2023.11.22 – Saxe Weekly – The Saxe weekly

November 22, 2023

Dear Saxe Family,

Thanksgiving has long been one of my favorite holidays. The chance to gather with loved ones, enjoy some seasonal dishes, take a stroll outdoors, or simply be okay with taking a “post-meal nap”, it is a special time. My wish for you is that you can spend this holiday with those who matter most to you – whether it’s family, friends, relatives, neighbors, pets, or even some quality time alone. Over the next bunch of days, please try to participate in one or more of the following:

engage in activities that bring you some joy
take a well-deserved break
unwind and/or relax
detach from the outside world
connect with those around you (there are some tips to help with this, below).

This is hopefully an opportunity to make some downtime and recharge, even if it’s just a few minutes at a time. I hope that are able to return next week rejuvenated, with peace of mind, and a refreshed perspective on all we have to be grateful for. Until then, enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at the latest Saxe News: “Thanksgiving edition”, ideas for a “tech-free” Thanksgiving, 5th-grade conferences, Spanish, French, Latin, Science, Music, Design Club, Rowing Club, spirit around Saxe, acts of kindness, Happiness Hallway, team celebrations, a plant tower, teamwork, sights around Saxe, Dogs of Saxe, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Be Well,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

11/23 Turkey Bowl – Go Rams!

11/23-24 Thanksgiving Vacation – Enjoy!

12/1 Gr. 5 Report Cards available on Portal (3 pm)

12/4-8 5th-grade conferences (please note: Saxe has 5 conference days; elementary has 4)

*Quotes that resonated with us this week:

“Being happy never goes out of style.” — Lilly Pulitzer

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.”― Douglas Adams

“Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” —Og Mandino

Saxe News

Check out the latest edition of Saxe News and hear from students and staff on what Thanksgiving means to them. Enjoy!

“Tech-Free” Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time for friends, family, and gratitude. And yet, many will be tempted to continue checking their phones, texting, and posting on social media during your time to connect. Of course, some technology may be used to keep you “present” in positive ways to create and remember memories (pictures, videos, etc.), so not all tech is “bad”. If you would like to try a “Tech-Free” (or, “tech-reduced”) Thanksgiving, here are some suggestions:

Mention it ahead of time. Invite your guests to participate in a “tech-free” Thanksgiving, and ask them to bring a “tech-free” game everyone can enjoy. Play “Salad Bowl” (Google it!), Taboo, or another fun large group game.
Request no phones at the dinner table. Of course, if someone has an urgent need to be available by phone, they may keep their phone on vibrate.
Turn off the TV during dinner. This can be tough if your favorite team is playing, but try to schedule dinner around the big games, or simply turn down the volume and leave it on in the background.
Provide fun games and crafts for young children. Think ahead about some crafts that children can engage in so they won’t be asking for the ipad or remote. Creating festive decorations for the dinner table can be a perfect Thanksgiving craft.
Give Thanks. Involve everyone in writing down what they are grateful for this year. Everyone can write on a “feather” made of construction paper and then the” feathers” can be added to a paper turkey. Keeping everyone engaged will cut down on their need to go onto the phone.

If this sounds appealing to you, your family, or even a select few relatives/friends, please let us know how it goes. A Tech-Free Thanksgiving may reduce stress and make it easier for everyone to connect and enjoy their time together. It may very well end up being the best Thanksgiving you have ever had! Regardless of the choice that best fits your family, have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Grade 5 Conferences: Week of 12/4

The 5th grade is excited to welcome parents into the building the week of 12/4 for parent-teacher conferences! A few important reminders about conference week:

Conferences are for Grade 5 ONLY
Conferences for Grade 5 are Monday-Friday (this is different than the elementary schools who are Tuesday-Friday)
Early release will be at 1:15pm. Buses for grade 5 will be running to send students home. Pickup will also be available at the front of the building as usual.
When you arrive for your conference, please go to the LD entrance and sign in with our campus monitor. You will need your license upon arrival to be scanned into our system.
Please be sure to park in the side parking lot. You will not be allowed to park in the back loop by the LD entrance as we have buses that come in and out in the afternoon for UD and LD regular dismissal.
Thank you for participating and partnering with us – enjoy!

Spanish

The Spanish classes kicked off the month with Día de los Muertos activities. At the various levels, students watched documentaries, and read articles and interactive slides to learn about the importance of this significant celebration in several Latin American countries, with its greatest impact in Mexico. Here are some calacas created by 6th graders, and an ofrenda created by 7th graders.

8th graders have been learning to use commands to give instructions and directions. Students delivered lessons on some of their favorite activities. These ranged from teaching their classmates a favorite sport, how to play an instrument, solve a Rubik’s Cube, to carving a pumpkin and creating a favorite food… and many more. ¡Muy bien hecho, chicos!

Lastly, this week many Spanish classes are learning new vocabulary related to Thanksgiving or Día de Acción de Gracias. Here are some of the students’ work, where they described how they were anything but a pavo (turkey).

French

In French Class, they spoke about what they are thankful for. Students then illustrated a turkey (une dinde) with all their choice and stuck their colorful creations on our classroom door.

