2022.9.9 – Saxe Weekly – The Saxe weekly

September 9, 2022

Dear Saxe Family,

Week number two is in the books at Saxe Middle School and we have much to celebrate! We are also looking forward to our upcoming PTC Welcome Back Coffee and Open House events to share more about our 2022-23 opening. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the successful start.

This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at Social Studies, our School Counseling Team, supporting “The Dome”, Constitution Day, some birthdays, our outdoor spaces, recess, lockers, design thinking, 5th-grade milestones, Charter action, Saxe Spirit, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Be Well,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

9/13 – PTC Welcome Back Coffee @ Waveny – 10:30 am

9/17 – Constitution Day

*Quotes that resonated with us this week:

“Before the reward, there must be labor. You plant before you harvest. You sow in tears before you reap joy.” — Ralph Ransom

“Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” — John Wooden

“The expert in anything was once a beginner.” — Helen Hayes

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt

One Second Everyday

Back again for this week – the latest Saxe Middle School 1-Second Everyday! “Life is made of seconds.” Showcasing so much of what makes Saxe Middle School great! This will be a recurring, bi-weekly feature. At the end of the year, we will have a full version that includes every single day of the 2022-23 school year. Enjoy! (pro tip: to enjoy the video at a slower pace, change your viewing option to .75 speed).

Transportation Note

Our Transportation Coordinator, Mr. Walder, his terrific team, and our Saxe staff continue to review bus run data and tighten up wherever possible to continue to be more efficient for arrival and dropoff. Please know that we are working together to ensure there is minimal disruption to our students and their classroom experience. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s counselor or classroom teacher(s). In the meantime, we continue to see improvements each day and appreciate your patience and understanding!

Social Studies

Seventh-grade social studies is off to a great start! The first unit of study is entitled Resources and Power and has a focus on the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. Geography skills and concepts are an important part of the learning. These students are honing map reading skills, learning new vocabulary, and playing Catan. If you are unfamiliar with Catan- it is all about resources and power. Thank you to Mr. DeVito, Mr. Devine. Mrs. Korman and Ms. Campbell’s classes for allowing a few action photos.

School Counseling

Saxe School Counselors are busy getting to know, and support, their students! From left to right, Tammy Nettleton (Grades 7-8), Kim Hillyer, (Grades 5-6), Brad Lepisto (Grades 7-8), Erica Garnett (Grades 5-6), Christine Risoli (Grades 5-6) and Sarah Beltran, (Grades 7-8). Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns!

Support Staff: Teen Talk Counselor

Saxe Middle School welcomes Karla Greto, Teen Talk Counselor. Ms. Greto graduated with a Master’s in Social Work from Sacred Heart University. Her internships were at the Child and Family Institute in Scarsdale and the Read Public School in Bridgeport, CT (K-8). Ms. Greto is available to support students and families at Saxe Middle School. Teen Talk serves as a school based mental health program that provides students with confidential assessment, crisis intervention, counseling and support for a variety of issues including stress, social issues and academic challenges.

*8:00am-3:00pm: karla.greto@ncpsk-12.org / (203) 594-4511

*Outside of School Hours: kgreto@kidsincrisis.org / KIC Hotline: (203) 661-1911

Support Staff: Social Work Intern

Welcome to Samantha Holmes who is our new Social Work Intern. Samantha is a second year student at Sacred Heart University and will be here all year to support our students.

Supporting a Community Cause

If you have not heard about “The Dome” project at NCHS, that will benefit our students districtwide, be sure to check it out!

“Throwback” Learning

Students use an “Antique” Phone during a Digital Citizenship lesson in Grade 6.

Constitution Day

Tweet Street

Below are photos and phrases that were included on our Saxe middle school Twitter page (@SaxeMS) this week. Enjoy!

Another first today for our fifth grade! Walking to specials without teachers was a success!

Thank you Jen Pacelli for launching the new Design Thinking website. A great resource for students and teachers.

5th grade locker rollout is in full swing this week!

Recess at Saxe is an important part of the day and we enjoy seeing our students enjoy their time outside!

Charter work in action in grade 5 today!

Caught some birthday celebrations during recess this week at Saxe. Hope it was the best day, ever!

We may have gotten some much needed rain this week, but it didn’t stop Ms. Orlando from helping the morning drop off line keep moving efficiently!

Thanks to our Saxe PTC for helping freshen up our Saxe Hawks spirit at our main & lower division entrances. And, a huge thanks to our custodial crew for their expert application!

Welcome students and teachers to Connecticut’s Kid Governor 2022-23!

Thank you to our maintenance and custodial teams for the fresh trims and clean ups in our outdoor learning spaces!

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)