Table of Contents   
 principal
Principal 
         
UPark Adopt a Family
Thank you to the fantastic UPark community members that have already donated gift cards for our adopt-a-family program this year! We have extended the deadline to drop off gift cards until Tuesday, December 17th. Read the letter below from our school Psychologist Alicia Vega for additional details.
 
Dear UPark Families,
 
We are excited to announce the continuation of the UPark Holiday Adopt-A-Family program!
 
In our UPark community, we have a number of families who benefit from the generous donations provided through this program. Many of our UPark families are struggling with the challenges of poor health, the loss of a loved one, or homelessness. 
 
If you would like to participate in the Adopt a Family program, we ask that you do so by purchasing a gift card, in any amount you choose, to either Walmart or Target. We started this tradition two years ago, and we received a lot of support. Our families receiving these gifts appreciated the opportunity to shop for their children, and it was easy for donors to participate!

Anytime between now and Tuesday, December 17th,   you can drop off your gift cards to the main office with either Ms. Alexis or Ms. Rusin. 
 
Thank you in advance for giving what you can. Your generosity will make this season brighter, and bring joy to others in our UPark community! 
 
May you and your loved ones share a warm and wonderful holiday season!
 
Sincerely,
Alicia Vega
UPark Psychologist

Thank you all for your continued support!
 
Principal
Team UPark
720.424.3410


pta
PTA

Restaurant Night Tonight!
The Pioneer

Take a break from holiday cooking and eat at the Pio tonight Thursday, December 12th from 5:00 - 9:00pm!  20% of all food sales will be donated. Please be sure to mention UPark and bring all your family and friends for a great evening out!  


spotlight
Spotlight on UPark
Gifted and Talented

Throughout the school year, GT programming at UPark includes pull out small groups focused on content and affective strengths as well as push in whole class learning opportunities for all students! During the 2019-2020 school year, I am pushing into first, second, fourth and fifth grades, providing a variety of learning opportunities for whole classrooms of students.  

In first grade, students are learning about various ways of thinking, including creative thinking, logical reasoning, divergent thinking and more through class activities, experiences and tasks. For example, earlier this year, first graders tapped into their imaginations by creating pictures and drawings on a specific topic, using a squiggle as their starting points.

In second grade, students are learning how to explain their strategies and processes in math through whole class Number Talks! This week, Ms. Reynolds' class learned how a "three-read" math strategy can help mathematicians visualize, analyze and solve word problems!  

In fourth grade, students are building on last year's whole class work in Socratic Circle reading discussions by participating with higher level text and structure using song lyrics! In the month of November, students in Mrs. Rau's class read and discussed a song from the Disney movie Mulan, using their questions, curiosities and targeted feedback to drive their discussion!  

Over the last two months In Ms. Rippon's fifth grade classroom, students challenged themselves with work around analogies - their purpose and various types and structures - with a focus on logical reasoning, vocabulary building and justification of thinking. We've had great discussions around specificity as well as creative problem solving!
    
Happy Holidays! Heather Wise, UPark GT Teacher

Coming next week: 2nd Grade!

ornament
Green Ornament Challenge 

The Green Team ornament challenge is back! December 13-20 UPark students and families are invited to create an ornament with the theme of UPark Owls or "Use Less/Do More". Ornaments should be made by reusing or repurposing recyclable or compostable materials. Prizes will be awarded for best repurposing, creativity with materials and using the above themes. Ornaments need a name, grade and room number when they are brought to the main hallway.

band
Join UPark Band!

You've heard us every year at the Fun Run and the Halloween Parade and you've surely peeked into the auditorium before school to see what all that noise is about. Stop being a spectator and join in the AWESOME!

You could play flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, baritone or percussion! Once you learn the secret of how to make and play music, you can make any song yours! Working and learning with classmates is always fun but being able to share in the pride of performance well done is extraordinary.
  • Don't know anything about music? Neither did anyone else before they learned it. Start learning with us! We have professional musicians work with our students twice each month and we have many private music instructors if you need help.
  • Don't have an instrument? Rentals are more affordable than you think and our school owns many instruments available for a very low rental rate.
  • Concerned about Tuition? Scholarships are available!
  • 5th Grader? You can join now and have a jump start in music in middle school.
The Spring Registration for Band is NOW OPEN! Click here to register!

Class is every Monday and Wednesday Morning from 7:50-8:40. Come register in person and try out an instrument or two or three on December 19th after school in Room 107.

semantics
Semantics Team News!
 
