The Hoot

Dear Underwood Families, Welcome to December!  We hope you had a restful and enjoyable Thanksgiving weekend!  As your PTO co-presidents, we are always grateful to be a part of this special school community and we are so thankful for all we have been able to accomplish with your help this fall.  Thank you!   Looking back to late October, we had two major events: our 1st Annual Trivia Night and our 4th Annual Fun Run.  We are thrilled to report that both events were great successes.  Our first-ever Trivia Night was held in the Underwood gym and hosted by the famous Gillette Stadium Announcer Mike Riley of Titan Trivia!  Mike did a fantastic job of engaging the kids (and adults) in several rounds of thought-provoking team trivia.  Turnout was great and we look forward to bringing you more events like this in READ MORE

Dear Underwood families,   As the holiday season approaches, we are particularly thankful for our wonderful Underwood School community. Our events this school year, such as the Back-to-School Picnic, First Annual Trivia Night, Ball-in-the-House concert for students, and parent/caregiver socials have been a success because of you.  We are writing to ask that if you have not yet made an annual membership contribution and you are in the financial position to do so please consider donating to our Giving Tuesday drive. Giving Tuesday (11/29) is a day on which those able are encouraged to donate to nonprofit and charitable organizations in their community. (Many employers also offer matching gifts, so please check at your place of employement!) Our goal for this year’s Membership Dues Appeal is to raise $7,000 from 50 families. We are so thankful for everyone who has donated READ MORE

Looking for a part-time in the community? Underwood is searching for lunchroom monitors for 3-4/hours per day on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  Learn more: https://bit.ly/uwd-hiring-22

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

Our annual Thanksgiving week Educator Appreciation event was a huge success! Our gratitude tree was adorned with thoughtful words for teachers and staff, and Underwood families provided an amazing selection of treats!

The Underwood Fun Run is back! This year’s fun run will be held on 10/28 during the school day. All Underwood students have the chance to participate and will receive a t-shirt! The Fun Run will help promote a healthy lifestyle while raising funds for Underwood School. Please help support our Fun Run by registering your child at www.getmovinfundhub.com and using school identifier 5f749d3873f82. Kids and families can create a personalized fundraising page to send to family and friends in order to request online donations. Donations can also be sent by check to the school.  Register here: https://www.getmovinfundhub.com/register?school_uuid=5f749d3873f82

Coming to Underwood Elementary Thursday, October 20, 2022 Based out of Boston, Ball in the House is an R&B/Soul/Pop a cappella group that has performed in venues all over the world and opened for some of the biggest acts in the music industry such as The Beach Boys, The Jonas Brothers, The Temptations, and Fantasia. Through contemporary and classic cover songs and original works, students will discover how “a cappella” works; how various voice parts fit together; how to beatbox and use rhythm. From chant through doo wop, students are introduced to songwriting and collaboration. Ball in the House inspires and encourages students to get involved and stay involved in the arts.

Welcome to October! We hope you have enjoyed the start to this school year and were able to attend our annual Back-to-School Picnic! This year has felt like a return to normalcy in that in-person events are again possible, both indoors and out. We are looking forward to taking advantage of that as we move into fall and winter– starting with our first annual Family Trivia Night scheduled for October 21st in the Underwood gym! 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; READ MORE

Join us Friday, October 21st from 6:45-8:30pm for the Underwood Community Family Trivia Night! Our first-ever 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 with a recommended donation of $20/per family How it will work: 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 short intermission. The host will announce READ MORE

Dear Underwood Families, It was wonderful to see so many of you at our Back-to-School Picnic this year!  Turnout was incredible and seeing so many families enjoying the Bubble Barge, pizza dinner, and each other’s company was a heart-warming reminder of the amazing community we have at Underwood. We are excited for the year ahead, and are so appreciative of all Underwood families for engaging with our school and PTO and making our community events a success.  Membership Dues Drive On that note, as we move into October, our Membership Dues Drive is set to kick off!  Last year, our PTO spent over $30,000 on programming for our school community including, among other things, funding our Creative Arts and Sciences (“CAS”) programming for all grades, hosting community events such as the Back-to-School Picnic and Carnival, and earmarking funds for teachers READ MORE

Calling all parents and guardians! Our annual back-to-school social gatherings are back! Join parents and guardians from your child’s grade to connect with friends new and old! Please RSVP to each grown-up party applicable to your student(s) grade. K – November 5th 1 – October 1st 2 – TBD – Host Family Still Needed – Let us know if you’d like to host! 3 – TBD – Host Family Still Needed – Let us know if you’d like to host! 4 – October 15th 5 – October 14th RSVP here: https://bit.ly/uwdsocials22 Addresses will be shared with grade-specific RSVPs. RAIN DATES WILL BE PROVIDED AS NEEDED! Please note: these are social events for adults only. For the safety of everyone please do not bring your children. Contact underwoodpto@gmail.com with questions or to sign up to host!

Calling all local businesses! Do you love your local schools? Do you love seeing your logo on the shirt of hundreds of Newton residents?! We’re accepting a limited number of sponsors for our 4th Annual Underwood Fun Run NOW! Learn more here: https://bit.ly/uwdfunrun22 PS – Please share this flyer with your favorite local business!