The Bobcat Den
March 13, 2026
March 13, 2026
Hello All! I want to start by saying a huge thank you to our community for voting YES on the school budget. Your support is the foundation of everything we do here at UCS, and we are so grateful to live in a community that values high-quality education!
Since returning from break, our focus has been on re-establishing our routines and strengthening bonds across all grade levels. There is a fantastic energy in the building as students reconnect with their peers and mentors. This morning, we joined Mrs. LaBrusciano’s class for a moving lesson on empathy during our All-School Morning Meeting. Watching our students discuss how to truly support one another was a powerful reminder of the kind culture we are building together. It has also been fun to see the kids get outside! As the snow melts and the sun peaks out, we’ve been enjoying the warmer temps! The shifting landscape has turned recess into a series of new adventures for our explorers.
Student Half Day: Next Friday, March 20th, is a half day for students. Dismissal is at 11:20a; please expect your child home approximately 3 hours earlier than their normal routine.
Spring Conferences: The sign-up window is officially open through April 3rd. Please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher to schedule a time to celebrate their progress and learning!
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
March 20 - April 3: Spring Conference Window
March 20th: Student Half Day (dismissed at 11:20a)
March 27th: VYD Presentation @ BRMS (12:50p)
April 2nd: PTO Meeting (virtual - 7:00p) - more info below
April 3rd: All-School Morning Meeting (Cowan)
April 6th, 7th & 9th: VTCAP ELA Testing (Grades 3-4)
April 8th: Student 2-hour Early Release
April 13th & 14th: VTCAP Math Testing (Grades 3-4)
April 13 - April 15: UCS Abenaki Garden Mural Project
Info from MMUUSD
UCS Happenings
Part2 Summer Camp Opportunity @ UCS
Anyone can attend these camps, not just those who attend the after-school program. You can find the link to ALL Part2 Summer Camps here: https://part2kids.com/summer-camps/
FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE
Food Allergy Safe School Information
Food Allergy Safe School Information for Celebrations
The Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District elementary schools are “Food Allergy Aware / Safe Schools” and have adopted a food-free birthday celebration model. Please do not send in food to celebrate your student’s birthday. For classroom or whole school celebrations involving food, all food will be provided by the teacher, school administration, or parent-teacher organization, in accordance with our food safety procedures.
Stay Home When Sick
Refer to the MMUUSD District Illness Guidelines to determine if your child should stay home from school.
Please feel free to contact the health office if you have questions about sending your child to school after an illness.
You can contact us at 802-858-6316 or ucshealthoffice@mmuusd.org
NEWS FROM THE PTO
Calling all UCS parents and caregivers: Most of the PTO leadership team is graduating with their kids in June, so we desperately need new leaders and supporters! Please join us at our April meeting to discuss the future of the PTO. This meeting is a chance to learn more about how you can help ensure our school community continues to thrive. We will also work on planning this year's Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week (scheduled for May 4-8). If you've been waiting for a meeting to join, this is the one! Please mark your calendars for this virtual meeting and we will see you there.
April PTO Meeting
Thursday, April 2 · 7:00 – 8:00pm
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/xis-uety-smn
Or dial: (US) +1 414-909-6129 PIN: 990 502 143#
High Mowing Seed orders are being sent home today with students. If you placed an order, please check your child's backpack! If you have any questions on your order, please contact the PTO at ucspto@mmuusd.org. We raised just shy of $1,100 with this fundraiser. Thanks for your support!
WISH LIST for TEACHERS & STAFF
Greetings UCS Families! Suddenly it's December and the gift-giving season is upon us. The PTO asked UCS teachers and staff to share their school and classroom wishes. That information was compiled into Amazon Wish Lists and Teachers Pay Teachers gift card requests. If you have UCS teachers and staff on your gift giving list this season, we hope these wish list requests will be helpful.
(Also on Mrs. Poor's wish list: Michaels or Amazon gift cards)
UCS 1/2 Wish List - LaBrusciano
(Also on Mrs. Bernier's wish list: Teachers Pay Teachers gift card)
UCS 3/4 Wish List - Danis/Giguere
If you don't see the teacher you are looking for, check back for updates! We'll continue to add to them as wishes come in. You can also consider a gift card to the Teachers Pay Teachers site.
Buying labels for your family's gear? Use our school's name to help support the PTO's fundraising efforts for opportunities such as Math through Art, visiting authors and artists and more. All families need to do is click the link, under support, type in our school (Underhill Central School) in the search bar in the middle of the screen, and start buying!
UCS PTO will receive 20% of each sale.
ONLINE SCHOOL STORE
Welcome to the UCS Bobcats Online Sideline Store, the place to score personalized Bobcat Swag and accessories from all your favorite brands 24/7/365. Get ready for the summer with new styles and brands
**Profits do go back to the UCS** Happy Shopping!!!
FREE FAMILY SUPPORT/EDUCATION PROGRAMS & INFO
We want to ensure our families have the resources they need.
Please utilize our UCS Resource Sheet, which includes helpful information for families.
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Changes coming from 3SquaresVT
Please help us spread the word to make sure 3,000 of our friends and neighbors keep 3SquaresVT by reporting information that meets the work reporting rules. 3,000 people could lose benefits on March 1st if they do not report information in time.
We have developed a number of resources to support information-sharing and hope you will share these resources broadly, all housed in this link.
We have information for community partners to understand how to support people with reporting information, including completing the "Personal Obstacle or Barrier to Work" exemption. DCF has produced a community partner guide that explicitly talks about this exemption.
We have information to share generally with people (on social media, Front Porch Forum sample posts, newsletters, county-specific paper flyers)
We will be uploading the recordings of our 3SquaresVT Work Reporting Rules Training series on Tuesday to that link above.
The more we can share information about this BEFORE March 1st, the better chance that people who are otherwise eligible for 3SquaresVT will be able to keep their benefits. 3SquaresVT helps workers–both to supplement wages and provide support between jobs. Most people who can work, do work. For the small share of folks who can’t work or face barriers to work, 3SquaresVT is a crucial support.
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
Here is the ticket link and flyer for the
UCS Lake Monsters fundraiser
Join ReTribe's WIlderness
Adventure Day Camps this Summer
Spend the summer exploring our 80 acres of woods on the base of Mount Mansfield. We have 7 weeks of camp for ages 5-12. Activities include sneaking and playing running games, crafting and wood carving, swimming and playing in the pond and river, making fairy houses, battling with foam swords and taking part in a fantasy adventure.
For more info and to register visit our website: https://www.retribe.org/day-camp or email ReTribeTransformation@gmail.com.
Openings in ReTribe's Spring Forest School & Wild Woods Afterschool in Underhill
Our Spring semester is about to begin! We hope your child will join our wild play and forest exploration here in Underhill.
ReTribe is accepting students ages 5-13 for their Forest School and Wild Woods Afterschool programs. Forest School has spaces open on Wednesday and Thursdays in Underhill from 9am-3pm. Wild Woods Afterschool meets Mondays and Thursdays in Underhill from 3-5:30pm. Learn more at www.retribe.org/the-forest-school. & https://www.retribe.org/after-school
Poker Hill Arts summer Fairies and Gnomes Camps are open for registration.
See website for dates and info:
STAY CONNECTED with WHAT'S HAPPENING @ UCS