November 27, 2024
Dear Saxe MS Family,
Well, that’s a wrap on November already! Upon our return next week, we will have already turned the calendar to December. In the meantime, I wish you the best for a terrific Thanksgiving long weekend! For those traveling, safe travels. For those staying local, enjoy the change of pace. For everyone, it is my hope that you are able to spend time doing whatever brings you happiness, with those you care most about. Over the next few days, please try to participate in one or more of the following:
- engage in activities that bring you some joy
- take a well-deserved break
- unwind and/or relax
- detach from the outside world
- connect with those around you (here are some tips to help with this that were shared last week).
This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at Thanksgiving, Yearbook, “Middle School Highlights”, Theatre, Special Education, team activities, Leadership Club, Knitting Club, DNA, learning using, paper airplanes, Innovation, Empower Your Lunch Hour, Saxe Spirit, growing greens, “Believe”, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful Thanksgiving break!
Be Well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
12/4 – 8th Grade/NCHS Orchestra Festival – 7:00pm
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” —Dr. Seuss
“A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers.”―Helen Keller
“The first day of school is a blank page in the journey of education.” – Unknown
Saxe Jokes:
“What’s the most depressing sound on Monday? Alarm clocks”
“What did one wall say to the other? I’ll meet you at the corner.”
“Why shouldn’t you sit next to a turkey at dinner? Because he will gobble it up.”
Grade 8 Yearbook Ads
You may have received an email from Jostens about yearbook ads for Grade 8 Students! If you did not, you may use this LINK to find out more information and to create one! The cost is $70 for a ¼ page and $40 for a ⅛ page until December 1st. After that, the price goes up to $80/$45. Please contact Lisa.Jarosik@ncps-k12.org or Carianne.Mackenzie@ncps-k12.org if you have any questions.
Middle School Highlights
Over the course of the next few months, we will be capturing, highlighting, and featuring elements of our structure and systems at Saxe Middle School that help make our learning community the best it can be. For example, our team structure allows are large school to become a number of smaller, tight-knit communities that our students feel connected to. Over the course of the year, the learning, experiences, and fun create lasting memories that help make this critically important developmental period in their lives as meaningful and productive as possible. You will see some examples from other teams demonstrating this, today, below…
To learn more about why teaming is so important in middle-level education, please feel free to check out more details and resources through our national organization, AMLE (Association of Middle Level Education).
This week, we feature our fabulous team on 8Green! Thank you to Ms. Baltz (Social Studies), Ms. Martin* (Math), Mr. Dolan (Math long-term sub), Ms. Dunn (Science), and Ms. Saab (English Language Arts). Stay tuned for more teams and other groups of Saxe Professionals in future Saxe Weeklys!
* A special congratulations to Ms. Martin on the arrival of her newborn baby girl yesterday!
Saxe MS 7th & 8th Grade Theatre
Show Announcement and Audition Info Meeting, Friday, December 6th from 2:30-3:30 pm. Auditions will be December 12th & 13th from 2:30-7:00 pm with callbacks Monday, December 16th from 2:30-5:30. We can’t wait to see you next Friday!
Special Education
This week in Learning Strategies, students are diving into the concepts of gratitude and being grateful. They begin by exploring the meanings of these words, setting up a thoughtful and engaging collaboration. Next, students watch an inspiring film that brings the topic to life, prompting them to reflect on what they notice, think, and wonder.
Through discussions, and written work, they collaborate and students use their creativity by crafting poems about gratitude and showcasing their work in a Poetry Slam. This approach not only enhances their learning but also fosters a sense of appreciation and connection meeting. many IEP goals/objectives.
ACCESS Friendsgiving
Our students in the ACCESS program celebrated Friendsgiving with their Peer Buddies!
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Below are photos and phrases that were included on our Saxe Middle School page (@SaxeMS) this week. Enjoy!
7Blue was celebrating their team prior to the Thanksgiving break. Great to see our Saxe MS students & staff “building community”!
8 Purple spent some quality time together “building community”, too! It was great to see the students enjoying their prizes the rest of the day…
The interest in extracurricular activities that are offered to our Saxe MS students always inspires me. There’s nothing better than seeing our students engage in activities they are passionate about. Here is a look at Leadership Club, but thank you to ALL of our club advisors!
Here is a look at Knitting Club, but thank you to ALL of our club advisors!
Lot of DNA conversation in #SaxeScience today! Looks like a nice crowdsource “DNA strand” that will
come together as one in the near future at Saxe MS- stay tuned!
Mr. T’s Saxe Science students were busy with some “brain-busting” activities today! Quite fascinating…
Ms. Smith’s Saxe Science students were testing their prototype airplanes in the hallway today. Fundamentals of physics, aerodynamics, drag, gravity, design thinking, problem solving, testing, & iteration, and, FUN all rolled into one!
And, one of the all-time best landings, EVER!
Saw some nice Saxe Shark Tank projects in action in one of our Saxe MS Fab Labs… It’s amazing what our students are able to design & create! Thanks to all of our teachers who help make this possible!
Was able to catch some awesome activities in action at an Empower Your Lunch Hour session at Saxe MS this week. So many great opportunities for our students to explore their passions! Thanks to all involved!
Ms. Benware & Ms. Warren brought their “holiday spirit A-game” to Saxe MS today – nice work!
This Saxe MS Grow Tower is incredible! Check out the growth in just the past couple of weeks… Looks like there will be some fresh produce, soon!
One of the best monthly traditions at Saxe MS- recognizing staff and students for going above & beyond, with our Certificates of Gratitude! Thank you to everyone who takes a moment to recognize the people & things that make our school community special!
The “Believe” wall at Saxe MS continues to grow! These little snippets from Health Ed class are so insightful & truly inspiring! Thanks to Ms. Orlando & Mr. Hautau for this collective display of all that we have to be grateful for & simple reminders for just being “good people”!
8 Green is displaying just a few of the things that we have to be grateful for in this Thanksgiving season at Saxe MS… Family, friends, activities, pets, & so much more! Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday this week!
Wishing All the Best
Note: image generated using AI prompts. The images are a work in progress, but fun to experiment with!
Have a great week, see you next Friday!
Thank you to all of our Saxe Weekly contributors! Each weekly edition is an example of collaboration in action. A special thanks to Melissa DiMeglio for the continuous stream of positive, optimistic quotes!
Saxe Resources (live links)
Website: https://www.ncps-k12.org/saxe
Saxe Middle School
Celebrating Our Learning Community Through Caring, Communication, & Commitment
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