November 1, 2024
Dear Saxe MS Family,
Happy November! Since we had 80* temps throughout the week, it may not have felt like Halloween, and now November, but we took full advantage of this great weather all week. Students enjoyed recess every day, many classes went outside, outdoor clubs were busy, and even some team celebrations took place around the campus. There was a ton going on and we have much to celebrate here at Saxe Middle School!
This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at Automation and Robotics, our Saxe SRO, ELA, Art, some community events, “Stressing Less”, Knitting Club, Rowing Club, a “Digital Wellness” update, Shark Tank, team celebrations, Leadership Team, yearbook, Library, positive messages, Science, some Ukulele action in Music Explorations, Band, Music Tech, Math, Social Studies, oodles of Halloween fun, a Saxe bday, some more creative pouch creations, Saxe Spirit, 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:
11/1 – Last day of Quarter 1
11/3 – Daylight Savings Time
11/5 – Election Day, No School
11/8 – PowerSchool Portal Opens for Grades
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.”—Winston Churchill
“To the world, you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”-Dr. Seuss
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.”-Charles R. Swindoll
“There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”—Edith Wharton
“All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream.” — Edgar Allan Poe
Saxe Jokes:
“How do monsters take their bagels? With scream cheese..”
“Why was the witch late for work? She over-swept.”
“What kind of shoes do ghosts wear in the winter? Boo-ts.”
“Where does a Mummy go on vacation? The Dead Sea.”
“What do you get when you cross a snowman and a vampire? Frost-Bite!”
Don’t forget to set your clocks back before going to bed on Saturday evening and enjoy the extra hour of sleep!
Automation and Robotics
This week 8th-grade students competed in our quarterly robot race. Students were tasked with building the fastest robot, which starts with the push of a button and has a crash detector. Students used the engineering and design process to develop an array of robots. After many iterations, we had 2 categories of winners: head-to-head race champions and time champions. We then compared the differences between the winners of each event to discover how different designs achieve different purposes. Students used creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving skills to overcome the many obstacles that occur when designing, building, and coding robots. Congratulations to all our participants this quarter!
Saxe SRO
Thanks to our Saxe SRO, Officer Blank, for visiting Saxe Social Studies classes this week to discuss the Constitution, rights, legal scenarios, answer (some GREAT) questions, & so much more. Our Saxe MS students are lucky to experience this “real-life application” of their learning!
ELA
On Halloween, students in Ms. Reed’s ELA Workshop class collaboratively wrote Halloween stories, followed by students illustrating the “plot mountain” of the stories the next day!
Art
Some of our eighth grade Art students are working on pencil portraits inspired by Visual Artist, Chuck Close. They are using his signature “grid method” to break their photo references down into smaller pieces. This method also helps accurately translate proportions from reference to paper. Their drawings are coming out beautifully so far!
Upcoming Community Events
On Saturday, November 2nd, the New Canaan Library and 32 Pieces will be hosting an exciting, all-day celebration of chess, open to players of all ages and skill levels! Join us at the library for a variety of events, including thrilling tournaments, individual static instruction, and even a captivating blindfolded chess demonstration. This event is the perfect way to connect with fellow chess enthusiasts, learn new skills, and enjoy the game that fosters community and lasting friendships. Don’t miss out on this free, fun-filled day celebrating the timeless game of chess!
Don’t miss out on this timely, important NCPS & NC Cares collaborative!
Celebrate Halloween by coming to NCHS’s production of Jack the Ripper: the Monster of Whitechapel. A comical but scary treatment of the serial killer who terrorized London in the 1800’s. Jack’s reign of terror has begun, and Sir Charles Warren, a totally inept British Lord, has been appointed Commissioner of Police to apprehend him. Jack, it seems, practices black magic, which requires murderous sacrifices to assure him additional years of life. With three different endings, a different murderer revealed at each performance, this show will keep you guessing until the final scene. Recommended for ages 10 and up, performances will be Nov. 1st at 7pm and Nov 2nd at 2pm and 7pm in the auditorium. For tickets and more information, please visit www.newcanaanhighschooltheatre.com
November 6th – National Stress Awareness Day
We wanted to let you know that next Wednesday, November 6th, is National Stress Awareness Day! In honor of this day, we are going to add the option for students and adults to “take a breath” or have a silent “brief moment of gratitude” during the morning announcements. All students will also have an opportunity to talk about stress and do some fun activities in your 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 HERE. All form submissions will be entered into a grade-wide competition for a gift card! Please note, your Google form needs to be submitted no later than the morning of Thursday, November 7th.
