February 6, 2026
Dear Saxe MS Family,
Happy February! It was another eventful week at Saxe Middle School, and we appreciate you following along to experience what makes our school community special by reading, scrolling, or listening to our latest newsletter. Thank you for taking a few moments to check it out!
This week in the Saxe Weekly, we are proud to share the latest Saxe MS Podcast episode, “One Second of Strength”, the 100th Day, Math, Science, Winter Daytime Open Houses, School Counseling Week, celebrating Black History Month, School Clubs, one last lost & found reminder, “Hawks Gazette”, the NCHS Courant, Health, positive messaging, Knitting Club, Scenes around Saxe, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend (stay warm, it’s supposed to be a cold one)!
Be Well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates
2/9: Tanner Clark “One Second of Strength” assembly & community event
2/13: No School (Staff Professional Learning)
2/13: Winter Break – enjoy!
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.” —Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
“The only limit to our realisation of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.” – Vince Lombardi
“One learns from books and example only that certain things can be done. Actual learning requires that you do those things.” — Frank Herbert
Saxe Jokes of the week:
Did you hear about the guy who’s afraid of escalators? He takes steps to avoid them.
Do you have a date for Valentine’s Day? Yes, February 14th.
Sometimes February has 29 days. How many other months have 29 days? All of them.
What kind of keys do kids prefer? Cookies!
How does a North Pole carpenter fix something broken? Igloos it together.
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!
Community Event
Saxe MS is looking forward to experiencing the “One Second of Strength” assembly on Monday (2/9) during the school day. Later in the evening, parents are invited to join for the parent presentation at 7 pm, at NCHS. Tanner Clark will discuss “one second of strength” to limit technology distractions and screen time usage. The high school PFA is generously hosting an event for all community parents to follow up on the student presentations that the PFA and Saxe PTC are bringing to all 7th-12th graders. We hope to see you there!
100th Day
As if we needed any reminder of how quickly time is flying by, several staff members reminded us that we celebrated the 100th day of school this week. You know what that means? 82 more opportunities to learn, grow, explore, engage, experience, innovate, inspire, socialize, have fun, and so much more!
Math
Students in Ms. Kiley’s Math 7 class worked together on a card sort to identify the connections between descriptions, models, and expressions.
Science
It’s a “jewel heist”! Student scientists in 8th-grade are currently investigating forces and motion. This week, students on 8Red had to apply their understanding of distance and displacement in order to analyze a position-time graph and recreate the patterns using a motion sensor, being careful not to trip the alarm system on their way to securing the precious jewels.
Saxe Daytime Open Houses
Our Winter Daytime Open House series was a wonderful success, and it was so nice to welcome so many parents into the building during the school day. Their time, interest, and engagement made the experience meaningful for both students and staff. Attendees were able to see where their children learn & grow each day, see homework samples, hear about upcoming lessons/units, and even got some advice on finishing the year strongly! The slides for each grade and team are included below for anyone who was unable to attend (or, if you want to revisit any of the important, interesting, or resourceful information that was shared during each session). Just click the link to the slideshow you would like to view!
| Monday, 2/2 | Tuesday, 2/3 | Thursday, 2/5 | Friday, 2/6 |
| G7: Red Team 7 Red Slides | G7:Purple Team 7 Purple Slides | G7: Blue Team 7 Blue Slides | G7: Green Team 7 Green Slides |
| G8: Red Team 8 Red Slides | G8: Green Team 8 Green Slides | G8: Purple Team 8 Purple Slides | G8: Blue Team 8 Blue Slides |
Special Area and World Language Slides:
| Art Health Music Physical Education | French 7 French 8 Latin 7 Latin 8 | Mandarin 7 Mandarin 8 Spanish 7 Spanish 8 |
Thank you to the hundreds of parents who came out this week! Attendees were able to see where their children learn & grow each day, see homework samples, hear about upcoming lessons/units, & even got some advice on finishing the year strongly!
