March 2020 Newsletter
CO-PRESIDENTS' LETTER
Dear Saxe Families,

We hope you enjoyed a restful Winter Break and your kids (and you!) have readjusted to the early morning hours and homework assignments. As our students settle back into their routines, we have begun the all-important task of recruiting next year’s volunteers to help us continue providing the programs and events that enrich the lives of our Saxe students, both inside and outside the classroom. We truly could not do our jobs without our amazing volunteers and we would love to have as many of you involved as possible. Your participation is vital to the success of the PTC. Some of the jobs that still need to be filled for next year are: 

  • PTC Webmaster—Help keep our Saxe PTC website up to date and looking fresh. 
  • Board of Education Liaisons—Attend Board of Education meetings and report relevant issues back to the PTC.
  • Faculty/Staff Appreciation Luncheon—Coordinate volunteers to provide lunch for the Faculty & Staff at Saxe three times during the year. 

If you are interested, please reach out to one of us and many thanks to everyone who has already agreed to serve either on the Board or as a chair next year. We’d also like to extend a huge thank you to  Lisa Hull  and  Lotten Milligan  for their time and energy planning, organizing and hosting the Faculty and Staff Appreciation Luncheon on Friday, February 14th! A special thanks to all parents who contributed as well.

Finally, we’d also like to thank the current Saxe PTC Board, particularly, co-Treasurers,  Stephanie Taylor  and  Laura Vellante , for the countless hours they spent reviewing, approving and executing this year’s grants. Your hard work and dedication truly make a difference. 

With gratitude,
Geri Mohr and Patty Zoccolillo 
Saxe PTC Co-Presidents
PRINCIPAL'S LETTER
Dear Saxe Parents, 

In terms of weather, March traditionally comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. Some may say this bit of folklore may reflect the significant amount of growth and development in the physical, social, emotional, and academic realms that take place during the critical middle school years. This is why our national organization, AMLE (Association for Middle Level Education) , has designated the month of March as, “Middle Level Education Month.” 

Our focus will always be on a well-rounded education for the whole-child. Please feel free to check out more information and resources about “Middle Level Education Month” on the AMLE site , and in our very own Saxe Weekly . March may be “MLEM,” but we celebrate and value the importance of this phase of our student’s educational journey all year long! Thank you for your faithful, ongoing support of Saxe Middle School and allowing us to provide the best education possible for your children. 

Have a great month,

Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School

UPCOMING EVENTS
8th Grade Transition Night
March 5 at 7:00 PM, NCHS
NCHS will host an open house for incoming freshmen and their families. Our 8th graders will be given a preview of all of the exciting opportunities that await them in the upcoming year. During the week of March 9, students will register for courses online with the help of their counselors and NCHS student advocates during language arts classes. We encourage students to discuss their choices at home ahead of this day, so that they make informed decisions with the help of their families. As always, please contact your child’s school counselor with any questions.
Follow-Up to “Raising Humans in a Digital World”
March 18 from 12:00 PM-1:00 PM, New Canaan Library Plaut Room
If you missed last month’s presentation with award-winning author and educator Diana Graber or would like to ask her a follow-up question, here’s your chance! Diana will be appearing via ZOOM at the New Canaan Library.

Ms. Graber will instruct parents on how to protect their child’s reputation and personal information online,  will provide tips on helping middle-schoolers develop “on-line” social emotional skills such as empathy and respect, provide guidance on balancing virtual and real life and offer advice on how to avoid cyber bullies and online predators. Click HERE to register.
Get Your Tickets for the 7/8th Grade Musical!
April 3 and 4
Tickets are currently on sale for the 7/8th grade production of "Beauty and the Beast." Show dates are Friday, April 3 at 7:00 PM and Saturday, April 4 at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM. Click HERE to purchase your tickets today!
Save the Date for the 2020 NC Color Run
April 25
We look forward to having the Saxe Middle School families involved in the NC Color Run. Please come out and support this great cause! Choose between the 5K or the Kids’ Dash—either way, you’ll have a blast! Tickets go on sale April 1. Click HERE  for more information on this fun family event benefitting the NCHS Scholarship Foundation.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Board of Education Updates
The town funding bodies are currently reviewing the Superintendent’s Proposed Budget for the 2020-2021 school year. The $92.77 million dollar budget covers the operating and health care expenses for next year, an increase of 1.47% over the current budget. For a complete breakdown of the BOE’s proposed budget and related information please click HERE .

A public hearing regarding the budget will take place at the Board of Finance meeting on Tuesday, March 3 at 7:00 PM at Town Hall. All are welcome to attend the public hearing and to voice their opinions. For those who cannot attend, but wish to be heard, please email the Board of Finance members HERE .

Budget Timeline/Critical Dates

Board of Finance Meetings:
Tuesday, 3/03 at 7:00 PM, Town Hall, Meeting Room:  Public Hearing on Budget
Thursday, 3/05 at 7:00 PM, Town Hall, Meeting Room: Vote on Budget

Town Council Meetings:
Wednesday, 3/18 at 7:00 PM, Town Hall, Meeting Room: BOE Budget Presentation
Tuesday, 3/31 at 7:00 PM, Town Hall, Meeting Room:  Public Hearing on Budget
Thursday, 4/02 at 7 PM, Town Hall, Meeting Room: Vote on Budget
March Book Madness
March is National Reading Month and the Saxe Library is launching an exciting new program to foster a culture of literacy!  We will be offering school wide “events” to engage students, celebrate reading and inspire renewed momentum for growth as readers:

March Book Madness, a spin off from the College Basketball Tournament. Students have already begun entering their votes for their favorite book. The Library will compile the results to start our 64 book competition. Individual brackets and voting opportunities continue through the month and the winning book will be unveiled March 31st!

