Seaton Families,
Thank you for the energy and support you’ve brought to the first weeks of school. Our classrooms are already buzzing with strong routines, joyful learning, and students practicing how to take ownership of their growth. I want to extend my gratitude to all of our community members for embracing our academic goals and for supporting each other in and outside of our school walls.
This week, we’re excited to welcome you back into the building for Back to School Night. It’s a chance to see your child’s classroom, meet their teachers, and learn more about the experiences that will shape their year. We hope you’ll join us in celebrating the start of another great year together.
We are grateful for your partnership in making Seaton a place where every student feels a sense of belonging, challenged, and supported every day at school!
Principal Torres
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Future of Seaton!
Learn about what to Expect to the SY 25-26 Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6xQAozLTug
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Join Us for Back to School Night!
Back to School Night
Join us for Back to School Nights to learn more about the school community, priorities, and visit classrooms!
* Wednesday September 17 – Grades PK3, PK4, Kindergarten, and Grade 1. Time: 5:30 to 6:30PM.
* Thursday September 18 – Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4, and Grade 5. Time: 5:30 to 6:30PM.
* Friday September 19 – Grade 2 Ms. Hawthorne and Ms. Langston’s homerooms.
Back to School Night:
* Arrive between 5:20–5:30 p.m. for check-in.
* Visit your child’s homeroom, you will be able to rotate at 6:00pm for a visit to a second classroom.
* The event is informational. For individual concerns, please reach out to your teacher for a follow‑up.
* Children are welcome with guardians; please supervise at all times.
* After School programing will go on as normal until 6:00PM.
* Community partners will host information tables at the front of the school.
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Daily School Logistics K-5
Families Can Expect the Following Daily Logistics for Kindergarten Through Grade 5:
- Arrival: Students can arrive as early as 8:15am daily!
- Instructional Day: Students transition to class between 8:40 and 8:45am! Arriving on time supports us with smooth transitions and the start of the school day for all students.
- Breakfast: All students in grades K-4 eat breakfast in the Seaton Cafeteria. Grade 5 eats in the Lobby.
- Parking: Parking for families is available through designated Pick Up and Drop off (PUDO) 15-minute parking on 10th street and Q street.
ECE Arrival (PK3 and PK4)
- Beginning Friday September 12, families will be able to walk students directly to their classroom doors during arrival from 8:15 to 8:40AM.
CES Program Arrival (Communication Educational Supports)
- Students attending Seaton’s CES Program (Communication Educational Supports) in grade bands ECE and K–2 travel directly to their classroom doors, accompanied by a parent or OSSE Bus attendant.
Seaton School Uniforms Information
We are proud to have a flexible school uniform that supports a sense of discipline and self-respect, enables students to concentrate on learning, and reduces peer pressure.
All Seaton students are expected to come to school daily wearing a uniform. PK3 to 5th grade students should come dressed in white tops or navy bottoms.
- Tops: white polo shirts, white shirts, or any Seaton logo t-shirt.
- Bottoms: dark blue bottoms, shorts, skirts, or jumpers (below the knee).
- Footwear: any closed-toe shoes for safety reasons.
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Attendance Committee Updates
This month is Attendance Awareness Month at Seaton! The attendance team will host host information sharing during Back to School Night to answer parent questions about the excuse notes process, excused absence, and our school attendance goals.
We are also having an attendance spirit week! The themes are listed below for each day. Please join us in the celebration!
- Monday September 22nd – College Wear Day
- Tuesday September 23rd – Tie Dye Day
- Wednesday September 24th – Vacation Day
- Thursday September 25th – Jersey Day
- Friday September 26th – School Spirit Day
Please try your best to have your students participate and show their school spirit! As always please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. ”
Thank you! Mr. Mercado – Bilingual School Counselor
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Bee-Well Team – Mental Health Resources
Parent Workshop
The BEE Well team is going to facilitate a parent workshop on Wednesday October 1st in the Seaton library at 5pm. The parent workshop will focus on exploring practical strategies for establishing consistent morning and bedtime routines, learning simple tools to strengthen kids’ emotion regulation skills, and discover ways to turn daily transitions into opportunities for connection. See flyer attached.
BEE Well Family Resource Padlet:
The BEE Well team has created a Padlet to provide families with easy access to helpful information and supports. The Padlet includes details about the BEE Well team, mental health resources, community services, back-to-school tips for families, and additional helpful tools.
