The Firefly Flash

Underwood Newsletter

Mr. A's Update

3/7/25

Good Afternoon, Underwood Community

I hope you're all having a great week. Here are some highlights from Underwood this week and a preview of upcoming events.

4/5 USTEM Shark Tank Candy Show Case

Our 4/5 USTEM students demonstrated their understanding of Physical/Chemical properties and changes by presenting a "Shark Tank" style poster board and pitch.

Popcorn Friday and All School Assembly

Today, we held our monthly all-school assembly, where we revisited our school-wide expectations of being kind, safe, and responsible. This was led by our Luminous Leaders under the guidance of Ms. Roberson! As always, this event was paired with our Popcorn Friday celebration!

March Madness of Books

Each day, this month, students will listen to two books and vote for their class's favorite. The winning book will be announced during the morning announcements and will advance to the next round. This exciting process will continue until only two books remain. To determine the final winner, two special guests will read the books during an all-school assembly!

Important Reminders

Join us for STEM Night at Underwood on Friday, March 14th, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. We look forward to seeing you there for an evening of hands-on learning and fun!
As always, we encourage families to review the Underwood School Growth Plan, which outlines key metrics that we will continue to monitor throughout the 2024-2025 school year.

Thank you for your continued support, and I wish everyone a great weekend.

Mr. A

PTO Power-up: Keeping you in the loop!

Little Caesars Pizza Kits Fundraiser

It’s pizza time! Starting today and for the next 4 weeks, we’re selling Little Caesars Pizza Kits and Meal Deal Codes to raise money for Underwood PTO. Help us fundraise for the Underwood PTO, to support our students and teachers!. To reach our goal, we need everyone’s help. It’s easy to join the fun!

To get started:

Follow this link with your phone https://www.fundraising.littlecaesars.com/login/join-fundraiser/a7a4c2ef-40e9-47ab-b85c-44be52fa95cc to create an account and set up your very own Seller page. (Please do not forward or post this link. It is NOT for buying Kits.)

Customize your page with a photo, a special message, and video.

You’ll get your own unique link to send to your friends & family so they can buy delicious Pizza Kits or Meal Deals and support our fundraiser.

Pizza Kits will be delivered directly to your buyers via FedEx, so send your link to family & friends across the country. Meal Deal Codes are sent via email immediately after purchase. Post your unique link on your social media pages to reach even more people. Every item we sell earns $6 profit and makes an impact.

Underwood Family STEM Night: Friday, March 14th, 6-8PM

Join Underwood PTO for our annual STEM Family Night held in the Underwood cafeteria and Discovery Lab. Bring the family and test out robotics, build with Legos, Knex and Magnatiles, make take home projects, and experiment with coding, magnets and more!

Plus, the chance to win one of several raffle prizes, including Legos, Squish mallows, Science Kit and Craft Kits!

This is not a drop off event. Adult supervision is required.

Underwood Family Skate Night: Thursday, March 20th

We’re excited to host a fun new family night and Underwood PTO fundraiser on Thursday, March 20th from 5:30-8PM at Waukesha Skateland. $10 per person admission includes a skate rental. Be sure to mention that you are from Underwood and 50% of admission will go back to our PTO. Skateland is a cash only facility.

This is not a drop off event. Adult supervision is required.

High Interest Day Presenters Needed!

It’s that time of the year again - High Interest Day (HID) planning has kicked off and we need YOU to be a presenter this year!

For those of you not familiar, HID is a special, non-traditional day of learning sponsored by Underwood’s PTO, in which presenters from the community and parents from Underwood come to our school and share their talents with the students. The presentations cover a range of topics. Some of the past sessions including: Bowling, Fort Building, Slime Making, Soccer Skills, Soda Bottle Garden, Tie-Dye & more!

The students get an opportunity to try new activities, learn about new subjects, and have fun!

HID will take place this year on Friday, May 2nd. If you have a talent you would like to share with the students, we would love for you to sign up to be a presenter! You can sign up by completing this presenter sign-up form.

https://forms.gle/5wasmPAfnoNwjrsd8

National Future Chefs Competition by Sodexo

Fourth and fifth-graders are invited to compete in this year’s national Future Chefs competition by Sodexo! Got a recipe that will wow the judges? Submit a recipe card by Friday, March 7!

Judges will evaluate recipe submissions and narrow the number of finalists down to five lucky students, who will be formally invited to a Culinary Competition Cook-Off on March 19, 2025, 5-7 p.m., at Wauwatosa West High School, 11400 Center St.