Workshop Activities in the Library - Each workshop class will visit the library once during the month and each child will get a chance to try:
  • Get “Hooked” on a Book: Students move through a maze of covered books displaying only the first few lines of the story to see if that book sparks their reading interest. Books can then be previewed and checked out.
  • Create Blackout Poems: Using the pages of an existing text, students will become blackout poets by piecing together single words from the text to create their own masterpiece.

We’re looking forward to an amazing month of READING!
NEW Saxe Hawks Spirit Wear Now Available!
Our new Saxe Hawks Spirit Wear is available at our online store through March 10. T-shirts are $20 and hooded sweatshirts are $35. You can have items shipped directly to your home or for pick up at NC Graphics Click HERE to place your order today (access code: hawks). T-shirts are $20 and hooded sweatshirts are $35.
Saxe Yearbooks are on Sale Now!
Click HERE  for more information on the Saxe Middle School 2019/2020 yearbook and to place an order. 
Note From the School Nurse: State Requires Physicals for All 6th Grade Students 
Connecticut State Law requires all students to have a physical exam during 6th grade The CT Health Assessment form needs to be on file in the nurse’s office  by the last day of 6th grade . They will accept physicals dated from   June 1, 2019.

Upon completion of the exam, please send the completed CT health assessment record to the lower division health office. Please contact school nurse  Joelle Graham  ( 203-594-4526) with any questions.

COMMUNITY CLICKS
Through Our Eyes VIII: The NCHS Annual Art Exhibit
March 2-20 (opening reception on March 2 from 5pm-7pm), Carriage Barn
The Carriage Barn Arts Center and NCPS celebrate the skills, creativity, and personal voices of NCHS art students with an all-media exhibition called "Through Our Eyes VII". Click HERE for more information.
Financial Fitness for Women
March 3 at 10:00 AM, New Canaan Library Lamb Room
In a supportive and fun atmosphere, come explore major challenges women face when it comes to investments. Learn how to overcome them to build a more financially secure future. Speakers include Kerry Connell, Allison Donaldson and Sue Lione from HTG Investment Advisors. Click HERE for more information or to register.
Help Your Child Get Organized and Plan Ahead for Success with Less Stress
March 10 at 9:30 AM, Saxe Auditorium
In this workshop, Christopher Bogart, PhD, will help parents understand the Executive Function skills that students are developing. What are appropriate expectations for middle school? Get concrete tips to use at home for academic success while reducing everyone’s stress Click HERE for more information about this middle/high school program or to register.
The Pressure to be Perfect and its Unintended Consequences
March 11 at 9:30 AM, NCHS Wagner Room
Our world is competitive and parents, educators and leaders are unwittingly passing the pressure to be perfect onto their children. In turn, our children are feeling anxious, overwhelmed and stressed. Learn what you can do about it! Click HERE for more information about this middle/high school program or to register.
NCHS Theatre Presents The Jukebox Musical Mamma Mia!
March 19-21 at 7:00 PM, NCHS Auditorium
On a small Greek island, Sophie dreams of a perfect wedding—one which includes her father giving her away. The problem? Sophie doesn’t know who he is! Her mother Donna, the former lead singer of the 1970s pop group Donna and the Dynamos, refuses to talk about the past, so Sophie decides to take matters into her own hands. Sneaking a peek in her mother’s old diaries, she discovers three possible fathers: Sam, Bill, and Harry. She secretly invites all three to the wedding, convinced that she’ll know her father when she sees him. But when all three turn up, it may not be as clear as she thought! Told through the legendary music of ABBA, Mamma Mia! has become a worldwide sensation that has audiences everywhere dancing. Click HERE for more information and to purchase tickets.
Middle School Puberty: Parents, Let’s Talk!
March 25 at 9:30 AM, Saxe Auditorium
Raise your awareness about your child’s changing bodies, emotions and hormones as well as develop strategies for communicating in a consistent positive manner. Presentation by Ellen Brezovsky. Click HERE for more information or to register.
LGBTQ+: Understanding the Terminology of Identity
March 26 at 6:30 PM, New Canaan Library Lamb Room
Learn more about gender identity, sexual orientation and inclusion with Micaela Scully, a licensed clinical social worker specializing in LGBTQ+ specific struggles and concerns. This event will be streaming live via New Canaan CARES Facebook. Presented by New Canaan CARES, the New Canaan Library, Silver Hill Hospital and The Lighthouse (an LGBTQ teen program). Click HERE for more information or to register.
New Canaan Saxe Squash Registration
Registration is open for New Canaan Squash. Programs are available for boys and girls kindergarten through 12th grade. New this year is a girls-only Squash Fit program for girls 5th-8th grade. New to squash players are welcome to try a complementary class.  Click HERE  for more information on any of these programs or contact  Taylor Benevento  for 7/8th grade and  Ipek Savasoglu  for 5/6th grade
Donate Your Used Computers
For almost two decades, Computers for Kids program has been collecting and fixing up gently used computers at Saxe to give to families in need. If you know a child or family in need of a computer, please contact  Patty Potts If you have an unused laptop or desktop computer to donate, please bring it to the Saxe Lower Division Security Desk labeled with your name and address. Laptops are in especially high demand. Community member Julius Alexander prepares the CPUs for us, custodian Bob Tonucci organizes stock and finds monitors, keyboards, etc. to work with the CPUs, and our Saxe Lower Division Security Staff accept donations and help recipients pick up their "new" computers. This program would not run without their generous help, and new volunteers are always welcome.