2300 S. St. Paul St., Denver, CO 80210
720-424-3410
REMINDER: There is no school this coming Monday, September 5, 2022 for the Labor Day holiday.
Principal
Thank you so much to the family members that have already begun volunteering in the cafeteria and helping us with sorting! I'm very happy to report that we have significantly decreased the amount of trash that we are throwing away in the cafeteria and have significantly increased the amount of recyclable and compostable material that we are collecting every day!

While we have had many volunteers come in we can still use many more! We are also looking for more students to join our Green Team! If you or your student are interested please sign up using the links below.

If your student would like to join the Green Team, click here to sign up!

If you would like to be a Lunch Hero and help in the cafeteria please use the links below to sign up for a grade level time.
Eric Atonna
UPark Principal, Team UPark
Support UPark for a Chance to Win Nuggets Tickets!
Help us make this year’s Apple Campaign a slam dunk! Make a donation by September 7th and be entered to win 4 tickets to a Nuggets game. The tickets are center court, row 2, and include one parking pass.The winner can choose one of the following games:

Nuggets vs. Lakers - October 26
Nuggets vs. Lakers - Jan 9
Nuggets vs. Golden State - Feb 2

To enter, donate at http://bit.ly/apple-upark, or mail or drop off a check to the main office Attn: PTA Apple Campaign.

What is the Apple Campaign? 
The Apple Campaign is our PTA’s fall donation fundraiser that helps to fund the annual grant the PTA provides UPARK. This grant helps fund things such as smaller class sizes, reading intervention, additional Gifted & Talented instruction time, full-time art, and paraprofessionals in younger classrooms.

We need donations of all sizes to reach our goal. Of the families who gave last year:
10% gave $25-$100
18% gave $100-$149
37% gave $150-$499
12% gave $500-$999
15% gave $1,000-$2,499
7% gave $2,500 or more

Questions? Email: uparkpta@gmail.com

*Special thanks to the Stallworthy Family for sponsoring the Nuggets tickets prize. Donations made earlier in the campaign will be automatically entered to win. For alternative methods of entry, please email uparkpta@gmail.com. 
Kiss and Go Drop Off Information
The Kiss and Go lane is a quick and efficient way to drop your child off at school. The Kiss and Go lane is open and available every day from 8:00-8:20 for all of our students and is a great option for dropping your child off at school. The Kiss and Go lane runs North on St. Paul street.  

Here are some reminders about Kiss and Go: 
  • Do not park on the East side of St. Paul anytime between 7:55 and 8:25. 
  • Stay in line! The line moves quicker when everyone waits their turn and doesn't jump out of line. St. Paul is also a two way street, so jumping out of line can put you in danger of being hit by an oncoming car. 
  • Please make sure your child is ready to hop out of the car when it is their turn, this helps us keep our lane moving smoothly. 
  • Be patient! It is important for us to start your child's day off on the right foot and sometimes this slows down our line, so we thank you in advance for your patience. 
  • If your child wants to jump out of the car when they are far back in the line, that is just fine, but please stay in the line until you pass Ms. Jacobsen and Mrs. Dominguez. 


If you ever have any questions about Kiss and Go, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Jacobsen directly. 

Also, please make sure that all adults and students are using the crosswalk when crossing the street. We have two crossing guards at the corner of St. Paul and Iliff. This is the safest way to cross the street and we want to teach and model healthy habits for our UPark Owls! 
Garden Update-Farmers Markets
Hello UPark Community! Thank you for the great support during our "Back to School" Farmer's Market last week. The children had a great time picking and packaging produce. They also honed in their selling skills and learned the value of money as they set the produce prices and handled the cash.  

We are excited to announce two more upcoming Farmers Markets on Friday, Sept 9 and Sept 23 from 3:20 to 3:45pm. There will be more beets, carrots, swiss chard, kale, squash, beans, cherry tomatoes, and lots of herbs. We are also expecting a new crop of bok choi, radishes, lettuces, peppers, and peas. Look forward to seeing you there!

