September 11, 2026

Dear Saxe MS Family,

It may have been a “short week”, but we packed quite a bit in! This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at remembering & honoring September 11th, the latest Saxe MS podcast, Social Studies, Celebrate Saxe Postcard Contest, our Saxe Cafe, Photo Day, Science, Math, ELA, Health Ed, community events, an important attendance reminder, birthdays, Hawks Gazette, morning announcements, recess, a playground update, STEM, Dogs of Saxe, and much more. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

Be Well,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

9/16 Saxe PTC Welcome Back Coffee at Waveny – 9:30 am

*Quotes that resonated with us this week:

“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” — Sam Levenson

“All dreams are within reach. All you have to do is keep moving towards them”-Viola Davis

“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced”-Unknown

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” – Amelia Earhart

Saxe Jokes of the week:

How did the student feel when he learned about electricity? Totally shocked.

What do you call a space magician? A flying saucerer

Why can’t a Cyclops spell Hawaii? Because it requires 2 “I’s!

Did you hear about the race between the lettuce and the tomato? The lettuce was “ahead,” but the tomato was trying to “catch up.

Saxe Weekly: The Podcast

Interested in getting an overview of the latest Saxe Weekly in podcast form? Using Google’s Gemini Notebook, 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!

Below is a graphic representation of the latest Saxe Weekly created through Gemini Notebook for you to enjoy!

9/11 Remembrance…

Today, the following message went out to our school community. We are proud to humbly and respectfully honor this important date in our nation’s history…

Good morning, Saxe MS families. Below is a message that was read following our announcements this morning:

“Good morning, Saxe Middle School. Today is an important date in our nation’s history. Recognizing that you, as students, were not yet born, and many of our staff were very young, please know there are adults in your life who will remember this day like it was yesterday. On this 25th anniversary, please take a moment to reflect and acknowledge the victims, heroes, families, and all of those impacted by the events of September 11, 2001.”

(Brief moment of silence)

“As a tribute to those impacted by 9/11 please consider an act of kindness today, even if it is just holding the door for a classmate/teacher, or a simple smile or “hello” to someone. If you have a positive exchange that meant something to you today, please share it with an adult.”

“Always Remember. Never forget… Thanks, and have a great day.”

We recognize the careful balance of acknowledging important dates in our country’s history, respecting those within our school community who may have been impacted, and being mindful of what may be sensitive to others. To that end, we know that periodically events take place across the country, and our world, that our students may or may not be exposed to. To be responsive and prepared for those who need it, we remind our teachers to keep an extra eye out for students who may “not be themselves”, without bringing any more attention to our students (just an extra vigilant eye). At the same time, our tremendous team of School Counselors, Social Workers, and School Psychologists are ready to support anyone who may need it.

We are so fortunate to have such a caring staff, and we are grateful to be in such a wonderful community that understands, appreciates, and supports one another.

Have a great day,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Social Studies

Each year, Grade 7 Social Studies students play the game Catan at the start of the year. It is an excellent way to foster communication and collaboration as well as introduce core vocabulary and concepts in upcoming units. Here are a few pictures from this week.

While this can be a somber day for those who remember 9/11/2001 (clear as day), our Saxe MS community respectfully recognizes this date in our nation’s history… And, there were some amazing discussions in Social Studies that made me want to stay for the entire period!

Celebrate Saxe Postcard Contest

Calling all student artists! Celebrate Saxe, Saxe’s annual PTC fundraiser, is looking for postcard artwork to be featured in our mailing to every Saxe family this fall!

This Year’s Theme: “Tell Your Story!”

Everyone has a unique story to tell. We’re inviting students to create an original postcard design that celebrates the many unique stories, experiences, talents, and perspectives that make our Saxe community special. Submission Guidelines:

Artwork must be on white 8.5″ x 11″ paper
Artwork must be in landscape orientation
Include your name and grade on the back
Drop off your submission at the 5/6 Office or 7/8 Office
Deadline: Wednesday, September 16th at the end of the school day

We can’t wait to see your creativity and Saxe spirit shine! Questions? Please contact janecrawford10@gmail.com.

Here are some amazing examples of last year’s postcard submissions!

Here are the winners from past years!

Saxe Cafe

Our Saxe Cafe Staff deserve a HUGE shoutout for the amazing, fresh meals they have prepared for our students each day! They take great pride in their work & it certainly shows… Thank you to the entire crew – we appreciate you!

Photo Day – September 24th

Photo day is right around the corner! You should have received notification from Legacy Studios, but you can also find information by scanning the QR Code below.

Science

There was quite a bit to see in Ms. Dunn’s Science classes today… The conversations around “myths & misconceptions about evolution” were fascinating! And, the brassica rappa plants are off to a great start. Stay tuned as they quickly grow (&, are used in future lessons)!

What makes a terrific learning environment? Getting to know your students & what they need from themselves & each other! Students in Ms. Dunn’s class have these as good reminders on how to be successful in their Science class!

Math

Students in Ms. Martin’s Math class were busy working on expressions & decimal approximations to the nearest hundredth… They were all locked in on the work while I was there – nice work!

Love seeing our students up & out of their seats, utilizing various walls, tables, & boards to collaborate & work through problems in their Math classes! Here are a few pics from Ms. Brown’s class…

Here are a few pics from Ms. Ginolfi’s class…

ELA

Students in Ms. Baxter’s ELA class were up & around the room working on Vignette’s today… There was quite a bit of collaboration & creativity on display!

Health Education

The bulletin board in Ms. Orlando’s #healthed classroom will soon reflect each student who takes her class, from their perspective – very cool! The images are as unique as each individual student & we can’t wait to see how it turns out…

Each year, Ms. Orlando also creates a wall of student-generated thoughts that match our “theme of the year”… The focus for this particular round is #BeKind & our students’ care & empathy never cease to amaze me!

Dome Event

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.

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

Happy Birthday

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

Hawks Gazette

The Gazette is back! We are working on calibration for the final product, but we invite you to check out snippets from the latest editions of the Hawks Gazette… Thanks to our students and staff advisor, Ms. Tomasio, 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…

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

Good morning from Saxe MS! It’s a beautiful day & we will respectfully honor this date in our nation’s history. Have a great day, All!

While this can be a somber day for those who remember 9/11/2001 (clear as day), our Saxe MS community respectfully recognizes this date in our nation’s history…

Not the most high-tech, but it gets the job done! This year, we’ve started each Friday w/a fun song & message at 7:25 am to give the early arriving staff a little pump up! For today, we thought a more measured tone was appropriate & chose Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin”…

Student-led announcements are BACK at @SaxeMS! Thank you to each of our students who have confidently read these updates over the PA to the entire building – you’ve done a great job!

And, today’s announcements were followed by a message to respectfully acknowledge this date in our nation’s history.

We’ve been enjoying this amazing stretch of beautiful weather during recess at Saxe MS. It’s great to see so many students taking advantage of this important part of their day!

The work on the Saxe playground continues to make progress & is shaping up nicely! That is a TON of material that goes into the space/project & we are grateful to all involved!