October 7 Family Newsletter

Seaton Families,  

Welcome to fall! We have a busy month of October ahead. Please review all the school events in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and Bullying Awareness Month. Several family events are planned for October, including a book author visit, movie night, and picture day. We are excited to welcome families to school! 

Parent Teacher Conferences Day.  

Thursday, October 10, from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Classroom teachers are reaching out to families to schedule conferences directly. If possible, teachers may schedule Parent-Teacher Conferences before October 10. During the conferences, you can expect to learn about your student’s academic performance at the beginning of the year and their academic goals for the year. Parent-Teacher Conferences also provide an opportunity for families to share goals and aspirations for their students with teachers and staff. 

Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration.  

Seaton Elementary School would like to invite you to celebrate Dia de los Muertos! During the Mexican celebration of Dia de los Muertos, an ofrenda or altar is displayed in homes to honor and celebrate deceased loved ones. Seaton will have our own altar display in the lobby throughout October and November. If you would like to participate, please bring one or more of the following: 

  • framed pictures of deceased loved ones (pets welcomed) 
  • objects or personal belongings that represent loved ones  
  • calaveras (sugar skulls) 
  • marigolds 

All items must be labeled with your child’s name, so they can be returned to you. Students should bring all items to their homeroom teacher. 

October is Bullying Awareness Month.  

Wear Orange Day: On October 16th, we invite everyone to wear orange to celebrate Unity Day and show our collective stand against bullying at Seaton Elementary School. All students will be provided orange bracelets in the morning. See attached flyers for more details 

Caregiver Bullying Workshop: On October 17th at 4pm at Seaton Elementary School, there will be a workshop featuring a guest speaker from the DC Office of Human Rights who will discuss bullying awareness and prevention strategies with Seaton parents and caregivers. See attached flyers for more details.

October School Safety Drills.   

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.   

Great Shakeout Drill. On Wednesday, October 17, 2024, Seaton and all DCPS school sites will participate in the annual Great Shakeout Drill. The drill will take place at 10:17 a.m. This annual event is a chance for students and staff to learn how to plan and prepare for an earthquake. During this drill, students listen to an announcement and practice the steps Drop, Cover, and Hold On as a class. The Great Shakeout Drill lasts 5 minutes. Families can learn more about the Great Shake Out Drill here:  https://www.shakeout.org/southeast/resources/    

Schedule of Drills for SY 24.25 

  • November: Fire Drill + Alert Drill  
  • December: Fire Drill only  
  • January: Fire Drill + Severe Weather Drill  
  • 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  

Inner Core Team October Newsletter.  

See attached the October Newsletter from Seaton’s inner Core Teacher Team. Please review the newsletter to learn about what students are experiencing in special classes.   See the flyer attached below.

  • Ms. Tovar, Spanish Teacher  
  • Ms. Kopsidas, Art Teacher  
  • Ms. Chamberlain, Music Teacher  
  • Mr. Chavis, Physical Education Teacher  
  • Mr. Barnes, Physical Education Teacher  

SodexoMagic Newsletter.  

From the Sodexo Team: Hey Beehive! We are thrilled to share some exciting news with you!  This month, our dining team is rolling out some fun and flavorful promotions to make lunchtime a special experience for your child! There are just a few of the promotions that we have scheduled to kick off fall flavors! See the flyer attached below.

Parent Listening Sessions.  

Parents are invited to attend Family Listening Sessions to learn about our school goals, share ideas, and meet other families.  

  • English: October 16 at 5:30pm in the Library  
  • Espanol: October 23 at 8:30am in the Front of School  
  • Chinese: October 30 at 8:30am in the Front Lobby  
  • Amharic: October 30 at 5:30pm in the Library  

Seaton Attendance Form.  

Families, please fill out the SY 24-25 SY 24-25 Seaton Absent/Tardy Form if you are student was absent or tardy.   

School Events Coming Up

Parent Teacher Conferences Day. Families should expect to receive communication from their grade level teachers to schedule parent teacher conferences for the Fall Term. Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for October 10. There will be no school for students on Thursday October 10th. 

Teacher PD Day – No School. There will be no school on Friday October 11 due to teacher Professional Development Day.  

Indigenous People’s Day – No School. There will be no school on Monday October 14 due to the Holiday.  

Food Distribution. Families are invited to come to our first Food Distribution event of the year. It will be happening on October 17 during dismissal time on the playground. 

Lights on After School. After School families are invited to attend the Fall Flair event taking place on October 24 from 4:30 to 5:30pm in the Seaton Multipurpose Room. Families will enjoy a show planned and organized by After School students. 

Author Visit Family Event. Join us for an author visit on October 25 at 4pm! Local author Carrie Maslen will read her children’s book Baking Bread with Jiddo and lead a cooking-related crafting activity. This hour-long author visit is free for students and parents! Parents may purchase Carrie’s book ahead of time, using discount code SAVE40 at checkout. Orders placed after October 11 will be available for pickup on site. Teacher, Ms. Nadia Syed, is Point of Contact and lead for this event! See flyer below.

Picture Day. It’s that time of year again!  Picture Day will be held on October 30 this year!  Picture Make-Up Day will be held on December 11th. On Picture Day, students are allowed to wear a “special outfit if they wish, as long as it does not have any inappropriate pictures or wording on it. 

Field Trips + Chaperones

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.  

PTO Updates

Please join us at our next PTO meeting this Wednesday, October 9th at 5:30pm. We will meet in the library and as always there will be pizza and childcare! If you can’t make it in person you can join us on Zoom: (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89062549545, Meeting ID: 890 6254 9545) 

Volunteer with the PTO! We need event and committee volunteers throughout the year. If you are interested in getting involved, please submit this form.  

We are excited to announce the expansion of extracurriculars at Seaton. Last week, the PTO launched after school chess club, yoga club, and math club. To make these clubs financially sustainable and so that we can continue to offer them for future sessions, the PTO is asking for a suggested $50 donation for each participant, to the extent your family is able to contribute. Donations can be made here.  

The votes are in and the students have selected IF as the movie for our Fall Movie Night! Fall movie night will be held on the Seaton soccer field on October 25th from 6-9pm. We still have some volunteer slots open and we’d love your help! Please add your name and contact info here and we’ll be in touch! Plan ahead and order pizza from our friends at Duccini’s at 7th and Q to bring with you. They have agreed to donate $4 to the PTO for every pizza sold that day when you mention “Seaton!” 

The holidays are just around the corner. If you plan on sending holiday cards to friends and family, don’t forget we have a partnership with Minted where you get 20% off and 15% of your purchase goes back to support our school! Use code FUNDRAISESEATON at checkout. 

In Partnership – Principal Torres!

Flyers and Attachments