May 17, 2019
Dear Saxe Family,
It may be have been a little delayed, but it seems like spring is finally going to stay with us. Nothing like what seemed to be a month straight of rain to help us appreciate a little sunshine and warm weather in May. As we continue our fast-track through the end of the 2018-19 school year, it is important to take time to keep things in perspective how fortunate we are and how much we have to be grateful for in this terrific community.
This week, we take a look at a few of those: our Saxe PTC, Social Studies, Language Arts, a Saxe “Mystery”, Math, Health Education, Grade 5-6 Transition, World Language, Leadership Team, Visual and Performing Arts, Saxe Spirit, Wellness, and much more.
We also have our latest episodes of One-Second Everyday and Saxe News, respectively. Enjoy and have a great weekend!
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
5/20 BOE Meeting
5/22 Gr. 5/6 Band Concert @ Saxe, 7:00 PM
5/23 Gr. 7/8 Band Concert @ Saxe, 7:00 PM
Want to check out the weekly from last week? Click, here.
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“A negative mind will never give you a positive life.”
“Life has no remote. You need to get up and change it yourself.”
“Excuses will always be there. Opportunities won’t.”
“Success is not measured by how many awards you’ve received but by the obstacles you have overcome.”
An extra thanks to our Saxe PTC!
Today at the Carriage Barn in Waveny, our Saxe PTC recognized and thanked the many volunteers who help make the PTC, and our Saxe community, so successful. We are so fortunate to have such great parent support. Your hard work and dedication allow us to dream big and provide amazing opportunities for our students. Thank you!
If you are in the area, check out some of the great artwork on display in the Carriage Barn!
Back again for this week – the latest, updated Saxe Middle School 1-Second Everyday! “Life is made of seconds.” Check out a few seconds from the past few weeks, showcasing so much of what makes Saxe Middle School great. This is a recurring, bi-weekly feature. At the end of the year, we will have a full version that includes every single day of the 2018-19 school year. Enjoy!
Pro tip: want to enjoy it more? Set your youtube playback setting to play at .75 speed
Grade 5 Social Studies
As a part of the US Government and Civic Responsibility Unit, our fifth graders had the opportunity this week to learn about some the candidates who ran for the office of Kid Governor in our state. During the fall 2018, 6,400 fifth graders from across the state participated in the Connecticut Kid Governor program learning first hand about civic responsibility and voting for Kid Governor. To share many of the candidates platforms, the Connecticut Democracy Center created the Meet the Candidates Traveling exhibit which our library hosted this week. Our students are then invited to consider what their platform might be. 
Saxe Author Visit
A big thanks to the PTC for supporting an engaging author visit these past few weeks! Our sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students were able to learn from local author, Kristen Ball, author of A Calf Named Brian Higgins. Ms. Ball shared her experience living in rural Kenya, the inspiration for her award-winning novel. We are so fortunate to have been able to learn with Ms. Ball. She challenged us to consider, “If everybody knew….. the world would be a better place.” What do you think?
Grade 5 Language Arts: Fan Reading
Fifth-graders in Mrs. Adrian’s and Mrs. Helmich’s classes are currently in their Fan Reading mystery book club unit. The students, along with SRO Officer Deak and the teachers, have teamed up to solve a “crime” in their classrooms. Each classroom had a few items that went missing. Students have learned how to secure the scene, search for and record evidence, lift fingerprints, comprise a list of suspects/motives, and interview the suspects– all while learning the vocabulary of a mystery!
Math
Learning through fun and creativity in Math! Ms. Harrington and Ms. Wolff’s Math 7 classes learned about probability based on activities that students designed and created.
Health Education
Students in grade 7 health class were highly engaged in working to get out of the “Health Escape Room” as they reviewed healthy eating concepts by working in teams to complete many challenging but fun tasks. Grade 8 students experienced a shocking moment during the “Timeline” activity as they explored the consequences of experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Students reflected on the importance of decision making and the impact our decisions have on our future goals. Thanks to our highly-skilled teachers for teaching these important life-skills…
Saxe News
Below is the second to last Saxe News episode. This week the team highlights the great work from the KidsCare Club and some of the work they have done to make our community special.
Thanks again to Mr. Petrakopoulos and his Saxe News crew. Keep an eye out for the final episode which will highlight some of the great moments of the 2018-19 school year…
Grade 5 to 6 Transition Presentation
If you were unable to attend the Grade 5 to 6 Transition Presentation on Monday, May 13th, you can access it, here. Thank you to all who attended and a special thanks to our expert panel, PTC Executive Board Members, Geri Mohr and Emily Hanlon and School Counselor, Christine Risoli!
