Southwestern Elementary PTA

The following message is from our Principal Mrs. Mounie

Good afternoon, Mustang Family!

It was great seeing so many of you yesterday at Orientation! We loved having our halls filled with excited students and families, and we are even more excited to officially welcome everyone back Monday!

The First Day of School is almost here! 🎉 We are so excited to begin a new year at Southwestern Elementary. We can’t wait to see our hallways filled with smiling faces, learning, and lots of Mustang Pride. We are ready for an amazing year of Galloping Toward Greatness—One Student at a Time!

As we begin our first day, please keep these important reminders in mind:

🚗 New Traffic Pattern: Please be aware of the new traffic pattern as you enter and exit the parking lot. Following the directional flow will help us keep everyone safe and make arrival and dismissal as smooth as possible.
🪪 100% ID Requirement: All visitors entering the building must present a valid ID. This is an important part of keeping our students and staff safe.
🐎 Classroom Arrival: Students will be escorted to their classrooms by staff members. For the safety of all students, parents and guardians will not enter the instructional wings.
🏫 Need Assistance? If you have questions or need assistance with anything, please stop by the main office. We are happy to help!
Thank you for partnering with us as we begin another wonderful school year. We appreciate your patience, flexibility, and support as we work together to make the first day a safe and successful one.

Let’s make it a GREAT first day, Mustangs! 💙🐎

📢 Unfortunately, due to the incoming inclement weather tomorrow, Saturday, August 22nd, the PTA will be cancelling our annual Chalk the Walk.

💜It saddens us deeply to have to make this decision, as we look forward to this special event every year. But the safety of our students, families, and volunteers is our main concern. 🐎

🍎We look forward to seeing all of your smiling faces on the first day of school, Monday, August 24th! 🎒

Have a great and safe weekend! 💜🏫

Send a message to learn more

🎒🏫 What a GREAT Orientation!! We loved talking with all of our Mustang 🐎 family 💜

🐎 We want everyone to join the PTA.! You do not have to commit to volunteering, though we welcome and appreciate all the time you can spare! Remember, just signing up and paying your membership fee goes a long way in helping our school.!

💰10$ for an adult and 7$ for a student.! 💜 Follow this link and join now if you haven't already.! https://southwesternpta.givebacks.com/shop

📌 Please see the attached links to our Teacher, Student, Counselor /Nurse Supply Wish List and Teacher Lounge/Bathroom Wish List! This is 1 HUGE way the PTA helps throughout the whole year with their needs!

💜 Did you know your buy in to the PTA helps in all these areas.?
1. Keep water and coffee in the teacher lounge.
2. Classroom supplies to help students and classes across the entire school.
3. Did you know that 95% of our staff are women.? You can donate feminine products. We also have a lot of young women in 5th grade who may need these items at a surprise moment.
4. There are items that are also needed by the Counselor and Nurse for students across the whole school.

🏫If you are able to help by donating, we would be incredibly grateful! However, please do not feel obligated to purchase anything. There is absolutely no expectation—your continued support, encouragement, and involvement in our school community already means so much! 💙

❤️The wish lists are simply a helpful reference for items that are frequently needed for our teachers throughout the school year. You do not have to purchase items directly from the list! If you know of another store or location where you can find the same or similar items at a better price, please feel free to shop there instead!

📦 If you purchase items, please drop them off at the front desk or have them delivered them to the school and address them to the PTA.

❤️Every little bit helps, and we truly appreciate everything you do to support our school, students, teachers, and community! ❤️

💜 Please reach out if you have ANY questions. We'll do our best to find the answer! [email protected]

❤️Enjoy these last few days of summer, soak up the sunshine, and get those backpacks ready! 🎒✏️📓

Supplies Wish List
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1KOHV6A1D6R79/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_5

Teacher Wish List
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/724TS52X19WV?ref_=list_d_wl_lfu_nav_8

Check out my list on Amazon

📢 Community Conversations with Superintendent Dr. John Gordon III

‼️ Join on Friday, August 21 at 3 p.m. for a "Community Conversation with the Superintendent" via Facebook Live to discuss all thing Back-To-School for the 2026-2027 school year, the new Attendance Failure Policy and "The Power of One". Please use the form provided to submit your question(s): https://forms.gle/xUjZbUDVTZwrNpKa8. The Superintendent will provide a response to as many questions as he can during the live session.

