Principal Communication

We are going to keep this newsletter short as we send you off with our wishes for a safe and fun Spring Break. Your student brought home the following this week: Student newspaper made by our 4th and 5th grade newspaper club Covid testing kit for testing the last day of Spring Break (blue instruction sheet included) We look forward to seeing you all again on Monday, April 18th. Lost and Found Last call for lost and found. All unlabeled items remaining at the end of the day will be donated. Lawton Book Drive Contribute to our Spring Book Drive on now through May 31st by clicking this link. Health Updates Spring Break Test-to-Return Supplies. Each student bought

It was fun to see book characters wandering our hallways today – what a great way to kick off literacy month! While every day is a great day for reading, we encourage you to join us in celebrating books a little extra during the month of April. Ways to support literacy month at home: Submit a picture of your student being “caught reading” for us to display on a hallway bulletin board. Email photos to kmcerise. Contribute to our Spring Book Drive on now. Check out one or more of the books nominated for a Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award this year. Do a family read aloud. Kids are never too old for this! Click here for

Spring is here! Along with longer daylight in the evening and the cherry trees blooming at Lawton, students this week had the opportunity to participate in the traditional Pacer Test in PE. During the Pacer Test students run back and forth between 2 points trying to increase their pace with each line run. Ask your student about their experience with the Pacer Test this week. Health Updates from Nurse Somi Allergies and inhalers. If your student needs an inhaler or has developed allergies since you last updated our school records, please email Nurse Somi so that we have the forms and current information on file. It’s helpful if daily allergy meds are managed and administered at home. Staying

There was plenty to celebrate at Lawton this week! Our cherry trees are blooming, we loved having families visit for student-led tours, downstairs leprechauns caused mischief in classrooms on Thursday, and the week was filled with fun STEAM activities (including moon pies for “Pi Day”)! Looking to continue the science, tech, engineering, art, and math fun at home? Check out the frog jump activity we sent home, try to memorize The Pi Song, do the math to double your favorite recipe, or choose a science or math-themed movie to watch together. Volunteers We are looking for volunteer support for during lunch recesses. If you’re interested, please: Update/complete your volunteer application on the SPS Volunteer web page. Sign up

This week, SPS announced masking changes that will start on Monday. Here’s a quick overview of what is/isn’t changing at Lawton and how you can help us during this transition. What is changing: Starting Monday, March 14th: Masking will be optional for staff and students in most settings, including yellow buses (masks are still required for those visiting the nurse’s office and while singing in music). Students and staff who have been exposed (close contacts) will not be required to quarantine, regardless of vaccination status. Close contacts will continue to be notified, but classroom-wide notifications will end. What is staying the same: Many layers of protection remain in place: Students showing Covid symptoms must stay home; students who

Students and staff alike brightened our school with neon today. Monthly school spirit days are just one way we build community across the school. We also can't wait for next week when students will get to start singing again in music class. Ask your student what they most look forward to singing. Visitors and Volunteers We are excited that SPS has started allowing building visitors and volunteers. We know many of you have never seen the inside of Lawton and we want you to have a chance to do so. Student Led Open House During STEAM Week. March 14-18th is STEAM week at Lawton. In addition to fun STEAM oriented activities for each student during the day, we’ll

We hope you all had a healthy and happy break. We’re looking forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday, February 28th. Just a short and sweet newsletter this week with reminders to help us have a safe and smooth return to school. Email lawton if your student will be absent or late. Arrive on campus between 7:40 and 7:50. Supervision starts at 7:40. Students enter the building when the bell rings at 7:50. Students should be in class by the 7:55 bell. Keep your student home if they have any Covid symptoms. Give them a home test (and send a picture to lawton) or email to request a drive-up rapid test at school. If you traveled

February is an in-between time in each school year – celebrating the solid relationships and learning that’s already happened this year while we make plans for the year to come. Earlier this month, we hosted virtual tours for families planning to join the Lawton community in the fall and we are now in the midst of our budget and planning cycle for next year (last call to take the 5-minute school budget survey). We enjoyed celebrating Valentine’s Day this week. We hope next week’s mid-winter break gives you quality time with the ones you love. We look forward to seeing students back in class on Monday, February 28th. Health and Safety Updates Lawton Covid Update. This week (2/14

This week is National School Counseling Week. Our school counselor, Erica Barry, provides a wide range of supports at Lawton. She serves as a liaison for families in need, provides social emotional learning instruction in our classrooms, hosts lunch bunch, and meets individually with students. Her work is a key component to Lawton’s systems of support for students and families. We are so appreciative of Ms. Barry’s support for our Lawton Dolphins and the Lawton PTA’s financial support of this position. Global Reading Challenge Winners It was a tough battle, but the Bunny Bros came out on top, with 100 points in the regular round and four correct questions in the tie-breaker round. Great work Harps A, Olive

Today’s school spirit day is full of joyful rainbows and we are all enjoying watching our salmon continue to grow under the care and guidance of our student helpers. Many salmon in the tank are already at the alevin stage – meaning they look like tiny versions of the fish they will become. Ask your student about school this week – what is something interesting they talked about with their peers? Lawton Community School Budget Survey Lawton Elementary has started our annual budgeting processes for the coming year. We want your input! Please take the 5-minute school budget survey linked here before February 19th. This survey is intended to collect community input and priorities that should be considered