March 18, 2022
Dear Saxe Family,
With temperatures in the mid-60’s, it was a beautiful way to welcome the weekend! This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at Meet and Greet information, World Down Syndrome Day, a lunch card reminder, Science, a trip to see some horses, a cell phone reminder, extracurriculars, NCHS Color Drop & Ram Jam, some serious Saxe spirit, Saxe Hawks Maple Syrup, Pi Day, Saxe cafe, a full moon over Saxe, some outdoor time, Dogs of Saxe, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!
Be Well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
3/21 – Saxe Extracurriculars begin
3/22 – 5/6 Meet and Greet @ Saxe, 5:45 – 7:40 pm
3/23 – 7/8 Meet and Greet @ Saxe, 5:45 – 7:40 pm
3/25 – Grade 5 Portal Opens for Grades
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.” – Indira Gandhi
“You can never leave footprints that last if you are always walking on tiptoe.” – Leymah Gbowee
“One of the secrets to staying young is to always do things you don’t know how to do, to keep learning.” – Ruth Reichl
“Step out of the history that is holding you back. Step into the new story you are willing to create.” -Oprah Winfrey
“A good compromise is one where everybody makes a contribution.” – Angela Merkel
Saxe Meet and Greet Information
We look forward to officially welcoming you back into the building! Please join us for our 2022 Meet and Greet program at Saxe Middle School! This is a wonderful opportunity to meet your child’s teachers, see their classrooms, and connect (or, reconnect) with the space that your child spends their time in each day. We are proud of our learning community and look forward to sharing some of what makes it special, with you. Linked below are the Lower and Upper Division schedules, respectively:
- Lower Division: Tuesday, March 22nd 5:45 – 7:40 p.m
- Upper Division: Wednesday, March 23rd 5:45 – 7:40 p.m.
Our teachers will be spending some time with your children on Monday and Tuesday to help them prepare the above-linked schedules for you to follow when you are in the building. Please ask your child to see their schedule, as this is also a nice opportunity to ask your child about any experiences they are excited about in any/all of their classes. If your child has not provided you with their schedule, you are welcome to print your child’s schedule using the PowerSchool portal to bring along. Finally, the general schedule is also available on our website, here. You will receive our welcome video and any final details on the day of your Meet & Greet. We look forward to seeing you in person soon!
Right At School
For anyone interested in before school programs for the 2022-23 school year, a representative from Right at School will have a table set up at the Meet and Greet program. If you missed the webinars that were held last week, please feel free to check out the recorded session, here.
World Down Syndrome Day
World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), March 21, is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. The date for WDSD being the 21st day of the 3rd month, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome. #WorldDownSyndromeDay
Please join our Saxe community & rock your bright socks on 3.21.22 for “Lots of Socks” day celebrating World Down Syndrome Day 2022! For more information on this year’s theme, #InclusionMeans, please visit: https://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/
Lunch Card Reminders
An important reminder that students should be bringing and using their student lunch cards in the cafeteria. If they don’t have their card, the cashiers need to stop, ask the student’s name and listen for the response. They then have to manually enter the information into the POS system and locate the student account. If they do have their card, they just scan and go making the transition easier and moving the lines much faster. It also gives them more time to eat their lunch and enjoy recess. Thanks for reminding your student to bring theirs!
6th Grade Science
Miss Collins’ 6th grade STEM workshop spent the week constructing roller coasters using both foam and paper. The goal was to build the longest and most creative construction for a marble to go through from start to finish successfully.
Local Experience
Students in Ms. DeRobertis’ class are participating in the Mounted Troops – what an amazing experience. Thanks to all involved in making this possible for our students.
Student Cell Phone Reminder
We have received some reports that students have been using their cell phones to contact parents during the school day if they are not feeling well. We are fortunate at Saxe to have two registered nurses and six guidance counselors. If your child is not feeling well or having any difficulties during the school day, we are well equipped to manage it. Please have your child come to the Nurse’s Office/Guidance Office and you will be contacted if your child needs to be picked up. Thank you for helping us serve your children in the best manner possible!
