April 2, 2026
Dear Saxe MS Family,
Happy April! As we close out our third quarter of the school year, the April break is upon us. The amount of work, time, dedication, learning, growth, and so much more that has taken place over the course of this school year has been amazing. And, the best is yet to come! When we get back from the break, we will be hitting the ground running into the fourth quarter, where we get to look forward to keeping the positive momentum going and many culminating events that will tie it all together! Thank you for taking a moment to check out some of what makes our school community special by reading, scrolling, listening, or any combination of three 🙂
This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at the latest Saxe MS podcast, Math, ELA, Stringfest, April Celebrations, Advisory, morning drop-off safety reminder, Leadership Team, Clubs, Hawks Gazette, a rocket launch, NCHS student-athletes visiting Saxe MS, the “Inspire Wall”, World Autism Awareness Day, Dogs of Saxe, Life Lessons, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful April Break!
Be Well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
4/3 No School (Good Friday) – Have a Terrific Break!
4/4 National Librarian Day
4/6 – 4/10 – April Break
4/13 Welcome Back!
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“Instruction does much, but encouragement everything.”-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”-Unknown
“This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change.” – Taylor Swift
Saxe Jokes of the week:
What do you say when you see someone after midnight on New Year’s Day? I haven’t seen you since last year!
What New Year’s resolution should a basketball player never make? To travel more
Why was the Roomba late for class? It overswept
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!
Math
Students in Mrs. Andrews’ Compacted ⅞ Math class have been working with linear functions and systems of linear equations. They work in groups on problems around the room, using paper, mini whiteboards, and large vertical whiteboards to collaborate and solve problems.
English Language Arts
In our current argument unit, 7th graders are exploring which new elective should be added to our schedule: cooking, computer science, or music/theater. Over the past few days, students worked collaboratively to identify the strongest evidence from their research to support their preferred elective. After evaluating and selecting their best evidence as a group, students put their ideas to the test by debating classmates who were advocating for a different elective. These debates helped students refine their thinking and determine the most effective evidence they will use when writing their formal argument letters after the break.
Stringfest
On Tuesday evening, our NCPS Orchestra Program hosted its 2nd Triennial StringFest. The program featured orchestras from each of the New Canaan Public Schools, concluding with a piece featuring all of the 350 string musicians in grades 4-12. It was an incredible experience for our musicians and their families to get to hear the progress made from elementary through high school orchestra. Congratulations to all involved!
Paraprofessional Appreciation Day
Celebrations Over April Break
National School Librarian’s Day – April 4th. Thank you for all that you do for our school community, Ms. Stilwell!
National Assistant Principal’s Week
Happy Early Assistant Principal’s Week! This one happens to fall on the calendar during April Break (April 6-10), so we wanted to make sure that we acknowledged all the amazing work that Dr. Ferreira does for our students and school community – you are appreciated!
Safety Reminder
Please be reminded that parent drop-off is not allowed at the front of the school between 7:35 and 8:00 a.m., as buses are actively arriving during that time. Keeping the front loop clear is essential for maintaining student safety and ensuring efficient bus flow. As the weather improves, we are also seeing an increase in students arriving by bike and scooter, which adds to the congestion in this area. For morning drop-off, please use the back entrance of the school. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us keep all students safe.
Advisory
Each month, we gather in 76 small groups for Advisory to connect, build community, and have some fun. Below are some examples from our most recent sessions where we reflected on the “middle school experience”, and advice for students as they consider what next year will look like as 7th or 8th graders. Stay tuned for more information as we process the responses and share them out in fun formats like infographics, slides, podcasts, and videos. Until then, enjoy a few pics from this week…
The Saxe MS “Community Board” continues to expand as student reflections on what they have learned, or how they have grown, during their time in middle school get hung up… There is a ton of inspiration in those responses!
Ms. Grainsky, Ms. Beatman, & Ms. Lashendock
Ms. Kiley
Ms. Perretti
Mr. Gusitsch
From individual reflection time, to partner share-outs, to whole group discussion, I couldn’t be prouder of this group of Saxe MS students! The care, attention, & detail they gave to not only their own personal experiences, but also to the advice of future 7th-graders is inspiring!
7/8 Leadership Team
Donation drive organized by 7th & 8th grade Leadership for Strays & Others in New Canaan! Thank you to all staff, students and families for your generous donations going to animals in need in our community!
Minecraft and Board Games
Members of the Minecraft and Board Games Club enjoy creating and exploring new worlds in Minecraft or spending time together playing games after school. All 7th and 8th-graders are welcome to join the fun.
Hawks Gazette
Check out the latest editions 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 enjoy seeing Saxe through the lens of our students!
Or, check out the latest edition 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!
It may have been “umbrella weather” at Saxe MS arrival today, but the flower pots definitely help remind us that Spring is here!
Always inspiring to see science in action, to the highest degree! Amazing to watch the Artemis II Launch, on their way to the moon. Best wishes to all involved!
From T-0 launch time to moon base concepts – the future is now!
What an absolute honor it was to have the NCHS spring season captains here at Saxe MS today to support a lesson on bullying, appropriate online communication, &, just being “kind, good people”. So nice to see our former students & have them give back to our school community!
The”Inspire Wall” at Saxe MS continues to grow with so many positive, insightful additions! Thanks to Ms. Orlando for continually working with her students on this wonderful, collaborative creation!
This vision drives our work at Saxe MS… Proud to prepare our students with life skills for a successful future!
Nice weather throughout the week at Saxe MS resulted in more students taking advantage of Hawks’ Court to get some fresh air & activity before school starts – nice work!
Every member of our Saxe MS community makes a big difference… Today, we celebrated our amazing team of Paraprofessionals – thanks for all that you do!
We may be on break for this important day, but we still salute & appreciate all that Ms. Stilwell does for our Saxe MS community… Thanks for all that you do, EVERY day!
Assistant Principal’s Week falls over our school break at Saxe MS, so we are celebrating our amazing AP, Dr. Ferreira, this week AND next! Thanks for all that you do for our school community- you are appreciated!
Today is World Autism Awareness Day. Designated by the UN in 2007, it promotes awareness & acceptance of individuals on the autism spectrum. At Saxe MS, we recognize & celebrate ALL students!
🙂
Dogs Of Saxe
The particular pup was trying their best to be respectful when Ms. Orlando tried to share a treat, but didn’t want to “take treats from a stranger” (you could almost see its personality in that moment!). 🙂
Life Lessons
If you could capture the essence of “Never Give Up” in one photo, it may be this one! They may not always end with a “win”, or in such a dramatic fashion, but there are terrific life lessons that happen each & every day – all you need to do is be open to seeing them!
Have a great week, see you after break!
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
