2018.11.16 – Saxe Weekly – The Saxe weekly

November 16, 2018

Quote(s) that resonated with us this week:

“Your future is created by what you do today, not tomorrow.”

“People are like Oreos. The good stuff is on the inside.”

“Be kind.”

Dear Saxe Family,

The week could not have begun in a more spirited manner as we celebrated Veteran’s Day with the 11th Annual Veterans Appreciation Day at Saxe. The week ended with a little weather excitement, our first snow storm of the season, which was indeed significant! The rest of the week is highlighted below with features from Visual and Performing Arts, World Language, “thankful” students, “Stress Less” workshops, World Diabetes Day, the Book Fair, and more!

Have a great weekend and thanks for taking the time to check out a slice of the action that took place at Saxe this week!

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

11/19 Start of Second-Trimester (5th-Grade Only)

11/21 ½ day

11/22 Happy Thanksgiving! (no school)

11/23 No school

Want to check out the weekly from last week? Click, here.

11th Annual Veterans Appreciation Day

On Monday, November 12th Saxe hosted its annual Veterans Appreciation Day. Staff and students heard from members of every branch of the military as well as veterans from multiple generations. Their stories and words of wisdom were truly inspiring. Special thanks to Saxe Librarian Mona Biondi, her team, and our student volunteers for organizing and facilitating the event.

Here are some pictures and a quick video that nicely captures the day and its overall message. Enjoy!

Visual and Performing Arts

Alice in Wonderland – Saxe fifth and sixth-grade theatre students will present this production Friday, November 30 at 7:00 and Saturday, December 1st at 2:00 and 7:00. More than 125 students are participating in this year’s production which includes three afternoons per week as well as several Saturday tech workshops to build the scenery and sets. Our Saxe parent volunteers have been working hard behind the scenes to help create a memorable experience for our students. Tickets are on sale on the District Website at https://www.ncps-k12.org/Page/4693

Chris Byars Concert – Our seventh and eighth grade Saxe band students were treated to a concert by Chris Byars and his jazz sextet this week. The students were able to have a question and answer session with Chris and the members of the group who also visited some of the students’ band classes. Chris is an award-winning saxophonist, composer, arranger, bandleader, conductor, and educator based in New York City.

Here is a quick clip of the sextet in action (amazing, groovy tunes!)

French

Whiteboard vocabulary practice with 8th graders:

Communicative Exercises with 7th graders

6th graders describing and identifying celebrities

8th graders learning about France. Each of them researches a city and finds their own way of sharing what they have learned with their peers!

Thankful Students!

Our 6th-grade student leaders spent their weekly meeting time on Tuesday reflecting on the adults at Saxe that they are grateful for. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, students wrote words of appreciation for the ways in which the teachers, nurses, and support staff have made a difference in their lives and took the time to hand deliver them.

Student Support Professionals Help Students to “Stress Less”

Middle school students’ brains are still developing- so they haven’t yet fully developed the capacity for self- regulation. In addition, they tend to feel things intensely. Little things are big things, and they can feel like unpleasant feelings will last forever (psychologists call this the “amplified sensitivity to the environment”). So, helping middle school students develop skills for managing emotions is essential to their overall development, wellbeing, and productivity.

The student support professionals have worked hard to develop and revise ‘Stress Less” groups for all grade levels. These groups are voluntary for all students. The groups have been a great success with many students on waiting lists for the next 8-week group. Below is a photo of the “Stress Less” jars that students make in one of the groups. The jars are a metaphor for the mind and students learn that when their mind is swirling with activity, it is clouded and it is difficult to see clearly. In contrast, when they can learn “settle their minds” they can approach challenges with calm and clarity. If you would like more information about the Stress Less groups, contact your school counselor.

WDD

Wednesday (11/14) was World Diabetes Day (in honor of the birthday of the co-founder of insulin, Frederick Banting). Thanks to everyone who wore blue in support of WDD!

Book Fair

The Saxe Book Fair took place this week and was a huge success! Thanks to all of the parent volunteers who helped make this happen (and the PE teachers for sharing their space)!

New to Saxe:

Please join in welcoming our newest Saxe family member, Jonathan Miller! Jonathan will be with us as a second shift custodian, primarily at the south end of the building. Jonathan stood out from a strong candidate pool with a solid skillset, an outgoing personality, and we are confident that he will be a nice addition to our team. If you see Jonathan around, please give him a warm “Saxe Welcome!”.