Latin

7th-grade Latin students participated in the annual tradition of preparing their “Dative Turkeys.” This involved writing different things in Latin for which students are thankful (e.g. familiae = family; cibo = food; villae = house; valetudini = health; ludis = sports; animalibus = animals), while also having fun coloring their turkeys!

Science

Students in 8th grade Science Workshop were challenged with the task of designing a bridge that could support the most pennies, using just one sheet of paper and no other materials. On just the second iteration of their design, this group built a bridge that supported 1,106 pennies – almost triple the previous record! The amount of space became the limiting factor, not even the weight.

The 2023 Turkey Games are upon us! Students in 8th-grade Science are engaged in a game-based learning experience that builds their understanding of genetics, heredity, and evolution. Turkey Genetics allows students to see in real-time how traits are passed down through generations and how selective pressures influence allele frequencies in a population.

Music

Saxe Students Performed at the Annual New Canaan Inn Recital! Each year, students in the NCPS music department perform at the New Canaan Inn. It is a wonderful opportunity for students to perform solos and in small groups while bringing joy to the residents at the Inn. The first recital of the year was Tuesday November 21 and featured many of our Saxe students! The next recital will be February 13 and we look forward to even more great music being made! Saxe students who participated in the New Canaan Inn Recital:

Daniel Kochin, grade 6, clarinet

Kendal Borner, grade 6, piano

Alice Kalinovsky, grade 5, piano

Margot Emson, grade 5, voice

Saxe 7th Grade Cantina Band –

Michael Cantu

Payce deMarco

Jules Huang

Anca Jordan

Isabella Seo

Emma Sillo

Saxe 5th and 6th Grade Treble Choir –

Hailey Albrect

Olivia Amaya

Sofia Canoro

Sadie Cerone

Margot Emson

Greyson Feinberg

Maggie Foley

Tenley Jones

Bianca Magratten

Juliet Nuckols

Milania Ruggieri

Naomi Schettino

Mackenzie Tiani

Madeline Walsh

NCPS Winter Sing-Along

Ring in the holiday season with a night full of music, crafts, and refreshments! Join us Wednesday, November 29th at 6 pm inside the New Canaan Library’s Bartlett Auditorium as our NCPS student musicians play and sing through all your favorite holiday songs! All proceeds from Winter Sing-Along will be used to support the students in the NCPS Music Program, so join us for a night you’ll never want to forget! Please visit https://bit. ly/holiday-sing-along-2023 to get your tickets today!

Event: NCPS Winter Sing-Along
Date: Wednesday, November 29th
Time: Begins at 6 pm
Location: Bartlett Auditorium inside The New Canaan Library
Tickets: $10 per person or $25 per family. Tickets can be purchased on our Eventbrite website or by visiting https://bit.ly/holiday-sing-along-2023

Saxe Design Club

Design Club student, Laura Lang, shows off the shirt she made!

Rowing Club

Still “rowing” strong!

Twitter/X

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

Who’s ready for Thanksgiving?! Love the spirit around Saxe today!

It may be the day before Thanksgiving, but we have Saxe students looking ahead to the next holiday season, too… Love the spirit!

Thanksgiving spirit is all around Saxe this week!

Happy early Thanksgiving, All!

Thanks to Ms. Dobransky, Ms. Harrington, & their team of Saxe students & parents for creating this meaningful experience. They filled bags of goodies for “Filling in the Blanks” w/notes like “Smile”, “You’re the Best”, “Be You”, “Love”, “You Rock”, “Stay Happy”, & many more!

Great messages being added to the “Happiness Hallway” at Saxe! So proud of our students for their thoughtful contributions to our school community!

So true… Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, All!

Our #SaxeLibrary never disappoints with their displays!

Saxe 7 Blue celebrated their students with words that exemplify our school community – congrats to all recipients! And, some birthday shoutouts

A couple more shots of the Saxe 7 Blue Town Hall… Great reminders & recognition!

And, 7 Blue knows how to “bring the fun” with some “blind turkey drawing”. There were some impressive efforts!

The 6Green Team made a “Gratitude Chain” today, acknowledging people and things we are grateful for. Then we put the cherry on top with a dance party. Good messaging & great times!

The collaborative project in the #SaxeDesignLab is coming along nicely! Next project may be some “Saxe Custom” artwork – stay tuned!

The “plant tower” is up & running in the Saxe lobby! Neat to hear the water running through the system this morning. Can’t wait to see the plants grow & fill out on this fascinating setup!

Some collaboration, problem-solving, & teamwork (&, fun) on display today at Saxe!

G6 Student Leadership work continues with the production of the “Start with Hello” video. Thanks to all involved!

Grateful for our Saxe staff members who have taken a moment to recognize a student or colleague for going above & beyond in contributing to our school community! One of my favorite moments each month – recognizing these positive contributors!

Grateful for our Saxe Maintenance & Custodial team for always keeping our campus in tip-top shape! Last “mow” of the season was done this week. Thank you!

A couple of happy Dogs Of Saxe sending their humans off to Saxe this week!

Have a great Thanksgiving break and “see you” next week!

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)