High Tech Geometry

Hello families and friends of the 8th grade!
In between our filming and editing for the Production we continue to move forward with our math studies. This week we had our first geometry quiz...and we took it online. Using a site called QuizStar, students registered for my class and can take their assessments online. This is particularly useful for our beginning geometry pursuits because it is so vocabulary based. If you'd like to take a peek at the interface your daughters will be using the next weeks, I've created a "sample quiz" for the first 10 interested people to take a peek at. If you're interested, go to http://quizstar.4teachers.org/indexs.jsp , user name: sgsguest, password: sgsguest
I'd be interested to hear what you think.

Separation anxiety

During the rather infrequent lulls between location shots and editing mania in the past few days, several students spontaneously and independently approached me with fears and concerns about their next big adventure: moving on! As I understood it, their trepidation centered around two major events: entering high school in fall, and more immediately, leaving the nest - better known as SGS - in a matter of weeks. With these various conversations in mind, I awoke yesterday morning with the realization that we, as a group, needed to talk, so I laid aside my envisioned lesson plan and instead, we spent a good segment of yesterday examining and then sharing our concerns. After a brief introduction about feelings - "they aren't right or wrong, they simply are" - and dealing with fear - (I related the story of a woman who had recurring dreams about being chased by a monster that only went away when, in her last dream of this nature, she turned and faced the monster instead of running, only to have it evaporate, along with the dreams, before her very eyes) - I asked each student to take a few moments and write about that which was paramount on her mind at that moment. Reading through their reflections last night, I saw what I expected to see: much concern over friendships lapsing due to separation, issues about starting over in a new, unfamiliar, large, SCARY environment (aka High School), worry about measuring up, myriad fears about psycho/emotional safety and the lack thereof... We began a discussion in each core which then naturally led to an all-group lunch meeting where we continued to share. As each girl spoke from the heart about her concerns, we then examined the feelings that lay just beneath the surface of the story: fear, sadness, excitement, confusion. While this will necessarily constitute an ongoing conversation, it has begun, and the accompanying release of a certain amount of tension is noticeable as a result. I suspect that these conversations might be occurring at home as well. If not, I suspect they will be! As always, feel free to communicate with any of us about issues you see mattering to your 8th grader!

And now it's on to the Museum of Flight for our big "on location" shot!

Oh and…don't forget to bring your dirty cars our 8th grade car wash in the church parking lot across from SGS from 12:30 to 4:30 THIS SATURDAY! We thank you in advance for your patronage!

Geometry is Underway!

When we're not doing filming for the production at exotic locations (like Lake Washington or the Museum of Flight), we are continuing with our academic pursuits - the most recent of which is an introduction to Geometry. Chapter 1 begins with an intensive study of new, pertinent vocabulary as well as our first exposure to geometrical theorems and postulates. This work in geometry is far more independent than our previous study of algebra. The text, Painless Geometry, was selected for it's readability and students will be expected to read as part of their homework. We will also be having regular mini-quizzes when we meet for class as well as short end-of-chapter tests, our first of which will be this Thursday, May 17th. So next time you see your student, ask her about collinear points, rays, planes and line segments!

Greetings from Production Central!

As you may hear from your 8th grader, we're in the midst of our Production activity with on-location film shoots taking place daily! From the Museum of Flight to every sandy beach within a five mile radius, 8th graders and a supporting 8th grade teacher or two can be found shouting "Quiet on the set...cameras rolling...ACTION!" Meanwhile, groups that are not actively filming are busily uploading and editing clips to insure that our Production will not run much over sixty minutes, come the premiere on June 8th. While your average 8th grader might be tempted to tell you that we're "just having fun" these days...(and she wouldn't be that far off, for filming is quite fun!)...there's also quite a bit of real and demanding experiential learning that goes into the mix. On any given day, our 8th graders are learning to:

• organize if not triage their limited time
• negotiate storyline additions as well as amendments with their peers and the occasional teacher
• envision all the necessary props, materials and accessories needed for a given film clip which then often necessitates the ability to…
• create any visual aides (signage for example) that might enhance our story
• generate advertisements for our production under the expert guidance of our SGS Artist-in-Residence, Trina
• scope out and manipulate the various locations that add credibility to our story
• envision and then direct scenes
• operate an array of camcorders
• work boom, lapel and shotgun mics for best sound reproduction
• upload and ruthlessly edit film clips to keep them within our projected time frame
• master iMovie techniques
• maintain all tech equipment so that it's ready to use at any given moment
• manage the day's activities in a way that maximizes productivity
• work within stringent deadlines as well as guidelines
• manage downtime in a manner that supports productivity

Gee...it sounds a wee bit like the real world, huh?

In addition, 8th graders are having to hone their interpersonal skills as they deal with peers under pressure. This isn't always easy and we aren't always completely successful, but we continue to strive in this arena. This is perhaps the most long-lasting learning that many of us will take from the Production experience.

