September 12, 2025
Dear Saxe MS Family,
Another great week at Saxe MS is in the books! Thanks for taking a moment to scan through just a few snippets of what makes Saxe MS one of the best learning environments, anywhere! This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at the Celebrate Saxe postcard contest, Social Studies, School Counseling, Picture Day, Math, upcoming events, “Street Safety” tips, a Saxe MS PSA, 9/11 Tribute, Music, Recess, a Saxe bday, Saxe Cafeteria, morning announcements, Scenes around Saxe, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!
Be Well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
9/16 Saxe PTC Welcome Back Coffee @ Waveny (10:30 a.m.)
9/23 Rosh Hashanah – Building Closed
9/24 Open House Grade 7 & 8 (6 p.m. – more details will be shared, soon)
9/26 Grade 7 & 8 Photo Day
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“Intelligence plus character—that is the true goal of education.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
“The art of life is to know how to enjoy a little and to endure very much.”-William Hazlitt
“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising up every time we fall.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The biggest mistake you can make in life is to be always afraid of making a mistake.” — Elbert Hubbard
“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one”-Dolly Parton
Saxe Jokes to light up the week:
What did the duck say after they bought chapstick? Put it on my bill!
Why did the Oreo go to the dentist? Because he lost his filling.
What kind of shoes do frogs wear? Open-toad sandals.
What did the horse say after it tripped? Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t giddy-up!
Why did the teacher put on sunglasses? Because her students were so bright!
Celebrate Saxe
Don’t miss out! Monday (9/15) is the deadline for the Celebrate Saxe Postcard contest!
From last week:
Celebrate Saxe Postcard Contest
Calling all student artists! Celebrate Saxe – Saxe’s annual PTC fundraiser is looking for postcard artwork to be used in our mailing that will go to every Saxe family this fall. This year’s theme is Unlock Your Magic! Using this Magic theme, please create an original postcard calling on our Saxe community to Unlock their Magic this school year! Submissions should be 8.5×11 on white paper and in landscape format/orientation. Submissions must include your name and grade on the back. Please drop your submission to the Main Office by Monday, 9/15, at the end of the school day. We can’t wait to see your creativity and Saxe spirit! Any questions? Please contact Karen Willet at klwillett@gmail.com.
(note: below are the winners from the past 4 years – feel free to include our 1-word from this year, “Inspire”)
Saxe Weekly: The Podcast
Interested in getting an overview of the latest Saxe Weekly in podcast form? Using Google’s Notebook LM, we are able to offer an option to listen to all of the great “goings on” around Saxe while you are “on the go”! We invite you to give it a listen, here. Enjoy!
Social Studies
Grade 7 classes start the year by playing the game of Catan. It is an engaging way to introduce vocabulary and concepts in our first unit of study on the Industrial Revolution. Thank you to Mr. DiGregorio for sharing some pictures from his classes.
School Counseling
Saxe school counselors, Sarah Beltran, Brad Lepisto and Tammy Nettleton, introduced themselves to 7th grade last week. Remember, school counselors are available for all students, and help with everything related to school- including scheduling, academic issues, peer issues, and navigating any range of situations that may be stressful, but are part of the learning & growing process (these are life skills that serve our students well, in many applications!).
School Counselors Sarah Beltran, Brad Lepisto and Tammy Nettleton are getting to know their 7th grade students and helped them to set SMART (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) academic goals for the year (also, a great life skill).
Saxe MS Picture Day
Friday, September 26th, is 7th & 8th Grade Photo day! You should be receiving an email from Legacy with ordering information, but in the meantime, you can feel free to use the QR code below to get the process started. There are also hard copies of the order form in the Main Office. We are looking forward to seeing everyone’s picture in the Saxe Yearbook this year!
Math
Math is all around us! This week, we celebrated 9/9/25 as a special Perfect Square Day because 3²/3²/5² = 9/9/25 (it was also noted that this was one of many perfect square dates this month, too! 9/1/25, 9/4/25, 9/9/25, 9/16/25, 9/25/25). A Perfect Square Day is when the day, month, and a two-digit version of the year are all perfect squares. It is the perfect opportunity to “celebrate math” through these mathematical quirks in our calendar.
Also, on the same day, we noticed the “Google Doodle” was “Math-based” – probably not a coincidence! Neat to see the “Google Doodle” (Click to watch!) repping some serious Math this week!
