2025.5.23 – Saxe Weekly (#286)

May 23, 2025

Dear Saxe MS Family,

As you are most likely aware, the Saxe Weekly is a compilation of snapshots of the learning and experiences that take place throughout the building each week. We try to capture fun, interesting, and engaging moments that represent just a sneak peek of the deep learning that is going on in each grade, across disciplines, every day. We appreciate each person who takes a moment to scan through the newsletter and hope that you enjoy it as much as we do putting it together – thank you!

We put our all into each edition, but this week seemed to capture A TON! This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at Memorial Day, NCHS Interns, miniature horses, peer buddies, ELA, Mandarin, our Saxe SRO, the NCHS Dome, Science, an Engineering visit, a published author, Music, the Believe Wall, Shark Tank, AAPI Heritage heroes, Grade 8 end-of-year events, Lost & Found, STEM, robotics, the Spring Orchestra concert, the Challenges in Art show, Saxe News, a “Project Biodiversity” presentation, Glowforge, a Cardboard Community Project, some 3D printing, recess, positive quotes, a shoutout to our Saxe Custodians, some drone shots, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful holiday weekend!

Be Well,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

5/26 Memorial Day (no school) – thanks to all who served!

5/29 7/8 Band Concert (no homework)

Memorial Day

This Monday (5/26), we observe Memorial Day – a time to honor and remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country. As we enjoy the long weekend with family and friends, we encourage our students and families to take a moment to reflect on the freedoms we enjoy because of those who served. We’re grateful for the military families in our school community, and we wish everyone a safe and meaningful Memorial Day weekend.

*Quotes that resonated with us this week:

“If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it”-Nora Roberts

“Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” —Margaret Mead

“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.” – Steve Jobs

“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”–Angela Davis

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker

Saxe Jokes:

What do librarians take with them when they go fishing? Bookworms

What do you call a pony that surfs? A seahorse

What did one fish in a tank say to the other fish in the tank? “Do you know how to drive this thing?

What do cowboys put on their salads? Ranch Dressing!

What lights up a soccer stadium? A soccer match.

Welcome Saxe Interns

This week, we were excited to welcome back several former Saxe MS students as they began their NCHS Senior Internship Program! We could not be more honored that they chose to spend this important time/experience within our school community!

Learning with Animals

Having miniature horses on campus may be a “Top 5” moment, so far… Some of our complex learners visit a local barn on a regular basis. This week, the farm came TO Saxe & our students got to share all they have learned, with their Peer Buddies. Nothing short of magical!

Oh, and our staff enjoyed the visit, too! Here is one of our tallest staff members, Mr. Steele (6’7”), and one of his 3’ friends 🙂

Think you can watch this video without smiling? Try it! (click to watch). Having these amazing service animals visit Saxe was a true highlight this week – thanks to all involved!

ELA

Students have been working collaboratively on their Historical Fiction Book Unit – nice work!

Mandarin

May 22, 2025 marked the first NCHS & Saxe Mandarin classes talent show. NCHS Mandarin Level 3 and Level 4 with Saxe G8 classes present a broad range of versatile language skills and cultural awareness. From watercolor painting, Peking opera, Tang dynasty and self-written poems to singing and playing flute and violin for Jasmine Flowers , from Kong Fu remix, Taiji presentation to real life scenes, i.e. eating at restaurants and doing sports, students experienced the fun, joy, excitement, and confidence of communicating with peers in Mandarin Chinese.

Saxe SRO

Our SRO, Officer Blank, is not just at SaxeMS for safety & security, he also visits classrooms & teaches using real-world examples! Whether it’s 1st Amendment rights in Social Studies, or laws around substances in Health classes (below), our students benefit from his dedication!

Science

Another successful series of trips to the NCHS Dome this week as 7th-graders enhanced their learning about climate, geography, & ecosystems through this immersive, collective experience! What an amazing resource for our students…

Engineer Visit

This week, our 8th-grade AI and Robotics students had the opportunity to participate in a Careers in Tech panel with engineers from ASML, a global leader in advanced technology. During the first session, students learned about the company’s role in the semiconductor industry and prepared thoughtful questions. In the second session, a panel of ASML professionals shared their career journeys and answered student questions about education, engineering, and working in tech. The conversation sparked excitement and curiosity about STEM pathways and real-world applications of classroom learning. We’re grateful to ASML for inspiring our students and showing them what’s possible in the world of technology!

Student Author

Congratulations to 8th-grade student, Medha Singhania, for the recent publication of her first book! After learning of this terrific accomplishment, I asked Medha to share a little about the process of creating her book. Her response is below. Congrats again, Medha!

“Ever since I was in elementary school, I dreamed, “What if I had my name on a book? Would that ever be possible?” I would stare at the shelves of captivating books at the library and dive into them, mesmerized by the journey the authors would bring us on. Through their vivid imagery and creative plot, they found a way to captivate the reader in a way that brought them into magical worlds. Every book I read was unique as each created a beautiful balance between dialogue and imagery, creating strong emotions for the readers as they began understanding the characters more. With every book I read, my love for these incredible experiences grew, and so did my dreams of writing one myself.

One day, near the end of sixth grade, I stumbled across a story I had written for a third-grade writing assignment. It was my favorite story I had ever written. I loved it so much that I tried to make a video of it through Scratch, using the block coding to try to put the images in my mind on a mini video with simple animations. As I thought about the story, a thought suddenly struck me: “What if I could actually publish this?”

When I asked my family, they loved the idea, embracing it with open arms. With their support and encouragement, I remade the story over the summer and the first half of seventh grade, enhancing the ideas and developing the writing into a story that would appeal to younger kids. I named the book Goldeta, after the main character — a young and spoiled chick whose journey teaches her the importance of kindness and the value of empathy.

