January 30th

Communication 
Barrington Irving (Speaker on January 31st at 2:40pm for Grades 3-5) - Feature in National Geographic - Article --(you may have to be signed into your email account).

Interpreter Form - Please complete the following --- Form for requesting help  -- So Victoria can support communication with our Spanish speaking families.

Parking -  Be sure to be cautious about parking on the street. From our neighbor - "I live on the corner of Harvey and Scales on the same side of the street as Underwood.  Your teachers and parents park by our house daily.  This is fine except for when they block our driveway".

Access Testing - See Sheree's email about testing schedule. We have tried to reduce the number of interruptions with this required test for students with English as a Second Langauge (ESL), so be flexible when they are needed to test. 

Elective Updates:

• Q3 electives begin Tuesday, January 31st.  If elective changes are needed, complete the form on the uni-news.
• Elective letters are due by February 7th (add to shared Welcome Letter Folder)
• Complete your elective door sign asap if you haven't already (add to Google Folder)

Critical Thinking 
Intent Forms -- In preparation for next year,  you will receive an 2017-18 intent form.  Please complete it along with the questions on the back by February 24th. We will be using the questions to guide our leadership team and PD. At this point, we will have 3 classes in each of the k-2 grade levels and 4 classes in each of the 3-5 classrooms. I have not received allotment numbers, but based on projected student enrollment this would be our plan.

Collaboration 
Business Meeting on Thursday - We will be continuing our Team Initiated Problem Solving discussion in our teams to support students growth.

CAM Residency Showcase- Join us February 3rd from 5-6pm at CAM to celebrate the collaborative efforts of our 5th grade students and Visual Artist Shannon Newby!

NC Museum of History Resource!  History-in-a-box resources are free to rent for 3 weeks for educators.  There is a return fee, but it can be waved if you just return the box to the museum. Standards are listed under each kit.   Here is the link to the site for the kits.  

Media and Technology -- Collaboration Form to work with Andrea and/or Tanya to integrate technology and research into your lessons. 

Students created research

Creativity 

Paperless problem solving

Student work...

January 23rd

Collaboration 
Early Release - Fantastic conversations and discussions about how to support students utilizing the TIPs protocol. We will continue these conversations and share out what each team is working on to support all students.

#SummerStem - continued collaboration with Dawn and Rhonda (now Megan)
with their students conversing with NASA. Students presenting if NASA should have astronauts take a three year mission.

PLT Focus - continuing to analyze the objectives to provide learning opportunities to match them. These conversations should be the main objective of planning days with the continued discussions and analyzing of data during Wednesdays meetings.

Quarterly Planning Days-  Your grade levels quarterly planning days have been sent to you.  It is your responsibility to submit your sub request in AESOP by Wednesday, January 25th to ensure your participation.  You need to also submit your leave request form.

Creativity 

Pieces of Gold (Dig it - Rachel's Tweet) Excellent performances - https://twitter.com/integratedance/status/823004137369534467

Twitter - Underwood Teachers in action on Twitter take a look -- UES Tweets

Critical Thinking 
Report Cards - 2nd quarter report cards will go home with students on Tuesday, February 7th.  
Quarter 3 Electives will begin Tuesday, January 31st. 

TIPs Presentation - Presentation from January's Early Release

Communication 
Case 21 - Grade 2-3 will be taking Case 21 on Tuesday & Wednesday. Please remind students to move quietly through the halls while testing signs are up.

3rd and 4th Quarter Elective choices-  You will receive your students' elective schedules on Thursday, January 26th.  Please send home their schedule Thursday.  You will also receive a copy to hold on for your records.  Please note that you will have to double check your student schedules if they feel something has changed.  You have access when you login to OASIS. 

Valentine letters - for Rex Hospital Patients will need to be turned in to Travis's office by February sixth. 

Speaker for January 30th - Captain Barrington Irving - Short Bio: In 2007, he set two world records—at age 23—as the youngest person and first black pilot to fly solo around the world. He has a passion to explore, inspire, and educate others. Now 32, Barrington has developed a Flying Classroom curriculum (flyingclassroom.com) that transforms the way students learn STEM: in following his global expeditions, they engage in problem-solving activities that enable them to overcome new challenges. 

January 16th

Critical Thinking

The New Literacies and Global Learning (NLGL) program in our Teacher Education and Learning Sciences department here at NC State is launching a cohort-based, M.Ed. in literacy education program.  Scholarship opportunities for this program are available. Please share this link with any educators in your school that may be interested in this opportunity: http://www.fi.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/literacy_info_session.html Please contact Dr. Ann Harrington (adharrin@ncsu.edu) with any questions.

Pulse Check - In October 20 of 45 certified teachers completed the Pulse Check, if you have not completed please complete by Wednesday (I will be using the results at Thursday's Principals meeting) - https://ncsu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0Ck12awgdm5naKh. If you don't know if you did, go ahead and complete it. 

Ted Ed Video - Video on raising successful kids -- Julie Lythcott

Communication
Spelling Bee -- Congratulations to Hazam Adnan, he is our spelling bee winner for the 2016-17. Congratulations to Will Gem for being our runner up. Classroom winners did a fantastic job representing their peers. 

Report Cards - 2nd quarter report cards will go home with students on Tuesday, February 7th.  

