2021.2.26 – Saxe Weekly – The Saxe weekly

February 26, 2021

Dear Saxe Family,

Our first week back from February break was filled with snow (again), spring-like weather, and what seems like more daylight each day. Each time we return from a break, I am reminded of how committed our learning community is. After some warm “welcome backs”, our students, and teachers, picked right up where they left off and were back to business. This a reminder of how fortunate we are to be able to operate with as much normalcy as possible.

This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at a new mural, a call out to our remote learners, the Saxe to NCHS transition, Mandarin, learning in VR, Black History Month, Student Leadership Team, Perseverance, Caring for our community, snowy scenes around Saxe, and more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Best,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

3/3: 1/2 Day for students, Professional Learning for staff

3/4: Saxe 8th – 9th Orientation: 7:00 – 8:30 pm (more details/links will be emailed next week)

*Quotes that resonated with us this week:

“Believe in yourself, learn and never stop wanting to build a better world.” – Mary McLeod Bethune

“To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We will fail when we fail to try.” – Rosa Parks

“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.” – Desmond Tutu

“Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” – Booker T. Washington

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” ―Nelson Mandela

Saxe Spirit, Forever

Our students and staff were very excited to see the finished product of the mural that was completed last week. This is a wonderful tribute to our learning community which was donated by our awesome Saxe PTC and the Saxe Class of 2020! Thank you to all involved in bringing this beautiful design to life.

Here are some pictures of the mural “in progress”…

Celebrating our Remote Learners

While I am grateful to see our in-person learners each day, I also commend and celebrate our remote learners who are just as much a part of our learning community as those who walk through our doors each day. If you would like to include any great “Saxe at home” action from your remote learning experience, please email any pictures, videos, or work to lisa.jarosik@ncps-k12.org or me (david.gusitsch@ncps-k12.org). Thanks for helping us celebrate you!

NCHS is Ready To Welcome the Class of 2025

From NCHS: Welcome to the Class of 2025 and families! I hope you will all have the opportunity to join us at the eighth-grade virtual orientation on Thursday, March 4th beginning at 7:00 pm. High School is the next big step in a student’s academic career, and we want to make the experience as easy and fluid as possible. As a school, our team does everything within our power to help incoming 9th graders adjust to this new chapter in their academic careers and aid in a smooth transition. The Administration, School Counselors, and Department Chairs will be presenting our programs that will challenge students to do their best in academics, athletics, and the arts.

While we would prefer to host the orientation in a typical, in-person format, we believe that this format provides an excellent opportunity to provide the essential information and answer any questions you may have while also ensuring the safety of all involved.

Additional information and links to the virtual orientation will be sent out next week. Looking forward to welcoming you to NCHS!

Mandarin

Who is the impostor? Grade 6 students investigated an impostor this week. Just like the popular game “Among Us” !

Learning in VR

Thank you PTC! The social studies department would like to thank the PTC for the generous support for the purchase of a few pairs of Oculus VR headsets. Mr. McCormack and his class (7th grade) are taking the lead in exploring all that it enables us to do in social studies. Here is a student who is “in” the Borneo rainforest exploring learning about the natural resources of this region. Students who are awaiting their turn can monitor on the Smartboard. This “virtual field trip” ties directly to the concepts in our Opportunities and Challenges: Brazil unit where students wrestled with the complexities of the land and resource use from various perspectives. These opportunities are transformational and this truly is the future of learning, happening now!

Black History Month

Although we continually audit our curriculum to be sure it is culturally responsive and inclusive, there are times when we need to pause, learn and celebrate together. Here are a couple of examples of how social studies teachers are learning with their students about the many contributions of Black Americans.

Spirit Club & Leadership Collaborative

Today, the Spirit Club welcomed the 8th Grade Student Leadership Team into the planning for a first-ever event, Charter Week. Students from both groups were engaged in helping with the planning and design of the week. Stay tuned for more information on this new event coming soon!

8th Grade Leadership Team

The 8th Grade Student Leadership Team completed the hanging of about 200 handmade snowflakes in four locations. The snowflakes help to highlight our 5 C’s, as well as helping to make our school even more beautiful and celebrate the snowy season. Ms. Bennett and the Art Department were invaluable partners in providing additional snowflakes as well as expertise on creating and displaying them. Let it snow!

History in Science

Students discuss force as it relates to recent historical moments with Mr. Chard as they view the landing of the Mars rover, Perseverance. Truly amazing! (Soon, we may be able to view this in VR as well…).

Caring for our School Community

We are grateful that our district focuses on the wellbeing of not only our students, but our staff as well. This week, staff had an opportunity to participate in a session called, “Eat Well, Live Well”, sponsored by our Be Well committee. The Be Well tagline, “caring for the whole employee while educating the whole child”, is a good reminder that self-care is important and it relates to providing our best for our entire learning community.

Caring for our Future Saxe Hawks

Thanks to our Campus Monitor, Mr. Tosches, for noticing this boot that fell out of someone’s car at arrival this week. If it belongs to your family, it will be back out to be claimed on Monday morning. 🙂