Key Upcoming Dates: April 5: PTO Social at the Social April 6: Community Conversation: Newton METCO Presentation 7pm April 15: Good Friday (No School) April 18-22: April Recess _____________________________________________________________________________ Dear Underwood Families, Thank you for making the 2022 Underwood Online Auction a smashing success! The auction raised over $10,000, which will cover nearly the entire Creative Arts & Sciences (CAS) budget for this year. Thank you not only to the generous business who provided items, but to Julie Chrzan, Jared and Tess Leeds, Victoria Peake, the Abram, Curran, Dao, Davis, Morgan, and Peterson families, and our Underwood staff for generously donating items and events to help make the auction a success! Speaking of CAS, all Underwood students will experience three enrichment programs this spring, including Authorfest on April 12th. All grades will have an author visit the classroom in person READ MORE
Category: News
2022 Online Auction Results
The 2022 Auction is OVER and we are so excited to share the results! There were 98 bidders!We had 552 bids!And we raised…….🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁$10,308 dollars!!! 🎉 🎉 🎉 🎉 🎉 Thank you to all our generous bidders! The Underwood PTO uses this money to support the community. Some things we’ve done this year are:– Donate $1,000+ of new library books to the school– Fund enrichment events like AuthorFest– Support families in our community through the Community Cares Program– Fund teacher and staff appreciation events– Provide teacher, specialist, and Principal allocations that are spent directly in classrooms Thank you for being a valuable member of our Underwood Owl Family! We appreciate you!
NPS K-12 – Mask Optional – March 8, 2022
Dear NPS Families, Tonight, the Newton School Committee voted to revise the mask policy in the Newton Public Schools. Beginning tomorrow, March 8, 2022, masks will be OPTIONAL in our K-12 school buildings. In this new mask-optional environment, we will emphasize personal choice and responsibility around masking. There will be many reasons students and staff continue to wear masks. There will be reasons students and staff decide not to wear a mask. All decisions will be supported and we will ask our school communities to be respectful of others’ individual choices. Please note, masks will still be required in the following circumstances: People returning from COVID infection on days 6-10 (CDC requires 10 days of masking, regardless of vaccination status) In nursing/health offices Newton Early Childhood Program (NECP) Certain school environments (assemblies, field trips, music class) – please continue to READ MORE
From the Desk of The Co-Presidents
Dear Underwood Families, We can’t believe February will be over when we return from next week’s school break and that it is time to put March events on your calendar! In addition to the community meetings highlighted below, we are excited for the return of the 2022 Underwood Online Auction! Bidding will be open from Wednesday, March 9th – Tuesday, March 15th! You can preview the current items at https://www.biddingowl.com/underwoodpto – new items are still being added each day! Not only are we offering gift cards, vouchers, and discounts for local restaurants, camps, classes, and museums, we have several fun Underwood parties, playdates, and the beloved TEACHER PARTIES that you and your children won’t want to miss. Thank you to all the generous local businesses who donated, members of the Underwood community who offered services and events, and to our READ MORE
2022 Online Auction: March 9-14th Community items needed!
The Underwood Online Auction is back! Bidding will open at 8am on Wednesday, March 9th and close at 10pm on Monday, March 14th. In addition to generous donations from favorite businesses in our community, we also feature Underwood-only events donated by families and teachers. Do you have a professional skill or secret talent you can share with the Underwood community? Would you be willing to host a playdate or party to support the auction? Please email us at underwoodpto@gmail.com and we can help with the specifics of your event – you can specify date, time, number of spots, and grade level! Submissions are due by February 15th. Some examples include: Ice Cream Sundaes and Movie Playdate Backyard BBQ – Adults only! Arcade Playdate Wine or beer tasting – Adults only! Cookie Decorating Party Popsicles and Water Balloons Playdate Online Auction READ MORE
From the Desk of the PTO Co-Presidents
Dear Underwood Families, The last month has been challenging for all of us, but we are so grateful that the Underwood community continues to navigate the changing Covid landscape with such compassion, patience, and courtesy for others. Thank you to our incredible teachers and staff for continuing to make this a great year for our children and pitching in when colleagues are absent. While the next couple of months will be quiet in terms of in-person events, it will make it that much sweeter when we gather this spring outdoors as a community! The Underwood Spring Carnival is COMING BACK on June 3rd, 2022! The Spring Carnival is a beloved Underwood tradition and the favorite event of the year for many kids and parents alike, featuring inflatables, games, music, food, and a teacher dunk tank! Thank you to everyone who READ MORE
Letter from the PTO Co-Presidents
