2025.3.21 – Saxe Weekly (#278)

March 21, 2025

Dear Saxe MS Family,

What a week! We welcomed in a new season, celebrated some special days, and it’s starting to actually feel like winter is in the rearview mirror (maybe?). We packed quite a bit (“a ton”) in and we are always excited to share all that makes Saxe Middle School so special – thank you for taking the time to scan through the latest edition.

This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at our newest iteration of Saxe Advisory, Saxe News is back, World Down Syndrome Day, School Counseling, Music, Sponge Bob, last call for the NC Color Drop, Women’s History Month, Cinderella Project, Sustainability Club Plant Sale, St. Patrick’s Day, Math, Library, Social Studies, Science, the 1st day of Spring, recess, Pickleball, Dogs of Saxe, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Be Well,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

3/22 NC Color Drop (good luck to all who bought a ball!)

3/28 Quarter 3 Ends

3/28 Saxe 7/8 Musical – 7:00 p.m.

3/29 Saxe 7/8 Musical – 1pm/5pm

*Quotes that resonated with us this week:

“The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.” – Sydney J. Harris

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” – Carl Bard

“Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing.” ―Denis Waitley

“Life is not linear; you have ups and downs. It’s how you deal with the troughs that defines you.”-Unknown

“Spring adds new life and new beauty to all that is.”-Jessica Harrelson

Saxe’s Laughs to Lift Your Spirits:

What do you call an Irish spider? Paddy long legs!

Why do dogs like cell phones? They have collar ID.

Why was the frosting so stressed out? It was spread too thin.

What season is best to go on a trampoline? Spring-time.

What’s the real reason the birds fly north in April? For spring break!

Middle School Advisory

This week at Saxe MS, we kicked off our first Advisory session, and we could not be more pleased with the results! It also fit in nicely with our focus on Middle Level Education Month, as we know how important these opportunities to connect with adults and peers alike, are what makes this time invaluable and special! In total, we had 76 groups (!) of 8-10 students with our Saxe MS staff members for some fun, enriching activities that helped remind us how important it is to make time for memorable, meaningful, shared experiences!

Want to see how the domino project worked out? Check out the video!

This has been a great resource for us:

Recognizing the value of feedback, we provided an opportunity for students and staff to share about their Advisory experience. Below are just a few random samples of some of the responses and data about the overall experience. All in all, not bad for a first go-around!

Student responses when we asked how they felt about the Advisory session:

It was fun!
it was pretty fun because meeting all these new people I don’t talk to was really different…
We had fun, so I felt happy
Surprised, i found out things about people that i didn’t know and it surprised me a little when each person said something i didn’t know
I felt excited because I was in a new part of the building I’d never been in before and got to meet a teacher I didn’t already know.
Good! It was nice to get to know others that you haven’t really talked to others you don’t really know that well.
Excited! It was super fun!
i felt fine because they were fun activities
Happy, it was super fun to have a break in the day getting to do an activity with peers
I felt that is was nice to take a break from my mind being on all the time.
happy, because it was fun and a nice break from classes
I felt very happy and content after the Advisory because I got to have a meaningful discussion on a lot of scenarios or topics (we played Would You Rather), and I felt that I got to know a lot of my own classmates better through this activity.
I liked it because it provided sort of like a break from actual school, but still getting to have the same social experiences with the kids in our grade.
I think we should do stuff like this more.
I think it’s a good time for students to take a break and have a good time and it’s something they can look forward to during the school day
i really liked this i thought that it was a great way to take a break so i hope that we can do this again.

