2026.3.20 – Saxe Weekly (#318)

March 20, 2026

Dear Saxe MS Family,

Happy Spring! Today at 10:46 a.m., we officially entered the Spring season. While the cold temps may still feel like winter for a little longer, nicer days are on the horizon! Whether it’s inside the building or around campus, thanks for taking a moment to check out the latest happenings around Saxe Middle School. We appreciate the opportunity to share snapshots of what makes our school community unique and special!

This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at the latest Saxe MS Podcast, Spirit, some end-of-year updates, Spanish, keeping the tech-free vibe going, Leadership Club, making real-world connections, Women’s History Month, Middle Level Education Month opportunities, NCHS Giving Week, recess, recognitions, School Counselor lessons, Music, Scenes around Saxe, Dogs of Saxe, “inspiration”, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Be Well,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

3/27 – Saxe Spirit Day – Red & Black

*Quotes that resonated with us this week:

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”—Maimonides

“Focus on being productive instead of busy.” — Tim Ferriss

“One must have strategies to execute dreams.”— Azim Premji

“It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.”—Anthony Robbins

“A little progress each day adds up to big results.”-Unknown

Saxe Jokes of the week:

Why do leprechauns hate running? They’d rather jig than jog.

Do you know why I’m not worried about passing math? Because it’s as easy as pi.

Which baseball player makes the best pancakes? The batter!

How do robins start their exercise routine? With worm-ups.

Can February March? No, but April May.

Happy Spring!

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!

Saxe Spirit

To celebrate the first full week of Spring and the last full week of March, we are calling on all students and staff members to fill the halls with a wave of school spirit!

Update on End-of-Year Dates

The Board of Education voted on Monday night to have the last day of school be Friday, June 19th, which will be a half day. The 8th Grade will have their Promotion Ceremony at NCHS on Thursday, June 18th. More information to come!

Spanish
7th-grade Spanish students recently participated in an interactive “Food Truck Festival,” where they used Spanish to engage in real-world communication. Students rotated through food truck stations, ordering meals, asking follow-up questions, and collecting data on class preferences—all entirely in Spanish. Afterward, each group analyzed its data and presented its findings to the class using complete sentences, comparisons, and explanations. Students shared trends such as the most popular foods, least popular items, and surprising results, demonstrating their ability to think critically while communicating in the target language. This activity highlighted students’ growing proficiency as they moved beyond memorized phrases to create their own sentences, ask questions, and present information with confidence.

Saxe Unplugged

No tech? No problem! Students on 7Green recently selected a partner and together created a hand-drawn infographic poster about a topic from their lives. Students’ infographics were expected to have clear content, strong purpose and structure, thoughtful design, and correct conventions. The results were amazing!

Saxe staff are also taking their “tech-free” options seriously. Thanks to our Wellness Committee for providing this great opportunity to get “Off Your Phone”, or affectionately referred to as, “OYP”! 🙂

Leadership Club

The 7th & 8th Grade Leadership Club is running a donation drive for homeless dogs and cats at Strays & Others animal rescue here in New Canaan! Please see the flyer for items they need. There are bins around the building for donations – our drive will be running from now until April 2nd! Thank you for helping animals in need!

Making Connections

Thank you to Mr. Chard for sharing the article below. As a proud “parent alumn”, Mr. Chard was eager to share the connections in the article to the work that we have been focused on in our school, and district, through our Portrait of a Graduate. This is another example of making real-world connections to the very work that we are doing within our own school community. Thanks again, Mr. Chard!

Women’s History Month

As part of our ongoing celebration of Women’s History Month, we continue to recognize the many contributions women have made to our country. This week, we honor Rachel Carson, Antonia Novello, Grace Hopper, Charlotte L. Brown, and Hedy Lamarr.

Middle Level Education Month (reminders)

This month in Advisory, we will be focusing on the impact middle level education has on the overall educational journey of our students. This will include positive experiences, shout-outs, suggestions for future success, and so much more. Stay tuned as we “travel” along the middle level education roadway!

And, as a reminder, our students are welcome to participate in MLEM too! Below is information that was included in the most recent Saxe Weekly:

Each March, we celebrate Middle Level Education Month. It is an opportunity for us to recognize the role that this phase on the educational journey of our students is one of the most important portions of their trip! Below are some more resources, information, and opportunities for students to get involved. Stay tuned for more information and moments to celebrate throughout the month of March. If you have any questions about getting involved, please feel free to reach out!

