2026.9.4 – Saxe Weekly (#332)

September 4, 2026

Dear Saxe MS Family,

Happy September! Congratulations on the successful completion of our first full week of the 2026-27 school year! And, what a great week it was… Each week in the Saxe Weekly, we share snapshots of all that makes our school community special. Whether you read from top to bottom, scroll through to look at pictures, listen to the podcast, or any combination of these, we appreciate you following along with us!

This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at Labor Day, the latest Saxe MS Podcast, Grade-level meetings, an attendance reminder, Science, School Counseling, Saxe Birthdays, PTC, Library, Spreading Joy, new staff, community events, team building, playground update, Birds of Saxe, Dogs of Saxe, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful LONG weekend (the weather forecast even looks beautiful)!

Be Well,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Happy Labor Day

Labor Day started in the late 1800s to honor American workers. These were the builders, farmers, teachers, tradespeople, and more whose hard work and grit helped make our country strong. Every year on the first Monday in September, we celebrate this proud piece of American history by taking a day to rest, spend time with family and friends, and say thank you to the hands that keep America running. Enjoy your long weekend!

Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

9/7 Labor Day – No School, No Homework – Building Closed

*Quotes that resonated with us this week:

“You’ll never do a whole lot unless you’re brave enough to try.” ― Dolly Parton

“When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.” — Elon Musk

“Don’t be afraid to start over. This time you’re not starting from scratch. You’re starting from experience.” — Karen Salmansohn

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” — Vince Lombardi

“Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” —Og Mandino

Saxe Jokes of the week:

“Why do calculators make great friends? You can always count on them!!”

“What’s the longest word in the English language? SMILES, because the first and last letter are a mile apart!”

“What does corn say when it gets a compliment? Aw, shucks!!”

“Why are elevator jokes so good? Because they work on so many levels!”

“I told my doctor that I broke my arm in two places. He told me to stop going to those places!”

Saxe Weekly: The Podcast

Thanks to Ms. Jarosik, we have a new graphic image for the Saxe MS Weekly Newsletter Podcast! Go Hawks!

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 Gemini Notebook 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!

Grade Level Meetings

As shared in the email below to parents yesterday, we held our annual beginning of the school year grade level assemblies to welcome our respective classes back, go over some important information, and thank/congratulate them on a positive start to the school year!

September 3, 2026

Dear Saxe Middle School Parents/Guardians,

Today, our 7th & 8th graders gathered in the auditorium during their respective Workshop periods to participate in our “Saxe MS Handbook Review & Expectations Grade Level Meeting”. We have done this for several years and have found that it is meaningful to assemble as a collective group with each grade level to ensure that we begin the school year with clearly articulated expectations, review our school culture as it relates to dignity, respect, and responsibility, and assure that each individual student knows that they belong at Saxe MS. If you would like to review the slides to continue the conversation with your child, you are welcome to view them, here:

Grade 7
Grade 8
You are also welcome to review our “Saxe MS Student Handbook” as well.

In addition to going through “the business” of expectations, rules, etc., we also commended our students (&, staff) on one of the most successful school openings in recent memory. It has been a wonderful start to the 2026-27 school year, we are proud of our students, and we are looking forward to keeping that momentum going!

Being part of your children’s educational journey is one of the highest honors, and we thank you for partnering with us as we work to develop well-rounded, good people! As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions.

Best,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Attendance Reminder

As we know, nothing is more important than our students being present in school. While there are certainly times that an absence is unavoidable, we have specific guidelines that we follow as a district. Below, please find our NCPS Attendance Policy and Requirements and a sample of the automated message that goes out to families if their child reaches 9 absences, regardless of the reason. Thank you for partnering with us to ensure every student is reaching their fullest potential!

NCPS Attendance Policy and Requirements

We strongly encourage all NCPS families to adhere to the school hours whenever possible when making appointments, and the school calendar when making family travel plans to maximize student time in the classroom learning environment. With that said, as we move into the cold and flu season, we request that parents of children demonstrating any signs or symptoms of illness (fever, cough, sore throat, vomiting, etc.) keep them home from school. Please communicate the reason for your child’s absence by calling our Absence Phone Line at 203-594-4500 and Press 1. Leave a message reporting your child’s name, grade, and the reason for the absence.

New Canaan Public Schools Board of Education Policy 5140 related to attendance aligns with state school attendance law. An overview of state attendance law can be found on pages 2 through 9 of the Guidelines for Excused and Unexcused Absences.

We would like to highlight the following:

CT uses a two-tiered absence system for reporting purposes.

The first 9 absences in a school year are considered Excused Absences.
All absences after the 9th absence will be considered Unexcused Absences unless parents provide documentation as described in the Guidelines Document referenced above.

NCPS generates a reminder letter to parents of students who have reached their ninth absence for the school year.

The district sends automated letters as a means to alert parents and school staff to carefully monitor students who have hit the nine absence threshold, as we know that consistent attendance ensures fidelity of instruction which results in higher success and achievement for learners.
A Sample NCPS Attendance Letter can be viewed here for your reference.

