PTA

PTA Meeting - Meet the District 1 DPS Board of Education Candidates 

Please join us in the library on October 10th at 6pm when both District 1 School Board candidates, Scott Baldermann and Kimberlee Sia, will be attending at the beginning of the monthly PTA meeting to give our community the opportunity to hear from them personally. This position will be making decisions that affect every family in our district so we hope to see as many parents and caregivers there as possible. 

After they each speak about their candidacy, we will have a brief time for a few questions. We invite everyone to submit a question by Friday, October 6th using this form. 

In addition, we will discuss the two Statewide Propositions on the 2023 ballot. We want to ensure that all voters can make informed choices in November so we encourage everyone to join and learn more about our district's school board candidates and the election. As with all Upark PTA meetings, this forum is open to the entire UPark community and you do not need to be a PTA member to attend.

If you cannot attend in person, join us via zoom: 

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88667446719?pwd=Y1liMWp4WGMyY3MwbjhQSEdCUDE4Zz09

Apple Campaign Progress and Ways to Donate

Congratulations to the Bishnoi Family on the Nuggets tickets slam-dunk win! 

Thank you to those who have donated so far to the Apple Campaign! Together, we’ve raised $35,000, which means we’re 44% complete towards our goal. While this is a great start, we still have $45,000 to raise. We need your help! If you haven’t donated yet, we urge you to do so now. 

There are many ways to donate - choose what works best for you: 

1. Go to http://bit.ly/apple-upark to donate via CheddarUp 
2. Send a Venmo @uparkpta
3. Mail or drop off a check at the front office Attn: PTA Apple Campaign
4. Make a stock transfer (just email uparkpta@gmail.com to find out how)
5. Inquire at your employer about matching funds. You can potentially double your impact as the PTA is a non-profit that qualifies for most corporate matching programs. Email uparkpta@gmail.com for assistance with any corporate matching forms.
6. Ask Grandparents to contribute - we receive many donations from extended family members who want to support their grandchildren's education. 

Garden Farmers Market 10/6

Hello UPark community, the garden has more produce ready to go home. We will hold a Farmers Market on Friday 10/6. Please stop by starting at 3:45pm to grab fresh herbs and veggies. 

We will need 4 children to run the table. Email emilyalexwilm@gmail.com if your kiddo is interested and we can coordinate. 

Directory Opt-Out

We are in the process of compiling the 23-24 UPark Family directory. If you would not like your Student’s information included in the directory, please complete the Directory Opt-Out form by October 6th here.

Teacher Dinners for Conference Week 

Family/Teacher conferences are coming right up! While we all love conferences to get a glimpse into our child’s day, it means long days for teachers and staff. We’d love it if our families help out and give them some treats and dinner delivery to help keep their energy up.

Use this sign-up to volunteer to bring the goodies. Don’t forget to scroll down the sheet to sign up for the support staff!  Note: there is a separate tab at the bottom for each day.

For dinner, we recommend reaching out directly to your teacher to ask for their order (or use their Favorite Things list) and ask when they want the food to be delivered (ie: at student pick-up, etc.)

Student Support Information

As you know DPS is dedicated to providing a safe and welcoming environment in every school for every student. At UPark we are also very focused on providing the social emotional supports that each and every student needs to thrive. As we are in the middle of administering our BESS social emotional screener to students, we want to remind everyone of the robust supports we have for students who might be internalizing events inside or outside of school. We are very fortunate to have a psychologist and a social worker this school year who work with students who need extra support. We also have an entire school full of adults who are dedicated to supporting each and every one of our Owls. We do know that from time to time students will leave school with something concerning on their minds about peer relationships, conflict or just school in general. If you ever see signs that your student is struggling, please reassure them that we have many adults at UPark, including the principal and assistant principal who are always working to ensure that they feel safe and supported at school. If you ever need to talk about what might be sitting with your student when they come home, feel free to reach out to your students teacher, school psychologist Jordan McElligott, school social worker Rachael Shine, Assistant Principal Natalie Jacobsen or Principal Eric Atonna. We are always here to listen and to support.  

BESS Social Emotional Student Screening

Hello UPark Families,

It is hard to believe that these first weeks have flown by and it is already time for the school-wide social emotional wellness screener; the BESS! 

BESS stands for Behavioral and Emotional Screening System and it is ~20 questions long aiming to assess our student’s behavioral and emotional wellness at school. Students in 3-5th grade will fill out a self-report form. Their teachers will also fill out a teacher rating form. Parents are also welcome to also fill out the parent rating form. Students K-2 will have their teachers fill out a form for them and we ask that parents also fill out a form for them. This is because K-2 students are too young to participate in a self-report of the BESS. 

Please use this link to fill out the parent form - when you follow this link it will bring you to Review 360 and ask you for your students DPS ID number and date of birth.

All parent rating forms are due before October 13th. Teacher forms will be completed by teachers before this date as well. Student rating forms will be completed in your child’s classroom on October 3-5. 

Guardians of students in grades 3-5

When you registered your child for this school year, there was a passive consent option with opt-out capabilities for the BESS self-report form. If you believe that you meant to opt your student out and are not sure you did, please contact Alexis Matter in the front office. 

If you have any questions please contact jordan_mcelligott@dpsk12.net

Need Access to Low Cost of Free Internet?

If you are in need of access to internet you may qualify for Internet Essentials or Internet Essentials Plus through Comcast. Qualified households can get internet access with speeds of up to 100Mbps for free when combined with the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP). The ACP program can be applied to service with most internet and telecom providers. Click here for the flier in English/Spanish, if you need other translated versions, we can get those. You can apply for this program directly by calling 1-855-846-8376 or visiting InternetEssentials.com.

Review the Attendance Policy and Submit Absence Requests Online!

Save time by letting us know that your student is going to be absent or arriving late through the Parent Portal! Starting this year, DPS families will be able to use their computers or smartphones to know about absences or late arrivals so they can focus on taking care of their children. Guardians of DPS students must have an active DPS Parent Portal account to use this new feature. Visit myportal.dpsk12.org to sign up, or to check that your account is active and ready. Directions are available in English or Spanish. Visit the Attendance webpage for more information.

The UPark and DPS attendance policy follows the Colorado School Attendance Law. Based on this law only the absence reasons listed below will be marked as excused:

• Temporary illness or injury (doctor’s note is not required until chronic)
• COVID Quarantine
• Physical, mental, or emotional disability
• Legal custody by public agency
• Religious holiday or observance
• Death in the family

PLEASE NOTE: Under the Colorado School Attendance Law, family days and vacations taken while school is in session are not an excusable absence and are therefore recorded as unexcused.

For full attendance information visit our 2023-24 Student & Family Handbook here.