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!