Seaton Families,
We are now in May and enjoying the beautiful springtime and activities in the Seaton garden.
A big shoutout to our 3rd–5th grade students who completed the ELA CAPE Assessments last week. We’re proud of their focus, effort, and resilience. Thank you to our families and staff for your flexibility, encouragement, and for ensuring students arrived on time each day. It made a big difference!
This week, we are turning our spotlight to the heart of our school—our amazing teaching team! Please join us in celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week as we recognize the dedication, talent, and care our teachers bring to Seaton every single day.
In Partnership, Principal Torres
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School News and Updates
April + May Events and Key Dates
- May 4 to May 8 – Teacher Appreciation Week
- May 6 – PTO Meeting
- May 8 – Cafecito with Principal (Coffee with the Principal, Spanish session)
- May 15 – Spring Carnival
- May 17 – Girls on the Run 5K
- May 25 – Memorial Day, No School
- May 28 – Seaton Pride in the Garden (3:30-5PM)
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Seaton Playground Survey
As part of the modernization process, the School Improvement Team is collecting parent feedback on the future Seaton playground. The results of this survey will help inform the design of the playground renovation. Families can complete the survey here.
The Playground Surveys
- Survey for Parent (English): https://forms.gle/VFNkgA4wohphnb8g8
- Survey for Parent (Spanish): https://forms.gle/Z99tsMv9xeWMMLK39
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Teacher Appreciation Week May 4 – May 8
National Teacher Appreciation Week is May 4 to May 8. We will be celebrating our teachers throughout the week for their immense contributions to our school community. Students and families are invited to express their appreciation in the following ways:
- Tuesday, May 5: Bring a sweet/salty snack!
- Wednesday, May 6: Bring a fruit or fruity snack!
- Thursday, May 7: Bring their favorite drink/beverage!
- Friday, May 8: Bring your teacher a hand-written note or thank you card!
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CAPE Testing (Grade 3, 4, and 5)
Every Spring, students in Washington, DC take the Comprehensive Assessments of Progress in Education (CAPE). CAPE is viewed as an opportunity to showcase our students’ knowledge and all
of the hard work teachers and students have put into teaching and learning this school year.
This year, our testing days are as follow:
- Mathematics: Tuesday, May 5 to Thursday, May 7
- Make Ups: if any students missed testing sessions, we will complete make-ups Friday, May 8 through Friday, May 15.
We encourage all students to be fully confident in their abilities and try their best. Healthy habits are helpful- a full night’s sleep the night before a test, and a healthy breakfast the morning of. As a reminder, breakfast is served at Seaton daily, 8:15- 8:40am.
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Seaton Students vs. Parents Soccer Game – Round 2!
Back by popular demand! After a great turnout on Enrollment Day, we’ll host another Seaton Students vs. Parents soccer game as part of Spring Carnival on May 15 (5:30 to 7:30PM). The soccer game kicks off at 6:00 PM!
Parents interested in participating can reach out to: Mrs. Katerina Matsa Katerina.eva.matsa@gmail.com or Ms. Duarte: Fabiana.Duarte@k12.dc.gov
Or simply show up on game day ready to play — all are welcome!
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DCPS After School Registration
DCPS after school registration for grades K–5 will open later in the month of May. We encourage families to complete the enrollment process for SY 2026–2027 so they are able to register once the process begins. This year, we will use the MOST DC website for after school enrollment: https://most.dc.gov/en-US/
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Spring Open Garden Times
Weekly Open Garden Time, Mondays 3:30 to 4:30 PM
The garden is open for Seaton families (kids must be accompanied by a caregiver) for an hour after school on Mondays. Note that we will be sharing space with Seaton’s new after school garden club, which meets from 4 to 5 pm. We hope as many Stingers as possible can enjoy the garden before our move to the swing space!
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LSAT Run Off Voting – Please vote by Friday
We are thrilled to share that we have an amazing pool of parent candidates this year! Each nominee brings a unique voice and perspective, and we truly appreciate the willingness of so many families to serve our school community. While we wish everyone could join, LSAT membership is limited to four parent representatives plus the PTO President. Please take a moment to review the candidates and vote for FOUR by completing the LSAT Parent Elections 2026–2027 form. Voting is open May 4-8. LSAT Parent Elections 2026-2027 – Fill out form 🗳️ One vote per person. Thank you for being involved and helping shape the future of our school—we’re grateful for you!
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Grade 5 Learn to Ice Skate Unit
Grade 5 students will participate in the Learn‑to‑Ice‑Skate experience for all fifth-grade students across the city. Seaton Grade 5 students will attend this end year experience with the PE teachers on May 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. The team will send field trip forms this week. Please return forms by May 15.
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Grade 2 Biking Unit
The PE team is continuing the biking unit through the end of the year. Groups are being organized into advanced and novice riders.
Ride dates will be shared after assessments are completed, and groups are finalized. There will be two rides to ensure all students are safe, able to participate, and can fully enjoy the experience. End-of-unit community ride dates will be announced closer to the time, after the unit is complete.
