2300 S. St. Paul St., Denver, CO 80210
720-424-3410
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Hello UPark Families,
This past Sunday, March 13, 2022 marked the two year anniversary of the day we left our beloved UPark and headed home for what we thought was going to just be an extended spring break. As the days became weeks and weeks became months and months have now become two years of a pandemic, I can only think of how much we have grown as a school community through the most difficult of times. Each and every challenge was met with optimism and hope driven by our collective desire to make sure our Owls kept learning. With declining case counts and fewer COVID restrictions, we are continuing to regain a sense of normalcy within our wonderful school.
I am happy to say we will be having our first in person performance in over two years next week when our second and third graders get to showcase what they've been learning in Specials this year. We are excited to bring back UPark traditions like our Carnival and Fun Run in their normal form as well. We have come so far together over the past two years to build an even stronger Community of Mighty Thinkers and Doers. I am always reminded of where we've been with one simple picture that is taped up on the wall in my office, our Owl Ticket picture dated March 13, 2020. The smiling faces in that picture are why we all do what we do. Those smiling little Owls have kept us going each and every day over the past two years. Thank you all for staying with us. Thank you all for trusting us to take care of and teach your children. Thank you all for making us UPark Strong!
Thank you,
Eric Atonna
UPark Principal
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UPark Fun Run and Carnival - Registration is OPEN!
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Join us for one of the most fun and well-attended events of the year! Cheer on our UPark students in the Fun Run then stay for the Carnival with a BBQ, games & prizes, bouncy castles, face painters, parkour, music, and more!!!
Please read the registration details carefully as there are 3 parts (Fun Run Entry, Lunch Ticket, and Carnival Wristband). Register by March 25th to guarantee t-shirt size and availability.
*All portions of the Fun Run and Carnival are on school grounds. Need-based scholarships for the Fun Run and Carnival are available for qualifying families, contact Alicia Vega (alicia_vega@dpsk12.org) Other questions? Contact Audrey and Kate at uparkpta@gmail.com.
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Enrichment Registration Closes Next Wednesday! |
Spring Enrichment Registration Information
Registration begins Wednesday, March 9th at 8:00am and ends at 5:00pm on Wednesday, March 23rd.
Below are the steps to begin registration on March 9th.
(There is NO early access to registration before March 9th!)
(PAYMENT IS DUE AT THE TIME OF REGISTRATION)
**Some course scholarships are available. Please contact Joie, UPark enrichment coordinator, at joie_cohen@dpsk12.org to request a scholarship for your student.
Winter Enrichment Make-Up Sessions
Due to weather cancelations many enrichment classes will have a make-up day at the end of the session. Please see the make-up dates below.
- Tuesday Enrichments: make-up date March 22nd
- Wednesday Enrichments: make-up date March 23rd
- Thursday Enrichments: make-up date March 24th
Summer Enrichment-Carson Elementary
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2nd/3rd Grade Arts Showcase |
Our guidelines for live performances have recently changed and we are thrilled to be able to invite you to our in person arts showcase! The event will be held on Thursday, March 24th from 5:00-6:00 for 2nd Grade and from 6:00-7:00 for 3rd Grade. Please click on the link for your student's grade to see each class' specific rotation schedule among the evening's events. We look forward to seeing you soon!
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On Wednesday, March 16th, our 3rd-5th grade students completed their CMAS infrastructure trial. This is an opportunity to practice utilizing the CMAS platform and the tools within the assessment. As a reminder, we will be administering our CMAS assessments on the following dates:
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April 11-15 ELA (English Language Arts) Assessment for Grades 3-5
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April 18-22 Math for Grades 3-5 and Science for Grade 5
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. The final day to opt your child out of the CMAS assessment is Friday, March 25th. If you choose to opt your child out, you will need to complete the opt-out form in Parent Portal. Here is a parent letter with more information.
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Avoiding Lost and Overdue Library Books |
The University Park Library is seeing a huge number of lost, not returned, and/or overdue books this year. Student favorites and new titles are missing from the library so students and staff can't find these preferred books. School library books often cannot be replaced due to budget restraints. Please check out the following ideas for making sure books are returned to the library on time and in good shape:
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Always have your students keep UPark library books in their backpacks when not reading them. This avoids books being left on the playground, in the hall, in the classroom library or in a vehicle. It also prevents books from being lost at home, shelved with personal books or accidentally returned to another library.
