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PTC President's Message
Dear Saxe Families,
As a member of the Nominating Committee, I am pleased to present the 2010-2011 Executive Board slate. We are so thrilled to have so many dedicated parents who have volunteered to bring their talents and experience to the Saxe Parent Teacher Council on the Executive Board and as Committee Chairs.
The slate for the Saxe PTC Executive Board for the coming year is as follows:
President: Maria Weingarten
VP, Ways and Means: Cindy Stewart and Margot Thorsheim
VP, Programs: Chhaya Dagli
VP, Hospitality: Susan Kammler
Secretary: Stephanie Dayton
Treasurer: Debbie Dolby
This slate and the PTC budget for the 2010-2011 school year will be presented for approval at the May PTC meeting. There are still a few chair roles (Publicity, Saxe News Editor, 5/6 Musical, 8th Grade Promotion Chair and Pasta Night) open for next year or in need of an additional chair. If you are interested in getting involved, please don't hesitate to call me or email me. I would like to thank my fellow Nominating Committee members: Tracey Gould, Doreen Conley, Peggy deMayo and Siri Kloud. They provided terrific insight in finding our officers and chairs for the coming school year. Our next PTC meeting is on April 21st and will feature a presentation on "Social Networking Beyond Facebook." The last PTC meeting for the year is on May 12th and will continue the conversation with "Setting the Rules: Social Sharing and Scaring." In a constantly changing environment, this often uncharted or sometimes unfamiliar territory continues to be an ever growing challenge to parents, students, faculty and administrators alike. Please mark your calendars and plan on attending these important presentations. After what has been a challenging few weeks with the CMTs and a powerful Nor'easter, I wish you and your family a relaxing Spring Break. Warmly, Maria Weingarten Saxe PTC President mwhome@optonline.net |
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| April PTC Meeting
Social Networking - Facebook and Beyond
Wednesday, April 21
9:30 am
Outback Teen Center
Please join Jake Kircher, Youth Pastor of Grace Church, Lacey Arndt, Outback Teen Center Director, and Meg Domino from New Canaan CARES for an informative and interactive social networking session addressing: - Screen time - its impact on OUR kids
- Middle School Social Sharing - pros and cons
- Facebook Basics: Privacy Settings, Passwords and more
- Monitoring: When to, Why to, and How to
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Saxe Book Fair
Don't Miss Out!
It is Time Once Again for the Saxe Book Fair! The focus of this year's fair is BEACH-BLANKET-BOOKS for Summer Reading. We hope to provide a convenient way to stock up on summer reading both for pleasure and for your student's summer reading project. Don't miss our Family Fun Night and pizza party on April 20th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. The Book Fair hours are:
Tuesday, April 20 to Thursday, April 22
7:30 am to 4:00 pm
This event is a fundraiser for Saxe Middle School's Parent Teacher Council. The monies raised will give the teachers needed teaching materials they have requested, help the school plan field trips, and improve the technology equipment within the school.
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 Family Beach & Pizza Party
Book Fair Kick-off EventGet ready for summer and a whole lotta fun with volleyball, games, pizza, music, and i-tunes card give-aways every 1/2 hour! No need to worry about dinner, parents can pre-order ( Joe's) pizza for the whole family. Tuesday, April 20
5:00 to 7:00 pm
Saxe Middle School Gym
Please note, pizza cannot be purchased on the night of the event, it is necessary to order ahead. Also, this is a family event, children cannot be dropped off at school and left unsupervised. Click here to reserve/pre-order pizza and water online using your credit card or personal Paypal account.
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Grade 4 to 5 Parent Orientation Meeting & Tour
Please Join us!
The Saxe Middle School Administration invites all fourth grade parents
to attend an orientation and tour. The goal of
this event is to provide information about the transition process and school
expectations for your fifth grade student in the fall. Faculty who will work with your child
during their first year at Saxe will be presenting information about what to expect
during your child's fifth grade experience.
Tuesday,
April 27
7:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Saxe
Auditorium
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 Open Studios
Invitation From the Art DepartmentThe Saxe Art Department cordially invites you to attend their very first Open Studios on: Thursday, April 22
6:30 to 8:00 pm
Art Rooms at Saxe
This event is a special opportunity for parents, teachers, guests and students to experience what takes place on any given day inside the art rooms at Saxe. Bring your family and be prepared to create! Draw, paint, build, watch, look, design and be a part of the action! Some activities include, but are not limited to, mural making, pottery wheel, recycled sculpture building and viewing work from some very promising, emerging artists. We look forward to seeing you there. The event is free and open to the public.
