October 28, 2022
Dear Saxe Family,
The last full week in October brought some classic New England weather. Some chilly, dreary, foggy mornings that required layers to keep warm, turned into sunny afternoons that hit 70+ degrees that allowed classes to enjoy being outside. Along with the weather changes, we also have some gorgeous sights and scenery all around Saxe Middle School (&, New Canaan, and, Connecticut)!
This week in the Saxe Weekly, you will see some of these fall scenes along with the rest of the exciting “goings-on” as we take a look at the latest Saxe News, Halloween fun, Saxe Spiritwear, Mandarin, French, Super Troopers, ELA, Math, Band, Start with Hello, National Stress Awareness Day, ADHD Awareness, the Dome at NCHS, photo retakes, community events, STEM, CT Kid Governor, EI, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!
Be Well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
11/4 – Photo Retake Day
11/4 – End of 1st Quarter Grades 6 – 8
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“A day without laughter is a day wasted.” – Charlie Chaplin
“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.” – William James
“To live a fulfilled life, we need to keep creating the ‘what is next’, of our lives. Without dreams and goals there is no living, only merely existing, and that is not why we are here.” —Mark Twain
“Love, compassion and kindness are the foundation of a happy life.” – Anonymous
“It is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.” – Queen Elizabeth II
Saxe News
Please use the link below to access the latest episode of Saxe News! Included in this episode: how students feel about the new outdoor seating and Ethan Schubert, Eagle Scout who created amazing outdoor seating for students over the summer.
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!
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.
Here’s a “throwback pic” from last year!
Saxe Spiritwear On Sale Now
The PTC has created a small holiday collection with items that make great holiday gifts or stocking stuffers. Shop now through November 6th, by midnight. All items will be shipped and ready for pickup by mid-December.
Mandarin
Students celebrated Halloween by designing and comparing their recreations of monsters from eastern and western mythology!
Fun In French Class
Ms. Mallie’s class has been working hard to finish up summative assessments for their first units in grades 6, 7 and 8. To connect and have some fun this week, students were invited to work in pairs or groups and create finger puppets and scenery to role play everything they have learned to say in their units.
Super Troopers
Thank you to the PTC for their generous support of our ACCESS students’ participation in the SuperTroopers program at Mounted Troops!
Language Arts
The Grade 8 Purple Team has been participating in the 40 Book Challenge-students are challenged to read 40 books during the 2022-2023 school year. The students have read 630 books so far this year!
Band
Grade 6 Band rehearsed with some NCHS Band members for their joint performance at the NCHS Football game this Friday October 28th. You can watch the video here.
“Start with Hello!” Initiative
“Start with Hello” isa program designed to help students around the country feel less socially isolated and less lonely. Here are some simple yet powerful things you can do to help: The first thing you should do is notice if someone is alone or seems lonely, second you should reach out and help. The last thing you should do is start with hello.
National Stress Awareness Day is Wednesday, November 2, 2022
On Wednesday, we will be celebrating National Stress Awareness Day. With the increased amount of stress that we are all experiencing it’s important to take time to learn and practice coping strategies. Finding ways to relax when you encounter stressful situations is a lifelong skill and we are excited to have our students learn some relaxation techniques next week in their classes. Whether it’s 10 jumping jacks, taking a brief walk around the building, a breathing exercise, playing with playdo or coloring your favorite drawing, there are so many ways to help relieve stress.
Saxe is going to participate by taking a collective school breath together over the announcements. All students will also have an opportunity to talk about stress and do some fun activities in classrooms throughout that day.
Below is a worksheet called “50 ways to take a break”. We are challenging all students to try one or more of the breaks listed on this worksheet and tell us their experience by filling out THIS Google form. All form submissions will be entered into a grade-wide competition for a Starbucks gift card! We encourage parents and guardians to speak with their students about the worksheet and even try some together!
October is ADHD Awareness Month!
Check out this article from CHADD on Helping Teens Become Resilient Adults
The National Resource Center on ADHD has a wealth of information including books featuring characters with ADHD and information on the new documentary, The Disruptors.
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!
NCHS Dome Video
Photo Retake Date
Legacy Studios will be back on November 4th for photo retake day. Each grade level will be assigned a time when they can go to the auditorium and have their picture retaken or taken for the first time. Class/Team photos will also be taken on November 4th.
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”.
Tweet Street
Below are photos and phrases that were included on our Saxe middle school Twitter page (@SaxeMS) this week. Enjoy!
Spreading some sunshine on this rainy Monday morning.
Had to celebrate this student today with a surprise Positive phone call home from the Dean…for exemplifying our Saxe Charter!
Thank you, Mrs. Rosen, for letting me join in on the fun during music explorations today! It was the best part of my day!
Thank you to the awesome students who “mummied” my door today!
Grateful for our dedicated staff who joined the ongoing discussions on use of time, & student experiences, as they relate to the optimal MS schedule. Thanks to all who participated!
Some great participation & visible thinking with the personal white boards in Ms. Bohlmann’s Math class…
Great collaboration with NCHS teacher, Ms. Zilly at Saxe! Excited for our SaxeSTEM students – thanks, Ms. Zilly!
Got a visit from a few of our SaxeSTEM club students who were proud to show off their robot, “Buggy”. It ran for :50 seconds straight & traveled from one end of Saxe to the other on its own!
6th-grade SaxeELA classes took advantage of spreading out to collaborate in one of the Saxe Library spaces…
This looked like way too much fun to pass up stopping for a quick pic! These Saxe French students were “all in” on this assignment!
Proud of our students who are involved in planning the upcoming Start With Hello campaign! Looking forward to seeing the positive vibes around the building!
Taking advantage of the space outside the Saxe Library for some robotics action!
A little competitive robotics action on the bridge.
Couldn’t pass up a quick snap of the behind the scenes filming of our Saxe Kid Governor video. Can’t wait to see the finished product!
Caught a glimpse of some of the Grade 6 EI lessons this week. Great conversation, participation, & building of important life skills!
Progress is being made as work continues in the Hawks Valley courtyard at Saxe.
Have a great week, and 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
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