CO-PRESIDENTS' LETTER
Dear Saxe Parents,
We hope you enjoyed a long and restful Thanksgiving holiday because the month of December is going to be action-packed! The 5/6th grade musical just took its final, celebratory bow to rave reviews, while the 7/8th choir students are furiously practicing for their upcoming concert. We hope you come out and enjoy our talented students as they take center stage in the Saxe Auditorium—it’s just what the doctor ordered to combat the holiday madness.
And please join us on December 4 at 7:00 PM in the Saxe Auditorium to hear Alex Salkever, co-author of the book “Your Happiness Was Hacked: Why Tech Is Winning the Battle to Control Your Brain — And How to Fight Back.” Guaranteed to be an informative and interesting talk on a topic that we can all agree is extremely relevant and important. Additional details are available below. We hope to see many of you there!
We wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season. It’ll be here before you know it!
Warm holiday wishes,
Geri Mohr & Patty Zoccolillo
Saxe PTC Co-Presidents
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GREETINGS FROM OUR PRINCIPAL
Dear Saxe Parents,
It is my hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. While this is my favorite holiday because the primary focus is around family, gratitude, and food, December is an extension to the season of giving “thanks”. This will be a quick stretch to the next holiday break and the new year, filled with fun, excitement, and celebration. My goal is to not look ahead to the break, but to remain present and appreciate all that we have to be thankful for (personally and professionally).
Our Saxe family is important to all of us and I feel fortunate to be part of this fine community. I wish you the best during this holiday season and hope to be able to share a little “gratitude and thanks” with each of you throughout the month of December.
Sincerely,
Dave Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School
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Grade 5
Parent/Teacher
Conferences
Dec 3-6
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Winter Concerts
Dec 3
- NCHS/Saxe 8th Grade Orchestra Festival
Dec 10 -
NCHS/Saxe 8th Grade Band Festival
Dec 17 -
Grades 7/8 Choir
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Winter Break
Dec 23 -
Early dismissal
Dec 23-Jan 1 -
No school
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Kicking Off the 7/8th Grade Musical
Interested in joining the cast, crew or orchestra of "Beauty and the Beast"? The Student Information Meeting will be held on Dec 2 at 2:00 PM.The Parent Information Meeting will be held later that day at 5:00 PM in the Saxe Auditorium. Auditions will be Dec 9 and 10 from 2:30-6:00 PM. Callbacks will be Dec 16 from 2:15-6:00 PM. If you have any questions please contact
saxetheaternc@gmail.com
.
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Parent Presentation: “Your Happiness was Hacked—Why Tech is Winning the Battle to Control Your Brain and How to Fight Back”
Dec 4 at 7:00 PM, Saxe Auditorium
Please join us to hear tech leader and author Alex Salkever discuss the impact of technology on the lives of our students and our families. Salkever will share practical tools to help us use technology while protecting the well-being of our children and ourselves. This program is sponsored by the joint PTCs and the NCHS Parent Faculty Association.
Click HERE
for more information.
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Thank You to Our Volunteers
A tremendous thank you to
Lisa Hull
and
Lotten Milligan
for organizing an amazing luncheon for our faculty and staff, and to all the parents who graciously donated items and and/or time to make this event a huge success.
Bravo to
Silvia Baldini
,
Carrie Laska
and
Danielle Sibilia
for leading the charge to present this year’s 5th/6th grade musical,
Frozen Jr.
Their meticulous planning and thoughtful management of students and parent volunteers helped to make this show amazing!
A huge thank you to
Kristie Breed
,
Heather Carroll
,
Sara Sharma
and
Michele Waits
for chairing a very successful Saxe Book Fair and to all the parent volunteers who helped throughout the week.
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Gloves and Hat Drive for Filling in the Blanks' Holiday Backpacks
Please consider donating new
knit gloves and winter hats to local children in need. All sizes are needed, from preschool through high school. There is a donation box located in the Saxe lobby/office area.
Click HERE
to order from our Amazon Wishlist
and your items will be sent directly to the Filling in the Blanks warehouse (select delivery address from list). Please contact
Neely Leslie
or
Cheryl Tierney
with questions.
Click HERE
to learn more about Filling in the Blanks.
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Let Saxe Library Help With Your Holiday Reading List
The library has pulled together about 100 recommend books per grade on easy-to-access grade-level carts and an online catalog with titles and descriptions. Library staff partner with the language arts department to support the different curriculum units and get students to read as many books as possible. Students in 5th and 6th grade have all year to read their specific titles and take part in the "Battle of the Books" game in June. This
Jeopardy-style game challenges each language arts class to answer the most questions on the books. In 7th and 8th grade they have book talks and an interactive website. Click below to see each grade's online catalog. The mission at the Saxe Library is to "provide extraordinary support and service to our learning community."
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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.
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Pura Vida Holiday Mailboxes
Pura Vida for Children and the Pura Vida Club of NCHS are partnering for the 11th year to decorate NC’s mailboxes in bows and greenery! All proceeds will help pay for the ‘Feed My Starving Children’ food packing event in the Spring. Please consider making a donation and your mailbox will be decorated as a thank you for joining the cause. These make beautiful gifts for friends, family and neighbors. Click
HERE
to learn more!
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High School Risky Behaviors
Dec 9 at 7:00 PM, NCHS Choral Room
Join New Canaan CARES speakers and High School Leadership Students to view the Public Service Announcement the teens created on vaping. Learn about behaviors such as alcohol, marijuana, anxiety, depression from the teens point of view. Hear about how Social Media influences these behaviors in both positive and negative ways. Click
HERE
for more information and to register.
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How to Feel Empowered When our Community Experiences Tragedy
Dec 11 at 10:00 AM, New Canaan Historical Society
As the 7th anniversary of Sandy Hook approaches, New Canaan CARES invites you to come together to explore ways to navigate grief, learn practical ways you and your child can manage anxiety and fear, and discuss the importance of self-care. Click
HERE
for more information and to register.
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Middle School Night at the Y
Dec 14 at 7:00 PM, New Canaan YMCA
One Saturday a month middle schoolers get the Y all to themselves! Middle Schoolers get access to the Flex Space, Wellness Center, Group Ex, Basketball Gym, Forese Pool, and Wagner Room. Not only will there be plenty of fun games and activities but also a concession stand with snacks, drinks and pizza! Advance registration is highly recommended. Click
HERE
to register in advance and save.
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Submit Photos to the Historical Society's Community Portrait
Deadline: Jan 1
The Historical Society is embarking on an ambitious art project—a community portrait comprised of what will be thousands of photographs of residents, as well as some iconic buildings and places in Town. The lengthy banner will be installed June 6. Be part of history! To be included, please e-mail a photograph to
info@nchistory.org
by January 1, 2020. Click
HERE
for more information.
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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.
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New Canaan Youth Wrestling
Registration for New Canaan Youth Wrestling’s 2019-2020 Winter Season is OPEN!
Click HERE
to register. Sessions are available for Elementary and Middle School ages. Our Elementary session will be coached by NCHS coach Bobby Rushton! Practices begin Dec 2 and all sessions meet at the NCHS Wrestling Room. Space is limited so register early! Questions? Contact
Patty Zoccolillo
(203-428-7678).
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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
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