Here is what students thought about the Advisory period:

Some staff responses when we asked how they felt about the Advisory session:

Good- my group had a good time!
It went well and they seemed to enjoy the more relaxed time to engage and get to know each other.
I really enjoyed my group and felt like we really broke the ice playing the age-appropriate version of “Never Have I ever” which we turned into a game of getting points for different answers. It encourages students to talk organically and the conversation flowed more that I thought it would on day 1.
Grateful for a wonderful group of kids.
Excited! My group was great!
I felt good about it! I was able to connect with students that I knew from classes that I push into as well as meet new students. We had good conversation.
Awesome.. my group was excited to be there and we laughed together and they couldn’t wait for the next one.
I felt happy afterward! It was nice to take time out of our busy day and connect with students on our team.
I think the kids really enjoyed it. We had good conversation while we played cards. Kids asked if we could do it every day.
I appreciated this not being just another thing core teachers are responsible for! Thank you for including everyone.
I think it is valuable to have this unstructured, non-academic time with my students. I really like that I could have students from my own team, which I know is not possible for everyone, but I think it helped connect with them on another level
Chatting with the kids in a relaxing environment was perfect!

We even got an acknowledgment about our Advisory session from our national organization, Association of Middle Level Education!

As part of Middle Level Education Month, AMLE is also encouraging students to “share their voices” about their middle school experience. If you are interested, please check out more, below!

“Encourage your students to get creative & share their voice PLUS earn a trip to see them recognized at #AMLE25? Explore the Student Sound Off! Past entries have included essays, music, video games & more! Full details: https://ow.ly/xJ0J50VhFGa”

Saxe News

Saxe News is back! Our students have taken the lead in planning, production, editing, and finalizing and have done a nice job putting it all together. Check out the latest episode – enjoy!

World Down Syndrome Day

On March 21st, people are encouraged to wear brightly colored, mismatched, or themed socks, whether at school, work, or in the community. This fun and visible act is an opportunity to show support with people who have Down syndrome, raise awareness about their abilities and challenges, and promote inclusion and acceptance.

Ms. Orlando with one of our favorite “Saxe alum” – Andrew!

School Counseling

Our School Counselors do an excellent job of preparing our students for the transition to high school. As part of their “High School Transition” series of lessons, they held their third lesson this week, which focused on “Course Requests” and choosing electives. As an added bonus, they even coordinated some NCHS students to come and share their experiences, advice, and answer any questions. It was well received by all – thanks to all involved!

Music

Congratulations to 7th-grade music phenom, Zephaniah Denu, for being invited to perform with the NCHS Jazz Band at the Jazz Symposium that was held at Wilton High School on Friday March 7th! Below are a few pictures from the event. We received word that Zeph held his own with his high school bandmates and made us all at Saxe very proud! Keep up the great work, Zeph!

Western Regional Festival

Twenty-one Saxe band, choir, and orchestra students in grades 6-8 auditioned for and were selected to participate in the Connecticut Music Educators’ Association Western Region Middle School Festival this past weekend. Over the course of Friday and Saturday, they rehearsed with guest conductors and culminated in a performance on Saturday afternoon at Wilton High School. We are incredibly proud of their dedication and hard work, and we are grateful for the way they so beautifully represented our school!

Saxe Theatre

The Spongebob Musical tickets are currently on sale! You can buy them here: SpongeBob Tickets

NC Color Drop

SATURDAY, MARCH 22 @ 10:00 am

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

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!

Cinderella Project

An eighth grade student, is partnering with an organization called the Cinderella project. It is a group that collects donated prom/bridesmaid dresses and gives them to underprivileged students at either Stamford High school or Westhill High School. There is going to be a donation box up from March 17 – 28. If you could kindly send bridesmaid or prom dresses to the back or front entrance it would be greatly appreciated!

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

What a gorgeous day for the Saxe Sustainability Club Plant Sale! Congrats to all involved & thanks for your hard work putting this together for our Saxe MS community!

Here are a couple of pics from inside the Saxe Greenhouse, too!

It may be a little dreary out this morning, but lots of our Saxe MS students are wearing green & bringing the spirit for St. Patrick’s Day! Have a great day, All… ☘️

Our favorite sign on East Ave has been updated & is in the spirit for St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️

Ms. Orlando brought her spirit “A-game” to Saxe MS for St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️

All sorts of shades of green made up the St. Patrick’s Day spirit around Saxe MS! It was a fun day all around!🍀

Different shades of green, but “all in” on the St. Patty’s Day spirit at Saxe MS, nonetheless! 🍀

(If you could have seen the photo-taking process with the iPhone timer & fun framing/composition“choreography”, you’d know those are some genuine smiles!)

