Lawton Families!
Welcome back to the 23-24 School Year! I hope the summer break has been wonderful for all of you, and we very excited to launch the new school year at Lawton. Today was our first staff work day and we are busily preparing our classrooms and common spaces for your students. I have some brief items for you as we head into the new school year:
Teacher Notification and Arrival/Pick Up Information
All of our 15 classroom teachers will be emailing their families in the late afternoon on Thursday, August 31, with information about their teacher assignment and about their grade level arrival and pick procedures.
Arrival change for this year – students in grades 3-5 will continue to gather on the playground from 7:40 – 7:50am, and K-2 students will continue to line up on the sidewalk outside the downstairs doors from 7:40-7:50am. This year we will not be allowing students, families or animals to enter the 1st floor line up spot through the staff parking lot, so students will need to use the sidewalks and stairs by the Main Office to line up by the 1st floor doors. Families, but not animals, may line up on the sidewalk with K-2nd grade students, but only students may enter the building when the bell rings at 7:50am.
End of Day Pick Up will continue to be on the playground for all grade levels.
Principal Newsletter
I will be sending this email newsletter every other week this school year, and it will come out on corresponding weeks with the bi-weekly PTA Dolphin Tales Newsletter. I highly encourage you to join the PTA, and sign up for the Dolphin Tales at this site: https://lawtonpta.org/communications/newsletter-signup/
School Supply Fee – $35 on SchoolPay
Last year we shifted from publishing grade level school supply lists (where families purchase supplies and send them to school with students) to creating a School Supply Fee that families pay on School Pay (accessed through The Source). This allows for your student’s school supplies to be waiting for them in their classroom on the first day of school.
This Supply Fee is a reimbursement from families to Lawton Elementary – and this year we are continuing this method for student school supplies.
This year the School Supply is $35 per student, and this item will appear in SchoolPay (accessed through the Source).
*One of the items currently showing in School Pay for Lawton students is a “Supply Fee Scholarship Donation” item that allows families to contribute above the $35 Supply Fee toward Supply Fee scholarships for other Lawton families. Thank you to families who have graciously contributed to this scholarship fund.
If you have already contributed to this account in August thinking it is the Supply Fee line item, that is totally OK and you do not need to contribute again. Please reach out to Lawton if you would like to request a scholarship for your school fee this year.
The First Day Packet sent home with students the first week of school will have information and instructions on paying School Supply Fees for Lawton families, so please be on the lookout for that!
New Staff at Lawton
We have some new staff and returning staff joining us as we start the new school year – and I’ll be announcing a few more new staff in the coming weeks as we secure positions still waiting to be filled. Right now, we welcome Abby Kinder as our new Music Teacher, Jessica Calhoun as our new School Nurse, and Jeong Chi as our new Instrumental Music Teacher.
School Lunches
Student meals may be pre-paid with a credit card online at PayPams www.paypams.com or by check submitted to the front office (make payable to Culinary Services). The application to receive free or reduced meal prices is available online or you can request a paper copy from the front office. Want to review the menu? Click here: https://family.titank12.com/menu/LPX5UV.
Upcoming Events
9/5 Kindergarten Connections, 9am-12pm
9/6 First Day of School for grades 1-5; no Early Release this day
9/11 First Day of School for Kindergarten
9/13 Early Release Wednesdays begin
9/19 Curriculum Night, 5:30-6:30
9/21 & 9/22 Picture Days
9/29 PTA Back to School Bash, 5pm-7pm