June 19, 2026
Dear Saxe MS Family,
Well, that’s a wrap on the 2025-26 school year! It certainly does not seem possible, yet, here we are… Some days were longer than others, but this year seemed to cruise right by. With that being said, we accomplished much and celebrated often. Thank you to every member of our school community for a truly amazing year. As you scan through the most recent Saxe Weekly, I hope you are able to reflect on the year and feel a sense of pride for your own personal accomplishments, no matter how big or small. You should all be proud!
This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at Father’s Day, the latest Saxe MS podcast, celebrating the Saxe MS Class of 2026, Juneteenth, bagel breakfast, yearbooks, an ice truck, 8th-grade picnic, the NCHS Grad Walk and Graduation ceremony, summer reading guide, STEM for Social Good, Social Studies, tons of Team celebrations, resource & support numbers, Kindness cards, Saxe Spirit, birthdays, NCHS info, Hawks Gazette, an arrival filled with confetti, the morning crew – then & now, Dogs of Saxe (including a robotic dog), and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful SUMMER!
Be Well,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:
Enjoy the Summer! See you in the 2026-27 School Year!
Happy Father’s Day
To all the Dads out there in our Saxe MS community – Happy Father’s Day!
*Quotes that resonated with us this week:
“As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it.” – Unknown
“Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.” – John D. Rockefeller
“He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.” —Chinese proverb
“Happiness is not by chance, but by choice.” — Jim Roh
“Every day is a chance to learn something new.” — Begin Learning
Saxe Jokes of the week:
I always listen to music while fishing. I love catchy tunes.
Two windmills are standing in a wind farm. One asks, “What’s your favorite kind of music?” The other says, “I’m a big metal fan.
My kids put together a PowerPoint presentation explaining why we should go to the water park…it has several slides!
What do lobsters do on the last day of school? Shell-abrate!
Why was the obtuse angle sad on the last day of school? Because he hadn’t been right all year!
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 MS – Class of 2026
We did it! Today was a wonderful celebration of the Saxe MS Class of 2026, and what a special group it was to honor! Congratulations and best wishes as the new NCHS Class of 2030 – we wish you nothing but the best! To check out the Promotion Ceremony, please feel free to do so, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77fLTQbHn4Y
A couple of notes:
- If you would like to read the transcript of Mr. Gusitsch’s message to the Saxe Class of 2026, with a focus on “life lessons”, “being present”, and connections to the recently released book, “Apple: The First 50 Years”, you are welcome to check it out, here.
- A special thank you to Mr. Tony Psenicnik for capturing the ceremony and all the setup, editing, and breakdown that goes along with it!
Celebrating Juneteenth
Below is a message that was shared on our slideshow at Saxe to honor and recognize the significance of this holiday.
In addition to lessons that were shared, we also read the following announcement this morning:
“Good morning! Today we recognize Juneteenth, an important federal holiday in American history. Juneteenth marks June 19, 1865—the day enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned they were finally free, which was more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. It has been celebrated in many communities since then. The holiday became a federal holiday in 2021 and is also a Connecticut state holiday. Juneteenth is a time to celebrate freedom, honor the resilience and amazing contributions of African Americans, and learn from our shared history. As we go through our day, let’s remember that everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and respect.”
Celebrating NCPS Students
This week was full of celebrations for 7th-grade, 8th-grade, and our former students as the NCHS Class of 2026 graduated… Congratulations to All! Our week at Saxe kicked off with a tremendous Bagel Breakfast for our 8th-graders. This was also combined with them receiving their 2025-26 yearbook & made for a terrific experience as part of their weeklong celebration! Thanks to our PTC & staff who made it all possible!
There was lots to celebrate around Saxe this week & the signs were out to show it! Thanks to all involved in helping make this a special week for our students!
An important part of a successful Promotion Ceremony to celebrate our Saxe Class of 2026 is effective rehearsals… Credit to our students & staff for having them prepared & ready to go!
Thank you to our PTC for putting on a fabulous 8th-grade picnic as we celebrated our Saxe Class of 2026 this week. There was a little something for everyone & we could not have asked for a nicer day! And, some of our students put their talents on display for all to see!