Regarding daily attendance, as per the state attendance law and NCPS policy, “A student is considered to be ‘in attendance’ if present at his/her assigned school, or an activity sponsored by the school (e.g., field trip), for at least half of the regular school day.” A student not meeting the definition of ‘in attendance’ is considered absent.

Our school day is 6.5 hours long, so a child must be ‘in attendance’ for at least three and one-quarter hours

Science

Ms. Smith’s Science classes had our Saxe MS students on a “top secret mission” to gather evidence from multiple sources. Careful observation & accurate reporting of “wonderings” were all mission-critical… They did an excellent job!

It would be difficult to not be inspired to learn about DNA structures, nucleotides, & so much more with exciting models like these in Mr. T’s class! Our Saxe MS students are lucky that our teachers help make Science “be cool”(&, fun)!

School Counseling

School counselors Sarah Beltran, Brad Lepisto, and Tammy Nettleton introduced themselves to the new 7th grade class this afternoon. Don’t hesitate to reach out to them with any questions! Students can stop by to see them or email them to request a time.

Happy Birthday

A special shout-out to our Saxe students who are celebrating their birthdays this week & next – Happy Birthday!

Saxe PTC

Welcome Back, Saxe Families! We’re kicking off the year with our PTC membership drive, and we’d love for you to join us. The Saxe Parent-Teacher Council (PTC) is a group of dedicated volunteers working with faculty, staff, and students to enhance the Saxe Middle School experience.

Why Join the PTC?
With your $30 annual membership, you’ll support a variety of PTC-funded enrichment programs, and gain access to our online school directory for the 2026-27 school year. Your contribution helps bring to life events and initiatives like:

Grade Level Events (assemblies and more)
Welcome Back Coffee
Faculty & Staff Appreciation Events
Open House
Faculty & Staff Enrichment Grants
Parent Education Speakers

How to Get Involved
Joining is easy—just follow the link to sign up: Click to Join the PTC . There are no big commitments; just opportunities to contribute when and how you can.

Library

Thank you to our Library Staff at Saxe MS for placing these creative resource sheets & bookmarks in every staff member’s mailbox this week – they’re great!

Spreading the Joy

Thank you to our Saxe MS Main Office crew for getting our new postcards, stickers, & notes into each staff member’s mailbox this week! We look forward to seeing the positive messages & vibes spread throughout our entire school community, & beyond!

Welcome, New Staff

Each year, it is a privilege & an honor to welcome our newest staff members to Saxe MS! Welcome aboard, Ms. Botticelli! (Special Education).

Welcome aboard, Mr. Breault! (Supervisory Aide).

Community Events – NCHS Dome Presentation

Too Big, Too Bright, Too Soon at the Dome

Too Big, Too Bright, Too Soon @ The Dome! 9/11
New Canaan Public Schools

September 1, 2026

Join us at The Dome, September 11th at 8pm, for a live Domecast from the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama featuring Michelle Seoyeon Park from Stanford ICME

The James Webb Space Telescope has revealed galaxies that appeared far earlier, brighter, and larger than astronomers ever expected. So how did they form? Join special guest Michelle Seoyeon Park from Stanford’s Institute for Computational & Mathematical Engineering as we journey into a simulated universe. Discover how gravity, exploding stars, and other powerful forces shape the first galaxies and how astronomers compare these virtual universes with real JWST observations to uncover the physics behind our cosmic origins.

Click here to get your tickets today

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

This week, we brought our Saxe MS students into the auditorium for grade-level meetings to welcome them back as a class, go over some important rules & expectations, but most importantly, thank & congratulate them on a terrific start to the school year! We are proud of our students!

Today, our Saxe MS School Counselors went into 7th grade classes to interact with students, talk a little about goals, & maybe most importantly, have some fun!

In addition to diving into curriculum content, our Saxe MS teachers continued to get to know our students better & help them get to know each other better. This is what makes teaming at the middle level such an important part of their experience – they become like “family”!

This happens in the classroom, and in common areas around the team hallways!

And, it’s great to see a little patriotic “Americana” built into the activities! In case you were wondering, yes, this is a Saxe MS Social Studies class 🙂

Work is underway on our Saxe playground as the rubberized surface is replaced after a good run of almost 15 years. We look forward to the new surface being poured & being back up & running by the end of next week! Thanks to all involved…

And, you can see why the ground is so forgiving – that is quite a layer of rubberized surface! It’s always fascinating when you have a chance to see the science behind how everyday objects work at Saxe MS…

This week, we had the honor of listening to Jeff Benedict & Angela Duck discuss her new book “Situated” at the New Canaan Library. Topics included parenting, leadership, citizenship, Ted Lasso, Mr. Rogers, success, Grit & so much more! I look forward to diving into the book soon!

Birds of Saxe?

This little one decided to visit Saxe MS before arrival this morning… Thanks to our Custodian, Dan, it flew off safely before the crowds arrived! With the help of the Merlin Bird ID app, it was determined it was a Common Yellowthroat Warbler – very cool!