2021.6.11 – Saxe Weekly – The Saxe weekly

June 11, 2021

Dear Saxe Family,

It is amazing to think this is the last full week of the 2020-21 school year. This year presented many challenges, but we have accomplished so much, together, and there is a great deal to be proud of. There were many positive unanticipated outcomes from this past year and we are, and will continue to be, a better, stronger learning community because of it. As we continue to celebrate our 8th-graders this week and next, we salute our entire student body and our learning community as a whole. Thank you to each of you (students, staff, parents) who make Saxe Middle School the special place that it is!

This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at info for the 8th-grade Promotion Parade & celebrations, Social Studies, emotional intelligence, STEM, Science, ELA, Mandarin, summer reading, Saxe Spirit, Garden Club, Saxe in the News, and much more! Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend.

Be Well,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

6/14: Grade 8 Promotion Parade! Grade 5 tech return

6/15: NCHS Graduation – driveby celebration; Grades 6, 7 tech return

6/16: 1/2 Day for students, PL for staff; Grade 8 Celebration (5-7 pm)

6/17: Last Day of School – ½ Day!

6/18: Happy 1st Day of Summer! 🌞

*Quotes that resonated with us this week:

“I laugh at myself. I don’t take myself completely seriously. I think that’s another quality that people have to hold on to… you have to laugh, especially at yourself.” – Madonna

“Your smile will give you a positive countenance that will make people feel comfortable around you.”

– Les Brown

“Never change who you are in order to make others comfortable with who they are.” – Anonymous

“Let go of who you think you are supposed to be and be who you are.” – Brene Brown

“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt

8th Grade Promotion Parade Information

Monday, June 14, 2021

We look forward to celebrating our current 8th-graders, the Saxe Middle School Class of 2021! By taking what we learned during our first-ever parade last year, the 2021 Promotion Parade is new and improved and will be a great way to recognize our “grads” in a fun, student-centered manner. From car decorating kits to including our 5th, 6th, and 7th graders in the celebration, we are excited to honor this special group in a special way!

Event Plan:

Parents will enter the Saxe campus from Farm Rd. and travel through the lower bus loop, by the Lower Division entrance, along the south end of the school, through/around the front loop, and exit left/south on South Ave (map below). Along the way, you can look forward to the following:

As you approach the Lower Division entrance, you will receive your promotion certificate (nice!)
Revel in the cheers of staff and students from all grade-levels who will be joining the celebration (woo-hoo!)
If you wish, hop out of the car with your certificate and get a photo with Mr. Gusitsch with Saxe as the backdrop (no pressure – you are welcome to wave, smile, and continue along the route as well!)
Enjoy some music from pre-selected playlists throughout the route (or blast your own from your car!)

Timing:

Please note: these times have been updated slightly from original messaging to include as many people in the celebration as possible!

The event will take place between 9:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on Monday, June 14th. Students will not report to school and families will be “invited” to drive through the route, by team, at the following times:

9:15 a.m. Blue Team

10:05 a.m. Green Team

10:55 a.m. Purple Team

11:45 a.m. Red Team

To avoid backups, please stay within the above listed team timeframe. Thanks for helping this run as smoothly and efficiently as possible!

Details:

One vehicle per family; only family members in each vehicle
Only vehicles are allowed in/along the parade route (please do not invite family members to stand along the parade route)
Saxe 8th-graders should be seated on the passenger side (that’s where all the action will be!)
With the exception of the photo opportunity, all occupants must remain inside their vehicle at all times and are only permitted to stop at the certificate & photo stops
Only one person per time at the photo stop (i.e., no group photos)
There will not be an assigned photographer, so you are welcome to capture the moment with your own camera, phone, or device
If you opt to not stop for a photo, you are welcome to carefully pass on the left of vehicles waiting
Please feel free to decorate or mark your vehicle with your 8th-grader’s name(s) so staff are easily able to identify students. This will be helpful as you receive your certificate and as you pass through the main loop. Don’t be afraid to let your Saxe spirit shine through on your vehicle!
Random, fun photos and video will be taken to include footage in the 2021 Promotion Celebration video that will be shared later in the week.
Want to share some fun pictures from your point of view? Post them to your favorite socials and tag them with #Saxe2021 – we will include some of these in the video as well!

Please follow the parade route listed below:

We look forward to seeing you & celebrating our Saxe Class of 2021 on Monday the 14th!

Reminder: Car Decorating Kits are ready for Pick-up!!

The Saxe PTC (along with the help of some fabulous National Charity League volunteers) has put together a complimentary kit for each 8th Grade family. The kit contains items that can be used to decorate your car for the Promotion Parade on Monday, June 14th. These kits can be picked up through this Sunday, June 13th at noon at one of the following locations:

South: Boulanger Home, 23 Kelley Green

East: Saunders Home, 152 Long Lots

West: DeMuth Home, 655 Weed Street

Please remember to take one kit and one large poster board per child when you pick up!!

