May 15, 2026
Dear Saxe MS Family,
As we hit the mid-point of May, we are rapidly approaching the home stretch. With five weeks left, this is not the time to look ahead to summer quite yet, but an opportunity to make the most of each moment to finish the year as strongly as possible. Each month is important throughout a school year, but the learning, collaboration, culminating experiences, and fun that will take place between now and June 19th are the best part of the entire year! We look forward to each moment and celebrating all of our successes, together!
This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at the latest Saxe MS Podcast, Science, Social Studies, National Speech & Language Pathologist Day, Saxe SRO, school reminders, community events, Heritage Month, Hawks Gazette, Unity in our Community, Library, certificates of gratitude, some Uno, inspiration, Dogs of Saxe, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!
Be Well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
5/18 National Speech Pathologist Day
5/19 NCHS Internships Begin
5/20 Saxe Spring Orchestra Concert (No Homework) – 7 p.m.
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“Only compare yourself to who you were / how you did yesterday.” — Unknown
“Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.” — Chinese Proverb
“There are no secrets to success. It is dedication, hard work and learning from failure.”-Colin Powell
“There is nothing impossible to they who will try.” – Alexander the Great
“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” — Vidal Sassoon
Saxe Jokes of the week:
What did the thread say to the spool? I’m all tied up!
How do you call Mr. Gusitsch??? On the SAXE-o-Phone
Where did the boat go when it got sick? Straight to the dock.
What did the worker at the rubber band factory say when he was fired? Oh, snap.
Why did the rabbit go to the salon? It was having a bad hare day.
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!
Science
Students across science classes recently collaborated on an exciting research project exploring animals and their incredible “super senses.” From bats using echolocation to sharks detecting electrical signals, students investigated how animals rely on specialized senses to survive and thrive in their environments. Teams transformed their research into visually engaging infographics that combined scientific facts and creative visuals. The project highlighted student collaboration, creativity, and scientific inquiry while allowing students to communicate their learning in an innovative and engaging way. Nice job by all!
Social Studies
Several groups of our 8th-grade Social Studies students honored our nation’s heroes by writing thank-you cards for the Honor Flight Program. This organization provides veterans of the WWII, Korean, and Vietnam wars with a memorable day-trip to tour the monuments and Arlington National Cemetery in D.C. Special thanks go to NCHS teacher Caryn Vita for bringing this program to our attention and to our teachers for facilitating this project. We are proud of our students for taking the time to recognize these veterans’ incredible service. You can find more information about the program at honorflight.org.
Ms Campbell’s class wrapped up their fourth unit project about how Nigeria is becoming a more sustainable country by making connections closer to home. A More Sustainable New Canaan is a project that helps answer the two questions: How is New Canaan working towards becoming a more sustainable community? And what role can YOU play in making New Canaan a more sustainable place? Using Planet New Canaan’s website, students researched programs, opportunities, and recommendations that help make the town a more sustainable place. In addition to including information and a call to action on their posters, students applied their understanding of the larger concept of sustainability by incorporating their conclusions about the potential impacts on New Canaan’s environment, society, and economy. The displays turned out great!
National Speech-Language Pathologist Day
Thank you to our Speech & Language Pathologists for the important role they play in our school community. Your expertise and genuine care, in the work that you do each day, are recognized and truly appreciated!
Saxe in the News
Congratulations to our Saxe SRO, Officer Blank, on being named New Canaan Police Officer of the Year! This prestigious award reflects Officer Blank’s commitment to our school community at Saxe MS & his contributions to the community at large. Thanks for all that you do for all of us & congrats!
School Reminder
Springtime often brings about an uptick in students bringing baseball, football, and other trading cards to school. While we understand the excitement around collecting, these items create a distraction to the learning environment and are not permitted at Saxe. Additionally, we want to remind all students and families that selling items of any kind (cards, candy, gum, etc.) for personal profit is never allowed on school grounds. We appreciate your support in keeping Saxe focused, fair, and fun for everyone. Thank you for partnering with us on this!
PTC Reminders
Please see the important grade 8 end-of-year information that was sent out by our tremendous Saxe PTC earlier this week!
