May 2, 2025
Dear Saxe MS Family,
May is here and we had another gorgeous week (now, if the weekend weather would cooperate)… It was an action packed week for Saxe MS and we have so much to share from both the school day and events that took place before and after school. This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at Staff Appreciation Weekly, School Lunch Hero Day, Walk/Ride to School Day, Physical Education, World Language, Spring Daytime Open Houses, Saxe Serves resources, School Nurse Day, ELA, online safety & vaping education events, some great quotes, a Saxe birthday, scenes around Saxe, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!
Be Well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
5/5-9 Teacher Appreciation Week
5/7 School Nurse Day
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“Practice isn’t the thing you do once you’re good. It’s the thing you do that makes you good.”-Malcolm Gladwell
“Direction is more important than speed.”-Richard Evans
“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count—it’s life in your years.” —Abraham Lincoln
“It’s a good place when all you have is hope and not expectations.” —Danny Boyle
“Living is the art of getting used to what we didn’t expect.” —Eleanor C. Wood
Saxe’s Laugh Line of the Week:
Which month of the year is the shortest? May. It only has three letters.
What do you call an iPhone that isn’t kidding around? Dead Siri-ous.
What kind of call does a marathon runner always make? Long-Distance.
How do you stay warm in every room? Go to the corner, which is always 90 degrees.
What do sheep do on a sunny spring day? Have a Baa baa cue!
Staff Appreciation Week
We look forward to celebrating our Saxe MS staff next week – stay tuned for updates from each day! Thanks in advance for evyerone who has been involved in the planning, it’s going to be a great week!
Celebrating our Cafe Staff
School Lunch Hero Day in 2025 is on May 2nd. This day is dedicated to recognizing the hard work and dedication of school nutrition professionals. It’s an opportunity for schools, students, parents, and the community to thank these individuals for providing healthy meals to students.
Walk/Ride to School Day
It may have been a little foggy, but it was still a “great way to start the day” with the Spring Walk/Ride to School Day at Saxe – thanks to all who came out to join this morning!
Physical Education
7th and 8th graders are climbing the rock wall, belaying and partnering up for the Dangle Duo in Miss Goodman’s PE classes. Not only are they practicing terrific life skills by using great teamwork, challenging themselves (&, each other), they are also having fun while doing it!
World Language
Brad Lepisto, counselor, and Kemen Holley, Director of World Languages, worked with World Language teachers this week to help students use their EI skills to collaborate more effectively when working together in class.
Saxe MS Spring Daytime Open Houses
For those who were not able to attend, we are sharing the slide deck from each session (click link for each team).
| Monday, 4/28 | Tuesday, 4/29 | Thursday, 5/1 | Friday, 5/2 |
| 8:55 a.m. G7: Red Team Room #: 1027 Red Slides | 8:55 a.m. G7: Purple Team Room #: 1017 Purple Slides | 8:55 a.m. G7: Blue Team Room #:1117 Blue Slides | 8:55 a.m. G7: Green Team Room #: 1447 Green Slides |
| 11:20 a.m. G8: Red Team Room #: 2008 Red Slides | 11:20 a.m. G8: Green Team Room #: 163 8 Green Slides | 11:20 a.m. G8: Purple Team Room #: 2218 Purple Slides | 11:20 a.m. G8: Blue Team Room #: 2098 Blue Slides |
New this year, our Special Area and World Language teachers did an excellent job putting together slides to share with families as well. Be sure to check out some of the classes that our students participate in during their experience here at Saxe MS!
WL & Special Areas @ Saxe MS (live links)
Art (7 & 8)
Health (7 / 8)
Music (7 & 8)
World Language
Our Saxe MS teachers did an excellent job preparing for our latest Spring Daytime Open House series by not only sharing what has gone on, where they are now, & what they have to look forward to, but also preparing some great examples of student work from recent units! Thank you to all of the parents who came out… It’s always great to open our doors & welcome our parents in! Here are just a few pics from this week…
One of the benefits of attending the Saxe MS Spring Daytime Open Houses is taking a moment to look around & see all the positive messaging that surrounds our students! These are just a couple of so many…
Thanks to Ms. Benware for helping our Saxe MS parents navigate our huge school during Spring Daytime Open House… The signs are updated each day & they have been great!
One of the benefits of attending the SaxeMS Spring Daytime Open Houses is seeing some of the ways we continue to challenge our students (help them be comfortable being uncomfortable)… These are life skills that will serve them well! Here are just a couple of so many…
Saxe Serves
We had a GREAT turnout for the first-ever “Saxe Serves” event where school & community organizations came together to showcase resources for our Saxe MS students & families! Our PTC did an amazing job taking this from a simple idea, to a full-blown event, where we were able to showcase so much of what makes New Canaan special. From the ABC House, to NC Cares, to NC EMS, to our very own Student Support Team, to New Canaan Unplugged, to the New Canaan Y, and much more in between, there was great representation across the board. Thank you to each of our “table hosts” & to everyone who came out to join!