Please email ralitza.arafin@gmail.com if you would like to volunteer at the next two Farmer's Markets (9/9 and 9/23).
After School Playground Pick-Up 
Please be aware that teachers will remain on the playground with students at dismissal until 3:30. If you arrive to pick your student up after 3:30, please come to the main office and ring the bell to have your child come out. 
Magazines Needed for the Art Room!
Ms. Moret, the UPark Art Teacher, is collecting magazines for students to use in the art room! We especially love magazines like kids sports illustrated, kids national geographic, and other sorts of magazines with lots of fun pictures! If you have magazines to donate, please bring them to the main office. Thank you!
Backpacks for Kids Food Program
The UPark "Backpacks for Kids" food assistance program provides bags of nutritious food once per week to UPark families who may need a little extra help with rising food costs. We believe every child should be prepared for an active and healthy lifestyle, full of learning and curiosity. We help with this by providing fresh fruit and vegetables, bread, healthy meals, and nutritious snacks for UPark children who may not have access to such food on the weekends. 

If you would like your family to receive food, or if your family participated in this program last year and would like to continue to receive food, please complete this form.

We will begin food distribution at 3:00 PM on Thursday, September 8, 2022, so please fill out the form by Tuesday, September 6, 2022. Families may pick up their bags every Thursday from 3:00 PM-3:30 PM in the UPark parking lot. If your children ride the bus, your bags will go home with your children on the bus every Thursday. If your children are in Discovery Link, the bags will be brought to the Discovery Link staff for distribution. If you have any questions about the program, or would like more information, please reach out to our School Psychologist, Alicia Vega, by phone at 720-424-3458 or by email at alicia_vega@dpsk12.org. 
UPark Enrichment Registration Closes on Tuesday 9/6!
Fall enrichment registration opened Wednesday, August 17th at 6am and will close on Tuesday, September 6th at 6pm.

Enrichment programming begins the week of September 12th and goes through December 9th. 

Visit the UPARK FALL ENRICHMENT BROCHURE for registration instructions and course offerings.
Carpool Wanted!
A first grade family is looking for assistance with transportation to and from school. If you make your way past the intersection of University and Asbury on your way to school and back and would be able to help out, please contact Alicia Vega at ALICIA_VEGA@dpsk12.org. 
Field Day and Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration! Save the Date!
Our annual Field Day and Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration will be held on Thursday, September 29th. Be sure to save the date and be ready for a day full of fun activities! Families will be invited to join on the field to watch the festivities. Be on the lookout for additional information coming soon!
UPark Visitor Information
If you are visiting the building to help out in our cafeteria, library or for a school event, please be sure to fill out the volunteer background check, before you volunteer. Click here for the volunteer services webpage and find the purple "Volunteer Background Check Portal" button to begin your application. If you plan to volunteer for field trips or other classroom events, now is a good time to get the background check completed. Background checks expire 1 year from the last completion date, so need to be done every year. Please also be aware that any visitor to the building needs to come to the main entrance to sign in at the office.
UPark and DPS Attendance Policy Reminder
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 2022-23 Student & Family Handbook here.
2022- 2023 School Meals Update
Be sure to complete your meal application now! ALL families should to fill out an application to either qualify for or opt-out of free or reduced cost meals. Complete the application here!
If you do not qualify for free or reduced cost meals, lunch money can be added to student accounts to pay for lunch using MySchoolBucks. Visit payonline.dpsk12.org/ for details.

What will meal prices be in the 2022-2023 school year?
  • Universal breakfast = FREE breakfast for all, regardless of eligibility status
  • Elementary Lunch $2.60
  • Milk Only $0.75

*Please note – DPS is required to keep track of all meals (breakfast and lunch) served using student ID numbers. Please help your child memorize their student ID if they do not already know it. This number can be found in Parent Portal.
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.

Colorado Rapids Tickets (English / Spanish)
Looking Ahead


September 5: NO SCHOOL-Labor Day
September 6: Enrichment Registration Closes
September 29: Field Day and Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration
September 30: NO SCHOOL-DPS Planning