The Hoot

3rd Annual Gingerbread House Decorating Party

Don’t miss the 3rd annual (virtual!!) Underwood Gingerbread House party! We invite all Underwood Families to participate in the virtual zoom party! You may provide your own materials or purchase a Gingerbread House Kit from the PTO for $20. This year’s kit includes a special edition Underwood Owl apron. All proceeds go towards holiday gift cards for families in the Underwood community. There is no limit to the candy or imagination when it comes to decorating! All family members are welcome to participate. In addition, Underwood students are invited to enter their completed work for anonymous judging by Dr. Talukdar and Miss Lacey! Categories include Most School Spirit, Most Colorful, and Funniest! Winners will each receive a $20 gift card. Sign up here: https://forms.gle/UHSmBYz4A4jwgxGZ9

Join the Underwood PTO Board

The Underwood PTO has several open board and volunteer positions for the 2024-25 school year. OPEN PTO BOARD ROLES These roles meet monthly from Sept. – June:   OPEN CHAIRS These roles are event/activity specific and do not require an ongoing commitment. Note:  These roles cannot take place without dedicated volunteers: Please email us at underwoodpto@gmail.com for more information or if you are interested in any of these roles.

Coffee @ UWD with Superintendent Nolin and SC Members

Please join us for coffee in the Multipurpose Room (Cafeteria) at Underwood this Thursday April 11th at 8:30 a.m. Newton Public Schools Superintendent Anna Nolin will be there along with Members of the Newton School Committee to answer your questions. If you are unable to attend but would like to have a question answered, please email underwoodpto@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you there!

2024 Online Auction – NOW OPEN FOR BIDDING

The 2024 Underwood Online Auction opens at 8am on Wednesday, March 20th and closes at 10pm on Tuesday, March 26th.  This year’s auction includes many generous donations by local businesses as well as beloved Underwood-only events! BID NOW: https://new.biddingowl.com/AuctionLanding?QueryAuctionId=5b41225e-78e2-4f62-8b47-a9db2badad1c

Spirit Week – March 2024

Monday, March 11 – Mismatch DayTuesday, March 12 – Accessory DayWednesday, March 13 – GREEN DAYThursday, March 14 – Silly Hair/Hat DayFriday, March 15 – Pajama Day As always, Spirit Week is totally optional for all students!

Underwood Centennial Celebration

We are thrilled to invite you and your family to join us as we commemorate a remarkable milestone – the 100th anniversary of our beloved Underwood School building! Date: Thursday, June 6, 2024 Time: 2pm Location: Underwood School, 101 Vernon Street, Newton, MA Come together with current and former students, dedicated teachers and staff, and members of our community as we celebrate a century of learning, growth, and unforgettable memories. Highlights of the Celebration Include: Whether you’re a longtime Newton Corner resident or new to the neighborhood, this event is an opportunity to connect, reminisce, and share in the spirit of our vibrant community. If you are a former Underwood student/family and have Underwood pictures or memorabilia (event programs, clothing) we’d love to showcase them in our “Underwood @ 100 Museum” – please email underwoodpto@gmail.com to connect with event organizers or fill READ MORE

Save the Date – Spring Carnival is Friday, June 7th

The 2024 Spring Carnival will take place on Friday, June 7th from 3-7pm! The Underwood Spring Carnival is the highlight of the year – and it takes a whole lot of work! Please sign up below to join the Carnival 2024 Committee and indicate if you have a preferred role! We will do our best to accomodate your preferences!  CARNIVAL CAPTAIN SIGN UP Captains are responsible for attending two planning meetings (via zoom) and are the person in charge of that particular carnival area/activity on the day of the Carnival.  Thank you in advance! 

UnProm Fundraiser – 2/2/24

Calling all grown-ups – don’t miss the second Annual Un(derwood)Prom fundraising event! Join your fellow Underwood Community adults for a super-fun evening of music, dancing, and optional prom-wear. This year’s theme is “Hollywood” – we can’t wait to see all your interpretations!  Will you go old-Hollywood glam? Pay tribute to iconic stars like Judy Garland, Lucille Ball, or John Travolta? Paint yourself gold come as an Oscar statuette?! All amazing ideas! Prefer casual? You’re in! While themed-dress is encouraged it not necessary! Who: Underwood Community Grown-upsWhat: A very fun night of music, drinks, dancing, a photo booth, and more!Where: Elks Lodge, 429 Centre St (above C&N Pizza)When: Friday, February 2nd 7-11pmCost: $50 per person donation (cash bar) RSVP for the UNPROM HERE.