Thank you to our Saxe PTC for putting together this amazing list of resources from the Saxe Serves meeting last week.
ABC House of New Canaan
Residential program supporting academically talented young men of color.
jboris@abchousenc.org
abchouseofnc.org
Click to download event handout
LiveGirl
Leadership and mentorship programs for girls and teens.
info@golivegirl.org
golivegirl.org
Meals on Wheels (Waveny)
Delivering meals to residents and offering volunteer opportunities.
mow@waveny.org
mealsonwheelsofnewcanaan.org
Click to download event handout
National Charity League – New Canaan Chapter
Mothers and daughters volunteering together.
membershipnewcanaan@nclonline.org
nclonline.org
Click to download event handout
National Charity League – Canaan Parish Chapter
Another great NCL chapter serving local families.
membershipcanaanparish@nclonline.org
nclonline.org
Click to download event handout
New Canaan Cares
Supports youth and families with prevention programs and mental health resources.
info@newcanaancares.org
www.newcanaancares.org
Click to download event handout
New Canaan Community Foundation – Young Philanthropist Program
Empowering students to support local causes.
info@newcanaancf.org
newcanaancf.org
Click to download event handout
New Canaan EMS
Training and volunteer opportunities in emergency services.
membership@newcanaanems.org
newcanaanems.org
Click to download event handout
New Canaan Health & Human Services
Offering assistance, counseling, and support services for families.
jacqueline.dlouhy@newcanaanct.gov
newcanaan.info
Click to download event handouts
New Canaan Library – Teen Services
Programs, events, and volunteering for tweens and teens.
maspinwalll@newcanaanlibrary.org
newcanaanlibrary.org
Click to download event handout
New Canaan Unplugged
Helping families foster tech-life balance and emotional wellness.
newcanaanunplugged.org
Click to download event handout
New Canaan YMCA – Youth Programs
Afterschool activities, leadership, and service opportunities.
gbennett@newcanaanymca.org
newcanaanymca.org
SLOBs (Service League of Boys)
Parents and sons volunteer organization for high schoolers (great for future planning).
Click to download event handout
School Nurses Day
May 7th is School Nurses Day! School Nurses Day recognizes and celebrates the vital role school nurses play in promoting student health and well-being. It acknowledges their work in managing both physical and mental health needs of students within the school environment. This day highlights the dedication of school nurses who ensure that students are safe, healthy, and ready to learn. Thank you to Ms. Faust for all her hard work and dedication!
ELA
Each year, the acting group Shakesperience visits our 8th grade to bring Shakespeare plays to life. This launches Unit 5: The Human Condition where students will explore classic literature to analyze how stories and themes live across time. Our own students become Shakespeare actors, and we are SO grateful to the PTC for continuing to support this hands-on and fun day for our students!
Online Safety
We are grateful for the positive relationship we have at SaxeMS with the New Canaan Police Department. Thank you to Sgt. O’Sullivan and the SRO team for bringing in a pro from the CT State Police to discuss & share resources on helping keep our kids safe online…
Thank you to NC Cares & our very own #SaxeSRO, Officer Blank, for bringing this timely & relevant topic to SaxeMS. The topic of vaping is an important one as it relates to our students’/children’s health & well-being… Thank you to all who came out to attend, too!
Principal Appreciation Day
Our school community was way too kind yesterday, as many people reached out and acknowledged the day. I am grateful to every member of our Saxe MS community!
The following was included in the morning announcements (thanks again)!
“In honor of Principal’s Appreciation Day, we celebrate our favorite middle school principal and biggest Saxe Hawk fan, Mr. Gusitsch! Whether he’s greeting us with a smile in the morning at arrival or taking pictures of all the things that happen every day to make Saxe special, Mr. Gusitsch leads by example and reminds us of what it means to be the best version of ourselves. Through his kindness, positivity, and dedication to our school, Mr. Gusitsch helps to make Saxe a place where everyone feels proud and supported! So, if you see Mr. Gusitsch today, please take a moment to say thank you and let him know how much we appreciate him!”
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Below are photos and phrases that were included on our Saxe Middle School page (@SaxeMS) this week. Enjoy!
It’s May 1st & the “bench sign” driving up East Ave in New Canaan has been updated with a great message/reminder for all: “Be Your Best You” Love seeing the new sign each month – they are always great!
Happy Friday, Saxe MS! It may be a little foggy out, but it’s a great morning to walk, ride, roll, or scoot to school! We look forward to seeing our students, families, & dogs out & about to start the day! Have a great day, All.
8Green updated their bulletin board to reflect the spring season… Looks great & thanks for helping bring some of that spring color & vibe to Saxe!
8Blue updated their bulletin board to reflect moments that our students are proud of from this year at Saxe & there are so many great ones!
They also included some great quotes…
Always great to catch a Saxe Birthday… Happy Birthday & hope it was the best one yet!
Scenes Around Saxe
Yes, that IS a hawk flying toward the flag pole as the picture was taken 🙂
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
