2020.12.4 – Saxe Weekly – The Saxe weekly

December 4, 2020

Dear Saxe Family,

I hope that you had a nice Thanksgiving holiday weekend and your December is off to a good start. Our return to Saxe for another full week was filled with excitement, spirit, and many engaging learning experiences. We are grateful for each day that we have an opportunity to continue operating in a “normal” capacity (disclaimer: “normal” has a revised definition in 2020).

This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at Math, Saxe Spirit, Science, Art, kindness and caring, a moment in Saxe history, Saxe Hawks (literally), Dogs of Saxe, and more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend.

Be Well,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

12/9 – 1/2 Day for students; Professional Learning for staff (p.m.)

*Quotes that resonated with us this week:

“My goal is not to be better than anyone else, but to be better than I used to be.” -Wayne Dyer

Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” -Vivian Greene

“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” -Helen Keller

“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” -Roald Dahl

“We’re so busy watching out for what’s just ahead of us that we don’t take time to enjoy where we are.” – Bill Watterson

Math

Students in Mrs. Pelatowski’s Pre-Algebra class have been learning about Geometric rotations. Students could identify that rotating a figure means turning the figure. Mrs. Pelatowski modeled how to rotate the coordinate grid, while students used tracing paper to help them discover the coordinate rule; this rule can be used to rotate a figure counterclockwise. Students then continued their discovery by using Google Jamboard.

Students in Ms. Kiley’s Algebra class have been learning about graphing linear equations. The class has been using Desmos activities online to explore properties of lines. Desmos also has an “anonymous” feature, where each of the students are given the name of a famous mathematician or scientist. This allows the class to have rich discussions based on their peers’ work.

Students in Mrs. Wolff’s Math 6 class practice plotting points on 4 quadrant coordinate planes by playing a version of the classic Battleship game. Students were engaged in rich and meaningful discussions about plotting and were able to have great discourse while working with partners. Using the plexiglass carrols allows students to collaborate safely while they practice their skills.

This week In Math 7, Mrs. Wolff’s classes worked with virtual manipulatives to review solving one-step equations as they prepare to tackle multi-step equations coming up next

All students collaborate when generating Factor Pairs in Mrs. Lanna’s 5th-grade math class! Students were able to apply their new learning about factors pairs and arrays to determine the missing factor for a number. Students interacted with classmates while reinforcing their understanding. Math Practice standards of using appropriate tools and justifying their answers were in full effect!

Students in Mrs. Lanna’s math class collaborated with partners to model equivalent fractions for 1/4. They drew squares and broke them up, vertically, into four even parts. Then they modeled multiplying it by 2 by drawing a horizontal line to show how ¼ is equivalent to 2/8.

Getting into the Spirit

It was neat to see the holiday spirit come alive upon our return from Thanksgiving this week.

And, a terrific mask…

Officer Deak harkening back to his “bike patrol” days

More Spirit…

Today in Ms. Sanborn’s G6 Math class, pixel art played a role in student learning. One section practiced adding and subtracting decimals, while the other section simplified expressions. As students answered math questions correctly, parts of the picture would appear. The kids had a great time with it!

Saxe Science

There were many examples of “learning in action” this week. Here are a few of Ms. Ford’s students analyzing force and motion.

Students in Mr. Chard’s class were demonstrating Newton’s Law today. These are great opportunities for students to apply their learning in ways they will remember for many years to come.

Saxe Art

6th-grade students had some terrific watercolor talent on display…

Caring for our Community

Random acts of Kindness! Some of the grade 5 teams are practicing acts of kindness for the month of December. Everyone is welcome to follow along!

This Moment in Saxe History…

Another First! Some pictures of the first ever 5th-grade virtual parent conferences!

Saxe Hawks (literally)

One of our resident Red Tail Hawks, “supervising” 6th-grade recess today!

Dogs of Saxe

We had many excited 4-legged friends accompanying their humans for dropoff at Saxe this week! There are still many more that we have to get pictures of, but here are a few…

Around Saxe

We are grateful for everyone who makes up our Saxe/NCPS team. Our maintenance crew was at it this week updating light fixtures to a more efficient LED setup and they turned out great!

After a stormy start to the week, we had some great opportunities to be outside this week.

At one point, dozens of birds filled the sky after the clouds broke and the sun came out. The picture does not do it justice, but it was a sight to behold…