The Hoot

When is it? Friday, October 24th Where will it be held?  In the Underwood Gym What time? Set up is between 3-5pm, the fair will be open to families from 5-7pm.  Who can participate? All Underwood families  How do I register? Complete this registration form no later than Friday, October 10th:   If you are too young to type, you can ask an adult or older child to help you fill in the form, or fill out a paper copy and return it to your teacher.   Are submissions individual or team based? Families may work independently or in a group.  What should be included in the display? How much space do I have for my display?  Do I need to cook if I decide to bring a dish? What do I include with my display/dish?  Will I have access to an READ MORE

The first day of school is September 2, 2025! To streamline the back to school process, and support our equity values, the PTO will be supplying the majority of school supplies requested by teachers. Each grade specific list is below. Items highlighted in GREEN are to be supplied by individual families (if providing any of these items is a hardship please email us and the PTO can supply those as well!). Items marked IN YELLOW will be provided directly to each classroom by the PTO. The PTO is providing these supplies at no cost to families. If you have any questions please let us know!

Preorder tickets, wristbands, and food!  Food presale ends on MONDAY, June 2nd  at 11:59PM Ticket presale ends on TUESDAY, June 3rd at 12PM (NOON) We still need MANY volunteers! Sell tickets, operate a game, make snow-cones, paint faces, help set-up, and more!  You don’t need any experience! Just a one-hour commitment!  SIGN UP HERE.

Don’t miss the annual 5th Graders vs. Teachers Kickball game THIS FRIDAY!  Will the 5th Grade be able to defend their title from 2024?!   Join us Friday, May 9th at 3 PM on the Underwood Field to watch the defending champs take on the teachers!!  WHO WILL WIN THIS EPIC ANNUAL BATTLE?! Tickets are $5 Per Person and all proceeds go to 5th Grade Grad Activities. Venmo @underwoodpto or pay at the field!

The 2025 Underwood Spring Carnival is Friday, June 6th from 3-7pm!The Carnival is 100% run by volunteers. Without your help, we cannot hold the carnival. A huge thank you to those of you who have signed up to be a captain already! We’ve broken it down into easy 1-hour volunteer sessions that range from supervising games to selling tickets to serving popcorn to painting faces! Parents/guardians, high-school age siblings, and aunts/uncles/grandparents are all encouraged to volunteer! Please visit the sign-up form and choose a time slot and activity that works for you. If you cannot access the form, please send a note to underwoodpto@gmail.com with the one-hour time slot (between 12 pm and 8 pm) that works best for you, and we will assign you a spot.  SIGN UP HERE: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1I0e8p4E3TsPSStJ50NRJLbu4IU9-iZ8uO5qMl4dr1SE/edit?usp=sharing 

ICE CREAM ALERT  Visit Yogurt Beach any time today MAY 1ST and support the Underwood 5th Grade Graduation Fund!  Just mention “Underwood” when you check out join the fundraiser!! 

Join us between 9am-12pm, Sunday, May 4th for the Annual Underwood Spring Cleanup Join Ms. Van Putten, the PTO, and the Underwood Green Team to clean and beautify the Underwood Grounds! SIGN UP HERE We’ll weed, rake, plant, and pick up trash together! You do not need to volunteer for all three hours – pick a time that works for you! Many hands are needed for this annual spring clean-up!

In consultation with principals and department heads, Superintendent Anna Nolin drafted a “Thrive” budget that would fully fund NPS and require a 9% funding increase to implement. However, Mayor Fuller has allocated only a 3.65% increase in funding, or the Red “Cuts Budget,” which would require meaningful cuts to current NPS operations. The School Committee has approved the Superintendent’s ““Level Services Plus” budget (which will still require district-wide cuts). With the Mayor’s current allocation, there will be reductions: We urge you to download the PTO Toolkit Resources PDF, which provides a detailed breakdown of the problem and Superintendent Anna Nolin’s proposals. What Can You Do?! Email or call Mayor Fuller or attend her office hours and ask her to allocate an additional $3.7M to NPS for the “Level Services Plus” budget. Talk to your friends and neighbors, particularly those who READ MORE

Thanks to everyone whoooo contributed to our annual Spring Auction – we raised over $12,000 to support the Underwood Community! There are a few generous donations left that we’d hate to see go unused. The following auction items are available at their minimum bid price until 12 PM ET on Friday, April 4th. Please keep in mind that all items are available on a first-come basis and are non-refundable or returnable. Email underwoodpto@gmail.com to purchase an item SOLD! One Week of Full Day SummerdanceBuy it now: USD $225Retail: USD $685 One Week of Full Day Summerdance for Ages 7-10 at Joanne Langione Dance Center in West Newton. Full Day Summerdance is a week-long performance based program for beginner/intermediate students that culminates in a fully staged musical showcase in our black-box style Studio 4 Dance Theater. Following a daily class schedule READ MORE

Save the date! The Underwood Spring Carnival will take place on Friday, June 6th from 3-7pm. There will be food, games, prizes, bouncy houses, a dunk tank, the famous basket raffle AND MORE!

We are reaching out to keep you in the loop about the current budget situation facing Newton Public Schools (“NPS”). There is currently a major discrepancy between the budget proposal Superintendent Nolin recommends and the amount Mayor Fuller has allocated for NPS in the next fiscal year. Mayor Fuller’s allocation would require major cuts to staff and programming throughout the district. The good news is that the city *does* have additional funding that could be allocated towards NPS but it’s going to require our voices and engagement to make it happen.  Please see the image below which highlights the differences between five different budget models put forward by Superintendent Nolin. The Superintendent’s proposed “Level Service Plus” Model is in yellow and the budget reflecting the Mayor’s current allocation, or the “Cuts” budget, is in red. This is a critical time to READ MORE