March 14, 2025
Dear Saxe MS Family,
The days are getting longer and there are hints of warmer weather on the way! This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at some wellness tips, morning announcements, STEM, Saxe Staff Spotlight – Art, Women’s History Month, Social Studies, Upstanders, Library, Cafeteria, a touch of spring, Saxe Safety Corner, Theatre, NC Color Drop, Pi Day, more of our Believe Wall, eSports, PE, a Saxe birthday, Middle Level Education Month, scenes around Saxe, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!
Be Well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
3/17 – Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues because, without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” ―Maya Angelou
“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier
“If you believe something needs to exist, if it’s something you want to use yourself, don’t let anyone ever stop you from doing it.” —Tobias Lütke
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.”—Helen Keller
“The standard you walk past is the standard you accept.” —David Hurley
Saxe Jokes:
Why does a flamingo lift up one leg? Because if it lifted up both legs, it would fall over.
Which king loved fractions? Henry the Eighth.
Why did the skeleton cross the road? To the body shop.
Why did Pi have his driver’s license taken away? Because he didn’t know when to stop.
Why did the noodle get a driving ticket? It drove pasta stop sign.
Wellness Wingspan
As I shared in the January 3rd Saxe Weekly, my goal for 2025 was to get better sleep. Not just more sleep, but better sleep. This includes a focus on a better diet, exercise regime, digital wellness, and more. While this takes some serious commitment, there is nothing that helps make you feel better than consistent nights of “good sleep”. Some may find this ironic that it comes the day after Daylight Savings time, but The National Sleep Foundation raises awareness of the importance of sleep during National Sleep Awareness Week, which runs from March 9th to 15th. As part of our commitment to helping each in our own wellness goals, our Saxe Wellness Committee shared out resources with our staff this week. Check out a few below and good luck on your own wellness journey!
I’m not sure if this is coincidence, but I noticed a notification on my phone this week that I had not seen before that included tips to better understand sleep and suggestions for a good night sleep. This may be an example where tech is helpful in trying to get better sleep 🙂
Saxe MS Morning Announcements
We “went live” this a.m. w/episode 2 of our latest Saxe MS video morning announcements… The goal is to explore different & fun ways to share relevant info w/our school community! Today we looked at our upcoming Saxe Advisory, Middle Level Education Month, & more. Thanks to all involved!
A special thanks to Mr. Petrkopoulos who helped troubleshoot a forgotten “share screen” button by embedding the slides in the video, post-production – greatly appreciated!
STEM
Saxe’s Laser Cutter is Up and Running! We’re thrilled to share that our lab is now equipped with a Glowforge laser cutter! Our 8th grade robotics students wasted no time putting it to the test, designing and cutting a custom sign for the lab out of balsa wood. This hands-on experience gave them a chance to explore digital fabrication and precision cutting while bringing their ideas to life. We can’t wait to see what else our students create with this amazing tool! Stay tuned for more student-driven innovation.
Staff Spotlight: Art
As part of Arts In Education Month, we would like to spotlight our amazing Art Teachers this week! Art teachers are crucial in middle school because they help students develop creativity, self-expression, and critical thinking skills. They provide a safe space for students to explore their emotions and ideas through various mediums, fostering a sense of confidence and individuality. Thank you to this terrific team of professionals, you are appreciated!
Ms. Giannetta, Ms. Duncan, Miss Lashendock, Ms. Grainsky, Ms. Beatman
Women’s History Month
Throughout the month of March, Saxe Middle School celebrates the contributions of important females in our country’s history. We salute our innovative and pioneering women who helped make the United States of America the great country that it is. Thank you to all women who have played an important part in our history!
Social Studies
As part of their War, Diplomacy, and Imperialism unit, 8th graders participated in a Socratic seminar which are student-led discussions based on student generated and unit questions. These conversations encourage critical thinking, meaningful dialogue, and the use of evidence to analyze information and form conclusions. Through this process, students practice essential skills such as active listening, respectful discourse, and clear communication, fostering both academic growth and civic engagement. Thank you to Mr. Banas for sharing a few photos of this learning experience!