8 Green had their bulletin board in the spirit of the St. Patrick’s Day with “Clovers of Gratitude”! 🍀

The 8 Purple board continues to expand with some nice notes about what makes our Saxe MSstudents feel lucky… 🍀

Ms. Smith had her Saxe Science (click to watch!) classes in the St. Patrick’s Day spirit with this fun lab… Every student participated as they compared results & strategies for different outcomes!

Enjoy seeing Saxe Math students up & around the room working through equations with each other! It’s neat to see the various approaches as their “thinking is visible” on the vertical whiteboards!

Ms. Brown’s Saxe Math students work through various Task Cards with partners as small groups meet with Ms. Brown to work through specific skills…

Ms. Pelatowski & her Saxe Math students work through Systems of Equations together…

Working through multiplying polynomials & applying the FOIL pattern in Ms. Link’s Saxe Math class… Great participation all around!

Some great “reading motivation” outside the Saxe Library!

Grateful for our Saxe Maintenance team as they get our courtyards ready for the upcoming nice weather & opportunities for our Saxe MS students to learn in many different environments… Thank you!

During Workshop today, our 8th-graders had some great conversations using “real life” scenarios. Whether it’s grades, social media awareness, or simply treating others with respect, it’s so refreshing to hear how much our students truly care about “doing what’s right”. So proud!

Thank you to Ms. Orlando for sharing the latest additions for the Saxe MS “Believe Wall”! Our students have such great insight & it’s great to share for all within our school community to see!

The latest Saxe News was shared out with our Saxe MS community earlier this week & this dedicated crew is already back out & getting footage for the next episode! Can’t wait to see what they come up with…

Mr. Banas’s Saxe SS classroom always has some interesting trivia on display each month. Some great moments in history!

The Treaty of Versailles was the research topic in Saxe SS this week! Students had the choice of showing their work in a physical or digital format & here are a few “works in progress” from Mr. Banas’s class… Great collaboration & teamwork on display!

This crew in one of Mr. Banas’s class was pumped to show their work – great collaboration & teamwork on display!

Students in Ms. Baltz’s class were hard at work together… Great collaboration & teamwork on display!

Students in Ms. Sikora’s Saxe SS class were busy debating some important moments in US history… In addition to some rich conversation, they were also utilizing resources in the classroom from previous lessons/learning. I look forward to seeing what they end up creating!

Caught some Saxe Science action where students were slo-mo recording the fall rate of paper in different forms & analyzing the data to hypothesize on the effect of gravity on various objects. Neat to see in action (I even tried a “drop”)!

Happy first day of Spring from Saxe MS! Have a great day, All!

Happy Friday, Saxe MS! And, Happy World Down Syndrome Day! We are rockin’ our socks in support of all in the Down Syndrome community, & beyond… Have a great day, All!

Recently, we helped the neighboring YMCA during an unplanned evacuation where youngsters from their preschool & nursery program were brought over to Saxe MS. Not only were they all adorable & well-behaved, we received this delightful “thank you” note this week. They are the best!

It may have been a little dreary out, but we are so grateful for the amazing spaces that we have to allow our Saxe MS students to get out, move, & have some fun during Saxe Recess. It’s not for everyone, but it makes a huge difference for those who choose to participate!

The Hawks Court at Saxe MS gets a lot of use, all year long. This week had absolutely perfect weather for the Saxe Pickleball Club… Great to see this dedicated crew outside & there were even a couple of brave teachers from 8Green who joined the fun!

Dogs of Saxe:

We enjoyed seeing Bo at Saxe MS arrival today! The weather is almost back to prime Dogs Of Saxe weather – look for more of our favorite 4-legged friends featured each week!

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)