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Grade 6 Metropolitan Museum of Art Trip
Field Trip Schedule
The trip will encompass works of art that are relative to the Social
Studies  curriculum including certain pieces from the collections of Egypt,
Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, India and China. Dates for the trip are as follows:
April 29 - Green Team
April 30 - Blue Team
May 6 - Purple Team
May 7 - Red Team
Look for permission slips via email by next week. Many thanks to the
faculty, administration and the PTC for supporting this trip!
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Dyslexia & Creativity: Two Sides of the
Same Coin
Free presentation on Dyslexia & Creativity: Two Sides of the Same Coin, an evening with Drs. Sally and Bennett Shaywitz.
Wednesday, April 14
6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Saxe Middle School
Sally Shaywitz, MD, is the author of Overcoming Dyslexia. There will be a book signing afterwards sponsored by Elm Street Books. This event is sponsored by SPED*NET New Canaan and the New Canaan Public Schools, Department of Special Education, Darlene Pianka - Director. CEUs will be offered to educators. Refreshments served. RSVP Denise Buckenheimer at (203) 972-5871 or Denise@spednet.org. For more info check out www.spednet.org.
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 Board of Education
March Report
At the March 8 BOE meeting,
the board cut an additional $400,000 from
the Capital Budget as requested by
the Board of Finance. The Board
also voted to approve a letter from the Board of Education to the Connecticut
General Assembly regarding support for amendments concerning the illegal
passing of school buses. Finally,
town engineer, Mike Pastore, presented the latest plans for a Bus Operations
Center to replace the trailers at the high school. He will return at a later date to give a progress update.
At the March 22 meeting, Mary
Kolek and Darlene Pianka presented an update on the district's initiatives
developed to ensure compliance with IDEA and to align with the State of CT
Scientific Research Based Intervention (SRBI) framework. SRBI defines a
systematic data based approach to early and tiered intervention for students
whose progress in the academic or behavioral domain is of significant
concern. The district is taking a comprehensive approach and is currently
meeting the requirements of all Federal and State initiatives.
Jennifer Essigs
jenniferessigs@gmail.com
Kelly Kraus
Kraushaus00@aol.com
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| Odyssey of the Mind
Fabulous news for Saxe!
On Saturday, March 27, SEVEN teams represented Saxe Middle Schoool during the Odyssey of the Mind state of Connecticut competition which was held in Bethel. There were 44 Saxe students from all grades competing.
Each team worked very hard and did their very best. Four of the seven teams took top honors and have been invited to compete at the World Finals which will be held at Michigan State University in late-May. Importantly, of ALL the towns and ALL the schools in the entire state, Saxe Middle School is sending more teams to the World Finals than any other school.
The entire Saxe community should be extremely proud of both their classmates and their school. |
Volunteers Needed
Please Sign-up!
Fifth Grade
Banner project
April 15 and
April 22
1:45 pm to 3:15 pm
We could use your help, please contact Suzy
Nolan at zenolan@mac.com
if you are interested.
Saxe Family Beach & Pizza Party
Tuesday,
April 20
5:00 pm to 7:00 pm
Volunteers are currently needed for our Book Fair Kick-off event. Complete our online volunteer sign-up to help.
Sixth Grade Fun
Day!
Monday, June 14
12:30 pm to
2:30 pm
Sixth Grade Fun Day is an end of year celebration for
the entire class! This is an outdoor event including inflatable
obstacle courses, a variety of field games, music, tattoos and more. We
need many parent volunteers to help make this day a success. Dad's are
especially welcome! If you haven't already signed up to help and would
like to, please contact: Kathy Conner, kconner9@yahoo.com or Suzy Lavieri,
smrfl@msn.com.
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 PTC Networking Meetings
"Raising Responsible Citizens of the World"Tuesday, April 209:15 amWest SchoolSpeaker: Eric Schleifer, Ph.D., Child and
Adolescent PsychologistCome hear Dr. Eric Schleifer's strategies for developing responsible children and ultimately, responsible adults. This program will emphasize: developing character and empathy at early ages, fostering respect for self and others (possessions and people), building independence in a culture and town that takes care of everything, learning to take healthy risks, and doing for others....and feeling the rewards! "Attitude of Gratitude: Parents' Guide to Limits"Wednesday, May 199:15 amSouth
SchoolSpeaker: Eric Schleifer, Ph.D., Child
and
Adolescent PsychologistIf your child ever exhibits moodiness, a defiance of authority or poor social skills, come hear Dr. Schleifer's strategies on how to use limit setting to build your child's communication skills and help them take control of their emotions. _________New Canaan CARES is an independent, non-profit community organization whose purpose is to advance the health and well-being of youth and families. CARES provides responsive educational programs and professional development that support and strengthen parenting skills, positive youth development and healthy lifestyles. Please visit www.newcanaanCARES.org for more information on CARES and our upcoming programs. |
 From the Nurse's Office
Health Notices
Allergy Alert
Saxe is a LATEX FREE school to protect any students with a life threatening latex allergy.
