Dear Saxe MS Students and Families,
As we prepare for our upcoming return, I wanted to send a warm “Welcome back”! I hope you had a restful, and joyful, summer. It is an honor to serve this community at Saxe Middle School, surrounded by such dedicated professionals, and we all look forward to welcoming everyone back for the 2026-27 school year. Our goal remains to provide the best for each of our students and families. In addition to learning important academic and life skills, we recognize the importance of wondering, exploring, discovering, growing, and, ultimately, having some fun along the way.
On August 27th, our 8th-graders will be returning as building leaders, ready to set a positive example for the rest of the building (and, we could not ask for a better group to lead the way!). Our 7th-graders will embrace the responsibilities of being middle schoolers, and many new students will join us for the first time. Regardless of your grade, we are optimistic that this year will be an environment where we all enjoy, learn, and belong, together.
Here are a few noteworthy updates for our return:
Digital Wellness
Our commitment to Phone Free Schools and digital wellness has been immensely beneficial. We will continue this practice, so students should bring their Yondr pouches on Day 1. Pouches will be available for new students or those needing a replacement. All personal digital devices (phone, smartwatch, AirPods, etc.) are expected to be locked up each day.
“One-Word”
Continuing our tradition, our "one word" for 2026-27 is “Be”. This particular word is so simple, two letters, yet represents so much of the focus of our collective work as a school community at Saxe MS. We will always encourage our students to be brave in their learning, be kind to one another, be present in significant moments, and above all, belong exactly as they are, as they become who they are meant to be. Together, we will make this middle school journey a place where every student feels seen, supported, and inspired to simply be their best.
Advice “For/From” Students
As part of our Advisory program last year, we asked our students to reflect on “advice for themselves” as they completed their respective grade levels. For some pro tips, feel free to check out the Grade 7 or Grade 8 “Tips from the Experts”! The goal here is to inspire our students to feel prepared, confident, and excited to begin the 2026-27 school year!
Supplies
As listed on our website, “Grade 7 & 8 students should just bring a notebook, pens and pencils for the first day of school. Your team teachers will let you know specifics when you come to school!”. Once the portal opens, you may hear from, or feel free to reach out directly to, your teachers.
Words of Advice
Last year, we shared this crowdsourced article on middle school parenting, which captures the beauty of this stage of our students’ educational journey. It is worth sharing again to read/review as we navigate this adventure together. Here is a snapshot:
"Middle school is a glorious mess of growth, goofs, and grit. Your job isn’t to pave a perfect path but to be a steady guide. Embrace the weird, cheer the tries, and let your kid stumble a bit—they’ll learn to soar. And you? You’ll survive this adventure too with a few laughs and a lot of love."
Upcoming Dates:
Key dates for our return are below. Updates are also available on our website and the Saxe PTC site:
August 19, 5pm: Powerschool Portal opens to view schedules/classes (Questions on PS Access? Please follow this link or call Ms. Jarosik: 203-594-4564)
August 21, 2-3:30pm: Grades 7 & 8 New Student Orientation
August 27, 8am (Doors open at 7:40am): Welcome Back, Saxe Middle School students!
September 16, 9:30am: Saxe PTC Welcome Back Coffee @ Waveny
(More detailed info about specific events (Open House, Parent Coffees, Photo Day, etc.) will be sent out in the near future).*Please note: The scheduling process is extremely involved and takes into account the individual needs of every student while evenly balancing all students across the 4 teams in each grade level. Once the PowerSchool Portal opens, schedules are not able to be changed. Thank you for your understanding & support.
New Staff
Please join in warmly welcoming our new staff & those returning in new roles!
Amy Baxter: Grade 8 ELA
Adam Cerone: Saxe Custodian
Mike Dolan: Grade 7 Math
Charlotte Ginolfi: Grade 8 Math
Sam Heinrich: Special Education
Sara Nelson: STEM Integration
Matt Carravone: Building Intern
Victoria Correa: Special Education
Lisa Fitzpatrick: Special Education
Elizabeth Hannaway: Special Education Administrator
Avery Kalamankos (Kudla): School Psychologist
Alycia Rovinelli: K-8 Science Coordinator
We are rounding out some of our final hires and will be excited to announce them soon as well. Keep an eye out for their “Welcome Bios” in the Saxe Weekly, too. Each year, it is a genuine celebration to welcome each person to “Our Saxe Middle School Family”!
At Saxe MS, we strive for a balance between academics, arts, and activities to educate the whole child. Our intent is to nurture good, resilient people who care about their community. Every stakeholder matters and belongs, and we are committed to providing the safest and most well-rounded experience possible for our Saxe family.
Throughout the year, we will be sharing information and celebrating our Saxe students, staff, and activities through our weekly newsletter (saxems.com), our website, and our X handle, @SaxeMS, if you would like to check those out. In addition to the above information, we will be sending more specifics about the start of the year, including frequently asked questions, on the eve of the first day (8/26). I look forward to connecting, or reconnecting, with each of you over the course of the year. Until then, enjoy the next week+ until our return. We look forward to a wonderful year ahead and seeing you all very soon!
Best,
Mr. David M. Gusitsch
Principal, Saxe Middle School