Be sure to take a few minutes to check out the 8th Grade Activities to-do list below to make sure your 8th grader is all set to participate in all the upcoming festivities! The newest addition is the picnic lunch sandwich selection form!
To-Do List
Mark your calendar with the key dates below
Order your class of 2026 lawn sign here (deadline Wednesday, May 20th)
Make a picnic lunch sandwich selection for your student here (deadline Friday, May 22nd)
Get your student’s ticket for the Saxe Bash here (dealine Tuesday, June 9th)
Be sure to check out the 8th Grade Promotion Page on the Saxe PTC Website for full details of all upcoming 8th-grade activities!
There is “lots” to look forward to!
Community Events
New Canaan Inn Student Recital Series: June 3rd, 2026 @ 3:30-5:00 PM
Are you an NCPS student in Grades K-12? Do you play an instrument, sing, or dance? Would you like a chance to perform in front of a warm and supportive audience? You can play a solo or perform with a group. If you are a pianist, the New Canaan Inn has a beautiful baby grand piano that is tuned regularly.
This is the 15th year of our Student Recital Series! Each recital has space for approximately 15 different selections at 5 minutes each (or less). Depending on how many students are signed up, you may be able to play more than one piece, if time allows. We need to end by 5:00pm. It’s easy to sign up! Click this link or use the QR Code below to sign up!
Heritage Month
This month, we honor the many contributions of fellow Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander heritage. This week, we celebrated Tammy Duckworth, Dr. Jane Luu, Steven Chen, Ieoh Ming Pei, and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team for their remarkable achievements and lasting impact in their respective fields.
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! Thank you to the following for your contributions: Gino Monaghan, Max Cohn, Nico Curran, & Tiago Sirett…
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!
These are from last Friday evening’s run of the Wizard of Oz at Saxe MS- what a terrific show! Congrats to the Cast, Crew, volunteers, & all involved – what a fantastic production! Bravo!
Unity In Community
Our Saxe MS 8th-grade teams knocked their May displays out of the park with these fun, creative exhibits and some really meaningful reflections by our students… Nice work by all!
If I had to name these photos, I’d call them “Focus”. Our Saxe MS students were locked in as they reflected on their “Species Super Senses” projects before beginning their gallery walks to see projects from across ALL of 7th-grade & provide meaningful feedback. Very impressive!
Thanks to our Saxe MS Library staff for providing this fun, engaging, & intriguing opportunity to learn & collaborate with this “community puzzle” – very cool!
This week, we spread some positivity around Saxe MS by delivering our May “Certificates of Gratitude” to students & staff who were recognized for going above & beyond & positively contributing to our school community! Thanks to all who nominated & congrats to all recipients!
The Library at Saxe MS was filled with the ENTIRE 7th-grade as they worked on their Science “Species Super Senses” projects. Research, collaboration, presentation skills, & public speaking are all part of the learning that was on display, & the projects are shaping up nicely!
I’m so happy I was able to join in a quick hand of Uno during a lunch wave this week! Joy, laughter, strategy, quick thinking, & so much more… Sometimes important life lessons take place in the unstructured times & social groups at Saxe MS!
Great message on the bench sign on East Ave – “Dream Big”! We encourage our students at Saxe MS to do the same!
The morning crew was starting their day off right by getting a little “active socialization” before the school day begins at Saxe MS – nice work!
The displays outside the Saxe MS Main Office have just about been fully utilized with the addition of the most recent Social Studies projects… This collaborative display screams “community” as it showcases work, thoughts, &/or words from almost every student & staff member here!
Thanks to James on our Maintenance crew for putting so much care & attention into helping our courtyards at Saxe MS look the best they can! We are so fortunate to have such incredible outdoor spaces to utilize & even more fortunate to have people who take such great care of them!
Dogs Of Saxe
Warmer weather is bringing out more Dogs Of Saxe! We love having them visit as they drop their humans off at Saxe MS morning arrival!
And, even visitors who happen to stop by… PE Teacher, Ms. Andrews, and Bodie stopped by on Friday afternoon – what a great treat! Stay tuned to see how quickly Bodie grows!
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