Family Trivia 1/19/23

Family Trivia is back!!  Join us Friday, January 19th from 6:45-8:30pm for the Underwood Community Family Trivia Night! Our second annual Underwood Family Trivia Night will be hosted by the famous Gillette Stadium Announcer Mike Riley of Titan Trivia! Trivia challenges will be child and family friendly questions and visuals appropriate for the K-5 crowd. Participation of all ages will be encouraged.  Please register your family below with a recommended donation of $20/per family: https://bit.ly/uwd-trivia-11924 How it works: 1) RSVP ASAP: Due to the nature of team trivia we need to limit the number of teams that can participate 2) Doors open at 6:45: Registered families arrive and grab a table to form a team with other participants (max 12 people/team). The PTO will help facilitate forming teams as needed.  3) 7-8:30pm Team trivia will run for 90 minutes with a READ MORE

GINGERBREAD DECORATING WINNERS

Thank you to EVERYONE who participated in our 4th annual Gingerbread Decorating party! Special thanks to our festive host, Lisa Wong!  There were 34 entires this year, and Dr. Talukdar and Ms. Rickelle had  Category:  Most Colorful  WINNER!! :  Olivia and Charlotte Jaroszewski Honorable mention:  Kassad Peters Category:  Funniest  WINNER!!:  Bronwyn Jackel Honorable mention:  Kobe Wong Category:  Most School Spirit WINNER!!:  Jake and Emmy-Sophia Miloslavsky Honorable mention:  Laurel Souza Category:  Most Creative Most Creative was perhaps one of the more challenging categories as there were so many to choose from!  WINNER!!:  Henry Padgett Honorable mentions:  Myra Bajwa, Lily Moore, and Logan Silverthorne View ALL the houses here:

Spirit Week – 12/18-12/22

Next week, December 18-22 is SPIRIT WEEK at Underwood! Students can take part in one or all days! Also, please note that student participation is optional. 💚💚💚 Monday, 12/18: 🌈Rainbow Day🌈 K- Red, 1-Orange, 2-Yellow, 3-Green, 4-Blue, 5 PurpleTuesday, 12/19: ⚽ 🏈Sports Day🏀⚾ – Wear your favorite sports team jersey or sports colorsWednesday, 12/20: 🎩🎀Hat/Hair Accessory Day👒🧢- Wear your Favorite Hat or Hair AccessoryThursday 12/21: 💚💚Underwood Day💚💚 – Wear Green to Show Your School SpiritFriday, 12/22: 😴Pajama Day💤 – Wear your comfortable pajamas  

Annual Membership Dues Appeal

Dear Underwood Families,   We hope you have enjoyed the start to this school year and were able to attend our annual Back-to-School Picnic!  The mission of the Underwood PTO is to support the provision of optimal growth opportunities for our students and to encourage communication, collaboration, and community among parents, staff, and neighbors. We accomplish these important goals through, among other things:  direct support to teachers and staff; Creative Arts and Sciences programming for students; budgeting for technology updates; community events such as the Back-to-School Picnic and Carnival; and support for other programs, such as Understanding our Differences, which support our goals. In 2023-24, the PTO is planning to provide nearly $50,000 in estimated support. Our budgeted breakdown of expenses this year for some of our key programs is:  We cannot support these initiatives without your help. Historically, our membership dues have READ MORE

Kindergarten 2024-2025 Registration Information

Note from the NPS – Ayesha Farag, Assistant Superintendent for Elementary Education for Incoming Kindergarten Families Welcome to the Kindergarten Class of 2024! In order to register for kindergarten in September 2024,your child must turn five years old prior to September 1, 2024. This means that your child must be fiveyears old on or before August 31, 2024. To assist us with planning for the coming year, we ask that you complete a short online survey which canbe found here to let us know your plans for your child’s school registration. Providing this informationnow helps us to plan for staffing and support in your child’s potential school for the upcoming schoolyear. Even if you will not be registering your child to attend kindergarten in the Newton Public Schoolsor are unsure, information about your plans is incredibly helpful for our planning READ MORE