October 7, 2022
Dear Saxe Family,
We may have only had four school days this week, but we packed quite a bit in! The weather got progressively better as the week went on, and it was absolutely perfect for our Fall Walk/Ride to School Day! Thank you to everyone who helped make it possible and we appreciate each student, family, (&, dog!), and staff member who joined in the fun. Hopefully, this will inspire students and families to make this more of a common occurrence moving forward (especially on those nice days like today!).
This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at the latest 1 Second Everyday, Celebrate Saxe, artwork, an attendance communication, clubs and activities, Social Studies, Mathematics, ADHD Awareness, Saxe News, Walk/Ride to School Day, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!
Be Well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
10/10 – 10/21 – Celebrate Saxe Begins!
10/10 – Celebrate Saxe Spirit Day (wear your school colors!)
10/13 – Celebrate Saxe Big Idea Day
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).
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“I’m always thinking about creating. My future starts when I wake up every morning. Every day I find something creative to do with my life.” – Miles Davis
“I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.” – J. B. Priestley
“There are so many reasons to be thankful every day. I am thankful for you.” — Anonymous
“Turn your wounds into wisdom.” — Oprah Winfrey
Celebrate Saxe
Celebrate Saxe is back, and with a main focus on connecting and innovation, it is set up to be the best one yet! Get out your school colors and help launch the campaign in spirit and style on Monday! Stay tuned for more information coming from the PTC, soon, and thank you to everyone who helped with the amazing lineup for this year…
Thanks to our “A-Team” of volunteers who banded together to prep the official postcards that will be arriving in your mailbox, soon!
We want to say a HUGE thank you to the Art Department for making time for our Celebrate Saxe postcard contest. We received over 80 student submissions for the postcard! Congratulations to Maddy Conron for creating the winning postcard art – look for this postcard which will be coming to your homes early next week! A special thank you to each student who participated and submitted a drawing, you are appreciated! Please enjoy some of the incredible submissions:
NCPS Attendance Communication
New Canaan Public Schools Board of Education practice, in accordance with federal and state school attendance statutes, calls for the generation of a reminder letter to parents of students who have reached their ninth absence for the school year. The district will generate these letters again this year as a means to alert parents and school staff to carefully monitor students who meet this threshold, as we know that consistent attendance ensures fidelity of instruction which results in higher success and achievement for learners. Please note that the letter is an automated, electronic letter that is generated from our PowerSchool system. A sample NCPS Attendance letter is included for your reference.
We do request that parents of children who are demonstrating any signs or symptoms of illness (fever, cough, sore throat, vomiting, etc.) keep them home from school. Please communicate with us regarding the reason for your child’s absence by reporting the absence to school via the main office phone number. Additionally, we strongly encourage all NCPS families to adhere to the school calendar when making family travel plans in order to maximize student time in the classroom learning environment. Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your child’s counselor. Thank you for partnering on providing the best experience possible for your children!
Clubs and Extracurriculars
Just a reminder that Saxe clubs and extracurricular activities will begin on Monday! For Grade 5/6 Before School Clubs, parents will need to provide transportation (8:15 – 9:00 am unless otherwise specified). Grade 7/8 Clubs run after school from 2:45 – 3:45 pm. A late bus is available at 4:00 pm and students will not be able to ride the Grade 5/6 buses home. Students may sign up for one club or multiple clubs. If a club is offered on multiple days, you do not need to sign up for both. You may visit the Saxe Website for more information and the Club listing. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Lisa Jarosik.
Social Studies: Grade 5
The Bridge Pop-up Gallery was busy this week! Here are some of our 5th graders taking a look at the platforms of last year’s CT Kid Governor candidates. Our Saxe election will be held mid-October. Our candidate will then advance to be considered for the state contest.
Mathematics
Students in Mrs. Berry’s 5th Grade class activated their sleuthing skills to discover the ‘crime’ committed in student work. The young detectives have recently applied their understanding of various multiplication strategies to learn the standard algorithm. When provided with a sample of student work prepared to demonstrate common errors, the investigators set to work discovering the error. They wrote a ‘crime report’ describing the error and also showed how to correctly solve the problem. Our young gumshoe’s have risen to the challenge and not a single ‘crime’ went by unnoticed.
Students in Miss Bohlmann’s Math 6 class attacked a challenging multi-step collaboratively about GCF and LCM. They worked together to notice patterns and what made sense for their problem. They summarized their group’s findings and presented their understanding of the problem to their classmates.
Students in Mrs. Andrews’ 7th Grade Pre-Algebra class are persevering in their understanding of the Pythagorean Theorem. Students are working towards answering the question, “How do I prove whether my triangle is a right triangle?” Students working collaboratively in small groups is a regular part of our classroom routines!
Students in Mrs. Andrews’ Math 7 class are looking for patterns when multiplying and dividing integers. They used some kinesthetic learning to help activate their thinking while working in groups to problem solve.
Eighth grade students in Mrs. Brown’s Pre-Algebra classes have been working in their first unit about Real Numbers and the Pythagorean Theorem. As we come to the end of the unit, they are working collaboratively and using all they have learned about the Pythagorean Theorem to prove if triangles are right triangles or not.
October is ADHD Awareness Month!
CHADD’s website for ADHD Awareness Month offers individuals with ADHD an opportunity to share their experience by creating art, memes, videos, or sharing stories regarding their ADHD. The website also clarifies myths, explains the diagnostic process, and provides videos from experts for families and individuals.
Tweet Street
Below are photos and phrases that were included on our Saxe middle school Twitter page (@SaxeMS) this week. Enjoy!
Our Saxe News roving reporters are back out and about getting the latest scoop all around Saxe! Stay tuned for the 1st episode of the year…
Thank you Jonathan Adams for taking the time to present our health curriculum to parents and families.
Walk/Ride to School Day
Good morning, Saxe! It is an absolutely gorgeous morning for our fall Walk/Ride to School Day! We look forward to seeing our students out and about for arrival!
Great turnout for the first wave of walkers & riders for our fall Saxe Walk/Ride to School Day! Thanks to all who came out to join!
Some of our Saxe students and families who were out early, enjoying the great weather, and taking advantage of our newest outdoor learning space!
The 2nd wave of students (& families) did not disappoint for the fall Saxe Walk/Ride to School Day… Beautiful weather and great participation!
Dogs of Saxe
Loved seeing all the Dogs of Saxe join their humans for the Saxe Walk/Ride to School Day today!
And, another from dropoff earlier in the week…
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
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