After the writing and editing process, my family and I hired an illustrator; the most unique part of this process was brainstorming ways to describe the vivid images I had in my mind to the illustrator. After almost a year of collaboration through trial and error with illustrations, background designs, and final edits, the book was complete. The illustrator then created the front and back cover as I made the final formatting edits. Finally, I self-published it, opening my book to the world.

The experience of writing and publishing this book has been priceless for me as it has not only enhanced my creativity, but has also given me a newfound appreciation for authors and taught me the importance of collaboration. With my family’s unwavering encouragement, my dreams were able to become a reality and I am excited to continue this amazing journey throughout my life.”

Music

Thanks to Band teacher, Mr. Zeiser, Saxe got some new equipment this week! We look forward to seeing it in action – stay tuned!

Believe Wall

It’s official, the Saxe MS “Believe Wall” has reached the full length of the hallway! There are close to a thousand handwritten reflections that are also great life lessons… Here are just a few!

Shark Tank

The 4th Quarter Shark Tank is in full effect at Saxe MS! After a sneak peek at some of the projects, we look forward to seeing another terrific round of creativity, collaboration, & innovation!

AAPI Heritage Month

This month, we honor the contributions of fellow Americans with Asian and Pacific Islander heritage. This week, we celebrate the lives and work of Kalpana Chawla, William Tong, Hazel Ying Lee, Stacey Milbern, and Chien-Shiung Wu – our lives, and society in general, would not be the same without their contributions!

For more information on the end-of-year events, please feel free to visit last week’s Saxe Weekly…

Lost & Found

Friendly reminder: as we approach the final month of school, please check the lost and found for any belongings that may have been left behind. There are tons of items and everything will be donated, but we would love to reconnect some of these belongings with their original owners! A big thank you to our custodial staff who have taken such wonderful care of these items. Thank you for your help!

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

Communication, collaboration, competition, construction, coding, obstacle courses, & so much more as

Saxe 8th-graders worked in their STEM/robotics unit. And, they were definitely having FUN doing it!

It may have been cold & rainy for much of the week, but not EVERY day… When Saxe MS teachers see a window of time to get out to learn in one of our outdoor spaces, they take it!

Heard some great music passing through the Saxe Music hallway – couldn’t help but stop in to check it out!

Ready for the Spring Orchestra concert at Saxe MS! Terrific turnout & we are grateful for everyone who helps make these performances so amazing!

Even the 8th-grade warm up sounds good as they prepare to wow the crowd during the Saxe MS (Click the link to watch and listen!) Spring Orchestra concert!

The Saxe MS 7th-grade Orchestra brought their “accessory A-game” with the crowns for a great rendition of Royal Minuet!

Congrats to this dedicated group of Saxe MS 8th-grade cellists who practiced to perform Denmark during the Spring Orchestra Concert… Your hard work paid off as you knocked it out of the park!

Congrats to the 8th-grade Orchestra on their final performance together as Saxe MS students! Here is a snippet of their final piece from Wicked – bravo!

That’s a wrap! Congrats to Ms. Dorfman, Ms. Harris, & everyone involved in the Saxe MS Spring Orchestra Concert – it was a huge success!

Great turnout for the Challenges in Art show & Spring Orchestra concert at Saxe MS! Such amazing talent on display, all around – congrats to all involved!

The lobby at Saxe MS has been transformed into an incredible display of art & talent for the Spring Challenges in Art show. Our students never cease to amaze me & it is so fun to see their hard work on display for all to enjoy!

Speaking of art… Look at this (delicious) piece of art that one of our Saxe MS parents created & brought for the Challenges in Art show attendees to enjoy! (&, the artistic inspiration… Nailed it!)

A few more of the terrific pieces of art that are on display for the Saxe MS Spring Challenges in Art show. Congrats to all who contributed & all involved – bravo!

The Saxe News roving reporters were back out gathering footage around Saxe MS for their newest episode – can’t wait to see the finished product!

I was beyond impressed with this “Project Biodiversity” presentation in Mr. Ekstrom’s #SaxeScience Workshop class… Using the Design Thinking Process, students “Explored, Focused, Ideated, Prototyped, & Reflected” to come up with these amazing signs for trees around Saxe MS!

Here’s a look at one of the most technologically advanced pieces of equipment that we recently got set up at Saxe MS, the Glowforge. It has only been set up for a short amount of time, but check out what our students are capable of creating – the sky is literally the limit, WOW!

The “Cardboard Community Project” is underway again at Saxe MS! It’s only been a couple of days & look at it already!

The “Cardboard Community Project” in underway again at Saxe MS! This is such a neat collaboration between the Art Dept, & students, resulting in an impressive display for all to enjoy!

The 3D printers were busy churning out student work in the Saxe MS FabLab this week. Such an amazing, inspiring space for our students!

Not only are our NCHS senior interns helpful around Saxe MS, they are always willing to lend a hand by going above & beyond – thanks, Bennett!

This week at Saxe MS saw sun, rain, wind, temps for shorts, temps for coats, & sometimes all on the same day! Welcome to Spring in New England 🙂

“Believe in Yourself” What a great sign/message to drive past each day on East Ave as you drive into New Canaan, CT! Mindset matters…

Thank you to our dedicated Saxe Custodians for the care & attention they give to our ENTIRE campus! This week (between the bouts of rain) our courtyards got a fresh cut!

Thank you to one of our students who was perfecting his “videographer skills”(Click the link to watch!) using Saxe MS as the subject – amazing views!

Artistic talent credit: Tate Callahan

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)