Dear Underwood Families, The 2nd Annual Gingerbread House Decorating Party was so much fun! Thank you to the over 40 families who participated and to Lisa Wong and Kerry Curran for organizing again this year. Dr. Talukdar and Ms. Lacey reviewed the contest submissions yesterday and winners will be notified ASAP! As an added bonus, this festive event supported our Underwood community and raised several hundred dollars for our Holiday Gift Card Drive. Ms. Mann, Underwood’s Literacy Specialist, presented at our virtual PTO meeting earlier this week about supporting literacy at home and the importance of interactive read alouds at all ages. Click here to see her fantastic presentation, complete with a list of recommended books for your home library on the final slide. The week before Thanksgiving we showed Underwood staff our gratitude by stocking the staff room with snacks READ MORE
From Desk of Nurse Carrie – December 2021
Dear Underwood Families, Cold and flu season is upon us. We can all help by keeping our children home when they are sick. Not only does this help to diminish the spread of illness, it helps reduce negative outcomes for those who are more vulnerable and at greater risk for more serious symptoms when exposed to germs. There are students at Underwood School who can react strongly if they are exposed to illnesses such as strep throat, influenza or respiratory infections. When there is a known exposure for these students, we as a community can help minimize the health impact for them. We are asking for your help with the following: Report diagnosed strep throat, influenza (flu), RSV and other respiratory infections to Nurse Carrie Students with strep throat may return to school after taking an antibiotic for at least READ MORE
Underwood After School Updates!
Underwood After School’s Annual Musical: Annie Jr When: January 3rd through March 18th Rehearses Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays 4:00PM-5:30PM Open to 2nd through 5th-grade students First Rehearsal: Monday, January 3rd Dress Rehearsal: Thursday, March 17th Performance: Friday, March 18th Not enrolled in after school? No problem! Email us today about signing your child up for our production! Email us at info@underwoodafterschool.org for more information! If your child does not attend after school, you can enroll them for at least 2 out of our 3 practice days. You can also learn more about Underwood After School Program at underwoodafterschool.org. Already enrolled in UASP? Log into your parent portal to sign your child up! UASP February Vacation Camp – Winter Wonderland Tuesday February 22nd-Friday February 25th 8:30-5:30PM $85 per day, 2 day minimum Open to all students Underwood After School Program will be READ MORE
Annual Gift Card Drive
It is that time of year again when the Underwood family joins together to help members in our community who could use a little boost around the holidays.The Underwood PTO will be collecting gift cards or donations to buy gift cards for our Holiday Gift Card Drive through Monday, December 13th. 100% of any funds donated will be used to purchase gift cards. All cards donated will be distributed to Underwood families in need, for their direct benefit. Gift cards for area grocery stores, pharmacies, retail stores and gas stations are all useful.Donations to purchase gift cards can be made via check mailed to the same address, Venmo @underwoodpto (Adam West) or Paypal at https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/underwoodpto. Please specify the Holiday Gift Card Drive in the notes! Please send any gift cards to: Underwood PTO Attn:Gift Card Drive at 101 Vernon Street, Newton MA 02458, or email underwoodpto@gmail.com to coordinate a drop-off. Your READ MORE
Letter from Principal Suzie – November 2021
Dear Underwood Families, What a beautiful fall we are enjoying so far, with temperatures so warm it is hard to believe we are part way through November. As you know through participation in recent parent-teacher conferences, students are well into their routines here at Underwood. This week we held our first virtual All School Meeting (ASM) during our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) time on Wednesday. During our weekly SEL block, we all engage in activities that build a sense of community within and across all grade-levels, teach and reinforce social/emotional skills, establish connections between all adults in school and children, and foster an environment where students feel as though they belong, are safe, and can have fun. ASM is a time when the entire K-5 community joins together and, due to COVID restrictions, we will do so via Zoom. Our READ MORE
November is Family Literacy Month!
Family literacy month is an opportunity for families to learn and read together. Family literacy is about family members enhancing reading and writing skills through activities that they may do together. Check out the calendar of ways to celebrate literacy throughout the month (printed copies are available at the Underwood Infobox). Try one, try some, try them all! Over the course of the month, be sure to take a moment to snap a selfie (or photograph) with your family reading or participating in one of the daily activities, and then send it to Ms. Stacey Mann, Underwood Literacy Specialist! At the end of the month, we will display the photos to celebrate family literacy at Underwood School. Thanks so much for your participation! Please let Ms. Mann know if you have any questions at faneuils@newton.k12.ma.us