February 27-March 3rd

Collaboration 
Discovery Education Cohort - Underwood is one of 27 schools partnering with Discovery Education to help drive system-wide Learning and Teaching transformations. We have created a small cohort comprised of Underwood staff as well as a professional learning consultant from Discovery Education. Our focus will revolve around learning, reflecting, and dialogue with each other about the 4 C's, Learner Agency, Social Emotional Learning, and Digital Learning. The cohort will meet 3 times this year (Feb. 20, Mar 21, & April 7. As part of our learning, Learning Walks will be conducted each time where a small group of 2-3 staff members will spend 10-15 minutes in some of your classrooms. These Learning Walks will occur between 10:45-11:45

Habitat for Humanity - Per Dr. Merrill  - Earlier this year, our school system agreed to participate in a “Building Together” project run by  Habitat for Humanity of Wake County. We also learned the Habitat for Humanity house will be built for one of our bus drivers, Roxanne Harris, and her family. As a sponsoring organization, we are working to raise as much as $65,000 by March 24. I am excited to share that Moseley Architects already has made a donation of $2,000 in my name. If you would like to be a part of this exciting partnership, please donate by visiting the Building Together website. Individual schools will be recognized based on donations given. Project updates and opportunities to volunteer directly at the site of this new home will be shared at a later time. 

Visit from Magnet Office with guests - On Tuesday February 28th 9:15AM  Our Magnet office representative and members of the Charlotte-Meck Magnet office will be visit the creative arts electives to tour 1st and 2nd Period Arts Electives. 

Communication 
Underwood Foundation Spring Gala - tickets are now available -- Gala tickets for Friday, March 24, 7:00pm at CAM. If you would like to be added to the list for potential free tickets, email Ashley.

Artspleasure - Save the date for March 23rd from 5:00-7:30. More information to come. 


Critical Thinking 
Input Sessions on Curriculum: February 20 - March 2
We Need YOU! We are hosting a series of curriculum review sessions Feb. 20-March 2. We seek input from teachers, staff, parents and community around new resources for curriculum offerings that we will begin implementing this fall. Please take a look at the MEMO from Assistant Superintendent for Academics Brian Kingsley.

Creativity 
February is Love the Bus Month

                                               Aeronautics elective - created parachutes and tested to see if they will launch and fly

                         Kitchen Chemistry elective - predicting what would happen to water as pencils were                                          stuck in it. Also focused on how plastic harms the environment.

February 20-24

Communication 
Underwood Foundation Spring Gala - tickets are now available -- Gala tickets for Friday, March 24, 7:00pm at CAM. 

Magnet Seats - 36 students have been selected to join our school through the magnet application process for the 2017-18 school year. We will be having a Meet and Greet on Tuesday the 21st at 10:00 in the media center. If you have time, feel free to stop in and say hi to our new families.

Collaboration 
Discovery Education Cohort - Underwood is one of 27 schools partnering with Discovery Education to help drive system-wide Learning and Teaching transformations. We have created a small cohort comprised of Underwood staff as well as a professional learning consultant from Discovery Education. Our focus will revolve around learning, reflecting, and dialogue with each other about the 4 C's, Learner Agency, Social Emotional Learning, and Digital Learning. The cohort will meet 3 times this year (Feb. 20, Mar 21, & April 7. As part of our learning, Learning Walks will be conducted each time where a small group of 2-3 staff members will spend 10-15 minutes in some of your classrooms. These Learning Walks will occur between 10:45-11:45. Our learning consultant is Libby Galster and below is a quick video introducing herself to Underwood.
Video introduction

Conscious Discipline: Ms. Gary and Mrs. Romero using Feeling Buddies curriculum with the class. They were discussing how the Feeling Buddies can be used in their Safe Place.

Critical Thinking
SSA - Single Subject Acceleration information has been updated for next school year. Information can be found on our website - http://www.wcpss.net/site/default.aspx?DomainID=5231. With parent sessions information found here. Please send all nomination to Jen Page and Heather Callahan by 4/26. (Teachers please add to you weekly newsletter).

Input Sessions on Curriculum: February 20 - March 2
We Need YOU! We are hosting a series of curriculum review sessions Feb. 20-March 2. We seek input from teachers, staff, parents and community around new resources for curriculum offerings that we will begin implementing this fall. Please take a look at the MEMO from Assistant Superintendent for Academics Brian Kingsley.

Creativity 

February is Love the Bus Month

February 13-17th

Communication 
Spring Pictures - Class and Spring Pictures are on Friday the 17th.

Winter Carnival - Thank you to the PTA for a fantastic Winter Carnival! Thank you to the volunteers and organizers (Elizabeth and Jennifer), it was a great time!


Collaboration 
Planning Days - Thank you to our PTA for providing half-day quarterly planning it is great to see our teachers collaborating and determining essential standards, measure of assessments, and instructional planning to meet students needs.

Save the Date (Foundation Gala) - Save the date for March 24th for the Foundation Gala at CAM! The Foundation fundraising for last year (this school year) provided four staff positions (teachers and teacher assistants). For next school year, we are anticipating needing 12 MOEs (approximately 5 positions) to continue with the awesome learning opportunities for our students.

Critical Thinking 
SSA - Single Subject Acceleration information has been updated for next school year. Information can be found on our website - http://www.wcpss.net/site/default.aspx?DomainID=5231. With parent sessions information found here.

Creativity 
The digital version of Explore Wake Schools magazine is out now!

Please share this with fellow staff members, parents, friends and neighbors. It’s a must-read for anyone thinking about applying to a magnet school for next year. This issue includes information and tips about the magnet process, as well as features about some of our magnet schools and themes. Enjoy!

Our new play structure has it's ordered blue rope. The rope color that we ordered was on backorder, so Kompan provided a red rope as a temporary replacement. 

February 6th

Communication 

Newsletters:  Teachers will send out weekly updates about curriculum and weekly objectives that will be taught (or assessed) for that week along with other items pertain to the classroom. 

Winter Carnival - Reminder that Winter Carnival is Saturday February 11th from 11-3. We would love to have 100% staff participation/attendance. So try your best to make it out and support our PTA.

Report cards go home on Tuesday, February 7th.  Home Connect Letters and Elective report cards should also be included along with Case21 results for 2-5 graders. 

Elective Rosters:  3rd quarter electives are in full swing. See Elective letters - https://sites.google.com/a/wcpss.net/elective-communication/

Critical Thinking 

Twitter happenings - What is going on in classrooms - @Underwoodgtm search results. 

Creativity 

TEK Clubs:  TEK after school clubs will run on Wednesday's from March 29-May 10.  More information to come about specific clubs this month. 

CAM Raleigh:  Fifth grade students artwork created with artist in residence Shannon Newby was on display at CAM Raleigh this past weekend.  Underwood Continuing Strings shared their talents with the visitors Friday night.  Our fifth grade students will also be participating in their docent program starting this February.  If this is something you would like to be interested in supporting, please let us know!

Collaboration 

Discovery ED Group - We will have a group of 7-8 staff members will be working with Libby Galster (Discovery Education Consult) for four days focusing on supporting our School Improvement Plan focused on our two Key Process - Vocabulary and linguistic representation. The team will also be looking at 4cs in the classroom.

Early Release-February 10th - students will be dismissed at 1:15. 

Yearbook photos needed-Yearbook is especially in need of photos from Elective Events, Specials Events, Field Trips, and in-classroom Photos.  Email photos in full original resolution size to Sharon Cole  sharoncole@carolina.rr.com   (Yearbook software requires the original, full resolution image quality which is typically 750KB - 2MB file size)