Southwood Elementary PTO

06/09/2026

Now that summer is in full swing, it’s time for some changes…not just in the building construction efforts, but in the SES PTO!

For 4 years, Marlo, Jessica and I have poured our hearts into the PTO. Our mission was simple: build a stronger school family, make extra joy happen for the students, love this incredible staff, support families and spread the famous Knight Pride everywhere that we possibly could.

None of this would have been possible without YOU. The community. You trusted us. You fundraised for us. You cheered us on. That meant everything and it’s how we were able to make PTO magic happen at SES.

It’s been 4 years. As life would have it, our kids are getting older, moving up and moving on. The time has come for some fresh new faces to pick up the PTO baton and carry it forward.

Please join me in welcoming the NEW SES PTO!

We are so thankful that they chose to step up, volunteer and are willing to continue the tradition of strong parent support at Southwood Elementary.
In the coming days and weeks, we are in full PTO chair member transition mode! We hope that you will support and encourage these parents just as you did for us.

The faces are different, but the mission remains the same:
Supporting the students, staff and families of SES.
It’s a GREAT day to be a Southwood Knight. ❤️🩶

Thanks for everything!
Beth Combs
(former ☺️) President, Southwood Elementary PTO

05/27/2026

From Squishmallows to board games to instant cameras to Labubus…we had some very happy Carnival AR Raffle winners yesterday! 🤩

05/27/2026

⬇️⬇️⬇️

MSDWC is excited to once again offer free meals for children in our community this summer!

Locations: Metro North and Southwood Elementary Schools
Available To: Ages 1-18
Dates: June 2-19, 2026, Monday - Friday
Lunch: 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM

Meals must be consumed onsite.

05/23/2026

That’s a wrap on the 2026 SES Carnival!
We hope your children had a great time and were able to come home with LOTS of sugar and prizes for this 3 day weekend. 😁

This long standing Southwood Elementary tradition would not be possible without the help of our families and community partners. Thank you for being part of this special, crazy daY. Now you can say that you’ve seen 470 kids be set loose in a 4 hallway school! 🤪

Enjoy this quick video and feel free to drop YOUR Carnival pics in the comments!

Special thanks to:
Our generous SES families
Banta
Balloons By Aaron
The Sweet Shack
The Eagles Theatre
Rolling Meadows Health & Rehab
Poole Foods Inc.

05/21/2026

We are exactly 24hrs away from the annual SES Carnival!

Just a reminder: if you signed up to volunteer tomorrow, we need you to arrive NO LATER THAN 12:45! We will meet in the lobby in order to give you a few instructions before sending you to your designated areas. There will be a sign in table, so be sure to stop there first!

If you signed up to help tonight, we will get started around 3:30.

If you signed up to help clean tomorrow, we will start around 3:30.

Thanks again to this amazing community for helping us make another magical day happen for our children!

05/18/2026

Brand new SES Carnival addition this year…we hired balloon artists! They’ll be stationed in the front lobby, so be sure to stop by and get one during the carnival, Knights! 🎈🎟️🎡🍭🍪

05/15/2026

Just 1 week until the annual SES Carnival! 🤩
Please don’t forget to send in those snack cakes and sodas to the office!

Just for fun: Tell us what your child’s favorite part of the carnival is below! ⬇️

05/12/2026

I came across some writing projects on the 2nd grade bulletin board and I wanted to share.

When we tell you that the SES Carnival is the highlight for a lot of kiddos- we mean it! Only 10 more days, kids! 🤩

05/11/2026

It’s time for us to get ready for the carnival! You should have seen a carnival paper come home in your red folders. We need:

📍Volunteers (people to walk with littles AND adults to work games)

📍bottles of soda

📍boxes of individual Little Debbie snacks

The annual SES carnival is quite literally the most exciting day of the year for SO many students! There are games, bounce houses, prizes, food, soda…and 90 mins of being rowdy with their besties!

If you can help, we’d appreciate it! The carnival doesn’t just happen. It takes all of us, coming together to make this special for our kids! We are doing our part adding cool new prizes, games and making it as seamless as possible for grown-ups!
Message us with any questions, or contact your teacher/office for more information!

05/08/2026

This week’s theme was Road Trip:Destination➡️APPRECIATION!

What’s a Road Trip without stopping for gas along the way?!
Today the SES PTO gave away 2 $100 gas cards and 2 $50 gas cards! And the winners are:
Amy Darland - $50
Matt Denney - $50
Trisha Eckman - $100
Tere Smith - $100

Congratulations to all 4 of you and thanks for entering the drawing at each stop along the way this week!