You can access here: https://padlet.com/mpatel158/seaton-bee-well-resources-for-families-bs9yq64mnibpq7ba
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Seaton Modernization
The School Improvement Team meets tomorrow Tuesday with the architects responsible for our modernization process for a presentation on concepts for our modernized building. That presentation will be posted to the DCPS website and Seaton PTO website tomorrow evening. The SIT Team members include parents, teachers, and community members.
We have just one week to gather feedback on the proposals, so stay tuned for more information and a survey in the coming days.
We will also host a community meeting on Friday, September 19, at 5:30 PM. The meeting will be virtual, details here.
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SEL Curriculum (Socio Emotional Learning)
Seaton is implementing an SEL curriculum and structures to support students in developing a strong sense of belonging, safety, and community. This school year, we adopted the following curriculum based on feedback from both students and staff!
Students in ECE, Kindergarten and Grade 1 are implementing Strong Start Whole Child Model that includes:
- Greetings
- Purposeful Partnering
- Community Building
- Goal Setting
Families can learn more about Strong Start here: https://www.wholechildmodel.org/strong-start
Students in Grade 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th will be implementing the Peace of Mind of curriculum that includes:
- Mindfulness
- Conflict resolution
- Practicing kindness
- Gratitude
Families can learn more about Peace of Mind here: https://teachpeaceofmind.org/parents/
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School Policies + Opportunities!
DCPS School Nurse
We currently have a rotating school nurse supporting Seaton. We will share more information about the school nurse once we confirm the days that she will be available to meet families. In the meantime, please share any health or dental forms with Ms. Daisy at gloria.torrento@k12.dc.gov or the Seaton Enroll email at SeatonESEnroll@k12.dc.gov
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DCPS Student Cell Phone and Electronic Device Policy
During the 25.26 school year, Seaton ES will continue to implement a cell phone free school day. This ensures that we are protecting school time to focus on learning, wellness, and safety. Upon arrival to school each day, students will turn in their personal electronic devices to the security officer on duty to be stored for the duration of the school day. Students may retrieve their personal devices upon dismissal (either from the regular school day or from after school). DCPS and its staff do not assume responsibility for students’ personal cell phones or personal electronic communication devices if they are brought to school grounds. DCPS is not responsible for loss, damage, and/or theft of students’ personal cell phones or personal electronic communication devices if they are brought to school grounds. To review the full DCPS Cell Phone and Electronic Device Policy, please click here.
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Field Trip Volunteers
For SY 25.26, family members interested in participating in school field trips need to complete the DCPS Volunteer Clearance Process before attending any field trip. We encourage all parents and family members to complete the DCPS Volunteer Clearance process! Families can begin their process here: Volunteer in Our Schools | dcps
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Student Health Hub Events
Still need to get your DCPS student ready for the new school year? Plan a visit to one of the upcoming Health Hubs for eye exams, dental check-ups, immunizations, family resources, and more. Register today: bit.ly/dcpshealthhubs2025
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Vision To Learn Program
Vision to Learn is offering free eye exams and prescription glasses (if needed) for kids ages 3–18 at various DC Public Library locations. Families must pre-register at https://vtldc.intakeq.com/booking.
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Getting Ready the Start of School
Want to prepare your PK3 and PK4 students for the start of school? You can watch the DCPS Early Childhood Videos Series here!
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After School Programming at Seaton
Kindergarten through Grade 5 After School Programming
- The after-school program is currently underway at Seaton.
- After-school programming for Kindergarten through Grade 5 takes place daily from 3:15 to 6:00 PM.
- Students transition directly from the school day to the Seaton Cafeteria for the start of after-school programming at 3:15 PM.
- Students in after-school are picked up at the front of the school.
- All families are asked to sign their student out at pick-up.
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PK3 and PK4 After School Programming by the YMCA
PK3 and PK4 with an after-school seat are now able to complete the YMCA After School registration. Families that received a waitlist seat for PK3 and PK4 are also now able to enroll in the after-school program.
- Registration opens Monday, August 4
- The program runs daily from 3:15 to 6:00 PM, starting August 28 (first day of ECE)
- To register, email Jaysha Washington at jaisha.washington@ymcadc.org to receive the form
- The program has a cost of $360 per month with a one-time registration fee of $50
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Save the Dates!
Enrollment Questions?
Families can email the Seaton Enroll email or our registrar Ms. Daisy any questions about enrollment. This includes any questions about the MySchoolDC Lottery or DCPS Enrollment process.
