2023.5.19 – Saxe Weekly – The Saxe weekly

May 19, 2023

Dear Saxe Family,

It was another great week at Saxe! This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at NCHS interns at Saxe, Science, PE, some amazing Art, Saxe Counselors, SRO Safety Tip of the Week, STEM, Saxe Spirit, Leadership Team, EI, eSports, Orchestra, Walk/Ride to School Day, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Be Well,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

*Quotes that resonated with us this week:

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” ―Nelson Mandela

“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins.” – Jim Stovall

“You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so… get on your way!” – Dr. Seuss“Pursue what catches your heart, not what catches your eyes.” –Roy T. Bennett

NCHS Interns at Saxe

Saxe warmly welcomed our 25+ NCHS senior interns this week! We are grateful they have chosen to return to their middle school for their internship experience & look forward to our own students learning from & alongside them. Thanks to Mr. Bedard for leading them through orientation!

We may have even had an intern “volunteer” to don the Saxe Hawk mascot outfit already!

6th Grade Science Walks

The 6th grade has been visiting Waveny over the past few weeks as part of their Ecology unit. During their nature exploration, they have been discussing the importance of various organisms in the ecosystems including the introduction of invasive species and symbiotic relationships. They have also been collecting samples and water to both test and look at under the microscopes.

Physical Education

Students in PE classes this week are enjoying the beautiful weather while running the mile and ending the year with some fun, outside team sports like soccer, wiffleball, and kickball. It’s a great time to get active!

Orchestra Concert

Congratulations to all the orchestra students for a fantastic performance on Thursday night!

Challenges in Art Exhibition

Challenge in Art students exhibited their work this week in the Main Lobby outside the auditorium. If you happen to be at Saxe, please stop by and check it out. Phenomenal work!

Science

The 6 Blue and 6 Red students have been growing green beans as part of their Ecology unit. Each week students record the height, number of leaves, number of flowers, and number of fruits their plants are producing. If students can grow 100 green beans as a team by June 9th then they will celebrate by viewing the Lorax.

Saxe Counselors teach Stress Management to 7th Grade Students

Sarah Beltran, Brad Lepisto, & Tammy Nettleton taught 7th graders about the importance of having a “challenge response” or mindset when faced with stress. They learned about the positive role that stress plays in our lives and how it helps our bodies to prepare for challenges. And they learned that research demonstrates that approaching stress with a positive attitude reduces negative aspects of stress and increases positive performance!

Fun in Grade 7

Ms. Hines’ students used a spinner to predict and confirm 20 possible outcomes. And play Chess!

SRO Safety Tip of the Week

The wonderful weather of spring is upon us. Many of our students are taking advantage of the nicer weather and riding their bikes to school, something we love to see. This is a great time to remind everyone of some safe bike riding good-practices as recommended by safekids.org. 1: Wear a properly-fitted helmet, It is the best way to prevent head injuries. 2: Ride on the sidewalk when you can. If not, ride in the same direction as traffic as far on the right-hand side as possible. 3: Use hand signals and follow the rules of the road. Be predictable by making sure you ride in a straight line and don’t swerve between cars. 4: Wear bright colors and use lights, especially when riding at night and in the morning. Reflectors on your clothes and bike will help you be seen. 5: Ride with your children. Stick together until you are comfortable that your kids are ready to ride on their own. I hope to see more and more of you riding your bikes around town, being safe, and having fun!

Fun in Grade 7

Ms. Hines’ students used a spinner to predict and confirm 20 possible outcomes. And play Chess!

Tweets of the Week

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

This group of Saxe “STEMmers” were engaged with an app-invention creation in Ms. Birdsall’s class!

The week was off to a great start at Saxe with a birthday & crazy hair day for an “abc countdown”. Hope it was a great day!

6th grade leadership team made some stress management posters after their EI lesson!

SaxeESports was back in action this week with an “in-house” Smash Bros tourney! Great to see so many Saxe students participating & connecting through this extracurricular activity!

Some amazing Saxe Art on display for the Challenges in Art Showcase! Wow! Our Saxe students are amazingly talented and it is fun to see the fruits of their labor…

Speaking of “fruits of labor” at the Saxe Art table – what an amazing surprise to see this! Unreal…

Thank you to the Jordans for this amazing (and, tasty) creation!

Love the board! Another great day with our incoming 5th graders from East!

The Saxe Orchestra was tuned up and ready for their concert this week – they sounded great! Best wishes to all involved this evening at Saxe!

While we wait for 7th and 8th grade orchestra to perform, check out our 5th and 6th graders Saxe!

Saxe Spring Orchestra Concert about to begin. Can’t wait to hear our amazingly talented students.

Today is a Good day Saxe when students rock out their school spirit for Throwback Thursday.

Good morning, Saxe! It’s a beautiful day for the spring Walk/Ride to School Day! Have a great day, All!

Amazing turnout on this beautiful morning for the Spring Walk/Ride to School Day at Saxe! Thanks to all of the families who came out as well!

Amazing turnout on this beautiful morning for the Spring Walk/Ride to School Day at Saxe! Thanks to all of the families who came out & for the New Canaan DPW for helping set up, and keeping everyone safe!