Quarter 2 Elective-  End January 12th!  Please complete elective report cards by January 19th.
Quarter 3 Electives will begin Tuesday, January 31st.  (Note the date change!)

Creativity 
Flying Classroom Assembly:  January 30th 9:40 - 10:40 will be speaking to our 3-5 students about goal setting, overcoming adversity and Flying Classroom. 

NC Ties - Interesting in learning about integrating technology with your students? NCTies is a great place to collaborate and learn with others about technology integration. We would like to send a team of 3-5 to the two day workshop. If interested please email Travis with a short description of the goals and take backs that you were chosen to attend - http://ncties.org/conference/event/register/

New Playground structure 

Collaboration 
We hope you will join us at the CD cohort on Thursday, January 19th at 7:45am in the Media Center. Our interactive games and activities will give us practical application and strategies with the language of CD.

Our Magnet Showcase will be taking place on January 18th at 10:00am and also 12:30pm. Prospective parents will have an information session in the Media center with a couple short elective performances, as well as a tour led by student council representatives.  

If you are interested in teaching a TEK club centered around the school garden and would like to collaborate with Holly Helmig (Underwood parent-chair of grounds committee; she willing to facilitate programming, materials and activities...but can't attend Wednesday afternoons), email Ashley and she can put you in touch. 

January 9th

Creativity

We hope you will attend Dig It!, our Theater Production Performance (Grades 4-5) on Thursday night at 7pm in the multi-purpose room.

Valentines Cards - UNC Rex Hospitial and Underwood Elementary created a partnership where  our students created Valentines cards for Rex Hospital patients. Last year we 
delivered over 200 cards to patients that it may be their only note  they receive at this time of the year. 
If interested in participating cards will delivered on the  February7th (so they would need to be turned in
to the office by the February 6th. I have heard from Karen, Star, Sara (left my note at home sorry if I left
someone out). If interested please email Travis.  

Communication

The Magnet Application Period is in full swing!  Tours and magnet events will be happening frequently over the next two months.  In preparation for the abundance of prospective parents on campus, you can be helpful by:

• ensuring hallway displays are authentic and labeled with the standard

• tidying up and organizing classroom and shared spaces

2nd quarter electives-  End January 12th!  Please complete elective report cards by January 19th. 
3rd quarter electives-  Begin January 30th-  please pick up your elective curriculum by January 23rd to ensure we have all the materials you need. 

Student council Board - it is exciting to announce that Kate Kirkland has been appointed President of our student council with Nicholas Reid - VP and Reece Culbruth as our secretary.

Critical Thinking

MCLASS - In the event that inclement weather forces schools to close, the mCLASS window, for those calendars affected by the closing, will have their windows extended for the number of days in which schools are closed.

An alternate assessor must be used at MOY TRC for third grade if a child is close to Level P and Level P is being used to show proficiency and exemption under the Read to Achieve legislation

Quarter 3 and 4 Planning Days-  Please begin to identify dates with your team for planning days.  We would like teams to focus on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday's.

Homebound Tutoring - We have a third grade student that requires instruction 3 days a week for one hour ($25 an hour) as part of his core instruction. We are looking for a teacher that would be willing to provide this services to him. If interested please see Victoria for more information.

Collaboration

Elective registration will be taking places for Grades 3-5 this week.  Ashley and Alexandria will be in touch with homeroom teachers to provide more information about registration times.  Registration now takes place in homeroom classes.

January 3

Communication

Testing Dates for Case 21 for grades 2-5  - The time allotted for each subject is 90 minutes. Grade levels can use additional time for testing another day. Grade levels are responsible for creating these times and testing. Testing must be completed no later than Friday, January 27 so that tests can be turned in for scoring. If you have any questions, see Tanya or Daphne.

Parents - Reminder that the expectation is a minimum of one communication to families a week that provide details about what objectives are being taught, upcoming events, other pertain information.

We are so excited that Megan Hill has joined our 3rd grade team! Welcome Megan! :)

Business meeting is Thursday at 7:45. 

Creativity

Playground Structure -- Kompan had a delay in their shipment, so our play structure is on campus, but has not been constructed due to the delay in delivery and the rain on Sunday and Monday. They will be completing in the one of the next weekends as it needs 2 days to settle. There is caution tape around the please be sure to keep students from the area. 

Critical Thinking

SIP -- 2016-2018 School improvement plan

Quarter 3 and 4 Planning Days-  Please begin to identify dates with your team for planning days.  We would like teams to focus on Monday, Tuesday or Thursday's.  

Collaboration

Discovery Education Coaching - Underwood is one of 27 schools in Wake County that will be working with a Discovery Education coach (Cori Carr) to support our school improvement plan through collaboration, technology, learning rounds and other items. More info to come. 

Conscious Discipline -  Thursday Kim Hughes will be on campus for a coaching session. please know that when she comes into your room her role is to strengthen your CD journey as she models the various skills and powers of CD as well as to observe / model / coach and offer considerations, NOT to evaluate your implementation of CD. 

Elective Information:

• Registration will be begin the next few days.  Please be ready to support us through the process of registering your students.  It would be helpful to watch the video prior to our arrival.  We will send you an email with the link. 
• 2nd quarter electives-  End January 12th!  Please complete elective report cards by January 19th.  
• 3rd quarter electives-  Begin January 30th-  please pick up your elective curriculum by January 23 to ensure we have all the materials you need.