The team is looking forward to the unit and is just as excited as the students. For questions or comments, please contact Mr. Chavis (terrence.chavis@k12.dc.gov) or Mr. Barnes (jarreau.barnes@k12.dc.gov)
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Girls on the Run
Seaton’s Girls on the Run team is looking for buddy runners/walkers for the 5k event on May 17th! If you’re interested, sign up at https://www.gotrdc.org/5k and use discount code: SPRINGBUDDY26. Reach out to Ms. Hawthorne for details.
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Seaton Pride in the Garden – Thursday 5/28 3:30-5PM
Please join us on May 28 for Seaton Pride in the Garden! We will be celebrating the upcoming Pride month with T-shirt decorating, pride crafts, rainbow snacks, and festive music!
All are welcome, and we would love to see you there! Please RSVP here if you plan to join us: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PqnlXb3jK7QEcxAltt9Mwb_FODXIbzrYGlN7fPQU5y8/edit
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School Safety Drills.
May 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.
May Lockdown Drill. Our school will be conducting a Lockdown Drill during the month of May. This routine exercise takes place twice a year to practice safeguarding our school community from potential dangers within or outside of our building. During a lockdown drill, students are moved to the safest area of the room, away from doors and windows. The window shades are drawn, classroom door windows are covered, and the lights are turned off. While the drill is underway, all exterior doors are locked, and entering or exiting the building is not permitted until the all-clear is given. We ask that families refrain from coming to the school during this time, as you will not be allowed to enter the building until the drill is complete.
Lockdown Drill for ECE. Families of PK3 and PK4 students are able to opt-out of participating in this drill. Please email Principal Torres at veronica.torres@k12.dc.gov by May 8 opt of out the drill. (Previous deadline of May 1 has been extended).
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Multicultural Day
Mark your Calendars for Seaton’s Multicultural Day! Friday, June 5th. As each year, we would love to have support from families to make this a successful learning experience for our Stingers. Reach out to your child’s teacher if you are able to support this year – Any help is welcome!
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Attendance Committee
Incentive for May: The two classes with the best attendance (starting this week) will win an attendance trophy. The trophy will have some treats (candy) but will also be displayed in the class. They will also win a popsicle party! The winners will be announced at the end of the month!
As the temperature changes and illnesses arise, please make sure you are contacting the school when your child cannot attend school. Reminder, not all absences are excusable. Please review the DCPS attendance policy here and if you have any questions, please reach out to Mr. Mercado (school counselor and attendance poc) at abel.mercado@k12.dc.gov
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PTO News and Updates
Seaton Families,
Thanks to everyone who participated in our auction and joined us for our Dog Daze happy hour last week. With the support of many teachers, families, and local businesses who donated over 80 auction prizes, we raised over $8,500 for the PTO! We are well on our way to exceeding our $40,000 fundraising goal for the year, which has allowed us to increase funding for afterschool clubs, supplies, events, and more, and start thinking creatively about how we can provide funding to support our transition to swing space next year.
Our next PTO meeting is Wednesday, May 6! Please join us in the library from 5:30 – 6:30 PM to hear the latest updates on modernization/swing space, principal updates, and information on tech use at Seaton. Pizza and child care will be provided! We respectfully request that parents utilize the provided child care for any Seaton students, to allow for meeting participants to focus on the presentations and discussion. Afterschool students can remain in afterschool for the duration of the meeting, and students who do not participate in afterschool can be checked in with Ms. Kirkpatrick in the cafeteria.
Bike to School Day is Wednesday, May 6! Our route starts at 8 AM in front of Seaton and takes a loop around the neighborhood, with stops on N Street between 7th and 8th (at 8:03 AM), 5th and O (8:05 AM), 3rd and R (8:08 AM), and arriving back at Seaton around 8:15. All times are approximate – try and show up a few minutes early to make sure you don’t miss the bike bus. All levels of experience are welcome and encouraged to join, we will go slow. A picture of the route is attached.
Spring Carnival is coming up on Friday, May 15! Our biggest event of the year runs from 5:30 – 7:30 PM. We’ll have Wow Wheelz, face painting, carnival games, a students v. parents soccer game (starting at 6 PM), food, drinks, and fun. This is our last Spring Carnival in our building before modernization – come out and enjoy one of the best nights of the year at Seaton. And please sign up for a short volunteer shift to support the event! Events like this rely on parent volunteers, and we are grateful for everybody who steps up to help. If you haven’t volunteered before, Spring Carnival is a great way to get started.
Free Washington Nationals game on May 31st! Free tickets are available to join the Seaton PTO at the Nationals game at 1:35 pm on Sunday, May 31st. In order to be considered for tickets, please fill out this form by May 22, 2026. Tickets are for current students and families enrolled at Seaton. We have a limited number of tickets available, so they will be distributed first come, first-served in the order that we receive this form, with a max of 5 tickets per family. Tickets are sent electronically so you need to have the free MLB Ballpark app downloaded on your phone in order to access.
Yearbooks! Yearbook orders are due by May 6. You can place your order here.