Have a relaxing weekend!
Saxe MS Support Professionals
Knitting Club
Students in the Knitting and Crocheting Club enjoy socializing while making scarves, pom-poms and so much more!
Rowing Club
Maritime middle school rowers, who won a gold medal and a bronze medal at the Head of the Fish regatta on Sunday Oct 27. The HOF had over 160 teams and 1600 crews racing this year. It is the Northeast’s second largest Regatta and one of the largest in the US. Gold medal winners were Charlotte Edwards, Carly Santiago and Emma Cheuk with Nora Salami and Emma Sillo taking bronze.
“Healthy Relationships with Personal Technology” Program Update
Below, is an announcement that was made throughout the week to remind students about our ongoing program to encourage healthy digital wellness habits. In addition to the regular reminders, we have also conducted some random “pouch checks”, followed by communication with families, to maintain the integrity of the program and partner with parents to ensure our students are participating appropriately. Many students lock up their devices for the day while others have chosen to leave their devices at home. Additionally, many parents have shared their child does not have a device at all. Either way, it is a win for minimizing distractions during the school day!
Here is the announcement:
“Now that we’re several weeks into the “Healthy Relationships with Personal Technology” Program (including “Yondr pouches”), we’re ready to move forward with our next phase: accountability. Remember, each student has been issued a pouch for their personal devices – think of it as a sleeping bag for your phone! Just a reminder: all phones, watches, and earbuds should be turned off or set to airplane mode and secured in the pouch for the day. Let them rest— they’ve earned it!”
Here are just a few of the positive parent emails that we have received recently:
“We value and support Saxe’s phone-free policy.”
“We also would like to take this opportunity to express our support and appreciation for the device-free school initiative at Saxe.”
“I agree that it is critical that students are focused during class…”
“Thank you…”
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Below are photos and phrases that were included on our Saxe Middle School page (@SaxeMS) this week. Enjoy!
Iteration/Design Process, Business Plan, Target Audience. & Future Plans are just a few of the components that students use in their “pitch” during the Q1 Shark Tank experience… Nice work by All!
As the results were revealed, the crowd approved with a huge applause for the “Taco Pocket”!
Congrats to the winners & all participants in the Q1 Saxe Shark Tank experience!
Our Science & STEM teachers practice what they preach when it comes to the Design Thinking Process… Here, students reflect on their experience in Q1 Shark Tank which will guide revisions, updates, & improvements for Q2 & beyond!
Best way to end the week is with an end of the quarter celebration for our 7 Purple team! Congratulations to all our students for living our charter!
Thanks to Ms. Nettleton, Ms. Ryan, & Ms. Perretti for providing our students an opportunity to brainstorm ideas to help our school community continuously improve! #SaxeLeadershipTeam
Our students have been hard at work on the 2024-25 yearbook… It’s sure to be one of the best yet!
Photo makeup day at Saxe MS!
You want to see & hear excitement?! Check (Click the link to watch!) out one of Ms. Nicholas’s robotics classes when they are “testing” (i.e., drag racing) their creations! This is the culmination of collaboration, calculations, coding, trial, error, & so much more… Nice work by all!
Some “seasonal” #SaxeArt & other displays of talent around Saxe MS!
The “Main Character Energy” stars continue to grow outside the #SaxeLibrary! Thanks to all who have participated!
The board outside the Library is ready for the new month! Can’t wait to see all that we should “know”! 🙂
Just a few of the positive message boards that continue to grow around Saxe MS… Positive attitudes are contagious! “Be the change you want to see…”
Saxe MS 8 Red is in the “seasonal spirit” AND sharing all the simple things we can all do to contribute to the best learning environment possible, for all! (The “little things” go a long way!)
Students in Saxe Science were busy collecting data & comparing “melt rates” in different environments. Neat to see the different, unique setups!
Who doesn’t love (CLICK TO WATCH/LISTEN!) to hear a little ukulele while making rounds at Saxe MS?! This group of Saxe Music Explorations students impressed me, for sure!
