealous of Scott. In all the 10 years that him, Stiles and I have known each other never once have we ever gotten into big fights or been jealous of one another. It has to happen at some point I mean we all expected it to happen, just not now. Right now is a really, really bad time to have our first fight… but he always gets everything. Good grades, popularity, and now the gift of supernatural. It’s not fair.

    “Scott how come everything happens to you? I mean, if anyone, I should be the werewolf here, don’t you think? It’s always been my thing! Its just like everything else!” I said beginning to raise my voice. “For example, I study for hours, you do nothing, yet you get the better grade. I study wolves all my life and you walk into the woods one time and come out a werewolf!” I said, crossing my arms.

    “Do you really think I tried to get bitten by a wolf?!  Of course not! This is all new and quite concerning if you ask me, and you’re the only person here who can help but you’re too busy pouting. For all I know I was bitten by a rabid canine, and I could die. The friend I trusted the most—“ He was interrupted by the sound of the heavy metal door swinging open. Dr. Deaton stumbled in and set a whimpering dog on the examining table. I examined the dog, coming to the conclusion that it had either broken a leg or hip, while Scott went looking around the room for something to soothe the dogs pain.

    “Wheres all the—“ Scott began.

    “Nevermind Scott you come examine the dog tell me what you think I’ll find the pain relievers, I think I saw them over here…” I said frantically searching around the room.     The dog was whimpering loudly and constantly, it was pretty ear piercing.

    “I think he's going to need surgery, I’m going to go get the numbing shots ready just in case.” Dr. Deaton told us making his way into the surgery room.

    I continued looking for our pain relieving medication when all of a sudden the whimpering stopped. I slowly turned around to see Scott standing next to the hurt dog with on hand on its leg and making direct eye contact with glowing yellow eyes.

    “What the—“ Dr. Deaton dropped the syringes he held in his hands, shattering them on the floor.

    “Doctor, it’s hard to explain—“ Scott began.

    “Scott, you just look the dogs pain away with your hands and judging by your golden eyes I can obviously make the assumption that you were bitten by an alpha werewolf, am I right?” Scott and I exchanged a look of disbelief as we heard what the doctor had to say. How did he know what Scott was?

    “Yes. How’d you know?” We asked at the same time.

    “Scott, I specialize in the supernatural of Beacon Hills. Do you know who bit you?”

    “No. I was in the woods looking for my inhaler which I’d lost the day before when I was going for a run. It was dark… the last thing I remember were two bright red eyes.”

    “Well Scott, I think you’ve found yourself in a pack, my friend. I think I know where we can find someone who can help you. I should take care of our patient here, but you can find him at the old abandoned house on the top of the hill. His name is Derek Hale, and he is your new leader, the Alpha of the pack.”

    Scott just nodded his head and sent me a questioning, ‘are you coming?’ sort of look and I nodded back. He thanked Dr. Deaton and we made our way outside where Scott called Stiles to come pick us up and drive us to the destination of where we would find Derek Hale. As I sat in the back of Stiles’ blue Jeep, I realized that this is our first mission together with a werewolf, my best friend, Scott McCall, the werewolf, and certainly not our last.