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Check out is for 14 days (2 weeks) and books must be returned at the end of that time. Books If books are not returned in this amount of time a check out hold will be placed and the student will not be able to check out new books until the overdue titles are returned.
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Books may be returned to the cart outside of the library, to the classroom teacher or kept in the backpack any time during this 14 day window. As long as one of these things happens, the likelihood of a book not being returned or lost is greatly diminished. A book's due date won't always occur on a library specials day.
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Families: Please help your students take care of their books. Asking them to keep them in their backpacks when not reading them keeps them from being lost and also from being damaged, something we are seeing a lot of right now. If you receive an overdue book email, please help your student look for the book at home and in the classroom. Most often that is where they are.
Thank you so much for helping keep the University Park library stocked with the books our Owls love to read!
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At Home Oral Health Survey-All Families Please Complete! |
Dear University Park Families,
DPS cares about the health of your child. To support our efforts to identify health issues that may impact your child’s success and ability to learn, the district is resuming the health screening program with in-person vision and hearing screenings at school.
Due to the impacts of the pandemic, they will be unable to provide in-person oral health screenings this year. Since good oral health is so important for concentration, we are asking that you please complete the Oral Health Screening At Home survey on the Parent Portal. A few minutes and a flashlight or good light source is all you need to complete the screening!
Along with the vision and hearing data, the information collected through the online oral health survey will help us connect you and your students to any health resources you may need.
Please complete the survey electronically within three weeks from today. Although the data is most accessible electronically, if there is a need to complete a paper copy, please contact the school’s health or front office, then return the document within 3 weeks of this message.
Click for further instructions on a Smartphone/tablet/laptop/desktop. At this time surveys in Burmese and Arabic languages are only available in a printed format obtainable from your school Nurse or Leadership Office.
Thank you!
DPS Nursing Services
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Trimester 2 Report Cards Available |
Report cards are now available in Parent Portal. To access report cards, follow the steps below.
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Log in to the Parent Portal at https://myportal.dpsk12.org/
- Grades will appear on the home screen after log in
- The drop down next to "Student Performance" needs to be changed from T3 to T2 to view this past trimester's grades
- To view more details click on the "Report Card Key" and the "Full Report Card" link and change from T3 to T2
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To view teacher comments view this video for instructions (video link can also be found in the Portal in the full report card section)
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DPS Summer Connections - Enroll Now! |
Summer Connections is a FREE full day, 6
week program available in all DPS regions
for ALL rising 1st-5th grade students that combines literacy, math, and science. Students will engage in hands-on enrichment experiences in STEM, Art and Spark Career Exploration. Students may receive individual or small group tutoring.
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Views From UPark!
Check out some of the things happening at our school!
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Mr. Shabazz gave a percussion lesson, teaching students about the Talking Drum. Talking drums are West African drums whose pitch can change to match the tone of human speech. These drums have two drum heads connected by leather tension cords and are played by squeezing the chords between your arms and body. Thank you Mr. Shabazz for bringing this learning opportunity to our students! |
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Our 5th graders are participating in Book Madness this month. Students are voting on different books to determine which one they like the best. The book voted the best in the bracket will be the champion for each class! |
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2nd Grade Service Learning Project |
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.
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Ongoing Important Links and Information |
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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.
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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
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Please click here for specific clinic locations and information.
COVID Vaccine Information
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Denver Health School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) are offering vaccinations for free at 18 locations across the city.
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information about the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine for children can be found in this fact sheet from Denver Health.
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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.
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UPark Owl Ticket Students |
Congratulations to this week's Owl Ticket students! They were recognized by their teachers for above and beyond positive behavior. |
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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. |
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University Park Elementary Calendar
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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.
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Looking Ahead
March 23: PTA Gathering
March 24: 2nd/3rd Grade Performances and Art Show
March 28-31: NO SCHOOL-Spring Break
April 1: NO SCHOOL-Spring Break
April 4: NO SCHOOL-DPS Planning
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 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
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University Park | 720-424-3410 | 2300 S. St. Paul | Website
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