What’s Happening

Dear Lawton Families: It is with mixed feelings that I write to announce that my last day at Lawton will be November 14th. I have accepted a position as an executive director with the Tukwila School District. It is a position that aligns with my background and passions and will allow me to support preschools and the development of a dual language program. I’m grateful for the new opportunity, but leaving Lawton is hard. As I reflect on my years at Lawton, I feel honored to have been part of a community that gives so generously of its time and talents to support students. To have been part of a staff who pivoted with grace and creativity to remote teaching, then to hybrid, and back again to in-person learning – with unwavering commitment to keeping

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 Massachusetts at Amherst. Ms. Clagg enjoys cooking, reading, and gardening. Family time with her husband and 12-year-old

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 to reduce the last-minute surge of cars and people Use the morning school bus if your student

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 with the Veteran’s name, relationship to student, and how they served to mbmichalsen. PTA News Fall Festival.

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 was our annual fire drill practice with the Seattle Fire Department; we earned rave reviews for the

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 our community and what makes it wonderful to be a Lawton. This week we are also asking