2300 S. St. Paul St., Denver, CO 80210
720-424-3410
Principal
CMAS starts next week for our 3rd-5th graders! CMAS is one very important tool that helps us understand how we are preparing the whole child. We have not had comprehensive CMAS data for the past 2 school years and are very excited to see how we are doing as a school in order to plan and prepare for learning next year and beyond. We use CMAS data along with all of the data collected by teachers throughout the school year to determine what we are doing well and what we need to focus on for the following school year.

Our teachers on the 2nd floor have been doing an amazing job this year of making sure that our students have the skills needed to show what they know on CMAS. Please take some time to talk to your kiddos about their test taking strategies and all of the great learning that they have been doing this school year. The image here is one example of an anchor chart that teachers use to help prepare students to best show what they know during CMAS.

Please make sure to give your child a good night sleep and a great breakfast and to wish them the best of luck next week. We know that these tests can be long and challenging so please make sure to celebrate their accomplishments daily.

As a reminder, we will be administering our CMAS assessments on the following dates: 
  • April 11-15 ELA (English Language Arts) Assessment for Grades 3-5
  • April 18-22 Math for Grades 3-5 and Science for Grade 5
  • Click here for the detailed CMAS schedule

During this testing window, please make sure students arrive at school on time and stay the whole day. Please work to schedule appointments and days off from school outside of this window. If you know in advance that your child is going to be absent on one of these dates, please reach out to Ms. Jacobsen at natalie_jacobsen@dpsk12.org. Here is a parent letter with more information. 

We are so proud of our Owls and all of the great learning that they have been doing this year. Our teachers have been working tirelessly to make sure that they are learning everything they need to learn to be successful this year and beyond.

Thank you,

Eric Atonna
UPark Principal
PTA Meeting on Tuesday!
Please join us for the next PTA meeting on Tuesday, April 12th at 6pm.

We are excited to introduce a new hybrid meeting format! Choose to attend in-person or via Zoom. If you’d like to join the meeting in-person please join us in the art room on the 2nd floor of the school. If you choose to attend via Zoom, use this link:

At this meeting, we will receive updates about committee activities, hear from Mr. Atonna and Ms. Jacobsen and review the March PTA financial report. You do not have to be a PTA member to attend the meeting, everyone is welcome. Hope to see you there!
UPark Fun Run and Carnival - NEW - volunteer at the event!
Volunteers are critical to the success of this event. Volunteering your time at events is a great way to help support your student’s school. We need both adult and teenage volunteers. If you are the parent of a UPark grad, check out the opportunities available to teenage volunteers. Sign up as a volunteer HERE (https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A044FA4A92FA2F49-funrun)

There is still time to catch early registration and guarantee your student will get to wear a super cool Fun Run t-shirt. Early registration deadline is April 14th and we’d love to see each and every family at this event! Register for the Fun Run and Carnival HERE (https://2022-upark-funrun-carnival.cheddarup.com)

*Questions? Contact Audrey and Kate at uparkpta@gmail.com.
UPark Online Auction and Parent’s Night Out
Save the date: Online Auction and Parent’s Night Out! For this year’s fundraising events, the PTA will be hosting an online auction May 5-12, followed by an in-person Parent’s Night Out at The Pioneer on May 13th at 6pm. Online Auction registration and tickets to the much anticipated Parent’s Night Out will open next week. You won’t want to miss it!

Online Auction: We need your donations! Do you have tickets to a game, a vacation home, professional services or skills to donate? We’d love your donation to help our online auction in May. Contact uparkpta@gmail.com for information or to donate.
Restaurant Night - Smashburger
On Thursday, April 14th the delicious and generous Smashburger (1120 S. Colorado Blvd.) is donating back 20% of Takeout & Pick up orders to support a great cause -- University Park Elementary PTA!

On behalf of University Park Elementary PTA you’re invited to join us and eat out, not only in support of the organization, but to show one of your Glendale restaurants some love too!

Please RSVP here: https://grouprai.se/e204929 (even if you’re not completely sure) so Smashburger knows roughly how many orders to expect & so you have access to all the event details. We hope you can make it, and please feel free to forward this invitation to your friends and family. Thanks in advance for your support!
2022-23 DPS Calendar
Denver Public Schools has published the 2022-23 district calendar linked here. Please note there may be a few additional days of no school for UPark specific planning days, but this information has not yet been determined. We will share any calendar updates soon.
Lost and Found
Please pick up any lost items from our bin out on the playground as soon as possible. We will be donating all unclaimed items by April 15th as our lost and found bin is full!
DPS Summer Connections - Amazing, FREE Summer Opportunity 
Denver Public Schools is hosting Summer Connections this summer and there is still space available! Summer Connections is a FREE 6 week learning opportunity for students entering grades 1-5. Please see more information here and register ASAP to save your spot! 
UPark Family Newsletters Now Translated on UPark Website!
UPark Family Newsletters will now be published to the UPark website in English, Arabic, Chinese and Spanish. Click here to view the translated newsletters for the last few weeks and stay updated on all of our news by visiting our website regularly!
Interested in the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy at Regis? Possible FREE College Admission!
Youth from the Denver Metropolitan area are admitted to the Academy in third, fourth and fifth grade, and attend the 3 week program each summer until they graduate from high school.