Upstanding Students
7th grade teachers and counselors worked with students last week on the importance of being an “Upstander” and ways to be leaders and support their fellow students.
Saxe Library
All of our 7th graders visited the library this week to check books out. They had great conversations and chose some excellent titles!
Saxe Cafeteria
Have you seen what the cafeteria has for lunch? They have many healthy options for students to choose from. If you think these look fresh and handmade, you would be correct – we have one of the best cafeteria staff, anywhere! Not only are they talented and caring, they are genuinely great people. Thank you to our Saxe MS cafeteria staff!
I mean, c’mon! Look at those pictures above – how lucky are our students and staff?! 🙂
Welcome Spring
Ms. Perretti took this photo outside her office this week. Another sign that Spring is just around the corner!
Saxe MS Safety Corner
At Saxe Middle School, the safety of our students and staff is our top priority. We have established clear protocols for responding to emergency situations, including lockdowns and shelter-in-place procedures, which we practice regularly to ensure preparedness.
- Lockdown: students and staff follow specific protocols to secure classrooms in response to concerns inside or near the building. If safe, students should evacuate and run to a safe location.
- Shelter-in-Place: used when something outside the school—like weather, wildlife, or police activity—requires students to stay indoors but doesn’t pose a direct risk inside. During this time, the campus is closed to visitors, students remain on campus and in their classrooms, and outdoor movement is limited, while normal activities continue inside the building as much as possible.
What Parents Should Do:
Stay informed—updates will be sent via text and email when it is safe.
Trust that staff are following established safety procedures.
What Parents Should NOT Do:
Do not come to the school—it may interfere with emergency response.
Do not call the main office—staff need to focus on student safety.
Thank you for your partnership in keeping our school community safe. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the main office.
Saxe Theatre
SpongeBob Needs Your Help! They are looking for rinsed, empty bottles (soda, orange juice, milk) to use for the set. If you have any you would like to donate, please bring them to the Main Office. And tickets are currently on sale for the show! You can buy them here: SpongeBob Tickets
NC Color Drop
SATURDAY, MARCH 22 @ 10:00am
WAVENY PARK
The helicopter will release 2,000 golf balls over a target at Waveny Park. Each ball will be numbered individually and the participants whose golf ball(s) land closest to the target will win one of the grand prizes below! 100% of proceeds will be donated to need-based college scholarships for NCHS graduates. Spectators are welcome.
Click to learn more about:
NC Color Drop
NCHS Scholarship Foundation
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Below are photos and phrases that were included on our Saxe Middle School page (@SaxeMS) this week. Enjoy!
Happy Pi Day 2025 from Saxe MS! Here are the first 100 digits to ponder as you go about your day 🙂
3.1415926535 8979323846 2643383279 5028841971 6939937510 5820974944 5923078164 0628620899 8628034825 3421170679
I enjoyed seeing some of our Saxe MS staff members explore with the Its Chomp shop equipment as they explored different ways to challenge & engage our students!
I was quick enough to capture this photo of the Saxe Sloth! Thank you to our #SaxeLibrary staff who always keep our Saxe MS students involved & engaged.
The Saxe MS “Believe Wall” is shaking it up with some different designs, but the messages remain inspirational & motivational for all who walk past!
Saxe Esports Club was in full swing this week! It is great seeing so many extracurricular opportunities for our Saxe MS students!
Enjoyed seeing a little Spikeball in Saxe MS phys ed today. Our students seemed to be enjoying some quality physical & social interactions!
Heard a loud “Happy Birthday” serenade in the Saxe Cafe today – hope it was the best one yet, Holly!
Our Saxe MS staff have been having fun celebrating #MLEM by sharing their own “MS Era” pics! Thanks to all of our brave souls who have joined in showing our students we have all traveled a similar path in our own MS experiences!
Young adolescents thrive when they experience a true community—one that values their voices, celebrates their successes, and supports them through challenges. Join us in celebrating the opportunity of the middle grades this MLEM: http://amle.org/mlem
The longer days made for some beautiful afternoons around Saxe MS this week!
It may have been overcast for the brave folks who got up for the full lunar eclipse at 2:30 a.m., but that full moon rising over Saxe made for some great pics! 🌕
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