NCHS Graduation Parade: June 15, 2021

From 11:30am to 1:15pm NCHS Seniors will process from the exit of Waveny Park onto South Ave. driving past Saxe. Saxe students will line South Ave with signs of support and cheering for the graduated students.

We encourage all students to have water outside with them and make sure that they have sunscreen applied (the nurse does not have any and cannot apply sunscreen).

Celebrating Saxe 8th Graders!

Getting Saxe dressed up for the grade 8 Promotion Parade on Monday! Thanks to all involved in helping make our campus look great!

Thanks to Remzi from our Saxe Maintenance Crew for getting the new 8th Grade banner up for the Promotion Parade on Monday. Looking good!

Social Studies: Grade 5

Students are researching a person who made a difference at the time of the Revolutionary War. With such a diverse group of people living in the “soon to be states” there are plenty of interesting choices of whom to research! Ask your student about the various people that they have learned about this trimester.

Mrs. Biondi has set us up with Destiny Flix – a great way to help researchers find the information they need! Check out some of our hard working students below as they engage in research!

This fifth grade social studies class is considering what impact their person had and what a Time Magazine cover might look like.

Grade 6 Social Studies

Our sixth graders are getting ready for a Mini-Model UN simulation on globalization. Below are some pictures of the research in action. Ask your child which country they will represent.

Grade 7 Social Studies.

These students are using a new tool called Parlay to have an academic conversation. The structure of the tool is helping to deepen conversations and encourage equitable participation.

Grade 8 Social Studies

To culminate the year in social studies students present their research on a specific group of citizens in a specific era in our country’s history. Their final synthesis is a set of lessons that they teach. Not an easy task! Here are some of our groups leading everything from primary source analysis to class discussions and Socratic conversations.

What you don’t see is that a student who is remote is actually leading a small group via zoom! Well done!

Emotional Intelligence

Fifth grade teachers finished out their Emotional Intelligence lessons this year with a lesson on Growth Mindset. Students discussed the importance of persistence in the face of challenge, and of viewing mistakes as opportunities for learning. Students reflected on areas where they have grown during this unprecedented year, and where they need to grow, as they transition into 6th grade. Teachers Emily Anderson, Suzanne Thompson, and Carol Redden are pictured here. Way to grow 5th grade!

STEM

Design thinking at its finest! Thanks to Ms. Birdsall & this motivated STEM team. They did amazing work to identify an issue, brainstorm around it, & come up with a real world solution. They chose mask pollution & created a UV box to allow reusable mask cleaning!

Science

Grade 6 Science students were working hard on their New Canaan Ecosystem projects. And you never know what you are going to see on your morning walk! Ms. Poidomani and Ms. Collins found a special friend relaxing in the woods.

Grade 6 Language Arts

Some 6th grade students have created art to express their ideas about the social issues they’ve been working on. Here are some examples:

Grade 6 Mandarin 6th-grade students presented their mashup creatures by introducing the colors and the body parts they used in their picture. Here are some examples:

Saxe Summer Reading

Please find our summer reading lists here: Summer Reading website. Enjoy some great books this summer!

8th Grade Bagel Breakfast

The 8th grade celebration continues with day 2 of the bagel breakfast for our red & green teams! Thanks again to our awesome Saxe PTC for making this happen for our students!

8th Grade Picnic

Food, Kan Jam, Spikeball, Wiffleball, sun, and some music all made the first round of the Saxe 8th grade picnic just about perfect! Thanks to our amazing @SaxePTC for helping celebrate our Saxe Class of ‘21!

Saxe Spirit Day

Some great spirit going on around Saxe today! Always love a fun tropical theme…

Garden Club

The Garden Club is busy at work keeping our campus looking amazing!

Saxe in the News

Rise and shine! Saxe students and their amazing science teachers were on the beach bright and early to see the solar eclipse. Students were excited to see all the things they have been learning made real… and the show in the sky was pretty spectacular too. The news link is included below.

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/video/5673148-sunrise-eclipse-does-not-disappoint/

Around Saxe

Some great chalk art…

Mr. Leckie can even make fruit sound good! Thanks for being such a great sport and showcasing a recent STEM project…

Thanks to our Saxe Hospitality Team for putting on a terrific TGIF breakfast – what a way to start the day… Thank you!

This is a great poster that I passed in the lower division lobby today!

8th Grade Boys – Want to join SLOBS?

Attention 8th Grade boys and parents moving on to NCHS! Please consider joining SLOBs — New Canaan High School’s Service League of Boys. This is a very popular and rewarding school club. To learn more about SLOBs and to register for membership, visit our website at https://www.newcanaanslobs.org.

Dogs of Saxe

I need this shirt…