Principal Communication

Today we held our Veteran’s Day Assembly – our first whole-school assembly since January 2020. It was a wonderful opportunity to gather all students together and honor our nation’s Veterans. Special thanks to our 5th grade student leaders, community speakers, and those who shared their own images of Veteran’s in their families. Welcome Dina Clagg Ms. Clagg is excited to begin serving as Lawton’s acting principal. Her first official day will be Tuesday, November 15th. Ms. Clagg has 25 years of experience in education and 20 years with Seattle Public Schools, most recently serving as Assistant Principal at Loyal Heights Elementary. She has a BA in Psychology from Smith College and a Master’s in Education from University of

As the weather turns and the mornings are darker, we are seeing an increase in dangerous conditions at morning drop off. Please help us keep students and families safe by following these expectations: Students arriving by car should: Be packed and ready to exit the car independently Exit car on the sidewalk side of the car in the loading zone (not in the circle) Drivers using 27th street as their drop off area should: Wait in a single-file line once entering 27th street – do not pass cars waiting to unload Stay in the driver’s seat, do not exit car Other ways Lawton families can contribute to a safer morning drop-off for all: Arrive on campus at 7:40

Our front lobby is filled with beautiful student art from our 5th graders – submitted as part of our yearbook cover contest. This year’s entries were stunning. School Pictures School pictures came home with students this week. Ordering instructions are in the envelopes if you didn’t pre-order. Retakes will occur on Tuesday, November 8th. Email kmcerise if you’d like to be added to the retake list. New Covid Procedures If your child tests positive for Covid-19, please do these three things: Report it at: lawton Follow isolation guidelines at: https://www.seattleschools.org/news/covid-19-isolation-guidance/ Last Call for Veteran Photos We’d love to have more pictures of veterans in your family to celebrate at our assembly on November 10th. Please email the picture

What comes to mind for you when you think of “kids these days”? For us, it’s remarkable flexibility and curiosity. This group of students has had so much practice adapting to change and adjusting to deal with new conditions. Their flexibility in the face of changes to routines continues to impress me. Their curiosity was evident this week during our first ever Career Exploration Night. Thank you to the Lawton community members who brought their expertise and enthusiasm to our students. Students were excited to share with one another what they thought was interesting and what they learned. This week saw air quality conditions that required changes in school routines and two surprise (to students) emergency drills. It

Partnerships among Lawton, our families, and greater Magnolia add to our overall sense belonging and community. In some instances, students are the recipients of community gifts – the grandma who visited Ms. McDonagh’s class to read aloud this week, the 5th grade camp scholarships provided by Lawton families, and the back-to-school clothing gift cards we were able to provide through partnerships with the Alliance for Education and Operation School Bell. Other times, Lawton students and staff share their gifts with others – Ms. Leache’s class artwork on display at the Magnolia library through the end of the month and some third graders serving as reading buddies with Kindergarteners. These are just a few examples of the richness of

We’ve fit a lot into the first 18 days of the school year! Teachers and students have been busy establishing learning routines, building community, and practicing school expectations. Yesterday, our 5th grade students returned from IslandWood where they spent four days participating in outdoor learning and community building activities. Today we had our first Spirit Day of the year and hosted our monthly WAVE store for students to redeem tickets they’ve earned. Ask your student if they visited the WAVE store today or decided to save their tickets for something later. Safety News Now Hiring: Morning Safety Patrol Lead. This position will supervise student safety patrollers to help keep kids safe and traffic moving during morning drop-off. Please

We hope you’ll join the PTA for their back-to-school bash tonight from 5-7pm. It’s a great way to come together as a community to celebrate the start of a new year. As we transition to October, we’re continuing the work of building classroom communities, growing our stamina as learners, and forming lasting habits. We’re asking for your partnership to make on-time arrival a key habit for your student. On-time arrivals are important for both safety and classroom routines. On time arrivals support building and student safety. Having all students in class and ready to learn at 7:55 is a allows us to lock all exterior doors promptly at the start of the school day and fully staff our

As we close out another week, I want to thank everyone who participated in our Curriculum Night Open House. We enjoyed meeting families and watching students show you around our building. Events that bring home and school together to support and celebrate student learning are a powerful reminder of the great partnerships we have at Lawton. Our week was also brightened by everyone’s adorable picture day smiles. If you forgot to order pictures, it’s not too late. You can order online here. A few reminders to help get the year off to a smooth and healthy start: Submit student questionnaire. Thank you to the 100+ families who completed this already. If you haven’t had a chance to do

Thank you for a wonderful first week of school! It was fun to see how much our returning students grew over the summer and we loved getting to know all our new students. A smooth start to the year allows us to better support your students and you. Please help us by: Completing a get-to-know-you questionnaire Joining us for Curriculum Night Loading your student’s account if they plan to eat school lunch Returning all first day packet forms Considering volunteering for Safety Patrol Detailed information on each of these things follows… Help Us Get to Know Your Student and Family You are the expert on your child(ren). Please share some of what you know to help us connect

Happy Friday! Teachers worked hard this week getting classrooms ready to welcome students. Special thanks to the PTA volunteers who brightened our days with treats and love. We are looking forward to seeing students back in the building! You should have received your student’s teacher assignment via email today. If you didn’t, please email Kristina Cerise. Your teacher assignment email includes lots of important information about arrival and dismissal procedures, health protocols, and more. We’re keeping this newsletter short so that you can focus on reading the teacher letter closely. Enjoy your holiday weekend. PTA Volunteer Opportunities Interested in leading student safety patrol or another role? Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0C4EAAAA28A5F49-20222023 Upcoming Events 9/7 First Day of School (Grades