What’s Happening

As we approach the end of the school year, we want to acknowledge that June marks more than just the end of another school year for some of our staff. Staffing Updates  Retirements: Both Elaine Cooper and Michael Matzner are retiring this year. We want to acknowledge their many years of service at Lawton, and the huge impact they’ve had on our students, staff and families. We were excited to see Mr. Matzner here at school yesterday for a brief visit and wish him the best in his retirement! A Note From Mrs. Cooper - Dear Lawton Families, I wanted to share with you how much I have loved being a part of Lawton for the last 15 years. When I was first hired there was no music program. Dedicated parents, our generous PTA and

Lawton 3rd – 5th grade students have been busy with state testing and K-2 students are starting testing soon. Everyone has a role to play in making testing season successful, low anxiety, and efficient. Families can help us by: Getting students to school on time and avoiding early dismissals; Sending students with a water bottle and snack every day; and Practicing good evening and morning routines so that students are rested and have a healthy breakfast on board when they arrive each day. Book Drive vs. Book Swap Book Drive– Online Only. The book drive is a library fundraiser that takes place entirely online. It’s on now and you can participate here: https://www.btsb.com/sosl/lawtonelementary1/wishlist/ Book Swap (used book donations) – Starts June 1st. The Book swap will start on June 1st and end on June 7th.

Our staff felt so loved this week! Thank you for all the generous and creative and thoughtful ways you showed your appreciation. It is a treat to end the week with a gorgeous day for our annual Move-A-Thon! We love seeing students show off the endurance and coordination skills they practice in PE and demonstrate grit and perseverance in the face of a challenging event. Special thanks to over 100 volunteers who supported today’s event. Wanted: Book Donations (three ways) We are gearing up for lots of literacy fun. Here are some optional ways to support our efforts: Lawton Library Book Drive 5/15 – 6/15. We are doing a book drive to replace favorite titles, add student requests, and update the collection. Ms. Gallegos loves Bound to Stay Bound books because they last forever. Student

Thank you to everyone who helped make last Friday’s Movie Night a success! It is always fun to have families gathered in the school for special events and we appreciate all the volunteers who work to them happen. We enjoyed celebrating students who walked or biked to school on Wednesday. We hope it inspired families to do more non-car commutes now that the weather is improving. Next week is Staff Appreciation Week in Seattle Public Schools. I feel incredibly honored to work with this amazing staff at Lawton! Our staff works hard to create a warm, welcoming, and safe school community that is focused on both the academic and social growth of all students. I’m impressed how our teachers, support staff, and custodians consistently place students at the center of daily decisions, which results in

Well, it’s official – I am honored and delighted to be able to stay at Lawton in the permanent position as Principal. I want to thank all the students, families, and staff who have shown me the ropes at Lawton and welcomed me so warmly these last months. I’m very excited for all the learning, joy, and collaboration that lies ahead, and feel so lucky to be part of the Lawton WAVE! I also want to give a huge shout out to Mrs. Cooper, Mr. Peters, and our amazing 5th grade students and teachers for a wonderful music concert this week that showcased their hard work and talents – it was a magical evening! Spring Refresh With the weather changing, more daylight, and spring sports and activities underway, we know students and families have had