The Hoot

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

 Superintendent Anna Nolin will be at Underwood on April 8th at 8:30 a.m. for a PTO Meeting at 8:30AM in the gymnasium along with two School Committee Members. This opportunity comes at a critical time for Underwood to make our voice heard prior to the Mayor’s presentation of the city budget in mid-April.  In advance of this meeting, we are collecting topics and questions. Please leave your questions for Dr. Nolin and the School Committee HERE

The Underwood PTO is excited to welcome back the Science Fair! Students in all grades are invited to participate. Participating in the Science Fair is easy and fun! Simply decide on your project, register, and get busy experimenting. Everything you need to get started is below. Projects will be shared in person on Thursday, February 27 in the Underwood Gymnasium from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED: To reserve space for your project to be displayed at the Science Fair, you must register between January 8 and January 24. Parents and guardians will be contacted by e-mail to confirm registration. REGISTER HERE For questions, email underwoodscienceday@gmail.com. Join us for an information session during the PTO Community Meeting on Monday, January 13 at 7:30pm.Join Zoom Meeting:https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9373352198?pwd=N3B1ekIzT011elNEdjJHZUxycFFQUT09&omn=85818157043 Meeting ID: 937 335 2198Passcode: 956516 GET STARTED!!💡Project Ideas📝 Register📋 FAQs

The first day of school is September 3, 2024! 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 (note: 1st grade has slightly different lists by class, class lists will be available at the end of the month). Items highlighted in yellow 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 with a green line 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!

The Underwood PTO has several open board and volunteer positions for the 2024-25 school year. OPEN PTO BOARD ROLESThese 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.

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.