Around Saxe
Latin Exam
The students below received a perfect score on the National Latin Exam this year! In 7th-grade, only 442 students out of over 22,000 participants from all over the world were able to achieve this honor. In 8th grade, only 698 students out nearly 130,000 who participated worldwide reached this level. Congratulations to both students and their teachers, Mr. Hearty, Ms. MacQuarrie, and Ms. Mykytenko!
Grade 7
Cooper Colthup
Margot Furman
Ankita Kuttichirayil
Carolina Malagoli
Catherine Meli
Ignacio Morales
Andrew Reed
Colin Smith
Margot Stanley
Kathryn Xia
Kevin Zou
Grade 8
Ethan Xia
Caroline Underwood
Praja Tikoo
Avery Morawa
Natasha do Valle
Here is a look at the letter that was sent to inform us of these great accomplishments:
6th-Grade Leadership Team
Our 6th-grade leadership team organized a toy making/donation drive for our 5th-graders. It was very well received and added to our positive school culture. Thanks to all involved!
Grade 5 Girl Scouts
Saxe’s grade 5 Girl Scouts have been working diligently to earn their Bronze Award for community service. They decided to help an English as a Second Language classroom at the James J. Curiale School in Bridgeport. The girls met with the teacher of this class to learn about her student’s needs and challenges, and organized their project accordingly. They set up collection boxes around town to collect much-needed supplies and also held a book drive by hanging flyers around town to create a classroom library. In addition, they collected and created educational games for the classroom. And, finally, they held a bake sale, raising $750 to buy larger supplies, such as bean bag chairs and a laminator for the classroom. The bake sale was such a huge success that they were able to buy additional supplies and provide the teacher with gift cards for future needs. The girls were overwhelmed by the community support and wish to thank everyone who contributed.
Saxe in the News
Saxe MS Band Concert program Features original composition by sixth grader Timothy Orelup
When the fifth and sixth grade Saxe Middle School Band performs its Spring Concert later this month, one of the pieces on the program will be an original composition written by one of its own. Saxe sixth grader Timothy Orelup, who plays trumpet, has written a musical composition entitled “Prisoners of Davy Jones,” that will have its world premiere performance at the concert, which takes place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 22, 2019, at the Saxe Middle School auditorium. To read the rest of the story, please click, here. Enjoy and congratulations to Timothy!
Saxe Celebrates the Arts
Challenges in Art (CIA) Student Exhibition
Our building came alive with some amazing artwork from our talented CIA students. It was so nice to see families come together to do a gallery walk and appreciate the truly impressive work. If you are in the building, take a moment to check out some of the art that is on display in the main lobby. Each artist’s personality came through in their work and each piece told its own story!
Saxe Middle School Spring Orchestra Concert
On Thursday, Orchestra Directors Kate Dorfman and Amber Harris’s students performed at the spring concert. The evening began with the 5th-graders rendition of Gaelic Castle, Celtic Dance, and The Red Lion. 7th-grade violas provided an interlude by performing Henry Purcell’s “Rigaudon” from Two Dances. The 6th-grade orchestra then took the stage and entertained the audience with their performance of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” followed by Chinese String Fantasy and Terra Nova. The audience was then treated to a performance by Ty (viola) and Damon Kelliher (guitar). In the penultimate performance of the night, the 7th-grade performed Night Shift by Richard Meyer, North Country Legend by Mark Williams, and Remember Me (from “Coco) by Michael Giacchino/arr. Kazik. The final three songs 1812 Overture by P.I. Tchaikovsky/arr.Dackow, Pirate of the Caribbean by Hans Zimmer/arr.Moore, and The Incredibles by Michael Giacchino/arr. Moss were performed by the 8th-grade orchestra. Congrats and bravo to all involved!
Spirit Day at Saxe!
Saxe got “Classy” today. Many people joined in the fun!
BeWell at Saxe
Many talk the wellness talk, NCPS truly walks the wellness walk. Thanks to our fabulous BeWell Committee for coordinating a district-wide “Move Well” challenge to promote the benefits of being active in our everyday lives! The statement, “Caring for the whole employee, while educating the whole child” says it all…
Upcoming Community Event
Ms. Simmons is a NY Times bestselling author, educator, and consultant helping girls and women be more authentic, assertive and resilient. The workshop will give adults and daughters the tools to work together to reject “supergirl” pressure, overcome a toxic stress culture and become resilient leaders with healthy, happy and fulfilling lives. For more information or to register, please click, here.
Celebrating one of our first peeks at the sun this month!
Have a great week!
* A special thanks to Mary Calabrese for the continuous stream of positive, optimistic quotes!
Saxe Resources:
Website: https://www.ncps-k12.org/saxe
Twitter: @SaxeMS
Weekly: SaxeMS.com
Saxe Middle School
Celebrating Our Learning Community Through Caring, Communication & Commitment
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