May 24, 2019
Dear Saxe Family,
As we head into this Memorial Day weekend, we have much to be grateful for (besides the weather forecast, which looks terrific!). Hopefully, you have an opportunity to spend some quality time with family, friends, loved ones, or even yourself. For those of you who have family who has served, are currently serving, or have served our country yourself, thank you. We are fortunate to have dedicated people and families who selflessly give for all to enjoy.
This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at NCHS Senior Interns, 4th to 5th-Grade “Welcome”, Model UN, 5th-grade Monday Meeting, Band, Shakesperience, Saxe Certificate of Gratitude, Tech Club, 3D printing, Memorial Day, and more!
Enjoy and have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
5/27 Happy Memorial Day (Thank you to those who have served!)
5/29 Grade 4 to 5 Parent Presentation (6:00 – 7:00 pm)
5/31 Grade 4 to 5 Welcome Night (5:00 – 7:30 pm)
Want to check out the weekly from last week? Click, here.
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“Look at life through the windshield, not the rearview window.”
“Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people.”
“Let your choices reflect your hopes… not your fears.”
“There are only two options. Make progress or make excuses. ”
“Home of the free because of the brave.”
Around Saxe
Welcome NCHS Senior Interns!
We are proud to have two dozen NCHS seniors working with us for their senior internship. It means a lot that they have chosen us for their experience and we value what they will bring to our Saxe community over the next few weeks. Please feel free to check out their welcome letter, here.
Odyssey of the Mind
Three teams from Saxe are at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in East Lansing, Michigan. We are so proud of our students and wish them the best of luck! To check out the teams, click on the latest PTC newsletter, here.
Upcoming Events
5th-Graders!
On May 31st, all 4th graders and their families are being invited at night to enjoy an evening of FUN and learn about their new school. They will be able to enjoy a guided tour, pizza, ice-cream, and dancing. We need your help! We need 5th-grade volunteers to help with tours, talking to parents/students, and answering questions! If you are interested, there is a Google Form linked, here, and on the 5th-grade webpage under the Lunch and Learn signup link. You should fill this out at home with a parent to make sure you have their permission!
Model UN
On Wednesday afternoon in the cafeteria, the 5-8 grade Model UN clubs participated in a historical crisis simulation. The journey back in time started with the French Revolution and ran for about 90 minutes. Pairs of students were assigned the persona of a person living during the time of the French Revolution. To help make this happen, members of the NCHS MUN club chaired the crisis simulation while others generated the obstacles the participants were faced with to survive the revolution. It was a great collaboration between NCHS and Saxe and all students seemed to have a great learning experience!
Monday Meeting Grade 5
This week 5th-grade students completed a Monday Meeting in science class focusing on making commitments to ending the year on a positive note! Stop by the bulletin board outside the cafeteria to see the great commitments the 5th-graders have made to themselves!
5th and 6th-Grade Band Concert
On Wednesday, Chris Coulter and Janet Rosen directed their 5th and 6th-grade bands during the spring concert. 5th-grade students performed Starsplitter Fanfare by Brian Balmages, Pirates’ Cave by Mark Williams, and Let’s Go Band II by Albert Ahronheim Arr. Andrew Balent. 6th-graders then took over the stage and performed School Spirit March by W.T. Purdy Arr. John Higgins, Abandoned Treasure Hunt by Rob Grice, and Prisoners of Davy Jones by Timothy Orelup. To complete the program, 5th and 6th-grade bands came together and wowed the crowd with their rendition of Sea Shanty Variations by Timothy Loest. Congratulations on a job well done!
7th & 8th-Grade Band Concert
On Thursday, 7th and 8th-grade Band students took the stage. Led by Band director Chris Coulter, 7th-grade students performed The Star Spangled Banner Arr. By John Kinyon, Legend of the Yankee Clippers by James Swearingen, Two Chinese Folk Songs Arr. By John O’Reilly, and In The Mood by Joe Garland Arr. By Paul Murtha. During the interlude, 6th-grade Band director Janet Rosen made a guest appearance and led students as they performed Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars Arr. By K. Agioritis. 8th-grade Band director, Ben Kibbey and his students ended the night with their performances of Due North by Michael Sweeney, Dancing Snakes by Neil Simon, The Incredibles by Giacchino/arr. Vinson, and Just Give Me A Reason by James Kazik. Congratulations to all on an amazing performance.
We are so fortunate to have such a high-quality facility to experience our student performances. A special thanks to our auditorium manager, Zac Whitlock, for his work and expertise…
8th-Grade Language Arts
This week, Shakesperience, a traveling theatre company visited our 8th-grade classrooms to perform a Shakespeare workshop. It fits perfectly in the Dramatically Speaking/Shakespeare Unit in 8th grade and students really enjoyed it. Thank you to the PTC for supporting these experiences!
Certificate of Gratitude
In collaboration with our PTC, we have worked to develop a way to recognize students and staff who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and demonstrated a selfless act(s) at an extraordinary level. To honor these moments, a “Certificate of Gratitude” has been created. In addition to elements of our vision, the certificate also states:
“In recognition for leading by example and positively impacting the Saxe Middle School community through acts of kindness, compassion, and caring.”
This is simply a way to say “thank you” when someone feels moved by a student or colleague who has done something genuinely special. Below are our first recipients, and catalysts to get this initiative off the ground:
Pia, who happens to be fluent in French, helped welcome a new student who does not speak English to Saxe. She played an important role in helping this student feel welcome and accepted.
Jerry was suggested by an outside service provider who recognized his work and caring approach on several occasions with our students with some of the most specialized needs.
Tech Club
Students in Ms. Birdsall’s Tech Club got to make & fly paper airplanes and then discuss aerodynamics and making improvements for their next “flight session”. Kids had a blast!
Service Marathon
Congratulations to Principal’s Secretary, Lisa Jarosik, as she celebrates 27 years of service at Saxe Middle School today! Thanks for all that you do for the Saxe community, Lisa.
3D Print Projects
A basket of projects from the 5th-grade cross-curricular creature project are on their way to their classes. Can’t wait to hear about the backstory on each of them!
Bike Parking Available
Our newest bike rack is getting some good use. Nothing better than seeing students start the day with a bike ride (or walk) to school! Thanks to our PTC for helping make this happen…
Memorial Day Announcement
The following announcement was shared today at Saxe:
“As we go into the Memorial Day weekend, please take a moment to reflect and honor the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect our great nation. It is this sacrifice that:
– Helped shape America
– Makes it possible for all of us to achieve our own goals
– Allows us to live in the greatest nation in the world…
“All gave some, some gave all”, please remember those who have served on this Memorial Day. Have a great weekend!”
Sunset upon Saxe
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
The Saxe weekly 