February 3rd Family Newsletter

Seaton Families,  

Thank you so much for your flexibility during the recent snow days and two-hour delays! We have an exciting month of February ahead, filled with school events, family activities, and celebrations. 

The Black Lives Matter Committee (BLM) has designed a month-long, schoolwide celebration in honor of Black History Month. Below is a message from the BLM Committee: 

Throughout February, we will engage students in a month‑long celebration of Black history, culture, and excellence. During our first week, students will participate in a spirit week honoring prominent African American pioneers in politics, innovation, justice, entrepreneurship, and the arts. We are excited to host a special program featuring Grammy‑nominated artist Christylez Bacon, along with opportunities for students to explore Black history through digital read‑alouds and virtual tours during our Munch and Movies Mondays. 

Students will also learn about the CROWN Act and the importance of eliminating race‑based hair discrimination, and take part in a school‑wide quilt project inspired by the Gee’s Bend quilters of Alabama, highlighting African American “firsts.” Together, these experiences and more will create meaningful opportunities for learning, reflection, and celebration throughout the month. 

Thank you! – Seaton Team 

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School News and Updates  

February Events and Key Dates  

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Science Fair – Thursdays February 5.  

The Seaton Science Fair is coming up this Thursday, February 5^th. We are so excited to see what students have been working on.   

A few reminders:  

• The event starts promptly at 9AM!  It would be great for students to arrive closer to 8:45 to get set up. 

• Families are welcome to join for all or part of the event!  There will be chairs set up at the back of the cafeteria for families interested in watching. The schedule is as follows:  

• 8:45-9:00: Project set up  

• 9:00-9:15: Introductions  

• 9:15-10: Judges interview students about their projects  

• 10:00-10:15: Judge deliberations & time for families to circulate and view projects 

• 10:20-10:40: Award ceremony & close out  

*Note: PK-3 and PK-4 students will return to their classrooms after their interview.  They will return to the cafeteria for the award ceremony at 10:20AM.  

• Students in PK-3, PK-4, and K are welcome to have support from a family member while they are presenting.  Students in grade 1-5 should present independently.   

• It is okay if your student needs to drop out prior to Friday if they are unable to complete their project. Please let Ms. T (meg.talewsky@k12.dc.gov) know as soon as possible if that is the case.  

• Each participant will receive a science fair ribbon! 1 first place prize and 1 runner up prize will be given at each grade level OR grade level band based on number of participants. We tried to make things as fair as possible by choosing 1 winner and 1 runner up for each group of about 10 participants.  Participation and prizes are as follows:  

• PK3/4 (10 participants) – 1 winner, 1 runner-up  

• K (12 participants) – 2 winners, 2 runners-up 

• 1 (15 participants) – 2 winners, 2 runners up  

• 2 (7 participants) – 1 winner, 1 runner up  

• 3 (8 participants) – 1 winner, 1 runner up  

• 4th-5th (7 projects) – 1 winner, 1 runner up 

We also need parents to help out at the event! This is a great opportunity to volunteer, particularly if you’re already planning to attend to see your student participate. Volunteers will have time to be with their student during their interview. Please sign-up to help out here:  

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14bVyoGr5MPlngKkDAwG_jLNXlTr84owt/edit?gid=173020479#gid=173020479

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Seaton Families Priority Survey 

We value your voice! Please take a few minutes to complete the Seaton Families Priorities Survey to help guide our planning and priorities for the next school year. 

Your feedback supports our students and school community, and feedback will be shared with the Seaton LSAT Team. Thank you for partnering with us 

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Reminder- 4^th Grade NAEP Testing 

Friendly reminder to 4^th grade families that students will be taking the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on Wednesday, February 11, 2026. 

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Cafeteria Vendor Tasting & Student Survey 

The proposed tasting would involve a vendor visiting Seaton to present potential menu items for consideration, specifically chicken dumplings and Veggie dumplings.  The event will be held on February 17, 2026, at 11:30am during 3^rd grade lunch. 

As part of the event, students will be invited to sample the items and participate in a survey to provide feedback on their preferences.  This information will assist Sodexo Magic in determining whether these products are suitable for inclusion on the school menu. 

