Lakewood's Going Places
September 2025
Greetings,
Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year! Whether you are a returning family or new to our district, we are honored to have the opportunity to partner with you in support of your child(ren) having an outstanding year and educational experience in Lakewood School District. We are grateful for the engagement of our families and participation in back-to-school events such as our elementary open houses, Cougar Days at LMS and LHS, and Kindergarten family connection meetings. We look forward to continuing to collaborate together to help all Lakewood students achieve their goals in a supportive, inclusive, and welcoming educational community.
Last year, members and stakeholders of our district came together to provide their hopes, insights, and feedback on the development of our new Lakewood Strategic Direction. This yearlong process was the culmination of hundreds of survey responses over multiple surveys and the collaborative conversations and discussions of more than 60 students, staff, family and community members who met on an ongoing basis to solidify our three foundational pillars, their definitions, and create goals and indicators for each.
At this time, we are working on the finishing elements of our plan, which includes metrics for the pillar goals. We recently completed a survey to solicit feedback on an updated mission/vision/and motto or tagline that encapsulates this work and our community’s beliefs and will share the results with our board and with our community soon.
September is "Attendance Awareness" month and additional information about the streamlining of district call notifications is addressed in this newsletter. With attendance being the key indicator of student enrollment, I wanted to share that this year, our September enrollment for grades K-12 was 10 above our forecasted enrollment.
Historically, October is our highest month of enrollment, and I will work to keep you updated on these trends throughout the year. In addition, we have hired a demographer to conduct an enrollment forecast. We anticipate the completion and presentation of his report in November. This will be important not only for staffing, but also for facility needs in the years to come.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful start to the school year — together, We Are Lakewood!
All my best,
Erin
Dr. Erin Murphy,
Superintendent
The U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. We recognize this momentous occasion with Constitution and Citizenship Week. Are you registered to vote? Take a few minutes to register or update your voter registration today at VoteWa.gov.
You can also pick up a voter registration form at your school, library or post office. Make sure your voice is heard!
The U.S. Constitution is the backbone of American democracy, and each year on September 17, Washington state joins the nation in celebrating its signing. Constitution and Citizenship Day, a Washington State Civic Observance, highlights the importance of understanding the Constitution as a foundation for engaged and informed citizenship.
At Lakewood High School, students in Jeff Sowards’ Honors American Government class recently explored the pivotal moments of the Constitutional Convention. Their studies included the Federalist Papers, written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay. They also studied the Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, drafted in response to concerns about protecting basic liberties.
The class is one of Lakewood’s College in the High School classes, which allow students to earn college credits while they are still in high school.
By learning about the origins and principles of the U.S. Constitution, Lakewood students are commemorating an important moment in American history and preparing to take an active role in its future.
Over the summer, our district’s facilities and grounds teams were hard at work to ensure our schools are safe, efficient, and welcoming learning environments for students and staff.
Highlights include:
- Deep cleaning of floors in classrooms, hallways and common areas.
- At Cougar Creek Elementary, the playground slide was replaced to ensure optimal safety
- At Lakewood Elementary, muddy dirt pathways were improved with concrete, wood chips, and artificial turf to keep indoor spaces clean after recess.
- General repairs and upkeep, including painting and mowing
These projects reflect our ongoing commitment to student safety and facility excellence, made possible by the support of our community.
Lakewood Middle School recently received a major safety upgrade with the installation of new fire alarm control panels. The previous fire control system had reached the end of its service life and no longer met current safety standards.
The new system includes advanced smoke and heat detection, integrated alarm and communication systems, and centralized monitoring—ensuring faster, more reliable emergency response.
This upgrade is one of several improvements approved by voters in 2024 with the passage of the Capital Improvements and Safety Levy.
We’re grateful for our community’s support in helping us keep students and staff safe.
On Sept. 2, Lakewood celebrated the arrival of our newest electric school bus with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony. Two students joined School Board President Leah Tocco, Superintendent Dr. Erin Murphy, Transportation Supervisor Sheri Sandquist, and members of our Transportation team to mark the occasion and be the first to board the bus. This newest addition brings Lakewood’s electric bus fleet to six.
Thanks to a $1.6 million grant from the Washington Department of Ecology, we’ve added three new electric buses and the charging infrastructure to support them. The first arrived in March, the second in April, and the third is now officially on the road.
These buses are replacing aging diesel models with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act — helping us reduce carbon emissions, save on fuel costs, and create a quieter ride for students. (Fun fact: quieter buses mean students naturally talk at a lower volume!)
Heather Szalda-Omlid
Emily Schulenburg
Learn and share the warning signs of youth suicide during Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. If someone is showing any of the warning signs, urge them to contact a mental health professional or the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
It’s time to take action if you notice these signs in family or friends:
- Expressing hopelessness about the future.
- Displaying severe or overwhelming emotional pain or distress.
- Increased physical symptoms—such as fatigue, headaches, and stomachaches—commonly associated with emotional distress.
- Changing or withdrawing from social connections or situations.
- Changes in sleep (increased or decreased).
- Anger or hostility that seems out of character or out of context.
- Recent increased agitation or irritability.
Thank you to everyone who participated, either as an attendee or a volunteer, to make our Back to School Resource & Wellness Fair a success! Through the generosity of our community, more than 450 students received free backpacks, school supplies, hygiene items, haircuts, food, and information from local nonprofit organizations.
Our Cougar volleyball team and leadership students stepped up as volunteers and our event partners, LINC Northwest and United Lakewood Coalition, provided important support. In addition, LifeChurch360 provided food and volunteers and Chartwells donated cookies for the event. Donations of backpacks and supplies also came in from: Amazon (Arlington), Coastal Community Bank, Grove Church, Heritage Bank, Lifepoint Church, LifeChurch360, Movement Mortgage, Seventh-day Adventist Church, and free haircuts from Hair by Mel.
Rep. Dave Paul
Rep. Clyde Shavers
Mary Wysocki
ECE First Day
ECE First Day
LES First Day
LES First Day
LHS First Day
CCE First Day of Kindergarten
The American Heart Association has selected Lucy Irvin, a fifth grader at Lakewood Elementary, to serve as one of two Washington state national Youth Heart Ambassadors for the 2025-26 school year. She is one of 15 ambassadors selected nationwide. Ambassadors work closely with the American Heart Association’s school-based programs - Kids Heart Challenge™ and American Heart Challenge™ - to inspire their peers to build lifelong healthy habits and learn lifesaving education, all while helping others.
Lucy has a family connection to heart disease, which fueled her desire to serve as a national Youth Heart Ambassador. Lucy and her mother Sarah have discussed the importance of taking care of your heart, especially if you have a family history of heart disease. She is looking forward to sharing with students her message of, “it’s never too early to think about heart health.”
Julianna Lowery-Abraham represented Lakewood FFA during the opening week of the Evergreen State Fair.
She placed as Senior Champion, Reserve Champion, and won FFA Outstanding Exhibitor honors while showing in the meat goat category. FFA students work diligently for months to care for their animals in preparation for events. Congratulations, Julianna!
Video Production
Homecoming prep
Learning how to spell our names in kindergarten
LHS jazz band
LMS garden
LHS jazz choir
Peak Performer Dieter Rice
Peak Performer Samantha Howard
Volleyball
Girls Soccer
Boys Tennis
Apply to be a substitute teacher today!
Are you interested in spending time occasionally as a teacher at one of our schools? Do you have a bachelor's degree? We need you!
Lakewood is seeking both certificated substitute teachers and emergency substitute teachers who will play a vital role in shaping young minds. Substitutes enjoy flexibility in scheduling and a compensation schedule that increases with the number of days worked each school year.