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I would like to thank our community members for following the facility guidelines that have been in place thus far because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With Governor Reynolds permitting small group activities (no more than 10 people), the Underwood Community School District will reopen the following community-shared areas for public use: the baseball field at the middle school, the softball field at the middle school, the soccer practice area at the middle school, and the soccer practice area next to the maintenance building/bus parking lot. Youth activity groups will be responsible for their own decisions regarding practices as long as state guidelines are followed. No games or large group events may occur until specific guidance is issued by the governor. Social distancing requirements and group limits of no more than 10 people will still be in place. If the aforementioned guidelines are not followed, these areas will need to be closed again. Areas that will remain closed at this time are the high school baseball field, the high school softball field, the high school football field, all indoor gymnasiums, all weight-training/fitness areas, and all playgrounds. Thank you for your support of these guidelines. We join you in looking forward to the time when things return to normal.

MAY 2020 DISTRICT DISPATCH At the regular school board meeting held on Tuesday, April 14, 2020, the Underwood Community School District Board of Directors approved the certified budget for the 2020-21 school year at a total maximum amount not to exceed $13,282,393. Key information shared with the school board members during the meeting included the following: (1) taxable valuation in the school district has decreased from $278,307,872 to $276,197,752; (2) the general fund property tax levy rate is projected to decrease from 11.93462 to 11.73236; (3) the management fund property tax levy rate is projected to increase from 0.79049 to 0.94135; (4) the schoolhouse property tax levy rate will remain at 0.33000; and (5) the debt service property tax levy rate will decrease from 1.52004 to 1.48875. The grand total property tax levy rate is projected to be 14.49246. This is a decrease of 0.08269 from last year’s grand total property tax levy rate of 14.57515. The school district’s financial condition remains healthy in spite of low levels of supplemental state aid in recent years. In order to maintain the school district’s healthy financial condition, efforts must be made to limit expenditure increases and guard against becoming overstaffed and underfunded. Our goal is to maintain a cash balance backed by spending authority which enables us to operate for two or three months without having to borrow any money. The Underwood Community School District is joining the other 326 school districts in Iowa to honor its elected school board members during Iowa School Board Recognition Month during the month of May. “Launching Iowa’s Next Generation” is this year’s Iowa Association of School Boards’ theme. This theme recognizes that Iowa’s volunteer school board members are providing innovative leadership through responsibilities ranging from strong financial stewardship to ensuring high-quality curriculum in order to make sure that all students are prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century. As elected leaders, they represent the citizens of the Underwood Community School District in a continuing commitment to local citizen control. Too often the efforts of school board members go unrecognized and unrewarded, so let’s take this opportunity to thank them for their service. The members of our local school board are Jeff Bonsall, Matt Brummett, Rick Larson, Teresa Mace, and Michelle Soloth. When the opportunity presents itself, please join me in telling them “thank you” for a job well done. At a press conference held on Thursday, April 2, 2020, Governor Kim Reynolds announced that schools in Iowa will be closed through at least the end of April to help mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. Please be aware that there is still a strong likelihood that we will not return for the rest of the 2019-20 school year. Because of the uncertainty that COVID-19 has created in our schools, several questions have arisen. This is particularly true for seniors and senior parents. Please note that the following questions are answered with the assumption that schools will not be able to host large gatherings of people in May or possibly even June. Will we have graduation? If so, when will it be? We are tentatively planning to have graduation on Friday, July 31, 2020, at 7:00 p.m. in the high school gymnasium. Will there be a senior trip? If not, will seniors get a refund? Unfortunately, there will not be a senior trip. If there is money left in the senior account, there are a few ideas under consideration. For example, catering a meal to be served during graduation rehearsal. Will there be an awards night for seniors? We are still examining if and when this would happen. It may be done using a format such as Facebook Live. Will high school students (particularly seniors) earn credits toward graduation? The Iowa Department of Education is working on an expedited application process that would allow school districts to provide online learning opportunities (as Underwood is doing now) and require and grade the work. Students would earn their credits based upon their third quarter grades and the required classwork completed after that application is accepted by the Iowa Department of Education. Even if our application is not accepted, we will be able to determine senior credits. A fallback position would be to use the students’ third quarter grades. Will there be a baccalaureate ceremony? Baccalaureate is not a school-sponsored event, but we have contacted the individuals in charge of this event, Sandy Redshaw and Dani Baxter. They are considering having a baccalaureate ceremony on Sunday, July 26, 2020, or on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, at 6:00 p.m. in the high school auditorium. What will happen with prom? Hopefully, we will be able to reschedule prom and post-prom and have them take place on a date later this summer. Post-prom fundraising will go toward that event. Post-prom parents would determine what would happen with the post-prom fundraising money of post-prom can’t be held. Will there be a yearbook? Yes, there will be a yearbook. What will happen with spring and summer athletics and activities? All athletic and activity events will follow the guidelines established by their respective state associations. Options are presently being examined at the state level. All music and speech events have been cancelled. Will there be spring concerts? No, all spring concerts at Underwood have been cancelled. Will the music trip to Nashville still take place? At this time, the Nashville music trip is still planned to take place during the summer. However, there is a strong possibility that it will be rescheduled to a later date. This will be determined once we get more guidance from the Iowa Department of Public Health and the travel company coordinating the trip. Will parents be notified of updates on our situation? Building principals will be sending a weekly email to parents during our closure. Please keep an eye out for these emails. We will pass on new information we receive from the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Department of Public Health. It is natural to have several questions and concerns during unprecedented times such as these. We will do our best to answer your questions or direct you to someone who can. Please contact me, Superintendent Ed Hawks, at ehawks@underwoodschools.org or 712-566-2332 or your child’s building principal for help. The contact information for the building principals is as follows: High School Principal Matt McDonough, mmcdonough@underwoodschools.org or 712-566-2703; Middle School Principal Beau Jacobsen, bjacobsen@underwoodschools.org or 712-566-2332; and Elementary Principal Jeff Privia, jprivia@underwoodschools.org or 712-566-2326.