Beyond seeing all of the great content that our Saxe teachers had to offer during the Daytime Open Houses this week, it was also great to see some of the messages of positivity & resilience that encourage our students in their workspaces as well!
In addition to hearing about lessons/content, parents on 8Blue also got to experience some of the enthusiasm that gets brought into Science class as Mr. Chard shared a recent lab on force, mass, velocity, & acceleration… It would be difficult to not get excited about learning in here!
A special thanks to Ms. Benware for helping our parents find their respective meeting locations, for the Saxe MS Daytime Open Houses this week, with these awesome “Saxe-ified” signs! Worth noting, we had zero lost parents! 🙂
Save the Date
Please save the date for this optional 9th Grade Orientation for 8th-grade students & families, the incoming NCHS Class of 2030! Details will be sent closer to the event. This annual event has proven to be an exciting, interactive evening showcasing all that NCHS has to offer.
School Counselor Week
As School Counseling Week comes to a close, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our School Counselors for all that they do. Their compassion, guidance, and steady support make a lasting difference in the lives of our students every single day. We are so grateful for the care, dedication, and encouragement they bring to our school community – thank you for being such an essential part of our students’ success. Ms. Beltran, Mr. Lepisto, Ms. Nettleton – we salute you this week (and, beyond!). 💙
Celebrating Black History Month
This month, we pause to recognize and celebrate the many contributions that fellow citizens have made—and continue to make—to our country. This week, we honored Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, Carter G. Woodson, Mark Dean, Viola Davis, and The Greensboro Four.
After School Clubs
The Grade 7/8 After School Club information and sign-ups are now ready on the Saxe website! The link will take you to a description of activities, what day each activity is offered, and the link to sign up: Saxe Middle School Club Information. Activities will begin on Monday, February 9th, and run through Friday, June 5th, 2026. You may sign up your child(ren) for one club or multiple clubs, and they are automatically in the club unless you hear from us that the club is full.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Lisa.Jarosik@ncps-k12.org.
Lost & Found
We have been working very hard on trying to get our Lost and Found items back to their owners! Please have your child take a look if they are missing anything before the Winter Break. Anything that is left, we will be donating it to those in need. Thank you!
Hawks Gazette
What happens when you have a few motivated students who want to contribute to the manner in which information is shared with our school community? You get the first edition of the Hawks Gazette! Thanks to our students and staff advisor, Mr. Myers for this fun, interactive format in which to learn more about, or engage with, Saxe Middle School. We look forward to seeing how this evolves!
Or check it out by accessing the Hawks Gazette Google Site, directly.
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Below are photos and phrases that were included on our Saxe Middle School page (@SaxeMS) this week. Enjoy!
The NCHS Courant is back at Saxe MS & we couldn’t be more pumped to have the print issues available for our school community to see what’s going on at NCHS, & follow along in the lives of our former students! Nice work & thanks for including us in your deliveries!
Students also went “old school” with pencil/paper in Saxe MS Health Ed as they learned more about ingredients/contents of popular beverages to make healthier decisions in their own personal wellness journeys…
The Saxe MS 8Purple Team board has been updated with some timely/great messages of gratitude, positivity, & encouragement!
The Knitting Club at Saxe MS continues to be a well-attended program where students not only create some amazing products but also have an opportunity to socialize with their peers, & connect more deeply with our school community!
Scenes around Saxe
Well, these may not technically all be “around Saxe”, but they are pretty awesome, nonetheless… We have shared some of Ms. Jarosik’s photos in the past, but here are a couple more impressive shots from this week. Our Saxe mascot (go Saxe Hawks!) from across the street near Waveny, &, the recent “Winter Moon” rising over the Fayerweather Lighthouse in Bridgeport – very cool!
Pictures don’t do it justice, but the sky over Saxe MS this morning was like an artist’s canvas in the making!
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