For more information, visit wauwatosaschools.org/article/2029548

Tosa East Theatre Youth Clinic Information

The Tosa East Players are hosting their fifth annual Youth Clinic for Wauwatosa elementary and middle school students on Saturday, April 12th. The clinic will be held from 9am until 12pm in the Wauwatosa East Theatre and will give students the opportunity to work on singing, acting, and dancing through the music of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical (our spring production). Families can use the link below to register.

I have attached the flyer to this email - I ask that you share this with your families and encourage them to participate. We would love to have as many Tosa students as we can. Thanks for your support - we hope you come see the show!

Link to Register:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScvTWiTDllAt4jGjwLKP9IdsBM4W8mjFRZhLdEM5NAk_ldu9w/viewform?usp=dialog

Illness Guideline Reminders

As we jump into the second semester, we want to take this opportunity to remind Underwood families of our illness guidelines to help keep everyone in our school healthy. This time of year, illnesses such as colds, flu, and other contagious conditions tend to spread more easily, making it especially important to know when to keep your student home. By working together, we can reduce the spread of illness and ensure a safe learning environment for everyone.

Children can go to school if they:

Have a mild cold, which may include a runny nose and/or cough.
Have eye drainage without fever, eye pain or eyelid redness.
Have a mild stomach ache.

Keep your child home from school if:

Fever: A temperature of 100.4°F or higher. Your child may return to school after being fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication and feeling better.
Vomiting/Diarrhea: Two or more episodes in the past 24 hours. Your child may return after being symptom-free for 24 hours without medication.
Severe Cold Symptoms: Persistent cough, difficulty breathing, or symptoms that disrupt normal school activities.

Full illness guidelines can be found here. If your child will be absent from school due to illness please be specific with their symptoms. To let the school know your child will be absent you can use the Infinite Campus Parent Portal or call the attendance line at 414-773-1702. Remember: if you take your child to a medical provider for treatment of their illness, be sure to ask for a note excusing your child from school. Medical notes can be turned in to the office.

Underwood vs Right At School Illness Guidelines

Underwood follows the Wauwatosa School District Illness guidelines when determining when a student is sent home from school or must remain home from school. If your child is absent from school, you must use the Infinite Campus parent portal or call our attendance line at 414-773-1702.

Please note: Right At School is a separate organization from the Wauwatosa School District and has their own attendance and illness guidelines that sometimes differ from the school district guidelines. Sometimes a student may be able to attend school, but may be excluded from Right At School. If your child is enrolled in Right At School, please ask your Right At School director about their illness guidelines and absentee reporting procedures. Absences from Right At School need to be reported to Right At School in addition to reporting the absence to the school.

Head Lice: What You Need to Know and How to Manage it

As part of our ongoing effort to keep families informed about health-related topics, we are including important information about head lice in this month’s newsletter.

Head lice are small insects that live on the scalp and are spread mainly through head-to-head contact. While lice can be an inconvenience and cause itching, they do not spread disease and are not a sign of poor hygiene. They are more commonly passed at home during close contact, rather than at school. In fact, it’s rare for lice to spread at school, as they cannot jump or fly.

If your child has head lice, they can stay in school until the end of the day, then be treated at home. Once treatment is started, kids can return to school. They should avoid head-to-head contact with other children until they’re lice-free. It is important to follow treatment of lice through to completion. Often, more than one treatment is necessary. More information about lice can be found here.

Remember, head lice are common and anyone can get them, regardless of cleanliness. If you have concerns or need help with treatment, please contact your school nurse.

Order your 2024-25 Underwood Yearbook Today

Yearbooks are $11.00

You have until May 1st to place your order

Click on the link to order:

https://www.vipis.com/group/5fbacfdf/underwood-elementary-school

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION

If you are interested in volunteering at Underwood please click here for the volunteer application.

Thank you

Underwood Calendar

Tosa's All City Read

The generous folks from Mathnasium and Ruckus & Glee have donated copies of Crossing the Pressure Line by Laura Anne Bird to the readers in our school libraries as part of Tosa's All City Read. Each year there is a selection made for the adult readers (What the Tide Leaves Behind by Malcolm MacDowell Woods) as well as the younger readers in the community. The WSD libraries encourage students to read and participate in the essay contest for a chance to express themselves and possibly win!

You will find copies of this book available in your school library and in Sora's digital library. Sora access directions

Thank you for supporting this community event!