The link at the bottom of the page is another way to help your child stay engaged during our school closure.  If you click on a grade level box, it will give you other links that are appropriate for that age level.  At the bottom of the Symbaloo are other learning opportunities for your child.  I hope this helps keep your child learning during this quarantine time.  Please contact Lois Johnson at ljohnson@underwoodschools.org or your child's classroom teacher if you have any questions.

Underwood Elementary Symbaloo Link

School Closure: Middle School Student Educational Opportunities

 

            Due to the school closure starting on March 17^th until further notice we will have educational opportunities for our middle school students to remain engaged. The hope is that we will return from this closure with minimal reteaching and be able to continue with where the students would have been if the closure did not occur. We do understand that many of your students will have added roles at home as daycare providers. We have decided as a staff to minimize the number of assignments coming home during this time to 2-3 a week per class. Teachers will still be in contact through various platforms each day (i.e.: phone, google classroom, gmail, and other online platforms). Please remember that during this closure if it was a planned no school day (March 27^th) it will remain a no school day and staff will not be available on those days. Below is a list of each middle school teachers’ expectations and where students can find resources and classwork.

 

Ms. Biggs (Band): 6-8th grade students will have an opportunity to do lessons through zoom. If a student is unable to make that lesson time possible please email me to let me know. They will have a weekly assignment on Sight Reading factory. They are all already signed up for it. I will be available from 9AM-1PM daily to answer any questions you may have. 

Mrs. Kay (Resource): All assignments will be available on google classroom. Students should complete tasks and then mark assignment complete on classroom. I will communicate daily to check in on student progress. Please email me at mkay@underwoodschools.org with any questions or concerns. If students need additional help understanding assignments, please email me to set up a Zoom video meeting. 

Mrs. Hjelle (7^th Reading/English): 7th grade English and reading- All assignments and guidance will be given through Google Classroom and Zoom.  I will be available from 12:30-2:30 every school day for questions and communication.

Mrs. Stamp (7/8 Science): Students: I will be communicating to students through email and/or google classroom daily, Monday-Friday.  I plan to check my email daily for correspondence and also have “online office hours” where I will be at my computer for instant communication if needed.  
  Assignments will be posted/submitted on google classroom.  Occasionally, students will be assigned activities through the HMH portal (student ebooks), but information about the assignment will be found on the google classroom page.  Daily “online office hours” also be posted and updated here.
 - Currently, there is an assignment posted on google classroom that is due on Wednesday, March 18.
 -HMH portal link:  https://www.hmhco.com/one/login/?state=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hmhco.com%2Fone%2F%23%2Fdiscover%2FSCI_NA18E_SCIDIM_MODA
             Some students also chose to have hard copies of their books, which they picked up today. Parents: Updated classrooms and assignments/expectations can be found on my planbook website.  Please communicate with your students about upcoming activities and assignment due dates, or if would like to see our google classroom.  If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at kstamp@underwoodschools.org

Mrs. Privia – (8th grade English and reading classes): I will communicate all lessons through Google Classroom, email, and Planbook. I will be doing most of my work from 9:00 - 12:00 most mornings, and then I will check in periodically in the afternoon.

AR tests can be taken from home.

Ms. Bolduan (7/8 Social Studies): Google Classroom and email will be utilized for all assignments and communication.  I will check my email periodically throughout regular school hours to answer questions and provide extra assistance

Mr. Mechaelsen (6^th Science and Social Studies): All assignments and communication will be done through Google Classroom and through student's email. I will also update my planbook weekly so that parents can continue to check and keep track of what their child is doing in Science and Social Studies. I will also be available between 9:00-12:00 each morning to answer any questions parents or students have via email. I will check my email periodically throughout the rest of the day in case there are any further questions I can answer.