Save the Date
Walk, Bike, & Roll to School Day is October 8, 2025!
In the meantime, keep up the good work walking & riding to Saxe, but please remember the safety reminders that Officer Blank shared last week in the 9/5 Saxe Weekly. Whether you are in a car, riding, scooting, jogging, or simply walking, always pay attention and be aware of your surroundings. Thanks for keeping yourself, and others, SAFE!
From last week:
It is so wonderful to have the halls here at Saxe abuzz again with the life you all bring to our school each day. Some important information to keep everyone safe as we come and go from our school.
Some Walking Safety Tips:
- Follow the rules of the roads, including all signs and signals.
- ALWAYS walk on sidewalks if possible.
- If there is no sidewalk, walk facing traffic and distance yourself from the traffic as much as possible.
- When crossing streets, use crosswalks if possible. Look for cars in all directions before crossing. Look left, right, then left again before crossing as well.
- Make eye contact with drivers as they approach before crossing.
Some Bike and Scooter Safety Tips:
- Always wear a helmet when riding a bike and/or scooter. Not only is it smart, it is the law.
- Obey traffic laws
- Make eye contact with drivers as you approach each other
- Obey all E-bike laws, new laws in effect October 2025:
Parents:
- Please only drop your children off at designated drop-off locations (Lower entrance during drop off, Main entrance during the school day)
- Never drop your children off on South Ave or Farm Ave, and let them cross in front of, or behind, your vehicle
- Please do review the above rules of the road and safety tips with your children
Thank you for helping keep all of our Saxe family members safe!
X
Below are photos and phrases that were included on our Saxe Middle School page (@SaxeMS) this week. Enjoy!
Saxe MS PSA: Ever wonder why these cones are out in the front loop at Saxe MS, taking up potentially valuable parking spots? Safety, of course! The extra space provides a better line of sight as students cross, & vehicles (slowly) head out… We always want to keep our community informed!
Amazing to think it has been almost 2.5 decades since 9/11/2001! At Saxe MS we honor the day with a respectful reminder of the significance of the day, a moment of silence, & a suggestion to do an “act of kindness” as a tribute to all who were impacted. Never forget…
The “Flag of Honor” made its annual return to the 8 Red hallway at Saxe MS to honor all those impacted by 9/11/2001. Thanks to all who help recognize the significance of this date & “Never Forget”…
Ms. Frazier reminded her Saxe Band students about BOB (Big ol’ Breath) as they practiced during Saxe MS Ensemble this week… Students sounded good!
It was fun to listen to Saxe Orchestra students practicing during Ensemble this week – such a talented bunch!
This creative crew of Saxe MS students found a great spot to break out some Uno during Saxe Recess this week! Such a timeless classic – love it!
Saxe Recess has been bustling this week! The weather has been absolutely amazing & our Saxe MS students are benefitting from the nice weather, activity, socialization, fun, or just “hanging out”!
Another great weather week for the Saxe MS “morning crew”! Great way to start the day with some fresh air, activity, & socialization!
We love to celebrate a good birthday at Saxe MS – hope it was the best one yet!
Ms. Martin & Ms. Ryan had their Saxe Math students partnered up & moving around the room as they worked through the Pythagorean Theorem (&, more) in various ways…
Students in 8 Green Saxe SS discuss the economic, political, & societal impacts of historical events. Thanks to Ms. Baltz for engaging her students in a rich discussion!
Topic of the day was “Character Conflict” in 8 Green Saxe ELA – great collaboration & discussion!
Students in Mr. Christel’s Saxe Science class were busy reviewing each other’s work & providing feedback during a gallery walk. Great discussion (&, way to provide opportunities to get up & move around the room!).
Alright, let’s talk about how lucky we are to have such a fabulous Cafe Staff & Food Service program at Saxe MS! Here are just a couple of delicious meals I grabbed this week… Yes, this stuff is made FRESH every day & it’s delicious! Thanks to the best team around! Saxe Cafe
The “Dynamic Duo” of Ms. Jarosik & Ms. DiMeglio was locked in & unflappable during this round of morning announcements, even when I yelled “neighhhhh!” during the horse-themed Joke of the Day… They never broke character – true professionals at the mic!
Scenes Around Saxe
The “Golden Hour” at Saxe always brings such beautiful views of our building/campus… Always good to take a moment & reflect on all that we have to be grateful for!
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