The Porter-Billups Leadership Academy is a tuition free academic enrichment program that helps children cultivate their leadership ability. Academy participants are expected to maintain good grades and positive behavior. The 2022 summer session is scheduled from June 13-30th. 
Once students graduate from the program, students are encouraged to apply for admittance to Regis University. If accepted, Academy participants will receive all of the government grants and scholarships for which they qualify, and then the Porter-Billups Leadership Academy will fund the remaining cost of tuition and fees based on qualifications. 

Deadline extended! If you are interested in your student being nominated by UPark for this program, please fill out this interest form by Friday. Families need to qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch to be eligible for nomination. Please contact the office if you would like more information or click here to view the Academy webpage!
Views From UPark!

Check out what's going on in our building! Ms. Gutierrez's 1st grade class share their informational writing with Kindergarten friends in Ms. Morof's room.
2nd Grade Service Learning Project
Last Day to Drop Off is Tomorrow!
As part of our community study and service learning, second graders are planning to work with the Child Rescue Foundation and the Teddy Bear Project.
  
You can be a part of this 2nd grade project by: 
  • Collecting new or "slightly loved" stuffed animals of all kinds, not just teddy bears. 
  • Bring the animals to a second grade classroom (Rm #113, 114 or 119) or the office, anytime until April 8th.
  • With adult supervision, students can ask neighbors, friends and family to donate stuffed animals for the project.
These stuffed animals will be given to children in the Denver Community. Some organizations benefiting are Children's Hospital, Denver Rescue Mission, Tennyson Children's Home, Denver County Court Day Care and more. Our classes will hold a counting event where we will find out how many animals have been collected (i.e. how many children we've helped) through our service learning project.
 
Click here to learn more about the Child Rescue Foundation.
Ongoing Important Links and Information
COVID Testing
  • UPark received a supply of home rapid tests for our community to use. If you need a box please contact the main office.
  • Community members can schedule FREE COVID tests using this link. All City Stadium at South High School is the closest location to University Park.

School Based Health Clinics
All students enrolled in Denver Public Schools are eligible to visit one of our school based health clinics free of charge.
  • School Based Health Clinic Information Line at 303-602-8958
  • Please click here for specific clinic locations and information.

COVID Vaccine Information
  • Denver Health School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) are offering vaccinations for free at 18 locations across the city.
  • information about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine for children can be found in this fact sheet from Denver Health.
  • Register for a vaccine online with the Denver Health MyChart account here, or can call 303-602-8958 to schedule.

School Health Information

Visit the DPS COVID resources and information webpage to answer frequently asked COVID-19 questions. This resource can be accessed directly from the dpsk12.org homepage by clicking the green “COVID-19 Guidance” button.
UPark Owl Ticket Students
Congratulations to this 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.
University Park Elementary Calendar

To access additional calendar information click here or visit the calendar link on the University Park Website.
Thursday Extras

This is where you will find a list of flyers that DPS or approved organizations have asked we pass out to our community. Simply click on the flyer name to view in its entirety. Please ask our office staff if you need a paper copy.

Discounted Colorado Rockies Tickets (English / Spanish)
STEM Summer Camps- 10% Discount Code in Flier!
Looking Ahead

April 12: CSC Meeting
April 12: PTA Meeting
April 12-22: CMAS (Grades 3-5)
April 22: Shakespeare Festival
April 26: 2nd Grade Field Trip
April 28: Shakespeare Night

May 2: Early Bird Registration Opens
May 5: Online Auction Opens
May 6: 1st Grade Field Trip
May 9: NO SCHOOL-UPark Planning Day
May 10: CSC Meeting
May 10: PTA Meeting
May 12: Online Auction Closes
May 15: UPark Fun Run and Carnival
May 20: Early Bird Registration Closes
May 25: Band Concert
May 26: Art Night
May 30: NO SCHOOL-Memorial Day

June 2: 5th Grade Continuation
June 3: Last Day of School - Half Day