April 12, 2024
Dear Saxe Family,
Happy Friday and welcome to April Break! It doesn’t seem possible that the school year is moving along this quickly, but alas, here we are… Whether you are traveling afar or staying close to home, it is my hope that you are able to spend some time with those you care the most about. Taking a moment to reflect on all that we have to be grateful for, and spending time doing whatever it is that brings you joy, is a great way to recharge for the “home stretch” of the school year. Enjoy!
This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at a reminder to fill out the School Climate Survey (please take a moment to help us get the highest response rate of any school!), Spring Daytime Open House, Middle Level Education Month reflections, National School Librarian Day, Staff Spotlight on our Tech crew, ELA, Saxe Spirit, Photography Club, welcoming some new staff members, Jewelry Club, a snowboard champ, more eclipse coverage, resources from the Max Stossel social media presentations, scenes around Saxe, a trip to the NCHS Dome, door decorating, music presentations at the K-4 schools, Pets of Saxe (staff), Dogs of Saxe, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful April Break!
Be Well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
4/15 – 4/19 – April Break – Enjoy your week off!
4/16 – Happy National School Librarian Day!
4/25 – Saxe PTC/NC Cares presents: Dr. Kelly Tuller on “Tech & Tweens”
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.”— John D. Rockefeller
“Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.” –George Bernard Shaw
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”– Abraham Lincoln
“Learn to see and to feel life…because there are still marvels in the world, because life is a mystery and always will be.”-Josef Albers
“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.”-Unknown
Jokes that brought a smile to our faces this week:
What day is the eclipse happening? Not sure. Either Sunday or Moonday.
Why don’t owls study for tests? They prefer to wing it
What do you call a magical owl? HOOOO-Dini
What does a well-educated owl say? Whom!
What’s an owl’s favorite rock group? The HOO!”
One Second Everyday
Back again 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 is a recurring, bi-weekly feature. At the end of the year, we will have a full version that includes every single day of the 2023-24 school year. Enjoy! (pro tip: to enjoy the video at a slower pace, change your viewing option to .75 speed).
School Climate Survey Reminder
Please help us to be sure that your voices are heard by filling out the School Climate Survey of 2024. This is an opportunity to give Saxe Middle School confidential feedback that will allow us to continually improve, and to track how we are doing compared to previous years. The survey asks about your perceptions of safety, relationships, learning, environment, and communication. The survey is given every 2 years as part of a state mandate.
The survey is open until April 26th. You may refer to Mr. Gusitsch’s email that was sent on April 4th (at 8:56 a.m.) to access the link to take the survey. Also feel free to reach out to Susan Bliss, NCPS Student Support Coordinator, susanbliss@ncps-k12.org, or Mr. Gusitsch for additional questions.
Saxe Spring Daytime Open House Schedule
Save the date! Below is the schedule for our Spring Daytime Open Houses for grades 6, 7, & 8. We will send a more detailed email as we get closer to the event, but wanted to make sure you added it to your calendars. We look forward to seeing you there!
| Monday, 4/29 | Tuesday, 4/30 | Monday, 5/6 | Tuesday, 5/7 |
| 8:55 a.m. G7: Blue Team Room #: 113 | 8:55 a.m. G7: Purple Team Room #: 105 | 8:55 a.m. G7: Red Team Room #: 102 | 8:55 a.m. G7: Green Team Room #: 144 |
| 10:10 a.m. G6: Red Team Room #: 28 | 10:10 a.m. G6: Green Team Room #: 19 | 10:10 a.m. G6: Purple Team Room #: 24 | 10:10 a.m. G6: Blue Team Room #: 34 |
| 11:20 a.m. G8: Purple Team Room #: 221 | 11:20 a.m. G8: Green Team Room #: 163 | 11:20 a.m. G8: Red Team Room #: 200 | 11:20 a.m. G8: Blue Team Room #: 205 |
Middle Level Education Month in Review
What do our students think of Saxe Middle School? As we celebrated Middle Level Education Month throughout March, our students had a chance to share about their experiences! Thanks to Mr. Petrakopoulos and Mr. Antoniu for their video production prowess in putting this piece together!
National School Librarian Day
April 16th is National School Librarian Day! We are so grateful to have Ms. Lindsay Stillwell to help our students find the resources they need for their continued learning. Whether it be through print media, texts or online digital resources, she is there to guide them to the best information. Thank you for all you do!
Saxe Spotlight
We continue to highlight some “behind the scene” staff members that we could not function without…
This week, our Spotlight is on our IT Specialists. We just want to take a moment to express our gratitude for all that you do to keep our school’s technology running smoothly. All your hard work behind the scenes doesn’t go unnoticed! Whether it’s troubleshooting technical issues, setting up equipment, or ensuring our network stays secure, your expertise is invaluable. We Thank you!
English Language Arts
Mrs. Reed’s 7th Grade LA class wrote about eclipse myths on Monday. See their work here!
We are lucky to host the traveling performers, Shakesperience, with eighth-grade students each year. This launches the 8th grade ELA unit exploring classic literature. This year was another fantastic opportunity for our students to explore some of Shakespeare’s most popular works through performance and a dash of fun. A huge thanks to the PTC for funding this great experience year after year!
Saxe Spirit
6th-grade teachers, Ms. Utter, Mr. Pacicca, and Ms. Hammell were feeling the Saxe Spirit with some of the latest Saxe Spirit Wear!
Photography Club
Last Friday the Saxe Photography Club went on their first field trip to the Waveny House. Students so far have been practicing learning what to look out for when taking photos, and were able to put those skills to use! They toured the “castle”, built in 1912 while learning about interesting facts and stories. Many original pieces of furniture, accessories, and rooms were still in great condition, allowing for unique and rare photo content. The sunny day allowed for some beautiful outdoor shots as well around the garden and terrace.