MLEM: as shared by the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP)

MLEM: as shared by the Association of Middle Level Education (AMLE)

March is Middle Level Education Month (MLEM), devoted to celebrating the opportunity of the middle grades and the profound and consequential years of early adolescence.

This year, we are lifting up the voices and the champions of the middle grades. From students sharing their perspectives through our expanded Student Sound Off Contest, to adult advocates who guide, mentor, and inspire young adolescents every day, MLEM is all about recognizing the impact happening in middle schools across the country.

Join us as a champion for middle level education! There are a variety of ways both students and adults can get involved and celebrate the power and promise of the middle grades.

MS Student Sound Off Contest

Students can SOUND OFF on any aspect of their middle school experience in response to any of the prompts below. Because we all have different talents, interests, and ways of expressing ourselves, students can submit in the format that most appeals to them.

Being a middle schooler is like…
I feel happiest when…
I feel safest at school when…
I wish the adults in my life better understood…
Something that really matters to me is…
One of the biggest challenges or opportunities of being a middle schooler today is…
An adult in my life that is really important to me is…
An adult in my life that makes me feel safest being myself is…
An adult in my life that cheers the loudest for me is…
An adult in my life that I really admire, or see as a role model is…

After you’ve reviewed the contest details below, be sure to submit your sound off by April 3, 2026! Need some inspiration? Check out the finalists from 2023, 2024 and 2025.

And, yes – there are prizes!

Adult Advocate Awards

In a successful middle school, every student’s academic and personal development is guided by an adult advocate. In fact, research shows that students who can name an advocate at school experience many benefits, including greater engagement at school… Each day, thousands of adult advocates show up for kids in ways that matter to them, from teachers and administrators to counselors and coaches.

School Supporting Schools

NCHS is holding their “Giving Week” next week… Interested in finding out more, or participating? Check it out, here!: https://www.nchs-sf.org/giving-week

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

Just “sitting around” during Saxe Recess today! It was a beautiful day to get outside & enjoy some fresh air, have some activity, & have some fun with friends!

Congrats to these Saxe MS students who earned the honor & recognition of their peers & teachers on 7Blue for exemplifying the characteristics of being: Trustworthy, Polite, Innovative, & Inspirational – nice work!

Our Saxe MS School Counselors were back in grade 8 classes to go over the next lesson in the HS “Transition Series” to learn more about course selection at NCHS… It was clear that students are motivated & excited! The best part? Seeing some of our former students back to help!

Had an enjoyable visit to this Saxe MS Music Explorations class & got to hear some impressive ukulele, guitar riffs, drum beats, & so much more!

Ms. Benware is always up for a celebration! This week, she brought the spirit to Saxe MS with her green get-up for St. Patty’s Day!

Happy Spring from Saxe MS! What a beautiful morning to bring in the new season!

And, the number of students getting some activity before school has increased recently – great to see!

Scenes around Saxe

Thanks to Ms. Perretti for sharing this amazing sunrise over the Saxe MS fields this week! Fun facts:

– see if you can find the bird in the “upper ray” of sunshine

– it was also Ms. Perretti’s birthday the day this was taken (great way to start her day)!

The change from daylight saving time always brings out some beautiful views in the afternoons at Saxe MS. We’re almost to “spring” weather, too (I hope…)!

The week started a bit foggy at Saxe MS, but just like so many other things in life, it’s often not how you start, but how you finish!

The board outside the Saxe MS Office has been updated with some “welcoming” ideas on how to stay active – be sure to check it out!

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at some of the latest draft graphic images we will be incorporating into our recently updated spaces around Saxe… Yes, that is purposefully ambiguous! Stay tuned for exciting updates… Go Hawks!

Dogs of Saxe

The Saxe MS Leadership Club has done a nice job publicizing their drive! It runs through April 2nd, so please feel free to participate to support our students & their 4-legged friends!

A couple of Dogs of Saxe braved the cooler mornings this week to see their humans off to start their day at Saxe MS (&, Ms. Orlando spoiling Teddy)…

Be Kind

Thank you to the “Kind Crew” who swung through the Saxe MS Office yesterday & shared this inspirational quote!

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