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Open Houses – Save the Date 

We are pleased to invite you to our Open House so that you may have an opportunity to learn more about our academic programs and school community! Families can attend any of the dates listed:  

• February 10 – 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm in the Library 

• February 19 – 9:00 am to 10:00 am in the Cafeteria 

• April 9 – 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm in the Library 

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MOY Celebrations – Save the Date  

Save the date for Seaton Middle of the Year Awards Celebrations! Join us as we celebrate our students’ growth, hard work, and achievements during the first half of the academic year. We can’t wait to celebrate together 

Kindergarten – February 25 at 9:00AM 

Grade 1 – February 27 at 9:00AM  

Grade 2 – February 26 at 9:00AM 

Grade 3 – February 26 at 2:00PM  

Grade 4 – February 26 at 2:00PM 

Grade 5 – February 27 at 2:00PM 

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Family Math Night 

Join us for a night of fun and games for the entire family on March 18 from 5:30 to 6:30PM! Save the date. 

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5th Grade Fundraiser – Bundtlet Cake Sale 

Support our 5th graders by participating in our Bundtlet Cake Fundraiser! Orders can be placed online using the Microsoft Form link: https://forms.office.com/r/YHYtz9813a or by completing a paper order form in the main office or that was sent home with students. Additional paper order forms are available in the front office. 

Orders are confirmed once payment is submitted via Venmo or Cash App. All orders must be placed by February 12th. Cakes will be available for pick-up on February 24th. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Cleage (nia.cleage2@k12.dc.gov). Thank you for supporting our 5th grade students! 

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February Drills  

Fire Drill. This drill takes place school wide. All students and staff evacuate the building.  

Shelter in Place Drill. In February our staff and students will participate in a Shelter in Place drill.  Shelter in place means finding a safe location indoors and staying there until you are given an “all clear” or told to evacuate. You may be asked to shelter in place because of an active shooter; tornado; or chemical, radiological, or other hazard. 

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PTO News and Updates

Seaton Families,  

As we enter February, the PTO is in full swing, with a packed slate of events for the month. Please sign up for a short shift to help out if you can! https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/14bVyoGr5MPlngKkDAwG_jLNXlTr84owt/htmlview?pli=1&urp=gmail_link#gid=173020479 

• Thursday, February 5 – Science Fair – 9-10:45 AM  

• Parents are invited to attend! Prizes will be awarded to the best projects in each grade. Thank you so much to our Science Fair Committee for quickly pivoting to make this event happen despite all of the closures and delays from the storm. 

• Wednesday, February 11 – Literacy Night – 5-6:30 PM  

• Join us for fun games and workshops to support literacy and reading growth. From 5:00-5:30, there will be snacks and crafts in the cafeteria.  Then, starting at 5:30, there will be teacher-led sessions throughout the building (sessions include a Phonemic Awareness Lesson Demo, Supporting Reading Comprehension at Home, Building Grip Strength for Emergent Writers, Literacy-based Sensory Experiences for Neurodivergent Students… and more!).  We will also have many books that families can shop and take home, and the library will be open. We hope you and your student can join us for this fun new event! 

• Wednesday, February 18 – PTO Meeting – 5:30-6:30 PM 

• Our next PTO meeting will provide more details about the swing space, along with principal updates and other PTO news. 

• Friday, February 27 – Winter Movie Night – 6-8 PM 

• Students are voting now on our movie choice for Winter Movie Night! We will have popcorn and hot chocolate and will partner with Duccini’s for takeout pizza, so make a night of it. 

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Afterschool Clubs 

This is the first week of afterschool clubs. The full schedule can be found here.  

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Girls on the Run – 3rd to 5th grade 

Thanks to Ms. Hawthorne, Girls on the Run is back this spring for 3rd to 5th grade female-identifying students. Girls on the Run meets Mondays and Fridays from 3:15-4:30pm, March 2-May 15, with a 5K Run on May 17. There is a sliding scale fee to join, starting at $15, and students can sign up here: https://www.pinwheel.us/register/index/GOTRDC-Spring26.  

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Spring Auction 

We are starting the planning process for our Spring Auction. If you’d like to join the auction committee, please reach out to president.seatonpto@gmail.com! It is a very limited time commitment and mostly involves writing emails to local businesses. And please also reach out with any ideas about auction prizes! In past years, we have auctioned off gift certificates, experiences, services, lessons, products… basically, anything you can think of. Last year we raised $10,000, and we’re hoping to match that again this year, so any little bit helps.