- Seaton Enroll email: seatonesenroll@k12.dc.gov
- Ms. Daisy, school registrar: gloria.torrento@k12.dc.gov
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Join the LSAT Meetings
The Local School Advisory Team (LSAT) is a group of elected and appointed members that exists for every DCPS school. The team consists of parents, teachers, non-instructional school staff, and a community member. Local School Advisory Teams are a key lever to increasing transparency at DCPS and ensuring decisions affecting school communities are made collaboratively with the help of a diverse group of school stakeholders. If you want to join online, visit the Seaton website, and navigate to the LSAT webpage.
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SY 25.26 DCPS School Calendar
Review the DCPS school year calendar here SY 25.26 School Calendar
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PTO Updates
Our first PTO meeting on September 3 was a great success, thank you to all who attended. You can read the minutes of the meeting on the PTO page, here. We heard from Principal Torres about curriculum updates and new staff members, Mr. Mercado provided attendance policy updates, we provided updates on modernization and the Euclid middle school progress, and we launched afterschool clubs for the Fall. Read on for more!
Fall Afterschool Clubs
We are so excited about the incredible interest in clubs this session! You can read all about the options here: https://seatondc.org/afterschool-enrichment/
- We have scholarships available for DC Way Soccer and Silver Knights Chess Club. Details are available here or email us with questions.
- Additional day for DC Way Soccer for Kindergarten and 1st grade students: Kindergarten and 1st grade families can now sign up for Fridays from 4-5pm. This is a great option for families who didn’t get a spot on Tuesdays, and for families of soccer-loving kids who want two days if there is enough capacity.
- DC Way Soccer still has open spots for students in 2nd-5th grade! Please note, we moved 2nd graders into the Monday slot with the older grades to accommodate all of the interest from our lower grades.
- Silver Knights Chess Club on Wednesdays still has open spots.
- Sign up for teacher-led clubs is now closed. We had enormous interest in these clubs, and the demand outpaced the spots available. Our teachers are trying to accommodate as many students as possible and will reach out to parents in the coming days with more details.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact the PTO Afterschool Enrichment Committee at SeatonPTOEnrichment@googlegroups.com
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New Day-Off Camp
The PTO is excited to announce that DC Way will be offering an Art & Soccer Day Camp at Seaton, exclusively for our students when school is closed!
- Dates: October 9, October 10, and November 3
- Location: Seaton Elementary School – drop-off and pick-up at the playground
- Time: full, extended, and half day options available
Special Offer for Seaton Families: 20% off for all DC Way Art & Soccer Day Camps! Use the code SEATON20 at checkout. See the flyer attached. Learn more and sign up here: https://dcway.com/camps/seaton-art-soccer-day-camp.
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Euclid Middle School
A new middle school is opening in SY2028-2029 for our Stingers. Seaton’s parent representatives Nick Nigro and Zandria Haines, along with Principal Torres, are gathering community feedback to share with the Community Working Group as renovations occur at the old Banneker building at 800 Euclid St NW. You can read about that work here. We are looking for your feedback on the three conceptual options for the new building. Please view the options and fill out the survey here by September 26 so your feedback can be shared with the Community Working Group.
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Seaton Modernization
The School Improvement Team meets tomorrow with the architects responsible for our modernization process for a presentation on concepts for our modernized building. That presentation will be posted to our website tomorrow evening. We have just one week to gather feedback on the proposals, so stay tuned for more information and a survey in the coming days. We will also host a community meeting on Friday, September 19, at 5:30 PM. The meeting will be virtual, details here.
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Upcoming Events
This Saturday, September 20, the garden will be open for a work day from 10-12. We received a garden sponsorship from the law firm Morgan Lewis last spring, and they are bringing volunteers to help us with beautification projects. Please join us as we get to work on some Fall projects, including weeding beds, building a new picnic table, and other kid-friendly garden tasks.
Other upcoming events:
- Friday, October 3 6-8 PM – Fall Movie Night. Bring a blanket and sing along to the greatest kids’ movie of our time, K-Pop Demon Hunters. Our partners at Duccini’s on 7th Street are offering a deal for dinner, purchase an $18 XL one-topping pizza and mention Seaton and they will donate $4 back to the PTO.
- Wednesday, October 15 5:30-6:30 PM – PTO Meeting (pizza and child care provided)
- Thursday, October 23 5-8 PM – Dacha family happy hour
- Wednesday, November 12 5:30-7 PM – Talent showcase
- Wednesday, December 3 5:30-6:30 – PTO Meeting (pizza and child care provided)
- Friday, December 12 7-9 PM – Winter Dance for 2nd – 5th graders
