2019.1.11 – Saxe Weekly – The Saxe weekly

January 11, 2019

*Quote(s) that resonated with us this week:

“If you think someone could use a friend, be one.”

“To the world, you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world.” ~ H. Jackson Brown

“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”

“If the plan doesn’t work, change the plan…..not the goal.”

“Turn your can’t into cans and your dreams into plans.”

Dear Saxe Family,

Our first full week of 2019 is in the books! Along with the rich learning experiences across all grade levels, there was a lot of activity and excitement around Saxe. This week we look at: Student Improvement Team, Emotional Intelligence, the latest One-Second Everyday, Orchestra, Geography Bee, Garden Club, Saxe to NCHS transition, SRO Safety Tips, and much more…

Enjoy and have a great week!

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

1/15 Grade 5/6 Winter Choir Concert

1/16 General PTC Meeting at NCHS with Dr. Luizzi

1/18 Spirit Day! College Day

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

Back again for this week – Saxe Middle School 1-Second Everyday! “Life is made of seconds.” Check out a few seconds from each day of the 2018-19 school year (so far), showcasing so much of what makes Saxe Middle School great. This is a recurring, bi-weekly feature. Enjoy!

Pro tip: want to enjoy it more? Set your youtube playback setting to play at .75 speed

Student Improvement Team

Members of the Saxe Improvement Team attended the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) 2019 Middle-Level Student Leadership Conference at Sacred Heart University on Friday, January 4th. Students learned new skills and challenged old ideas. Led by teachers, administrators, youth officers, high school and college students, and counselors from around Connecticut, students had the opportunity to work together in small groups to participate in: team-building activities; respond to role-playing situations; share leadership experiences and ideas all with students from other schoosl. Students are excited to bring back their new ideas and put them in action… Stayed tuned!

Embedding EI into Curricula

Ultimately we want to embed our emotional intelligence (EI) work so it naturally fits into our curricula. Today, Mrs. Thompson was seen asking her students to use the mood meter to assess the emotions of our colonists after various historical events like the stamp act and quartering act. Way to build historical empathy!

Saxe Orchestra Concert

On Tuesday, Saxe 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th-grade orchestra students performed at the Winter Concert. 5th-grade began the evening by performing Maiden’s Rescue, Gap of Dunloe, and March and Canon. The 6th-grade followed with their rendition of Gargoyles, Waltzing Strings, and Procession of the Kings. In the penultimate performance of the night, 7th-grade performed Ablaze, Wind Dancer, and Gaunder. Concluding the concert was the 8th-grade who wowed the audience with their performances of Time Machine, Stone Mountain Stomp, and Vanguard Overture. Thank you Orchestra Directors, Mr. Favreau, and Ms. Harris!

The Saxe Geography Club

Do you know the answer to: What is the name of the violent wind that blows across Siberia? Our Geography Bee contestants do. Read on to find out!

The National Geographic GeoBee is an annual competition designed to inspire and reward students’ curiosity about the world. Students in grades four through eight from nearly 10,000 schools across the United States will compete in the 2019 National Geographic GeoBee for a chance to win college scholarships and the glory of being the National Geographic GeoBee Champion

Last night, Saxe hosted its 3rd annual Live Geo Bee, where 10 Saxe students competed to become the 2019 Saxe Nat Geo Bee champion. Congratulations to all those who participated. Their hard work and preparation were obvious. Our top three placements included 6th-grader Jake Donohue in third place and Drew Bench who came in 2nd. We are very proud to announce that our 2019 Saxe Nat Geo Bee winner is 5th-grader Rowan Richey Elliott, who will advance to take the state qualifying test.

Congratulations to all the geography club members and our top 10 from last night. Keep up the hard work! Thank you for the guidance of coaches, Christina Fulco and Andrew Fusci for helping to prepare our geographers for the event!

Answer: Buran

Newly crowned champ, Rowan, and his proud family!

Students checking out the Saxe slideshow this morning with Geo Bee Champ, Rowan!

Saxe Cares About the Environment

Thanks to Ms. Bennett and Ms. Rovinelli for coordinating the below program that shows that Saxe “thinks globally and acts locally”!

We are excited to tell you about a very special program we’re coordinating at our school in conjunction with Crayola. It’s called Crayola ColorCycle – an amazing program devised to repurpose used markers rather than sending them to landfills!

The ColorCycle program has repurposed more than 70 tons of expended markers in the United States and Canada since 2013, and uses the most advanced plastic conversion technologies available today to make wax compounds for asphalt and roofing shingles as well as to generate electricity that can be used to heat homes, cook food, and power vehicles.

Remember, don’t throw out that used marker—ColorCycle it!

Saxe Cares about our Neighbors

The 6th-grade student leadership team is collecting much-needed items for the Malta house in Norwalk. The Malta house provides shelter for women expecting babies many who have young children already. We are looking for your generous help with donations of the following items:

Diapers sizes 3, 4, & 6
Baby wipes
Diaper ointment
Jarred baby food
Healthy cereals for the expectant mothers

Donation boxes can be found in the Main Lobby and Lower Division Lobby. We will be accepting donations until Friday, January 18th. Thank you in advance for your generous spirit!

Safety Tips from Officer Deak

When crossing the street, even in a crosswalk it is important to look both ways and make sure that oncoming vehicles see you. It is especially important to utilize crosswalk buttons when available. In doing so, it activates flashing lights and walk signs to assist with safety.

When dropping your child off at school, please utilize designated “drop off” areas to ensure the safety of all children. When multiple vehicles are dropping children off in various places of the parking lot, it may cause confusion on the part of the motorist who does not anticipate a child running across the lot or street. Please use the already established drop off areas to keep Saxe safe!

Pics from around Saxe

The Saxe Garden Club is already planning for this spring! Can’t wait to check out (i.e., taste) their plans/produce…

Saxe to NCHS Transition

It was a full house at the Saxe to NCHS transition meeting this week! Thanks to Mr. Bedard and the Upper Division counselors: Ms. Nettleton, Ms. Beltran, and Mr. Lepisto. They did a wonderful job presenting relevant, useful information and answering the many questions that came up. If you missed it and want to check out the reseources, please feel free to visit the website, here.

Mr. Pearson and Tyler called it! They chose the NCAA CFB national champions before the game was played on Monday…

Not only does he keep the Saxe community safe, Officer Deak builds community with students by having conversations (over pizza!) to learn more about each of them.

It may have been cold, but we were blessed with some nice weather this week as well. It is great to see our students outside getting some fresh air and sunshine during the day (6th-grade recess below)!