January 8th Family Newsletter

Seaton Families, 

Welcome back to school after the winter break and snow days! We are thrilled to start 2025 with all our Stingers. Thank you to all the students and families who celebrated the winter holidays with us by attending the holiday performance and class celebrations—it was a joy to share those moments with you! 

The middle of the school year is a time for reflection and growth at Seaton. We will be focusing on our school value of Growth, which we define as: “We, students and adults, work together, set academic and behavioral goals, are open-minded, consider individual needs, and express our thoughts and emotions.” 

We look forward to celebrating with students and families in February, once students complete their assessments.  

SCHOOLS NEWS 

Middle of the Year Assessments.  

Students will be participating in Middle of the Year assessments during the month of January. Students complete assessments in a 1-1 setting with their teachers, in a small group setting, or as a whole class.  

• DIBELS Assessment: this assessment applies to students in Kindergarten, Grade 1, and Grade 2.  

• I-Ready Math Assessments: this assessment applies to students in kindergarten through grade 5.  

• I-Ready ELA Assessments: this assessment applies to students in kindergarten through grade 5 

• ACCESS Assessments: this assessment applies to English Language Learner Students in kindergarten through grade 5.  

DCPS New Middle School.  

DCPS is looking for parents and caregivers, school staff, and community members to represent their communities on the New Middle School on Euclid St Community Working Group (CWG). Click here to apply to represent our school community on the CWG: https://bit.ly/newdcpscwg. Applications are due by January 15, 2025. Please email dcps.planning@k12.dc.gov with any questions. 

January Drills  

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

Severe Weather Drill. This month we will be conducting a severe weather drill. During a severe weather drill students pretend to seek shelter appropriate to the severe weather threat announced, such as a blizzard, electrical storm, flood or tornado. Severe weather can include hazardous conditions produced by thunderstorms, including damaging winds, tornadoes, large hail, flooding and flash flooding, and winter storms associated with freezing rain, sleet, snow and strong winds. 

Open House Dates  

Seaton will be hosting Open House for New to Seaton families on the following dates! Families can register to attend here: https://forms.office.com/r/JBrTt1nA0X See flyer attached.  

• January 15, 2025 from 9AM to 10AM.  

• February 4, 2025 from 5PM to 6PM.  

• February 26, 2025 from 5PM to 6PM. 

SCHOOL POLICIES 

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. 

SORA Application.  

Does your student have a tablet, phone, or computer? They have access to thousands of books using the DCPS eBook reading app – SORA!  This is an easy way for your student to have access to thousands of popular books.  If you need help installing the app, you can feel free to contact Ms. Janka or Ms. Daisy.  

DCPS Calendar Key Dates. 

PTO NEWS and UPDATES 

Happy New Year, Seaton families! We have an exciting few months ahead and looking forward to seeing you and your families at our events.  

Our first PTO meeting of 2025 will be tonight (Wednesday, Jan 8th) at 5:30 in the library. Our two PE teachers, Mr. Barnes and Mr. Chavis will be attending to discuss PE, DCPS food and nutrition services will give an oversight update, and our extracurriculars committee will have more information on club registration. We will have pizza and childcare.  

We are hoping to schedule a few parent and student listening sessions. If you or your child have thoughts, concerns, or ideas, we would love to hear them. Please stay tuned for schedule.  

January events: 

Jan 8th: PTO General Body meeting  

January 31st: Science Fair  

DCPS is looking for parents and caregivers, school staff, and community members to represent their communities on the New Middle School on Euclid St Community Working Group (CWG). Members of the Community Working Group will have three primary roles:  

1. Help disseminate updates on the planning of the new school to members of the community they represent.   

2. Collect general and specific feedback from members of the community they represent.  

3. Based on collected feedback, provide insight into the priorities of prospective students, family members, and community members during the planning process.  

This is a great opportunity to get involved in the early planning stages and represent Seaton. You can apply here until 11:59pm on January 15th. 

Thank you – Principal Torres