Thanks to our amazing PTC for putting on a fabulous 8th-grade picnic as we celebrated our Saxe Class of 2026 this week. There was a little something for everyone & we could not have asked for a nicer day!
What a special day for our students as we promoted the Saxe Class of 2026! Thanks to NCHS Principal Egan & members of our Central Office team for helping make it such a terrific celebration! Below are a few pictures from the ceremony and your are welcome to read my “Principal’s Address” to the Saxe MS Class of 2026 by clicking the link. Enjoy!
What a special day for our students as we celebrated the Saxe Class of 2026 today – congrats to All!
What a special day for our Saxe students as we celebrated the Class of 2026! And, what a wonderful tribute to Ms. Saab for her 25 years of service to the students of Saxe – the first certificate of the Promotion Ceremony & a yearbook signed by the entire 8Green Team!
Music makes everything better! Thanks to ourSaxe Music staff (Ms. Harris, Ms. Dorfman, Mr. Gergle, Ms. Sagerstrand, & the rest of the department!) for helping make our celebration of the Saxe Class of 2026 one of the best yet! And, our students? Bravo!
Both gymnasiums at NCHS were decked out & ready to celebrate the Saxe Class of 2026 / NCHS Class of 2030! Thank you to EVERYONE who helped make this event so special for our students & families!
The NCHS Grad Walk has been one our favorite traditions to look forward to each year! At Saxe, we want to make it a special stop for both our former & current students… Mission accomplished! Thanks to all involved!
You know it’s going to be a great day when the two mascots kick it off by hugging it out!
At Saxe, we want to make it a special stop for both our former & current students. The Jam Band & Orchestra performances were a tremendous addition & classy touch. Thanks to all involved!
To check out a glimpse of the action & energy, click here!
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words… Our former Saxe & current NCHS students leave campus one last time after the Grad Walk… We wish them all the best!
A few scenes from the NCHS Graduation Ceremony… Saxe celebrates NCHS (and, many of our former students!). Congrats to the NCHS Class of 2026!
What an amazing day celebrating the NCHS Class of 2026! It could not have been any more perfect… The crowd, the speeches, & my goodness, the weather – it does not get any better! Congrats to All!
English Language Arts: Summer Reading is Here!
Incoming 5-8th grade summer reading letters have been sent home, and ELA teachers have reviewed the assignments with students in class. Families can access grade-level assignments, book recommendations, and additional resources on the Saxe Reads Summer Reading website. Happy reading!
STEM for Social Good
This year, we students have been busy in STEM for Social Good, a club dedicated to making a tangible, positive impact right here on our campus. This year, our young innovators have been utilizing the Design Thinking process to creatively solve problems in our school community. By empathizing with teachers and peers, defining specific problems, brainstorming creatively, and building real prototypes, our students have successfully tackled three major school community challenges: a sign-out sheet for Ms. Nori’s class at East School, designing identification tags for coaches, and creating a musical instrument stand for Mr. Gillan at the intermediate School. Congratulations to our club members on a great year!
Social Studies
We would like to thank Tori Aufiero, our intern for the year! Tori (back right) served as a student teacher with Jenny Baltz (Grade 8) before continuing as the Saxe intern, supporting Social Studies, Language Arts, and a variety of other classrooms and school needs throughout the year. She quickly became a valued member of our school community, building positive relationships with students and teachers and willingly stepping in wherever support was needed. We are grateful for the care, flexibility, and enthusiasm she brought to Saxe this year and wish her much success as she begins her career in education.
Green Team End of Year
8 Green closed out the year with fun activities including team yearbook signing; team trivia, based on fun facts about each team member; watching a team memory video; and the 13th annual Green Team Oscars. Some Oscar categories included best group performance, best individual performance, best cinematography, and most creative.
8 Blue Team Awards
The Blue Team shared some pictures from their end-of-year Paper Plate Awards. These awards were designed by Blue Team students to recognize their fellow Blue Team students based on their Language Arts presentations. They decided to give the awards out as a team this year, and it was a great way to recognize students!
7Blue was “soaking up the sun” with their new shades thanks to the Student Leadership Team, led by Ms. Perretti & Ms. Nettleton. Nice touch!
