December 18, 2020
Dear Saxe Family,
Would 2020 have it any other way than to disrupt our last scheduled full week of the calendar year with a huge snow storm?! Of course not, and I am pretty sure everyone loved that… We put the call out and you responded with over a hundred great pictures and videos showcasing how these special days create memories that will last a lifetime!
This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at that first snow day, thanking our custodians and maintenance crew, emotional intelligence, World Language, Art, Student Leaders, Saxe Spirit, Dogs of Saxe, positive mindsets, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!
Be well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
12/23: ½ Day; Spirit Day – Pajamas!
12/24 – 1/3: Winter Break – Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and ENJOY!
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.” – William James
“Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun’s rays do not burn until brought to a focus.” -Alexander Graham Bell
“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.” -Dolly Parton
“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” – Anne Bradstreet
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.”– Albert Einstein
Snow Day 2020
I think we can all agree that a highlight of this week was our first snow day of the 2020-21 school year. Thank you all for your wonderful snow day photos! It was incredible to see so many families enjoying the weather and the day off… Here is a slideshow of the photos we received. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!
Or, you can check out a Google Photos album showcasing the friends, fun, and follies from our students and staff. Below is a collage showing just a few…
Recognizing Great Work
A HUGE shoutout to our custodial and maintenance crew who had the enormous task of clearing our school grounds following the snowstorm. They did an amazing job and had the school ready, and more importantly, safe for all of us to return today. Thanks to the best of the best!
Continuing our Focus on Emotional Intelligence
This week included some EI lessons on “inclusion”. It was nice to hear students discuss their respective perspectives and how to be considerate of their peers. And, “Included” is one of our five school charter words (along with: Comfortable, Happy, Respected, and Safe). As you can tell from the hands up, our students are truly engaged in this important work.
Surrounded by Positivity
One of the bulletin boards in our 5th-grade hallway.
World Language
Playing Jeopardy in Latin class is a great way to review language and culture!
Saxe Art
Some great “perspective” shots and drawings are on display near the art rooms. Thanks to Ms. Beatman, and her students, for these great views of Saxe!
Students in Ms. Pennoyer’s class talk about and show their work before submitting it on their devices.
Student Leaders
Mr. Lepisto works with students on creating a special thank you video for teachers. They did an amazing job and are excited to release it to their teachers soon!
Did you know that December 16th was Pythagorean Day?
Pythagorean Theorem Day is a holiday that is celebrated when the sum of the squares of the first two parts of the date equals the square of the last part. The last Pythagorean Theorem Day was August 15, 2017 (15² + 8² = 17²), the next will be December 16, 2020 (16² + 12² = 20²).
3,4,5……. If you are looking for ways to celebrate please see attached link
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/pythagorean-theorem-day
Saxe Spirit
This year, we will be working to make each themed day more meaningful by incorporating Saxe’s Charter words, our 5 C’s, and/or empowering slogans. Below are a few student generated fliers that will show you how we tried to integrate the #1 voted theme day, a charter word, and one of our Cs together for our first spirit day. We hope you all enjoy and like this new approach! Best, Spirit Club
In addition to designated “Spirit Days”, many of our students bring the spirit to school each day and we love it!
Jumping for Joy
Many of our students expressed their vote for a snow day on Thursday. I believe this enthusiasm is what swayed Dr. Luizzi to “make the call” 🙂
Positive Mindset
We have had many great quotes this year, but this is one of my favorites so far this year…
Dogs of Saxe
We had many fine four-legged friends visit us this week! Thank you to your humans who share your joy with us…
Sights, Sunrises, and Sunsets Around Saxe
We are still blessed with some great sunrises to greet us at arrival each morning.
And, sunsets too…
Have a great week!
* A special thanks to Lauren Sherwood for the continuous stream of positive, optimistic quotes!
Saxe Resources (live links)
Website: https://www.ncps-k12.org/saxe
Saxe Middle School
Celebrating Our Learning Community Through Caring, Communication, & Commitment
The Saxe weekly 