Seaton Families,
Thank you so much for your engagement in the Seaton Modernization process. I truly appreciated hearing your feedback, comments, and questions about the three design options for the future Seaton building.
The School Improvement Team (SIT) met with the Design-Build Team to share the feedback we received from families about each option. We also lifted up your comments about the building and the outdoor spaces that make our community so special (our garden, playgrounds, and soccer field). The next step in the process will be to engage the community around the Schematic Design (floor plans and interior spaces) of the building. This stage is expected to take place in early 2026.
I look forward to continuing to partner with our community throughout this exciting process!
Principal Torres
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KC Lewis Meeting
Seaton community members are invited to attend the DPR Community Meeting on the playground improvement happening near the KC Lewis Swing Space. Community members can provide feedback on the playground directly to the design team. This community meeting is taking place Monday October 6 from 6:00 to 7:30pm at St. George’s Episcopal Church (160 U Street NW)
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Parent Teacher Conference
Parent Teacher Conferences will take place Thursday October 9. Please note there is no school for students that day. Seaton teachers will share information with families via Remind on how to schedule and sign up for conferences. In addition, some teachers are offering times to meet with families prior to October 9 if possible. We look forward to partnering with you and hearing about your goals for your student this year!
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Fall Movie Night
Fall Movie Night is this Friday, October 3, from 6-8:30 on the soccer field. The students have voted and the winning movie is K-Pop Demon Hunters! The playground gate will open at 6 PM and the movie will start at 6:30. More details below in the PTO Updates.
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CAPE Assessment Update
Each spring, students in 3rd-5th grades take the DC CAPE Assessment. We have much to celebrate and areas to improve, and these results will also serve as the foundation for our school goals and focus areas this year. Every member of the Seaton team plays a critical role in how our students perform, and these results reflect the impact of our collective work.
Highlights
- +6% increase in L3+ for ELA (54% L3+ school wide)
- +4% increase in L3+ for Math (57% L3+ school wide)
- +9.5% improvement in ELA subclaim: Use of Language
- +5.5% improvement in ELA subclaim: Informational Text
- +5.4% improvement in Math subclaim: Additional & Supporting Content
Growth Areas
- School wide Level 4 & 5 performance in ELA and Math
- ELA subclaim: Written Expression (lowest performance)
- Math subclaim: Modeling & Application (lowest performance)
School Wide Focus:
- Grade-level teams will analyze CAPE results to identify instructional priorities for this year.
- Tier 1 instruction will remain our central focus, with targeted supports provided during needs-based small group time.
- Seaton teachers will focus on planning with metacognition strategies to help students reflect on and articulate their thinking.
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CAPE Assessment Student Reports
By Wednesday, October 8th students currently in 4th and 5th grades and who attended Seaton last school year, will bring home their CAPE Individual Score Reports (ISR). This will be accompanied by an Access Code, a Parent Guide to Understanding the ISR, and a letter from the Chancellor.
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Attendance Committee Updates
The Aspen Parent Portal to submit absence/tardy excuse notes is now live on the Seaton Website (Click attendance form on the Seaton website). Please note that this is the same form used for late arrivals and that no documents can be uploaded onto the portal at this time. Physical notes can still be dropped off at the front office. Please reach out to Mr. Mercado if you have any questions at (abel.mercado@k12.dc.gov)
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Latino Heritage Month
During this Latino Heritage Month, we take the opportunity to honor and celebrate the rich histories, cultures, and contributions of the Latino community in the United States and beyond. This month invites us to recognize the diversity and resilience of Latino voices, past and present, that have helped shape our society in countless ways. At Seaton, we will be expanding the celebration with a Spirit Week taking place during the Weel of October 20th (see flyer).
Classrooms will also take part in read-alouds and special activities to honor Latino voices and stories. Families are welcome to visit the breezeway to see our growing Threads of Connection Map and add to our Dias de Los Muertos altar beginning on October 1st.
October School Safety Drills
We will have two drills during the month of October. The two drill months are: Fire Drill and Earthquake Drill aka “The Great Shake Out Drill”.
The Earthquake Drill will be held on 10/16 at 10:16 a.m. across DCPS. Linked is a resource about the Earthquake Drill that families can preview ShakeOutDrillManualSchools_v2
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Picture Day
Save the Date! Fall Student Portraits & Class Photos at Seaton Elementary School is coming up on Wednesday 10/29.
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.
October is Bullying Prevention Month
On Wednesday October 15, students and staff are encouraged to wear orange to show their support for bullying prevention and help promote a culture of kindness and inclusion. Families are also invited to stop by the BEE Well Team’s resource table during morning arrival that day, located outside at the front of the school. The team will be sharing resources on bullying prevention and ways to support children’s mental health.
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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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
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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PTO Updates
Hello Stingers,
September was busy! We saw a lot of old friends and new faces at our back-to-school playdate and Dog Daze family happy hour. We launched fall afterschool clubs, with new offerings from DC Way, the return of chess club, and three different teacher-led clubs. We solicited community feedback on modernization and advocated on behalf of our families to make sure our voices are heard in the building process. And we had our first PTO meeting of the year, with a huge turnout and lots of great engagement.
We are excited to see many of you at our upcoming Fall Movie Night this Friday, October 3 from 6-8:30! Our Stingers got a taste of democracy, and the popular vote has gifted us K-Pop Demon Hunters – so warm up your vocal cords and get ready to sing along. The playground gate will open at 6, and the movie starts at 6:30. BYO blanket to sit on, we’ll have popcorn, cider, and glowsticks to round out the evening. We are also running a special fundraiser with our friends at Duccini’s Pizza on 7th Street – purchase an XL 1-topping pizza for $18 and they will donate $4 for each pizza back to the PTO. Make sure you mention Seaton!
We can’t do this event without volunteers – please sign up here for a short shift! We still need help slinging popcorn and serving up warm cider, and it’s a fun, low-commitment way to get involved and look cool to your kids.
Day-Off Camps
The Seaton PTO is also excited to announce that we are bringing DC Way to Seaton for day-off camps this fall! DC Way will run their popular soccer and art camp at Seaton on October 9 & 10 and November 3. This camp is only open to Seaton students. You can register here. DC Way is offering a special deal for Seaton students – use code SEATON20 at checkout for 20% off day off camps, whether at Seaton or anywhere else DC Way provides them!
Upcoming Events
- PTO Meeting – October 15 – 5:30 – 6:30 PM – Our second PTO meeting of the year will be held from 5:30-6:30. We had a great turnout in September, and we’d love to see more families come out and get involved in all of our exciting work. We will share an agenda for that meeting a few days in advance.
- Dacha Family Happy Hour – October 23 – 5:00 – 8:00 PM – Somehow Dacha keeps letting us come back for our much loved Seaton family happy hour! For $10, get a wristband for extended happy hour specials and a raffle ticket for some cool prizes.
- Talent Showcase – November 12 – 5:30 – 7:00 – Does your little Stinger have a talent they want to share? We’ve seen it all in our past talent showcases–singing, dancing, stand up comedy, making music, cheerleading, magic tricks. All talents (or “talents”, in the case of my own kids) are welcome. More details to come as the date approaches.
For all of you advanced planners, our calendar is up to date with other fun PTO events through the end of the year, including our Winter Wonderland Dance for 2nd-5th graders on December 12, the Science Fair on January 30 and more.
See you Friday for Movie Night!