Welcome New Staff!
Jewelry Club
In the Jewelry Club, girls learn how to make Tassel earrings and pendent from Silk Thread. After learning the art they made beautiful tiered earrings from their chosen color theme.
Colonial Day
Here are a few more pics that came through from Colonial Day last week. What a fun, educational day – thanks to all involved!
Saxe in the News
Congratulations to Grayson Petraska! He recently won the Regional Championship in Halfpipe and tied for first Nationally. He is also the Regional Champion in giant slalom. Congrats again to Grayson and we look forward to seeing his exciting endeavors in the future!
Solar Eclipse Photos
Thanks to everyone who sent in pictures from the excitement on Monday! Below are some of the submissions as well as some more eclipse related info and coverage. Enjoy!
Jason Lin
Hadley Catalano-Israel
Mr. Lemekha (Special Education)
Tatum Colthup (taken in Danville, VT)
Jack Metz shares his eclipse totality experience first with CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam demonstrating how the solar eclipse happens and then with their ocularly-protected snowman.
Ms. Rosen (Band)
Ms. Smith (7th Grade Science)
Daniela Studzinski
Ms. Veach – Science
Thanks again to our dedicated Science team, specifically Ms. Meyer, Ms. Rende, Mr. Ekstrom, and Mr. Tomasiewicz for putting together the educational slide deck for teachers across the building to use with their students to learn about and safely enjoy the eclipse. If you would like to check out some pictures from the day, please feel free to skim Mondays, “Special Solar Eclipse Edition” of the Saxe Weekly.
8th-grade Science teacher, Mr. Tomasiewicz did some “field research” and put together this impressive slide deck. Feel free to check it out, especially the last slide that has a timelapse video of the eclipse going to totality – amazing!
Max Stossel – Digital Handouts for Parents & Students
Below is information from NC Cares about our recent social media presentations that you may find interesting and/or useful…
Thank you to everyone who came out and enjoyed our Spring Community Program Social Media and Your Kids featuring Max Stossel.
A special thanks to our partners – New Canaan Country School, New Canaan Public Schools, and St. Luke’s School – for bringing Max Stossel to New Canaan for four Student Presentations and one Parent/Community Program!
We are thrilled with the positive feedback that we have received!
If you were unable to attend or would like to re-watch the program:
- Recording of Social Media and Your Kids, click HERE
Max Stossel shared some effective strategies for students, parents, and community members to limit social media and technology use. His digital Handouts are available here:
We have two Parent Programs coming up at the end of the month to continue the conversation that Max started: Kids & Tech and Technology & Tweens – The Big Three!
Morning Announcements
Our students do a terrific job providing the latest news, info, and “fun” each day from the Main Office. Thank to all who have participated this year!
Scenes Around Saxe
This may have been one of the most “high-stress” photos of the week! Transporting fresh water for our resident Trout and Salmon with a smile and without a spill! 🙂
The latest harvest from the vertical tower… The produce went quickly (I didn’t even catch a picture of the box full)!
Thanks to our Hospitality crew for another great TGIF breakfast!
The playground was bustling this week with some warmer weather. It is a great opportunity to take a break, socialize, and re-energize for the remainder of the day!
Visiting the NCHS Dome
This week, our Saxe Science teachers had a chance to participate in their weekly department meeting as an “immersive experience” in the NCHS Dome! The response was positive and there was excitement about planning for lessons/units to include the Dome as a learning tool for their students across all grade levels. Thanks to Ms. Meyer and Mr. Whitlock for providing this opportunity for our teachers (and, soon our students)!
“Nothing to it…” (check out this control panel!) 🙂
Twitter/X
Below are photos and phrases that were included on our Saxe Middle School page (@SaxeMS) this week. Enjoy!
What better way to end Kindness Week than judging the door decorating contest! These are just a few of the over 20 doors that were decorated!
Eclipse Viewing Party at #SaxeMS! 🌒 From fun facts in the morning announcements, to participating in various experiments and crafting fun sun masks to complement their viewing glasses, yesterday was a fun day of learning for our students!
The eclipse glasses recycle program is off to a successful start at Saxe. Thanks to all who have already returned theirs. Boxes will remain in the lobbies this week before they are picked up, packaged, & shipped off to their next destination for others to enjoy! ♻️ 😎
5/6 musicians introducing our 4th graders at South to the 5 music options SaxeMS!
Another incredible performance for our West 4th graders by some of our 5/6 musicians! It’s been an incredible week learning about all of our music options Saxe!
Pets of Saxe (staff)
Last month, we began featuring the pets who reside at the homes of some of our staff members. Thanks to Mr. Gillan who coordinated this effort to provide this opportunity to get to know each other a little better and further unite our school community! Thanks to all who have contributed as well… If you are a staff member and would still like to participate, you are welcome to access the slideshow and enter your pets (the slide deck grows each week!). Enjoy!
Dr. Ferreira – Assistant Principal
Ms. Tolmich – Teaching Assistant
Ian McHugh – Technology
Ms. DiMeglio – Main Office Admin Assistant
Taking our love of pets one step further, our Main Office staff commandeered one of our main hallway bulletin boards to display our “Pets of Saxe”. It’s a perfect fit, right next to our “Saxe Staff Board”!
And, students have enjoyed checking it out in its first week. Be sure to check back to see more pets included!
Dogs of Saxe
Some familiar and some new faces this week!
Have a great week, and see you after the April Break!
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)
Website: https://www.ncps-k12.org/saxe
Saxe Middle School
Celebrating Our Learning Community Through Caring, Communication, & Commitment
The Saxe weekly 