2023.5.12 – Saxe Weekly – The Saxe weekly

May 12, 2023

Dear Saxe Family,

As we round out another week and enter mid-May, it is officially feeling like spring (finally…). Some of our teachers have taken advantage by conducting some learning experiences outdoors, and we love to see our students learn in different environments around our beautiful campus. This time of year also brings one of the most important dates on the calendar – Mother’s Day! There are many quotes that capture the essence of the role Moms play, but one that stands out is: Mom turned upside down, is “Wow”! To all of the Mom’s out there – here is a huge, “Happy Mother’s Day”. Thanks for all that you do!

This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at the latest one-second everyday, World Language, Social Studies, Transition Meetings, Art, Saxe Spirit, Walking Club, Green Club, Scenes Around Saxe, STEM, incoming Grade 6 Parent Orientation, Saxe outdoors, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Be Well,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

5/14 – Happy Mother’s Day!

5/18 – Saxe Spirit Day – Throwback Thursday

5/18 – Challenges in Art Exhibition

5/18 – Grade 5 – 8 Orchestra Concert

5/19 – Walk or Ride to School Day

Happy Mother’s Day!

To all of the Mom’s out there, I hope it is a great weekend! To all of our students who read our Saxe Weekly, be kind to your Mom, do something special for her, and enjoy celebrating the best Moms in the world!

*Quotes that resonated with us this week:

“You must not under any pretense allow your mind to dwell on any thought that is not positive, constructive, optimistic, kind.” – Emmet Fox
“Make each day your masterpiece” – John Wooden
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” -J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan
“Many receive advice, only the wise profit from it.” – Harper Lee
“The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.” – Oprah Winfrey

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).

World Language

Ms. Whittaker’s class took advantage of the beautiful Spring weather, and enjoyed a French Scavenger Hunt in 6th Grade French class!

World Language Week

The WL department will be hosting its first ever World Language Week where French, Latin, Mandarin, and Spanish teachers from each of our language departments will deliver a mini lesson and video experience during the students’ regular 20 minutes of Spanish time to promote that particular language, and provide information to the Gr. 5 students prior to making their choice for world language in 6th grade.

The schedule will be as follows:

French: May 12 & 15

Latin: May 16 & 17

Mandarin: May 18 & 19

Spanish: May 22 & 23

Grade 5 Social Studies

Students culminated their unit on the American Revolution by researching someone who made contributions in that era. Mrs. Campbell and Mr. Fiorillo’s classes decided to create virtual museums about their person of study and shared them with each other. Here are a few examples.

Transition Meetings

Were you unable to attend our transition meetings over the past few weeks? Then please use the links below to access the 4th into 5th Transition Meeting on May 4th and/or the 5th into 6th Grade Transition Meeting on May 11th!

4th into 5th Grade Parent Transition Meeting Video (May 4th, 2023)

5th into 6th Grade Parent Transition Meeting Video (May 11th, 2023)

Or, you are welcome to view the slideshows that were used for each presentation:

Incoming Grade 5

Incoming Grade 6

8th Grade Art Class

Ms. Duncan’s eighth graders finished up their landscape painting unit today. If you’re in the art wing, come by to see their work. They did some beautiful tempera paintings!

Saxe Spirit Day!

Are you ready for a Time-Traveling-Thursday?

On 5/18, we will have #ThrowbackThursday 🙂

Grade 5 = 50s

Grade 6 = 60s

Grade 7 = 70s

Grade 8 = 80s

Staff = 90s (or the grade you work closely with!)

Who will get the special distinction of Saxe Spirit Superstars next week?

Walking Club

Wednesdays are for walking! Join us at 8:15 every Wednesday morning as we get some fresh air and take in the scenery before the day starts. There is no better way to wake up your body and brain before the LD school day begins!

Green Club

This week our Green Club has worked on keeping the playground and basketball courts clean. Below are pictures of our club and fellow students that offered to stop playing to help us achieve our goal.

Our goals during this spring session is to work collaboratively with the Saxe lower division students and cafeteria to reduce waste and increase awareness. The students have focused on food compost efforts of New Canaan and Saxe Middle School and recycling facts.

Our end of year goal is to get posters completed and up in the Cafeteria along with a “green week”, stay tuned for more information!

This is a big mountain to climb, but I’m very excited to get “green” initiatives started at Saxe Middle School!

Thanks to our Saxe “Greensters” for helping keep our campus clean and spreading the good word on being environmentally friendly!

Scenes Around Saxe

Grateful for our custodial crew who does such an amazing job keeping our campus looking sharp!

Tweet Street

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

Mailers are out and we are officially in the “Welcome to Saxe” season! 4th grade parents, please be sure to check your child’s backpack for their Saxe letter!

We were impressed with this “Four Seasons” print job created by one of our Saxe students – very creative!

So excited to see the laser engraver in action at Saxe! Looking forward to the amazing creations Ms. Birdsall & her students produce!

It was a beautiful week at Saxe – not surprising to see some remnants of an outdoor activity!

The stars of our Saxe incoming grade 6 Parent Orientation? Not surprisingly, our students who shared tips, advice, & perspectives on a day in the life of a 6th-grader… Thanks to all involved!

Couldn’t be more proud of our student leadership students as they presented to parents from their perspective the life of a 6th grader Saxe!

Sunshine + collaborative work = the perfect recipe for learning!

Beautiful day to be outside at Saxe today! Have a great weekend, All!

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 Melissa DiMeglio for the continuous stream of positive, optimistic quotes!

Saxe Resources (live links)