February 3 Family Newsletter

Seaton Families, 

At Seaton, we are committed to fostering a safe, respectful, and welcoming environment where every voice is valued. 

This year, we are kicking off Black History Month by participating in the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action from February 3-7, 2025. Each day, we will focus on the movement’s guiding principles—family, love, empathy, diversity, repairing harm, and the understanding that everyone is important. Students will also learn about past and present Black leaders and influencers, engaging with lessons and books aligned with the 13 principles. 

Additionally, we are excited to celebrate Growth at Seaton following our Middle of the Year Assessments. Growth at Seaton means that students and adults work together, set academic and behavioral goals, remain open-minded, consider individual needs, and express their thoughts and emotions. These values—Respect, Responsibility, Welcoming, Community, and Growth—are at the heart of our school community. 

To support this value at home, we encourage you to explore this article on fostering a growth mindset with your student: Encouraging Growth Mindset.

A huge shoutout to all the students who participated in the Seaton Science Fair! Check out the PTO news and updates to read more about this exciting event

Thank you for your continued partnership! 

Principal Torres 

SCHOOLS NEWS 

Middle of the Year Awards.  

Families are invited to come celebrate Middle of the Year growth celebrations with their students. We will be celebrating students’ academic growth and our school values.  

  • Kindergarten. Thursday 2/27 at 9:00am  
  • Grade 1. Friday 2/28 at 9:00am 
  • Grade 2. Wednesday 2/26 at 9:00am  
  • Grade 3. Wednesday 2/26 at 2:00pm  
  • Grade 4. Thursday 2/27 at 2:00pm  
  • Grade 5. Friday 2/28 at 2:00pm  

Term 2 Report Cards.  

Families will receive Term 2 report cards sent home with students during the week of February 17.  Additionally, report cards will be accessible through the Aspen Portal starting on February 13.  

Black History Month Celebration.  

Our Black History Month celebration continues with additional activities including: 

  • Munch and Movie Mondays where we will feature films highlighting Black historic figures during lunch. 
  • Students will see Color the World Black an engaging play for all ages where students will see history unfold before their eyes. 
  • Students will create a collage titled Honoring our Ancestors’ which is a combination of art and recognizing loved ones who have passed on. 
  • Seaton’s HBCU and Divine 9 staff members will be highlighted for their alma mater and Greek affiliation. 
  • Black History Month Poster Showcase – classrooms will research and depict a prominent Black figure to display for all to see.  
  • Support a Black-owned business day is when Seaton’s staff and families are encouraged to patronize a restaurant to support not only a Black-owned but also a locally owned business.  
  • Our Afro-Latinx community and influencers display is where people of African and Latin descent will be honored and presented for all to see. 
  • Lastly, grades will have the opportunity to participate in social emotion lessons on self-advocacy and the importance of advocating for others. 

We look forward to students participating in Black Lives Matter Week at School and celebrating Black History Month at Seaton.  

Parent Listening Sessions.  

Parents are invited to attend Family Listening Sessions for Spring 2025. Please save the date for the Family Listening Session to learn about our school goals, share ideas, and meet other families!  

  • February 19 – Spring Family Listening Session (English), 5:30pm  
  • February 26 – Spring Family Listening Session (Spanish), 8:30am 
  • March 5 – Spring Family Listening Session (Mandarin), 8:30am 
  • March 5 – Spring Family Listening Session (Amharic), 5:30pm 

Healthy Snacks.  

When sending snacks to school, please send only healthy, non- ‘junk food’ snacks from home. The food that students eat has a direct and important relationship to their ability to learn and thrive in school.  

Preferred Snack: 100% juice, baby carrots, cheese, fruit slices, rice cakes, popcorn, pretzels.  

Snacks to Avoid: Sodas, added sugar, potato chips, candy, snack high in salt (ie. cheetos, doritos), snacks high in sugar (donuts).  

Nut Free School: Please avoid sending to school any snacks that contain Nuts.  

Health and Physical Education News.  

PE classes are wrapping up our unit on cardiovascular endurance and shifting our focus to muscular endurance. By the end of this unit, students will be able to define muscular endurance, understand the differences between cardiovascular and muscular endurance, and identify exercises that support each type. See grade level specific updates attached.

Art Music and Spanish News  

See the Art, Music, and Spanish classes update attached.  

School Safety Drills.   

February Fire Drill. This drill takes place school wide. All students and staff evacuate the building to their secure location and return following the end of the fire drill.   