Saxe Extracurriculars
Welcome to the Spring session of Saxe Extracurriculars! This session will begin on Monday, March 21st and end on Wednesday, June 8th. If you would like more information, visit the Saxe Website (https://www.ncps-k12.org/domain/141) for a description of activities and to sign up! If you have any questions, you can contact Lisa.Jarosik@ncps-k12.org.
NCPS Schools Supporting Each Other
The NCHS Scholarship Foundation (NCSF) will hold its second annual NC Color Drop on Saturday, March 26th, 2022, at 10:00am.
Buy your ball and watch a Bell407 helicopter safely release close to 2000 colored golf balls over a designated target in Waveny Park.
The lucky person whose ball lands closest to the target will win a fabulous prize, such as a Momentum Transend Electric Bike, a Pet Portrait by Emma Sims, Mayfair Tickets, or an 84 Sports NC Gift Basket. The winning balls will be announced immediately. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the NCSF for need-based scholarships given to NCHS graduates.
Golf balls are available for purchase at https://www.nchs-sf.org/colordrop or by scanning the QR code below. Those who purchased a ball will be allowed to view the NC Color Drop from a safe distance in Waveny.
NCHS Ram Jam
Ram Jam is a musical fashion show (with an awesome live band, skits, and other performances) put on by 100+ NCHS Seniors in order to raise funds for Post-Prom.
This event is for students of all ages!
Details:
Friday, March 25 from 7-8pm
NCHS Auditorium
Tickets:
Online $20/ At door $25
Students Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!
Thanks to Ms. Orlando for capturing these great pics on St. Patrick’s Day. There was a ton of spirit, and fun, around the building and you can see some pics below…
Tweet Street
Below are photos and phrases that were included on our Saxe middle school Twitter page (@SaxeMS) this week. Enjoy!
Saw this happy bunch of students walking in from arrival this morning – great way to start the day with some big smiles!
219* is the magic number for sap to turn to syrup. For anyone who has done this, you know it takes a LONG time… Here, our dedicated Science & STEM staff, Ms. Birdsall & Ms. Meyer saw the process through on a Friday evening at Saxe Middle School! The beneficiaries? Our students!
Congratulations to our 6th graders! The 2010G Red basketball team on winning the Fairfield County Basketball League Championship!
Happy Pi Day to all the math-minded folks out there! 3.14…
Saxe students presenting Principal Gusitsch with their batch of “homemade” maple syrup from our own Saxe tree under the guidance of Ms. Birdsall! Look how proud they are!
From “sap to syrup”, our Saxe Stem crew saw the process through! Thanks to Ms. Birdsall & Ms. Meyer who helped boil for providing this wonderful experience for our students! The last pic is the final product w/the tree that it came from in the background!
Our Saxe Cafe staff are amazing! We had a 5th-grade student start a petition for more “taco days” and they responded with a taco bar to kick off the week! What they create, and the care they put into it, is above and beyond. Thank you to Monika and her team in the Saxe Cafe!
Spirit was off the charts today! Happy St. Patty’s Day to All!
The full moon over Saxe was a sight to behold this week!
Combining collaboration, creativity, & art while recognizing influential women from our history in Social Studies at Saxe!
Grateful for the rich, collaborative discussion as we prepare for the shift in school start times for the 2022-23 school year. This committed group is yet another example of what makes Saxe a special place. Thank you to all involved!
This week has provided some nice opportunities to get outside, get some fresh air, and enjoy some time with friends at Saxe!
Thank you for the recent delivery of the latest issue of The Courant! Our Saxe community loves to see how our former students continue to learn, grow, succeed, & inspire over at NCHS! Keep up the great work…
Too good not to share…
Love it when a parent yells out of the car window at drop off, “It’s their birthday today!”. We had a “two-fer” this morning – Happy Birthday to Kathleen & Evelyn! Hope it’s a great day…
Saxe Outdoors
Classes outside with the spring-like weather, before spring? Yes, please! Thanks to Ms Kiley for sharing these pics of her classes…
Dogs of Saxe
Nice weather this week = an increase in Dogs of Saxe sightings! Love seeing our 4-legged friends wishing their humans a great day!
Have a great week, see you next Friday!
Thank you to all of our Saxe Weekly contributors! Each weekly edition is an example of collaboration in action. 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 