 

Mr. Ridder: (6th-8th Grade PE): All assignments will be workout based and can be found on TeamBuildr.com (the "e" is supposed to be missing in builder) or the TeamBuildr App.  Seventh and eighth grade students have used this all year, but sixth grade created an account on Monday, March 16th.  There will be three workouts posted each week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  Students need to click the check mark to show they have completed each activity in the workout.  I will constantly check my email for any questions Monday-Friday 8:00am to 3:30pm.  Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

Mr. Hjelle (6^th Math): Students will get a daily email explaining daily expectations.  All videos, worksheets, and notes will be found on Planbook, most graded assignments will be sent using Google Classroom.  I know that daily situations for each student may differ so I will not put due dates on the assignments.  I have let students know that if they need individual help that they can email me to set up a Google Hangout video session if a general email won't solve the problem.  I should be available M-F 8-4, but will also be able to help later if needed.  As this situation is new to all of us some expectations may change as we maneuver our way through this process.  All assignments, quizzes, tests will be graded based on points.  There will not be any weighted categories in my grade book as there have been for the first 3 quarters.

Mrs. Mahoney (6^th Reading/English): I will be communicating to students through Google classroom, emails or planbook. I will have online "office hours" from 9:00-12:00 daily on school days for any questions you may have through google classroom or email.

Mrs. Minssen (7/8 Math): The students were given their assignments for the next 2 weeks. They will have 2 days to complete each assignment.  They are to take a picture of their assignment or type it up and send me an email at tminssen@underwoodschools.org.

Students may email me with questions and I will get back to them as soon as possible.  I also suggest to them if they need help to use Khan Academy. If they need further assignment I will email them to them along with the due dates.

Mr. Adamon (6-8 Choir): 6th-8th Choir students will have music literacy and listening activities. Communication will primarily be through Google Classroom and student email. Mr. Adamon will post assignments and due dates on each class's Google Classroom site. Mr. Adamon will be available daily from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM. Students also have accounts with SightReadingFactory.com to use and submit literacy assignments. If students or parents have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me.

The Underwood Quiz Bowl Team participated in the Iowa Masonic Quiz Bowl Tournament on Saturday, March 7 in Waukee.  After a close loss in the morning, the team came back to win their last 4 matches against Albia (210-90), Logan-Magnolia(150-140), IKM-Manning (180-170), and Chariton(160-130) to win the tournament.  In the championship round, sophomore, Max Casson scored the most toss up question points and junior, James Brainard, and freshman, Kira Hetfield also scored points on a couple of toss up questions to help the team win.  Kira also ran the table on a set of questions about the novel, Little Women, to help the team earn 30 points in the teamwork phase of the competition to help seal the victory.

 

As part of the tournament, the Grand Lodge of Iowa provided the Underwood Quiz Bowl Team with a $1000 cash prize for winning the tournament.  Team members were seniors: Zach Teten, Jared Redshaw, and Wyatt Redshaw; junior: James Brainard; sophomore: Max Casson; and freshman: Kira Hetfield.

 

Quiz Bowl is an academic competition where schools compete against other schools in a Jeopardy style format.  Questions typically cover the topics of literature, social studies, science, mathematics, fine arts, and miscellaneous.  The Underwood Quiz Bowl Team's next tournament is the WIC Tournament on Wednesay, March 18 at AHST-W.  Their final competition will be the State Quiz Bowl Championships at Des Moines Central Academy on Saturday, April 18.

Carleigh Opal(4th), Meredith Hjelle (1st), Ava Schuster (6th), and Owen Fletcher (3rd) each had their artwork selected for the Art Educators if Iowa Youth Art Month shows in Des Moines at the State Historical Museum during the month of March. Meredith's artwork was also chosen for National Convention to represent Iowa. Ava's artwork was also chosen for the Governor's Show which will be on display in the Governor's office at the state Capitol.

 

Great news from the Iowa School Performance Profile (ISPP) data that was just released last week.  This is the first year scores from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) were included in the score, so there were some unknowns leading up to the release of the scores.  The high school score placed it in the "High Performing" category, the second-highest ranking level in the ISPP.  Of all of the high schools in Iowa, Underwood High School scored 23rd and among the top 15%!  The middle school made a move up from their previous level and are now in the "Commendable" range, as is the Elementary school.  Congratulations to all of our great teachers, staff, and students for doing so well!

The Iowa School Performance Profile includes a great deal of data in many different areas.  Mr. Greg Bachman, our Data Specialist, will be breaking down the results so we can continue to improve upon our 2019 levels.  More information will be made available to you as we get those reports.  In the meantime, check out the details on the DE website:  Iowa School Performance Profile Link