Support Numbers
As summer approaches, we wanted to share some resources for mental health support in case anyone should need assistance over the next few months.
Saxe Spirit
As part of Saxe’s last week of school “HAWKS” Celebration, 7th grade Leadership students handed out “Kindness Cards” on Thursday for the “K” during arrival for students & staff! The smiles as they read their quotes were priceless!
Speaking of spirit, there was definitely some serious spirit during “Wacky Hair Day” in the HAWKS countdown!
8 Purple
8 Purple held their 3rd annual Kickball Tournament on Tuesday. All teams played well, but Mrs. Brown’s “Undefined” team won the coveted first place trophy (if you look closely, you will see it in the winning team’s picture below… you have to look very, very closely!). Ms. Sikora’s team, “Founding Fathers… and Mothers!” finished in a strong second place. Mrs. Mackenzie’s “Literary Legends” and Mr. Tomasiewicz’s “Home Pass Heroes” tied for third place. Past winners include “The LA-inators” and “The 6-7s”. Ms. Sikora looks forward to winning next year. To keep up with ever-changing technology, Mr. T. has transitioned from score-keeping in the dust with a stick to using a clipboard and scorecard.
Happy Birthday
One last birthday shout-out for the 2025-26 school year! For anyone celebrating over the summer, happy early birthday!
Planning for NCHS
8th-graders who are planning to attend NCHS next year, please reference the “device email” that was sent out on Wednesday (6/17). Congrats again, 8th-graders!
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, Luke Loeffler, & Colin Saari…
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!
This sign on East Ave sums it up, “It’s Summer, Be Cool”! Have a GREAT one, All!
7 Purple celebrated one last time in the Saxe auditorium this week. It was a terrific way to round out the year & reflect on all that everyone has to be grateful for & proud of from this school year!
After much practice & familiarizing some Saxe staff with the UniTree Robot Dog, it was introduced in Science Workshop this week! We are looking forward to exploring more options in how it is used/experienced by students, but excited to get it up & (literally) running!
No one gets more excited about celebrating our Saxe 8th-graders last official day in the building than Ms. Orlando! She got as many students as she could with some celebratory confetti at morning arrival – what a fun way to start their last day!
PS – she may have even gotten a parent in on the party!
Congrats to Ms. Jarosik! After 21 years, she is handing off the baton as Secretary of the NC Board of Education! Thank you for your dedicated service to the BOE & community from 2005 – 2026! We are grateful to still have you at Saxe!
This was a real treat to have the Kona Ice Truck visit @SaxeMS for our 7th-graders to enjoy some icy treats while getting their yearbooks! The day could not have been more perfect to enjoy this special experience!
What a dedicated group of Saxe students! Here’s a shot from Sept & one from this week… Some of the players may have changed but they all made the best out of getting out & starting the day the right way each week of the ENTIRE school year… Nice work!
What a dedicated group of Saxe students! The “morning crew” was legitimately out on the courts EVERY week of the school year getting a little activity, socialization, & fun before the day began. Rain, snow, cold, hot, humid – you name it. All. 40. Weeks! This is COMMITMENT
What a special day for our Saxe students as we celebrated the Saxe Class of 2026 today! A special shout out to our Saxe PTC Co-Presidents for all they have done for our school community throughout the year (&, more) – thank you!
Maybe the best quote I’ve heard all year…. “Big hats, big dreams”… That’s the spirit of our Saxe students – dream big!
The buses are rolling & Saxe students have officially begun their summer vacation… Thanks for a great school year & enjoy your time off!
Dogs of Saxe
Dogs of Saxe had a strong showing this week! Nice weather & the excitement of the last week of dropping their humans off for arrival at Saxe made for a great week!
And, we even had a “robot dog” make an appearance as Mr. P showed off the skills of this amazing device.
We even got to catch up with the “best” member of the NCPD toward the end of the Saxe 8th-Grade Picnic. What an amazing specimen!
Teddy was elated to greet us OUTSIDE the vehicle, caught Barnabas on a walk, & we hope to see Mac (only 10 weeks) many more times!
Have a great SUMMER, see you in August!
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
