October 21, 2022
Dear Saxe Family,
Thank you to everyone who has participated in the latest Celebrate Saxe campaign! It has been an amazing couple of weeks and we are blessed to have such an incredibly supportive community. This annual event is more than just a fundraiser. It allows our teachers to dream big, helps those dreams come true, provides terrific enrichment opportunities for our students, and really is a way to celebrate all that makes Saxe Middle School so special. We’ve had some fun and there is much to celebrate!
This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at the latest 1 Second Everyday, building visitor reminders, Digital Citizenship, CT Kid Governor, election, Physical Education, Science, community events, seasonal crafting club, yearbook, STEM, a Halloween reminder, new planners, a birthday serenade, Celebrate Saxe, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!
Be Well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“Once you face your fear, nothing is ever as hard as you think.” – Olivia Newton-John
“Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison
“Do not allow people to dim your shine because they are blinded. Tell them to put some sunglasses on.” – Lady Gaga
“My advice is, never do tomorrow what you can do today. Procrastination is the thief of time.” – Charles Dickens
“When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” – Paulo Coelho
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).
Keeping our Schools Safe
Just a reminder, all visitors must enter through either our Main or Lower Division entrances. Before entering, please expect to use the intercom system to communicate with staff to identify yourself and state your reason for visiting. Nobody will be permitted to enter the building without a valid photo ID. If you are dropping items off or picking up students, we will ask you to wait outside. Please do not be offended if the staff member working the door asks you to wait outside while the reason for your visit is confirmed, and your photo ID is verified in our system 🙂 We thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we follow our safety protocols!
Celebrate Saxe
Saxe launched into the second week of Celebrate Saxe in style! Through the generosity, and network, of the Saxe PTC, students were able to Zoom with Planetary Scientist, Dr. Nina Lanza on Monday and Tuesday to speak to our community about her work on Earth, and Mars. Dr. Lanza discussed innovation, exploration, hard work and what it sounds like to yell on Mars. Below is the link to the Grade 7/8 presentation for your viewing pleasure!
There are many more pictures below and thank you to all who have contributed to Celebrate Saxe up to this point! If you would like to be part of reaching our participation and/or fundraising goal, please visit the Saxe PTC site…
Thanks to our Saxe PTC for their ongoing spirit, motivation, & fun during Celebrate Saxe. They have embraced our focus on innovation and connectedness & their support is “out of this world”!
New NCPS Website and app
Following up on Dr. Luizzi’s communication from earlier this week, please keep an eye out for the new and improved NCPS web experience! Below are some of the highlights:
- Easier Navigation: Pages have been reorganized to make it easier to find the information you need. No more hidden links. No more outdated data. Only a few clicks to find simple answers.
- Better Design: We’ve updated all of our pages to be more aesthetically pleasing. News, social media posts, school events, and our favorite photos will be displayed on our all-new homepage.
- Updated Staff Directory: The new staff directory will allow parents to easily find and connect with each of their child’s teachers. Each school’s directory page will allow you to filter by discipline and directly email each of the staff members.
- Enhanced Features: Our all-new website will include enhanced features such as:
| Downloadable Start/End Times CalendarEasy-Access Quick Links for ParentsDining Menu by Day, Week or Month | Filter-by-School Calendar Viewer‘Teams by Color’ Infographic for SaxeOnline Payment & Support Services Pages |
- New App: We will be launching a new app that allows parents to access all of the same great website content easily through their phone. More information will be provided as we get closer to an exact rollout date.
Digital Citizenship Week
This week was Digital Citizenship Week. Students learn and discuss digital citizenship across the year, especially during our workshop rotations. Social Studies teachers have also integrated concepts into regular instruction. New Canaan Cares offers many wonderful resources to continue the discussion at home.
CT Kid Governor Election Update
We have a Saxe winner! Bassett Bretschger in Mrs. Lanna’s 5th grade class will advance to be considered for the state level CT Kid Governor election! We are so proud of Bassett and our Cabinet which is composed of our other 8 Saxe finalists! The team is now helping Bassett put together a video to send to the state!
Physical Education
Students in Miss Goodman’s PE classes have been participating in football the last few weeks. Students in grades 7/8 collaborated in groups to create a playbook with two running plays and two passing plays. The students practiced the plays as a team and used their playbook to scrimmage each other both inside the gym and out on the field.
Students in grades 5/6 learned the skill cues for throwing and catching and worked in small groups to add pass patterns and some rules of the game. They played some lead up games to begin to apply some rules culminating with two-hand touch mini games.
Science
More domino fun in Grade 6 Science classes! Thanks to Ms. Poidomani for sharing, and to her students for their creativity!
Save the Date!
Thank you to NC Cares, the NC Community Foundation, and our NCPS PFA/PTCs for collaborating to bring in Dr. Stuart Ablon to discuss, “Building Resilience in Our Children”.
Seasonal Crafting Club
On Tuesday Seasonal Crafting completed their Halloween bulletin board! It was a team effort, and they were super-proud of the final result. It has added so much seasonal spirit to the Art Department’s hallway!
Halloween Reminder
Halloween is a fun time of year for our middle school students. While we do not plan anything formal as a school, many students choose to “get in the spirit” by dressing up. For those choosing to wear a costume to school on Monday (10/31), please be sure to follow the guidelines found here.
Yearbook Club
Yearbook club began this Wednesday with a great group of 7th and 8th Grade students ready to contribute! The Josten’s representative, Ms. Murray, gave an overview of what makes a good photo and then had students practice with their classmates. Students shared their photos so that they could see how taking a picture in a different way (bird’s eye view, worms view, lines leading into the photo) could make it more interesting!
NCHS Dome
The Planetarium at the high school is getting an upgrade! More information about the DOME renovation can be found in the video linked below and how you can help!
Below are photos and phrases that were included on our Saxe middle school Twitter page (@SaxeMS) this week. Enjoy!
Thank you to Planetary Scientist, Dr. Nina Lanza, for speaking to, & interacting with, our 5th & 6th-graders! We are grateful to have such an amazing feature presenter! And, great questions by our students!
Saxe students were locked in during the feature speaker today! Thank you to Planetary Scientist, Dr. Nina Lanza for the amazing presentation on what it’s like on Mars (&, so much more)!
The sky (actually, space) is the limit at @SaxeMS! Thanks to our @SaxePTC for the amazing opp to learn from, & engage with, some of the best & brightest on our planet… Today, our 7th & 8th-graders interacted with Planetary Scientist, Dr. Nina Lanza!
Thank you to our feature speaker, Planetary Scientist, Dr. Nina Lanza for engaging with our 7th & 8th-graders! There were 60+ questions in the chat and many more were posed via Zoom. Amazing experience for all – thank you!
A fun wordplay to Celebrate Saxe was left in each staff member’s mailbox this week!
Digital Citizenship Week
Recognizing Digital Citizenship Week at Saxe. Thanks to Ms. Hanna (&, team) for leading the charge in teaching about the importance of being a responsible digital citizen!
Nice form dropping buckets during cornhole at recess!
Temps in the 30s at a.m. arrival at Saxe? No problem! This crew gets their activity in each day – best way to start the day!
Great turnout for Mrs. Birdsall’s STEM club! They learned about solar energy & circuits while making some neat little solar houses!
Our Saxe planners are a hit with students! Another great way to support executive functioning for our students.
Nothing like a little Happy Bday serenade to start the day at @SaxeMS! Hope it was a great day, all around!
The colors are starting to pop around the Saxe campus!
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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