😁 To watch this live stream, visit facebook.com/SuffolkVAPublicSchools. Live streams are available to viewers WITH OR WITHOUT a Facebook account. (You can disregard the prompt to create an account). If you need assistance viewing the live stream, please contact Suffolk Public Schools Communications and Community Engagement at 757-923-5244. If you cannot view the live stream at 3 p.m., the video will remain posted on our page to watch later. At this time, we are unable to add subtitles to the live stream. However, the video will be captioned and added to our Suffolk Public Schools YouTube channel to watch later.

Facebook Live Question Submission Form Join us on Friday, August 21 at 3 p.m. for a "Community Conversation with the Superintendent" via Facebook Live to discuss all things Back-To-School for the 2026-2027 school year, the new Attendance Failure Policy and "the Power of One." Please submit your question(s) below. The Superintendent will....

📢 Are You Interested In Volunteering For Suffolk Public Schools?

🏫💜 To become a volunteer, you must create an application in the Raptor system. Click here for a link to the 2026-2027 Raptor Volunteer Application. If you completed the application last year, an application renewal or a new application will be required each school year. This is required to volunteer for any activities.

🐎💜Volunteers have the option of selecting the school they prefer to volunteer. They can select one location or multiple locations. Volunteers can also select the functions they wish to volunteer and select one or multiple functions. Once complete, the volunteer will receive an automatic notification to their email address, letting them know the application has been received. Once approved, the volunteer will receive a second automated email informing them that the application has been approved and that they are authorized to volunteer until June 30, 2026.

‼️For more information related to volunteering in Suffolk Public Schools, please visit our website, www.spsk12.net/community/volunteers.

Volunteers Volunteers - Suffolk Public Schools

Mustang Roundup was a SUCCESS! It was HOT but it was a HOT SUCCESS 🥵😁🐎💜🏫

We had sooooo much fun meeting and talking with new and returning Mustangs.! Come find us at orientation Thursday 8/20 so we can get you signed up for the PTA team and chat some more! Or follow this link and join now! https://southwesternpta.givebacks.com/shop

It's going to be a great year and we can't wait to work and build with you! Let's Saddle Up For A Great School Year!! 🐎💜🏫🎒

🎒☀️ Summer is winding down, and you know what that means… BACK TO SCHOOL! 🍎📚

We hope everyone has had an amazing summer filled with sunshine, fun, family, and lots of memories! While summer coming to an end is always a little bittersweet, we are SO excited because that means we get to see all of our amazing students and families again! ❤️ We’ve missed you very much and cannot wait to see all of your smiling, happy faces!!🎉🏫

As we Saddle Up For A Great School Year, we want to share a way that anyone who is able and interested can help support our teachers and students. ❤️

📌 Please see the attached links to our Amazon Teacher & Student Supply Wish List and Teacher Lounge Wish List! This is 1 way your PTA helps teachers and students throughout the whole year with their needs!

🏫If you are able to help by donating, we would be incredibly grateful! However, please do not feel obligated to purchase anything. There is absolutely no expectation—your continued support, encouragement, and involvement in our school community already means so much! 💙

❤️The wish lists are simply a helpful reference for items that are frequently needed for our teachers throughout the school year. You do not have to purchase items directly from the list! If you know of another store or location where you can find the same or similar items at a better price, please feel free to shop there instead!

📦 If you purchase items, please drop them off at the front desk or have them delivered them to the school and address them to the PTA.

❤️Every little bit helps, and we truly appreciate everything you do to support our school, students, teachers, and community! ❤️

❤️Enjoy these last few days of summer, soak up the sunshine, and get those backpacks ready! 🎒✏️📓

🏫Stop by our table to visit with us at Orientation on August 20th! Let’s make this school year the BEST ONE YET! 🎉🍎🏫

School Supplies Wish List
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1KOHV6A1D6R79/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_5

Teacher Lounge Wish List
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/724TS52X19WV?ref_=list_d_wl_lfu_nav_8

Good Evening Mustangs 🐎💜🏫

Mark your calendars 🗓️ and join us on Saturday August 22nd 10am-12pm for our annual Chalk the Walk.! Help us decorate the main entrance and bus ramp to welcome back our Little Mustangs and staff.! 💜

Bring the whole family.! We will supply the chalk and cold water. 💜🏫🐎