Ms. Frazier had this Saxe Band class tuned up & ready to impress this week!
It was neat to hear some “cool beats” in Saxe Music Tech this week. Look forward to hearing what our Saxe MS students produce when they’re done!
Students in Saxe Math work through problems in partners around the room. Not only does this get them moving to connect the brain & body while they work it out, it allows them to “share & compare”, all while the teacher can monitor their understanding, real time…
Another round of Socratic Seminars in Saxe Social Studies this week. It is a sight to behold seeing the students interact in such a continuous, insightful, & respectful manner as they state their cases. And, the rest of the class not only listens, but gets to do “fact bingo” to engage!
Students in Saxe ELA work on their writing individually, in small groups, & conferring with teachers… Love hearing our Saxe MS students describe their personal topics & seeing them apply their learning in their stories. Can’t wait to see the finished products!
It may have been the coolest, cloudiest day of the week, but our Saxe MS students did an excellent job of following directions, taking it seriously, & being respectful during our evacuation drill… Nice job by students & staff alike!
What’s better than seeing “kids being kids” on Halloween at Saxe MS?! Here are just a few of the tons of terrific costumes we saw throughout the day… Thanks to all who participated and brought smiles to many faces today!
Love this “fiscally responsible” Halloween costume!
What’s better than seeing “kids being kids” on Halloween?! Oh yeah, Saxe MS staff love Halloween, too! Thanks to all who participated and brought smiles to many faces today!
They say imitation is the best form of flattery, right?! 🙂
Check out the details on this get up! Something tells me Ms. Jarosik is going to make sure this makes the yearbook this year! Nice work, Mr. T (Click the link to see a 360* view of his “uniform”!)
What’s better than seeing “kids being kids” on Halloween?! Oh yeah, Saxe MS staff (esp. Ms. Orlando) love Halloween, too! Thanks to all who participated and brought smiles to many faces today!
These refs didn’t come out to just call the game, they brought their A-game to play!
“Jake from State Farm” throws up a 3 while “Beetlejuice” plays some lockdown D during #SaxeRecess on Halloween!
What’s better than seeing “kids being kids” on Halloween at Saxe MS?! It also didn’t hurt that it was 80*+ on Oct 31st in Connecticut!
We even included our “unofficial Halloween mascot” in our Saxe MS Office Staff team photo… Thanks for helping us start the day with a laugh, John!
Thanks to our “unofficial Halloween mascot” who warmly welcomed our Saxe MS students into the building this morning… What a fun way to start the day!
Ms. Kleis brought our Saxe MS “personal tech free schools” program to the next level with this human size Yondr pouch – way to be “all in”!
Good morning & Happy Halloween from Saxe MS! We look forward to seeing our students arrive & have some fun throughout the day! Have a great day, All…
This jack-o-lantern was a good way to round out the day. Thanks to whoever placed it at our main entrance!
We love a good celebration to start the day at Saxe MS… Hope it was the best birthday, yet!
Some more amazingly individualized pouches were on display this week at Saxe MS… Thank you to all of our students who share their creative designs – they’re awesome!
Does anyone have more spirit at Saxe MS than Ms. Benware?! I challenge anyone to compete… 🙂
Thank you to Ms. Jarosik & Ms. Benware for coordinating this amazing holiday treat table for all at Saxe MS to enjoy! I may have “over-visited” as there were SO MANY great options!
Again, who has more Saxe Spirit than Ms. Benware?! Here she is rocking recently 3D printed Saxe Hawks earrings – very cool!
Scenes Around Saxe
Good morning & Happy November from Saxe MS… Have a great day, all!
Photo credit: Mr. James O’Leary
Dogs of Saxe:
Even some of our Dogs Of Saxe were in the Halloween spirit!
Dogs Of Saxe undoubtedly make our day. Thank you to all who share their pets with us… An 8-week old puppy?! Those are special visits, especially when they get taken out of the car! Meet Rosie… What a way to start a day at Saxe MS!
Louie helped brighten our day at arrival on Friday morning as he dropped his human off for school!
Have a great week, 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)
Website: https://www.ncps-k12.org/saxe
Saxe Middle School
Celebrating Our Learning Community Through Caring, Communication, & Commitment
