Principal Communication

Lawton staff and students will join with teachers and students from across the nation to participate in Black Lives Matter at School Week. This is an educator-generated week of action and commitment to ensuring students thrive in welcoming environments. Lessons aim to help students understand inequities based on race and promote the belief that every person has a responsibility to work for equity as a core idea. At their board meeting on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, the Seattle School Board adopted a resolution encouraging district-wide participation in the Black Lives Matter At School Week from January 31 – February 4. The Lawton Student Union will be sharing a lesson on Friday, February 4th, with all classrooms about Jackie

In the midst of so much health and safety information and focus, it’s fun to watch the “normal” work of learning and growing continue here at school. Our librarian, Ms. Gallegos, has kicked off one of our favorite Lawton traditions – the Global Reading Challenge. 4th and 5th graders are reading books and preparing for the challenge itself which will happen later this winter. Our Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders are doing their annual winter reading assessments – this provides teachers an opportunity to celebrate progress and identify next steps for all students. Ask your student about what they are learning and doing this week! Seeking Safety Patrol Parent Volunteer We are so thankful to Amanda Armes for

Coping with Covid this week required lots of teamwork. I am so appreciative of the way our team of fabulous staff and students and families is coming together in the face of new challenges. Ms. Gallegos and Ms. Barry both taught in classrooms when colleagues were out sick – braving everything from fractions and fossils to five-year-olds with glue sticks. Mr. Peters facilitated double classes during PE, protecting planning time for our classroom teachers. Our students showed new levels of flexibility and adaptability with the schedule and staffing changes. Parents kept teachers and our front office in the loop on attendance and health issues, which helps everything run just a little smoother. It took all of us working

It was so wonderful to welcome students back to school on Tuesday. This week 4th and 5th graders spent time in clubs learning more about their own interests and building connections across classrooms. Ask any 4th or 5th grade teacher or student about their clubs and how they help support student leadership at Lawton! We hope 2022 is off to a great start for your family and will be filled with curiosity, learning, and joy. Dress Warm and Label Your Layers Please make sure your student is dressed to comfortably play outside every day. Remember to label all coats and outerwear with your student’s name. We donated lots of unmarked items before break. Our goal is to return

The generosity, creativity, and kindness of the Lawton community have been on full display this month! Thank you for coming together to support families that needed a little extra help this season. There will be many smiling faces because of the kindness and support you showed. We hope the next two weeks give you time to relax and enjoy the people you love. We’re looking forward to welcoming students back to school on Monday, January 3rd. Safety Update Given local and national events, we know safety is top of mind this week. As part of Lawton’s Building Safety Plan, we conduct monthly emergency drills so that students and staff can practice for the unlikely event of a real

Special thanks to the PTA for spoiling our teachers with an abundance of holiday treats this week. You boosted our spirits (and our blood sugar)! During the hustle and bustle of this time of year it is important to take time to nurture our own emotional well-being. As the days grow shorter, colder, and wetter we see an uptick in conflicts at recess, anxiety about schoolwork, and increased fatigue. This year has been particularly difficult for students and staff alike. We want to share with you what we are doing at school to show our students we care about them and equip them with tools to support their own emotional well-being. In the classroom this can look like

After a week away, students got right back into the swing of things. It was wonderful to see students celebrating their school spirit with silly hats and hair this morning. In these final weeks before the winter holiday break students are busy editing their writing, learning new ways to solve math problems, and explaining their thinking about science investigations. Ask your student to share with you their favorite strategy for solving math problems or what they most like writing about. Their joy in learning is evident here at school – I hope they can share it with you at home. Thank you! The front office wishes we could send you all flowers and chocolate. We really appreciate the

Since we will be out of school next week, I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the entire Lawton community. Thank you to students for their curiosity about learning new things and the ways they show kindness to one another. They bring moments of joy each day. Thank you to families and community members for ongoing partnership and support. Thank you to all the staff at Lawton for their dedication to creating meaningful learning environments for students – whether it is through keeping lunch and recess safe and fun or engaging students in lively discussions about ways to solve math problems. Lawton is a wonderful school community that I feel fortunate to be a

We’re sending our newsletter early this week so that you have the information you need before the unexpected long weekend. This week, students in all grades spent time learning about Veterans Day through activities including read-alouds, letter writing, and poppy art inspired by the poem In Flanders Field by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. Schedule Change – No School Thursday or Friday There is no school Thursday (planned holiday) or Friday (unplanned school cancellation from SPS) this week. We are looking forward to seeing everyone back on campus Monday! Health and Safety Updates Catharine Blaine Vaccine Clinic Sign-up Link for Saturday. Click on this link to sign up for one of the 240 slots at Catharine Blaine this weekend:

On the first Friday of each month we celebrate the spirit of Joining the WAVE at Lawton. Students and staff dress up for spirit days and trade their WAVE tickets for items from the WAVE store. Today’s silly socks were such fun! As we move into the gloomier winter months these traditions keep our Lawton Dolphins joyfully connected to one another. Thank you for being an important part of our community. Lost and found donation timing – and a plea for names on jackets Please take time to check the lost and found when you are on campus. We put it outside the main entrance. We sorted through more than 50 items and only found names on four