The Underwood Way

Happy Holiday Season!

I sincerely hope that the beginning of this school year has been a positive experience for you and your child. My hope is that your child is showing growth at school and that you feel supported through open communication with our staff. We truly strive for families to be our partners in educating your child(ren)!

Our elementary school has grown in many ways this year, and we hope you’ve noticed growth in your child(ren) as well. As we reflect on the progress we’ve made, I want to make sure we are sharing all of the great things happening in our school. Starting in the new year, I will be highlighting these accomplishments through Teacher Spotlights and Classroom Spotlights, so be on the lookout beginning in January! I also encourage you to reach out to your child’s teacher(s) if you notice positive growth or special moments—they love to hear about it.

With the holiday season approaching, it’s natural for excitement to build—students and teachers alike! 😉 But we still have three weeks of focused learning ahead before the long-awaited break. Please know that I appreciate each of your children and thank you for allowing us to be a part of their day-to-day lives.

Here’s to finishing the semester strong!

#GoBeGreat!

Hope Rush

Here's a sample of what some of the spotlights might look like! 👍

Updates on School Improvement at Underwood Elementary

Underwood Elementary has been identified as a Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) school for the second year. While this is disappointing to all of us, we’ve made important progress, and know that school improvement takes time and cannot happen in just one year.

To continue our progress in ELA, we will hold Reading Benchmark Data Days to guide interventions, and staff received summer training on our new ELA curriculum. We will also continue professional learning to strengthen Underwood Elementary’s Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum (GVC).

We are excited to continue to offer our newly structured summer school program for all 1st–8th grade students, providing six weeks of focused reading and math instruction.

This year, we will continue team collaboration with a focus on implementing our new ELA curriculum with fidelity and improving math instruction. Benchmark data will guide our planning, and we will keep families updated on our progress.

We value your partnership—family and community involvement is key to our students’ success!

The two charts below show our yearly growth in ELA and Math test scores. In the area of ELA, Underwood Elementary grew more than the ND average! In the area of Math, our growth last year is the highest it's been in the previous two years!

K-8 Growth in ELA:

K-8 Growth in Math:

Just a reminder to sent the appropriate gear for your child to wear outside now that the weather is changing/cold. If students do not have boots/snow pants, they have to stay on the sidewalk if there is snow on the ground. Please refer to the chart below:

Since we have already experienced our first late-start day this year, I realized we haven’t clearly communicated what these days look like for families. Late starts occur on days when travel is difficult and weather conditions are poor, but not severe enough to require a full-day cancellation. These delays allow everyone—students, families, and staff—extra time to travel safely.

Here are a few important reminders for 1–2 hour late start days:

No breakfast will be served on late start days.
No morning recess will take place, as staff will also be arriving later.
Drop students off at main entrance.
Please do not drop students off at the elementary doors, as there will be no outside supervision and doors are locked.
Drop-off should occur 5–10 minutes before the adjusted start time.
- For example: If school begins at 10:30 AM, student drop-off should be no earlier than 10:20 AM.

Thank you for helping us ensure a safe and smooth start on weather-impacted days!

Please reach out with any questions or concerns regarding these items.

Screens are part of everyday life—but too much screen time can affect children’s sleep, behavior, learning, and social skills. The article “The Importance of Limiting Screen Time for Children” from Early Advantage highlights that balance is key: children thrive when they have plenty of time for physical activity, hands-on play, and face-to-face interaction.

Why Limit Screen Time?

Too much screen time can lead to sleep problems and lower physical activity.
It may impact attention, behavior, and academic performance.
High screen use can take away from social interaction and creative play.
Interactive, educational screen content can be beneficial—just in moderation.

Simple Things You Can Do at Home

Create clear routines

Set specific times for screens—and times when screens are off (meals, bedtime, family time).
Keep devices out of bedrooms to support better sleep.

Offer engaging alternatives

Try outdoor play, board games, building toys, drawing, reading, or cooking together.
Encourage imaginative play to build creativity and problem-solving skills.

Be a role model

Show your child what healthy screen habits look like by limiting your own device use during family time.

Aim for age-appropriate limits

Young children need very limited screen time.
Older children should have balanced screen use that does not replace movement, social time, or hands-on play.

❗❗Try This Week❗❗

Trade one regular screen-time slot for a family activity.
Keep screens off for 30–60 minutes before bedtime.
Choose educational, interactive content when screens are used.

By setting clear expectations and offering fun alternatives, families can help children enjoy a healthier, more balanced routine—at school and at home.

with Mrs. Nagle

Season’s Greetings!

For our Accelerated Reader program this year, I am selecting “AR Stars of the Month.” These will be either the student in each grade earning the most points for the month or a student who has made significant improvement. They will be posted in the hallway outside the Library. November’s AR Stars are: Axel - 3rd, Madden - 4th, Otto - 5th, and Pearce - 6th. Way to read!

We have several students working hard to earn a ticket to the AR 100 Point Field Trip! Grades 2-6 students will have until roughly the end of April to earn 100 points and a spot on the field trip.

During November, our Elementary Library classes in grades PreK-2 focused on beginner coding/computer skills and Thanksgiving stories. Grades 3-6 explored coding/computer skills using Kodable and www.typing.com. For December, PreK will have Christmas-themed storytimes and crafts/activities. Grades K-2 will work on using hands-on coding robots such as Beebots, Sphero Indi cars, and Code & Go Mouse. 2nd grade will also do a refresher on how to take AR quizzes and more typing practice. Grades 3-5 will work on Christmas Around the World research, along with some typing practice. Grade 6 will be working on an Influential Athlete CER (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning) project.

The Bookmobile will be here on Thursday, December 18th. Please help remind students to return Bookmobile items if they haven’t already. Thank you!

Please reach out to angie.nagle@underwoodschool.org or contact me via Rooms with any questions, ideas, or concerns. Thank you!

Thursday, 12.04.25

Elementary Holiday Concert--7:00 pm

Monday-Friday, 12.8.25-12.12.25

Star Testing

Monday-Friday, 12.15.25-12.19.25

Hat Fundraiser

Thursday, 12.18.25

Bookmobile

Friday, 12.19.25

School Board Meeting 7:00 am
Early Out-1:00pm

Monday 12.22.25 - Sunday, 1.4.26

No School -Winter Break

Monday 1.5.26

1st Day back to school!!

Let’s Talk

Have a question, comment, concern, or compliment about our school? Submit a Let’s Talk message at https://forms.gle/3k3b47r8YmNWiJrb6 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any computer, tablet, or smartphone.