The UPark Owls Semantics Team competed in our first spelling bee of the school year and did a fabulous job! Nine of our team members competed against students from Slavens, Hamilton, Grant Ranch and Kaiser on the morning of Thursday, December 5th. All of our team members made it past the first round, spelling words like measly, spelunker, butterscotch and demolition! Out of more than 30 kiddos from around the district, one of our team members earned seventh place - congratulations to fifth grader Adia Stoler and to all of our team for their hard work and determination! Our next bee will be at the end of January...Go UPark Owls!
 
2019-2020 UPark Owls Semantics Team
2nd grader Audrey Downes
3rd graders Brynn Kopera, Maeve Lemery, Eliza Helgerson-Rahn and Madelyn Combs
4th graders Juliet Montanaro and Luke Yeh
5th graders Adia Stoler, Clara Johnson, Charlotte Mahlin and Shreyas Rao


instagram
UPark Instagram Has 100 Followers!

100 followers down... a community to go! 

We have our 1st hundred followers but please continue to encourage those in our community to follow @uparkowls to learn more about the many wonderful happenings at our school. 

We are launching a new contest with weekly winners: use #uparkowls and tag us @uparkowls in your own school related posts! We will then pick a weekly winner at random for the remainder of the week from the posts you share!

attendance
UPark Attendance Notifications

There are multiple ways you can notify the office of a student absence: use the attendance feature on the  UPark app, call the main office at 720-424-3410, or email  Sharon Rusin and  Alexis Matter, our school office supports.

To use the UPark app for attendance notifications click on the "resources" icon at the bottom right side of the screen. The icon looks like a book. Once on the resources page you'll click on the UPark Attendance icon to submit your student's absence details. 

support
Easy Ways to Support UPark as you Prepare for the Holidays

ORDER HOLIDAY CARDS FROM MINTED:  This   November and December , save money and support UPark when you order your holiday cards and  gifts from Minted. Use code FUNDRAISEUPESDENVER to save  20% OFF   of your Minted order, and Minted will also give 15% back to our school. Visit minted.com/holiday to start shopping. 
 
BUY YOUR HOLIDAY GROCERIES AT KING SOOPERS:  Once you've connected your rewards card to UPark, King Soopers will automatically donate a portion of your purchase back to UPark each time you swipe your SooperCard or enter your phone number. If you haven't already connected you rewards card, follow these simple instructions.
 
SHOP FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS ON AMAZON:  AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way to support UPark at no cost to you! Simply register at smile.amazon.com, choose "University Park Elementary PTA," and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases. Just be sure to start your shopping via the AmazonSmile homepage.
 
Please share these easy give back opportunities with grandparents and other family members that would like to support UPark this holiday season!

NC

Winter Enrichment has begun! Please remind your students about the classes they will attend and the new pick-up procedure (all students will go to the auditorium to meet their enrichment instructors).
 
Discovery Link Camp Days
Registration is still open for  January Camp Days!

Join us for Discovery Link Camp January 2nd, 3rd, and 6th. *Registration closes December 18th. 
 
Your child will  have the opportunity to engage in teacher led, social emotional academic learning in a safe environment. Engaging AM & PM clubs  will include art, science, sports, math, literacy and more.  Center-based activities along with choice time play will take place before and after clubs. 

CAMP INFORMATION:                                                         
Camp hours:  6:30am - 6:00pm  
Bring a sack lunch, two snacks (AM and PM snack), and a water bottle.
Fee: $39.00/per day
Drop in : $78.00/per day

Registration:
Families with a School Care Works account:  https://connect.schoolcareworks.com/login.jsp

Discovery Link is Hiring!
Discovery Link at University Park is hiring for a Program Leader and Staff Aide. If you enjoy working with kids and are looking for a fun, part-time job opportunity then you should join the UPark Discovery Link team!  We offer a flexible schedule, perfect for college students and parents. Click HERE for more information and instructions on applying. Please contact Ms. Julia Lamberton for more information.
   
QUESTIONS?
Please e-mail Program Supervisor, Julia Lamberton at  julia_lamberton@dpsk12.org  or Enrichment Coordinator, Kyle Wiley at  kyle_wiley@dpsk12.org .

calendar
University Park Elementary Calendar

Click on the calendar icon to the right, look below, or visit the  University Park Website to access calendar information!


























owltickets
UPark Owl Ticket Students 

Congratulations to last week's Owl Ticket students! They were recognized by their teachers for above and beyond positive behavior. 


Owl Tickets are given to students for going above and beyond in one of our five core values: caring, cooperation, responsibility, respect and joy. Owl Tickets focus on the school's trait of the month, give students a chance to participate in the weekly "Owl Tickets" photo and will be posted on the "UPARK" letters in our main hallway.
*At the end of each month we will be donating all clothing in the lost and found and anything left in the halls.