January 16, 2026
Dear Saxe MS Family,
Week 2 of 2026 is in the books, and we are entering into the first long weekend of the new year. It is my hope that you are able to use that additional day to rest, relax, enjoy time with those you care most about, or just spend some time doing something for yourself. While we do our best to keep a good balance of learning, “good stress” (trial & error), and fun at Saxe, our students and staff “give it their all” while they are here each day, so that extra day will undoubtedly be appreciated!
This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at the latest Saxe MS podcast, a morning dropoff reminder, a transportation update, Social Studies, Saxe Leadership Team, Professional Learning, a Saxe to South Connection, ELA, Charters, 7Purple Family Meeting, Science, Math, French, facilities, Art, the “Inspire Wall”, Scenes around Saxe, Dogs of Saxe, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful long weekend!
Be Well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
1/19 Martin Luther King Day – No School & No Weekend Homework. Enjoy!
1/22 Saxe Orchestra Concert (7 pm) – No Homework
1/23 Q2 Grade Portal opens
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.”–Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”-Martin Luther King JR
“But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough can you see the stars.”― Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I never lose. Either I win or learn.”-Nelson Mandela
“If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”-Martin Luther King, Jr.
Saxe Jokes of the week:
I’ve got some good jokes about umbrellas, but they usually go over people’s heads.
I was told I needed to stop acting like a flamingo….So I put my foot down!
How did the snow globe feel after the winter storm? A little shaken!
What’s the most popular breakfast in winter? Frosted Flakes!
Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was too tired!
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” in our school community while you are “on the go”, with the Saxe MS Podcast! We invite you to give it a listen… Enjoy!
Note: We have been using Notebook LM to create our podcast for the past couple of months, and recently, noticed the “create an image – infographic” option. It’s a pretty neat representation of the latest Saxe Weekly and may become part of our weekly update – enjoy!
Morning Dropoff Reminder
Please note that parent drop-off is not permitted at the front of the school between 7:35 and 8:00 a.m. due to active bus arrivals. During this time, the front loop must remain clear to ensure student safety and smooth bus operations. Students should be dropped off at the back entrance of the school in the morning. Thank you in advance for helping keep our students safe!
Transportation Update Reminder
We will be sending out a Saxe MS Specific reminder over the weekend to check PowerSchool before school on Tuesday to confirm updates (if applicable) to your bus routes. Below are a couple of reminders regarding transportation as they relate to updated school bus routes going into effect on Tuesday, January 20th. Here is a link to the NCPS Transportation Services if you would like to visit the website directly.
Dr. Luizzi’s email from last week:
Social Studies
On Monday, 8th graders participated in a virtual field trip with Ranger John Hoptak from The Gettysburg National Historical Park. Ranger John gave students a sense of what the battle meant to various townspeople and soldiers. At the end, he expertly answered questions from the students that deepened their understanding of events.
Saxe Leadership Team
Thank you to Ms. Nettleton & Ms. Perretti for providing this amazing opportunity for our Saxe MS students to attend the CAS CT Middle Level Leadership Conference this week! Can’t wait to hear all about it & what ideas may be brought back to our school community!
Professional Learning
It was nice to dive into the next NCPS Portrait of a Graduate competency this week – Empathy. Our Saxe MS staff continue to make connections between each one, along with the ongoing work that has been part of our professional learning over the last several years. Great synergy!
Saxe to South Connection
It’s always an absolute honor to be invited to South Elementary School each year to read to one of their classes. Not only was it fun to read the book “Stuck” w/them, but it was also a wonderful opportunity to hear about their experiences & answer questions about their upcoming transition to Saxe MS!
X
Below are photos and phrases that were included on our Saxe Middle School page (@SaxeMS) this week. Enjoy!
Just a few of the “Green Screen” filming locations around Saxe as 7th-grade ELA students go into the “production phase”, emphasizing an important scene in their respective books, during their Dystopian Unit!
The word of the week around Saxe seems to be “creativity,” & this is another great example! Students in ELA were working on their Dystopian Unit project & created a mock-up cave that will act as a “life-size” feature in their video – can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Love the unique designs for the teachers on the 7 Red Charter!
There was some serious creativity on display in Mr. Ekstrom’s Workshop class this afternoon, and it was fun to hear the rationale behind these zany designs – impressive work by all!
The 7 Purple Team had their “Family Meeting” this afternoon to review rules and expectations and, just as importantly, celebrate the many positive moments of Q2, including Charter Champions (students who have been “living the Charter”). Congratulations to all!
Students in Mr. D’s science class were observing, identifying, and predicting what would happen with a little water, heat, & some positive/negative charges… Great lesson to demonstrate one of our Portrait of a Graduate competencies – Curiosity!
Students in Mr. D’s social studies class were busy drafting their essays, focusing on their counterclaim and rebuttal while getting feedback on revisions, ideas, and evidence – nice work!
Students in 7th-grade math were busy working on their “Do Now” and checking in to make sure they fully understand each concept before moving on.
Students in Mr. Banas’s social studies class review some Constitutional Amendments during the Civil War Era before reflecting and discussing “what should be done” next…
A huge thanks to Ms. Kleis & her student helper for taking some equipment out during a recess block this week to clean up some of the debris that has accumulated over the past few weeks. Nice work and thanks again!
Some recent work in the Auxiliary Gym as the decades-old divider wall was replaced over the break with an industry-standard divider curtain. Thanks to our Maintenance Team, who always take such great care of our facilities!
It was impressive to see some of our students deliver their presentations in French class this week… Classmates stayed focused & engaged while taking notes from each presentation – Tres bien!
It’s always a pleasure seeing the creativity & imagination that comes out of our students, especially with projects like this in art class. We can’t wait to see the finished products!
The Saxe “Inspire Wall” continues to grow with some terrific messaging that are great reminders for all!
Inspiration comes in many forms… Here are just a few examples from our students that were recently added to our “Inspire Wall” – enjoy!
The days are getting longer & the timing of the sunrise is close to arrival, which is such a treat to see each day! And, our Saxe Hawks mascot has been watching over our campus quite a bit lately!
Utilize our Saxe outdoor learning spaces during a nice day in January in CT? Why not! Students in ELA were able to break out and utilize different spaces around the building while they were working on their Dystopian Unit project… Nice work!
Beautiful morning for some activity before the school day starts at Saxe – this is one committed crew!
Dogs of Saxe
Whether they are big or small, we love to see so many Dogs of Saxe see their humans off for the school day 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)
Website: https://www.ncps-k12.org/saxe
Saxe Middle School
Celebrating Our Learning Community Through Caring, Communication, & Commitment
