Dear Southwestern Community,

I hope everyone had a safe and cozy snow day this week. I also hope those of you with young children who needed to find childcare since school was cancelled had minimal issues. I am fully aware of the chaos it can create for families when school is cancelled, which is one of the reasons I will not cancel school unless it is absolutely necessary. I also appreciate that it is helpful for families to know ahead of time if school will be cancelled. Unfortunately, our wild winters in Western NY are often unpredictable at best, and I may not be able to determine it is necessary to cancel school until the early morning hours. I promise to be transparent about school closing decisions and will provide information the night before whenever possible. A huge shoutout to our buildings and grounds staff who reported to work at 6 a.m. on Monday morning to plow, shovel, and deal with snow removal.

Today marks the first day of the second semester of school. We are officially at the halfway point of the 25-26 school year! Please help us provide the best education for your children by encouraging on-time attendance and maximum effort. I ask all our staff to give 100% to their students every day, and I ask the same for our students. It’s not always easy to be fully engaged every day, but support from home and a commitment to education by families goes a long way. We welcome open communication for the best of our students. Please reach out to your child’s teacher or building principal if you have concerns to discuss. We value our school-family partnership.

Later this week, families with children at Southwestern will receive a link in Parent Square to complete a “Culture and Climate” Survey. This is vital information we will use to improve how children and families feel about the social, emotional, and physical safety of our schools. We would LOVE 100% participation! Reach out to Mrs. McCloskey with any questions about this survey. Her email will be provided in the Parent Square message.

Kudos to our high school students who participated in Regents testing last week. Regents exams are one way our students can show the skills they have learned and mastered. We appreciate the effort and stamina an exam like that requires. Nice work, Trojans!

The next several weeks can be tough on all of us – it’s too cold, there’s not enough sun, and Spring seems so far away. I encourage everyone to take moments here and there to find joy – whether it’s a cup of hot chocolate with friends or a brisk walk in the snow. Hang in there – we’ve got this!

Yours in Education,
Molly Moore
Superintendent
Southwestern CSD