Again, I encourage you to check our online Production Schedule as you plan events, appointments and such that might take your 8th grader out of school on any given day. We've had to work around several absences (due to illness and family events) which can make getting all our shots done in a timely fashion even more challenging than it already is! Thus, I would ask that you try to plan ahead as much as humanly possible to avoid taking students away from our special brand of chaos! Also, remember that you will need to deposit your 8th grader at the Museum of Flight on Friday, May 18th, 22nd and 25th...between 8:15 and 8:30 AND at Luther Burbank Park on the north end of Mercer Island on Tuesday, May 29th at 8:30! We appreciate your flexibility in helping to make these "all group shots" possible.

And when you find that your car is covered with grit and grime from all this driving around town, don't forget to bring it to my advisory's CAR WASH in the church parking lot across from SGS on Saturday, May 19th between 12:30 and 4:30!

Some details about graduation...oh and an SGS car wash!

The following message was sent to me from our Dean of Faculty, Amy Leslie:

"Hello 8th grade families,

Graduation invitations are here!

Your daughter has been sent home with two graduation invitations. More are available if needed. Please have your daughter pick up any additional invites from the box in Lauren's office labeled 'Graduation Invitations'.
This year, graduation will be held at:

Rainier Beach Performing Arts Center
8815 Seward Park Ave S
Seattle, WA

The date is Thursday, June 14th at 7 pm.

You will be receiving more details as the day approaches. I did want to alert you to the fact that no professional photographer (as was the case in some years past) will be at the event so be sure to bring your camera if you want photos of this special occasion."
...

I'm still in the process of trying to resurrect my Entourage email lists which crashed and burned last week. So if any of you sent me any important messages and didn't hear back, know that I lost a few days there!

Yet another random synapse: My advisory will be hosting a car wash to raise funds for graduation festivities on Saturday, May 19th in the church parking lot across the street from SGS. At this posting, the times are slated for 12:30 to 4:30, and I'll let you know if that shifts at all. Please bring us your dirty cars and we promise to make a difference! I'm using the royal "we" here as I will not be washing cars...I will be out of town all day that day as it turns out! But the girls are dying to add to the growing funds that the other advisories have amassed. So PLEASE consider gracing our car wash with your dirty vehicles' presence!

The price of FAME!

Wow! What a day we've had in Production! Today was our first on location shoot at the Museum of Flight and we had several other groups complete filming within walking distance of school. As you might imagine, this becomes a logistical nightmare - making sure the correct actors, cameras, microphones and chaperones are in the correct locations at the correct times. In order to faciliate planning, we've created a website that will have the most updated schedule for filming - particularly off campus filming. Why, you may ask, as a parent would you ever want to see this? This is a great way to ensure that early dismissals, such as doctor or orthodonist appointments will not be thwarted by your student being off site when you come to pick her up. If you do spot a conflict, please email MM, Sally or Bert as soon as possible. Thanks for your ongoing support as we continue to channel our creative energies toward The Production and don't forget to check http://mmcallahan.googlepages.com/theproduction2007 !

Our Production...for real!

We're moving into the "heavy, deep and real" portion of our production: gathering our costumes, finalizing our shot sequences, arranging for filming on location, amassing an impressive pile of props, learning the ins and outs of our various camcorders, thinking about adequate if not stellar sound production...that kind of thing. Unlike years past where various groups concocted self-contained vignettes that we then strung together, this year's vision involves close to sixty-three separate, inter-related scenes that take place all over (and above!) the Seattle area! Needless to say, the thought of managing such a production is capable of inducing panic attacks in Mary Margaret and me! (Bert seems more "chill" about it...but that could just be sleep depravation talkin'!!) Soon we will be calling upon all of you to help us with transportation to location shots - most notably the Museum of Flight, Mt. Baker Beach and Seward Park. We will also be looking into Metro bus routes whenever possible, but will definitely appreciate your support for this effort. So stay tuned for dates, times and locations!

In the Reading Workshop realm, we've finally managed to establish our online "Book Review" site at http://aqua-mac.seattlegirlsschool.org/ (login: student /password: purple) I plan to introduce it to Core B later this morning, after which there should actually be some riveting reviews to peruse! We have Mary Margaret (who crafted the site) and our interim tech guy, John Howe, to thank for this technological tool!!

On the horizon: our April Vocabulary Quiz is slated for Friday morning...followed by an all class trip to Uwajimaya for lunch! Bert and I will escort the girls down Jackson via the #8 bus for 90 minutes of delicious diversion! (MM will be at a Northwest Girls Coalition function…she’s the current president of this organization.) This is just one of the perks that the Mission to Mars crews have earned through their continued attention to beautification details…each crew readily earned the requisite 250 points necessary to “win” this event. We’ll return in the afternoon in time to spend more time on Production.