| Dear Underwood Families, We hope the start of this academic year feels like a return to our normal lives. NPS is doing a wonderful job of reopening in-person full-time with the continuous testing, masking, and social distancing practices. With vaccines hopefully on the horizon for our kiddos, our children are learning in person again and their social and emotional growth is back on track. We are writing today to ask for your support through an annual contribution to the Underwood PTO. Our goal is to reach annual participation from 50 families and raise $6,000 through this Membership Dues Drive. What Your Donation Makes Possible: – $25 buys a grocery gift card for a family in our community at the holidays. – $50 provides five new books for our school library. – $100 stocks the Staff Room for Teacher Appreciation Week. – $300 supports one full-time teacher with classroom materials for the year. – $500 funds one Creative Arts and Sciences program. The Underwood PTO is continuing its commitment to supporting our staff, students, and community in the ways we always have throughout this ever-changing landscape. This year marks a return to normalcy in so many ways, and we want to make sure Underwood has all the resources it needs to make it a very special and enriching year for its students. The PTO is excited to provide over $35,000 in estimated support in 2021-22 through the following key initiatives: Creative Arts and Sciences (CAS) programming ($11,000)Teacher, Library, and Principal allocations ($10,250)Planned technology updates ($7,000)Community events and support ($3,000)Teacher Appreciation ($1,250)Updates to buildings and grounds ($1,250)Other programs (i.e., Understanding our Differences) ($1,000) Last year the PTO was not able to hold many of its cornerstone fundraisers such as the Online Auction, Spring Carnival, and Mystery Dinner, and used approximately $11,000 of cash on hand to fund its usual areas of support. While we are optimistic about bringing back many community events this year, we will also need Membership Dues to return to historical levels of approximately 15% of the annual budget to achieve a balanced budget. We know the COVID-19 pandemic and its reverberations have put a financial strain on many families, but if you are fortunate to be in a position to give, please help us reach our goal by contributing what you can. A gift of any size truly makes a difference and our collective support allows the PTO to support our community and make Underwood a special place year after year.bThe Underwood PTO is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so donations are tax-deductible and eligible for matching donations from employers. Contributions can be made via: – paypal.me/underwoodpto – Venmo (@underwoodpto / Adam West) – check made payable to “Underwood PTO” – checks can be mailed to: Underwood PTO, 101 Vernon Street, Newton, MA 02458. Thank you for your continued support! Sincerely, Amy Davis and Laura Goldworm Underwood PTO Co-Presidents All donations are tax-deductible under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Our tax-exempt organization number is 22-2562184. All parents and caregivers are members of the PTO regardless of contribution. |
Your Membership Dues Support the Underwood Community