NO LATEX GLOVES
NO BALLOONS
NO KOOSH BALLS - Anywhere or anytime
These items are particularly dangerous because they can cause the latex particles to become airborne. We use only vinyl gloves and only mylar balloons.
Thanks for your cooperation in keeping our school safe for all our students
_______ Food Allergies
Please remember that ALL Field Trips at Saxe are Nut Free.
_______ Notice to 6th Grade ParentsConnecticut State Law requires ALL students to have a Physical exam During Sixth grade. The blue Health form needs to be on file in the Nurses office by the last day of 6th grade. The State Department of Health has confirmed that the immunization requirements for entry to 7th grade :
- 2 Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccines
- A second dose of Varicella
- A dose of Tdap
Upon completion of the exam, which usually coincides with the students birthday, send the blue form to the Nurses office. We accept physicals from June of 09 until June of 10 . Your child will not be permitted to begin 7th grade without this on file. _______
Head LiceAnother health topic that causes concern is head lice and we have had a handful of cases in school this past month. Just a reminder that there is a powerpoint presentation on the New Canaan Public School website with information about head lice. Click on the link here: Lice Presentation.
Another helpful and comprehensive place for information is the Center for Disease Control site www.cdc.gov/lice. You can also call Saxe to speak with a school nurse.
Anne Goebel RN, 7th/8th grade nurse
Janet Reed RN, 5th/6th grade nurse |
 Thanks To You!
A standing ovation for the cast, crew, directors and producers of Annie, Jr. for a successful show. It was a joy to watch the talents of our 7th and 8th grade students showcased in such a fun and entertaining production. A big round of applause for the 7th and 8th Grade Musical Volunteer Coordinators, Beth Forfang, Victoria Guth, Sally Lambdin and Molly Ludtke, for giving so generously of their time and talents in support of Annie, Jr.
Our terrific Administrators and Guidance Counselors for spending the morning with our parents at the most recent PTC meeting and providing great insight into what is happening at Saxe, especially in Social and Emotional Learning.
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Computers for Kids
The Computers for Kids Program is beginning its 11th year! A wonderful staff of volunteers takes donated computers and refurbishes them. We then give them to students, staff or community members who need a computer for home use but cannot buy one right now. If you know someone in need of a working computer, please contact Patty Potts at patricia.potts@newcanaan.k12.ct.us.
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Outback Teen Center
April 2010 Events
Visit the Outback's new website to see the current calendar of events and programs.
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| Community News
Headlines
Saxe Middle School Spring Squash Developmental Program, April 12 - May 26
New Canaan Soccer Association New Parent Meeting, Wednesday, April 21
Beethoven & Beyond, Saturday, April 24
Miles For Mikey 5K Race/Walk, Sunday, May 16 (Rain Date: 5/23/10)
Fall Girls' Field Hockey Registration Now Open
Fresh Air Fund Host Families Needed
Joseph Heilbron Foundation Fundraiser
New Canaan Youth Cheerleading Registration Now Open
New Canaan Youth Football Registration Now Open
Nominate a Parent or Youth for the Community Asset Award
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| April and May Calendar
Upcoming Events
4/2-9 No School (Vacation)
4/12 PTC Executive Board Meeting (9:15am)
4/19-23 Daytime Parent Open Houses
4/20-22 Book Fair
4/20 Book Fair Kick-off Party (5:00pm - 7:00pm)
4/21 PTC General Meeting (9:30am)
4/27 Incoming 5th Grade Parent Orientation (7:30pm)
4/28 Incoming 6th Grade Parent Orientation (7:30pm)
4/28 Chamber Music Concert (NCHS Wagner Room 7:00 pm)
4/29 Incoming 7th & 8th Grade Parent Orientation (7:30pm)
5/3 PTC Executive Board Meeting (9:15am)
5/6 Teacher Appreciation Day
5/12 Final PTC General Meeting (9:30am)
5/19 7th-8th Grade Choir Concert (7:00pm)
5/25 7th-8th Grade Band Concert (7:00pm)
5/27 Grades 5-8 Strings Concert (7:00pm)
5/31 No School (Memorial Day)
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Submissions to Saxe News Monthly
The Saxe News is distributed on the first of every month. Submissions are due one week prior to the first day of each month. No need to format your copy, please follow the tips below:
- You may send your item in an email or as an MS Word attachment
- Please don't use all-caps or abbreviate days, months and times
- Remember to include web links and email contacts
- Please order your information as follows: header, item description, date, time, place, contact info
Send to epatch@mac.com. Thank You!
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