Shelter in Place Drill.  This drill takes place school wide. It supports our school in preparing for any event or severe weather that requires sheltering in the classroom or within the school grounds.  

Schedule of Drills for SY 24.25 

  • February: Fire Drill + Shelter-In-Place Drill  
  • March: Fire Drill + Evacuation Drill  
  • April: Fire Drill + Reverse Evacuation Drill  
  • May: Fire Drill + Lockdown Drill  
  • June: Fire Drill only 

School Safety.  

Please continue to support us by following all school entry protocols. Your cooperation helps ensure the safety and security of all students and staff. 

Picking Up Students Early: 

  • Upon arrival, proceed to the security desk. 
  • The school security officer will assist you with signing out your student early for the day. 

Visiting the Main Office: 

  • Sign in at the front desk with the security guard. 
  • You will then be directed to the main office. 

Meeting with a Teacher: 

  • Please schedule your meeting with the teacher ahead of time. 
  • Upon arrival, sign in with the school security officer. 
  • Wait to be directed to the location for the parent meeting. 

Thank you for your continued support and cooperation! 

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SCHOOL POLICIES 

Complete the Volunteer Clearance Process. 

Please note, all parents/guardians that would like to chaperone field trips, must complete the DCPS Clearance process before chaperoning a field trip. Once you have completed the clearance process, please share your approved clearance letter with Ms. Daisy (gloria.torrento@k12.dc.gov) or Ms. Hill (alicia.hill@k12.dc.gov), in the main office. 

Attendance 

Please remember to submit excuse notes when your child is absent. You can fill out the form above or submit a written note to the main office. https://forms.office.com/r/yWUFiCqk50 

Cold Weather DCPS Guidance  
We will transition to indoor physical activities (Recess, PE, Garden) when the temperatures are below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. DCPS Weather policy recommends the following clothing at different temperatures. 
Below 60 degrees: jacket or long sleeve recommended 
Below 50 degrees: coat and long pants recommended 
Below 40 degrees: gloves and hats with previously recommended gear necessary 
Below 32 degrees: indoor recess or physical activity  

The decision to transition to indoor activities due to the weather is made by Principal Torres, with support from the Seaton custodial team and by consulting the National Weather Service website at Weather.gov. The custodial team also conducts a survey of the school grounds to assess the condition of the soccer field and both playground spaces. 

DCPS Calendar Key Dates. 

February 14 – No school for Students. Teacher Professional Development.  

February 17. No School for Students. Holiday.  

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PTO NEWS and UPDATES 
 

Happy Black History Month! The PTO has been busy with our winter calendar of events, launching another session of afterschool clubs, and advocating for Seaton in advance of upcoming transitions. Please read on for all of the updates. 

Science Fair Success! 

On Friday, January 31, the PTO sponsored the Science Fair – thank you to all the families who supported their students in participating. We had an incredible 91 total student participants across 70 different projects. We has an impressive roster of judges from across the scientific community, representing EPA, GWU School of Medicine, Howard University Chemistry Dept, Howard University Biology Dept, NASA, NOAA, NREL, Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Google, and DCPS, in addition to social science researchers, public health researchers, engineers, and our ANC Commissioner.  

Our Stingers had a blast and learned so much! Some pictures from the event can be found here. And congratulations to all our winners, who took home science prizes to celebrate their accomplishments! 
 

This amazing event would not have been possible without our parent volunteers. We had over a dozen parents involved in planning the day, setting up the event, coordinating students, and cleaning up afterwards. We are still seeking volunteers for our upcoming events – please sign up below so that we can continue offering these much-loved activities for our students. 
 

Swing Space and Modernization Advocacy 

Seaton’s current building is scheduled to undergo modernization during the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 school years. During that time, our community is scheduled to temporarily relocate to 300 Bryant Street NW, which will be renovated over the coming year to accommodate us. The PTO has put together some helpful information about the process here. If you would like to get involved on the Swing Space/Modernization committee, please reach out to president.seatonpto@gmail.com 

Upcoming Events and Call for Volunteers 

We have an exciting lineup of events throughout the next several months, but we need volunteers to make them happen! If you can donate an hour of your time, please sign up here

  – February 28 – Indoor Movie Night (6-8:30 PM) 

  – March 11 – Family Math Night (5:30 – 6:30 PM) 

  – April 3 – Talent Showcase (5:30 – 7 PM) 

Finally, the PTO’s monthly general body meeting is next Wednesday, February 12, from 5:30-6:30 PM. Meetings are held in the library, and pizza and childcare are provided. We hope to see you there!