Final reminder: Register for the auction or buy Parents Night Out tix by March 31st to win a $100 Birdcall gift card!  

It’s not too late to get a chance to win a $100 Birdcall gift card. To enter to win, simply register for the auction or buy Parents’ Night Out tickets between now and March 31st. If you register for the auction and buy tickets for Parents Night Out, it will qualify as two entries. 

Babysitters are available for Parents’ Night Out! 

If you need help finding a babysitter for Parents’ Night Out, check out Piocare. For a flat service fee of $5, you can get access to sitters who are vetted through Piocare, most of whom are DU students or alumni. Email Maddy Gawler at maddy.gawler@gmail.com with "U Park Parents Night Out request". In the email please send her number of & ages of kids, location, pay/hr, if a car is needed, date/time, any other specific requests (e.g., allergy concerns, training requirements, etc.) 

3rd and Final BESS Screening of the School Year

The FINAL window for the parent-report BESS screener opens this Saturday, March 16 and the window will close on April 26. The BESS is U-Park’s school-wide social emotional screener. There have been 2 windows prior to this one (Fall and Winter) so this is the 3rd and final time of the year we will ask you to fill the form out for your student.

Parents of ALL students (K-5) can and should fill this out for their student. It only takes a few minutes and all you need is your student’s birthday and ID number (lunch number). Social Emotional learning is so important to us at UPark and we want to know how your child is doing at home. All teachers will be completing this for their students the week before Spring Break. Student self-report (only grades 3-5) will also occur the week before Spring Break. 

Please follow the link below to get to the Review360 Platform and fill it out for your child:

https://review360connect.com/Prod/denverpublicschools/parent

Please reach out to Jordan McElligott (jordan_mcelligott@dpsk12.net or 720-424-3458) with questions or to request your student’s report.

UPark Spirit Store Open – Spring Edition!

The UPark spirit store is back open with new branded gear such as a baseball t-shirt, insulated tumbler mug, owl spirit socks and an owl Croc charm! Click here to access the store.

The store is open for orders now through Sunday, March 31. A few things of note:

• This will be the last chance to purchase spirit wear for this school year.
• All sales are final and orders will be delivered to UPark. Pick-up logistic details will be provided in early April.
• A minimum number of each item is required in order for the company to fulfill that particular item. In the case a minimum is not met, the item will have to be canceled, and you will be notified.

Please reach out to sales@wearepromosapien.com with any issues or questions related to the store website. Other, Katie Hartung (malone.hartung@gmail.com, 303.829.5425) or Kelli Kelsall (kelli.e.kelsall@gmail.com, 303.775.7921) are available to answer questions, take suggestions of items you’d like to see in the future or receive feedback on current items. Go Owls!

Annual Hearing, Vision and Dental Screenings 

Denver Public Schools provides a free vision, hearing and dental screening for students every year in mandated grades (Early Childhood Education, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 7th, and 9th). Screening is considered best practice to identify students who may be at risk for health concerns affecting their ability to learn.

Our screening days this year are: April 11 (K-2nd) and April 12 (3rd and 5th).  

If your child wears glasses, please remember to send them to school everyday & ensure they have them for screening as we will screen with glasses on to ensure they can see as well as we hope!

These free screenings do not replace professional exams; Parents/guardians of students whose screening results fall outside the ideal range will be notified by Diana Bell, health tech or Katie Hamilton, school nurse.  

For questions or opt-out information contact Katie Hamilton, RN at katie_hamilton1@dpsk12.org

2nd Grade Service Learning Project

As part of a community study and service learning project, 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, 113, 114 or 119 or the office, anytime until Friday, April 5th.
• With adult supervision, students could also ask neighbors, friends and family to donate stuffed animals for the project.

These stuffed animals will be given to children in the Denver Community and all around the world. 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.

Class Picture Day

Class pictures for all UPark classes are scheduled for Thursday, April 4, 2024.

Class pictures are with the whole class. An email will be sent to all families the day after pictures are taken with information on purchasing the photo. If you prefer not to order online, please contact the office at 720-424-3410 and we will help place an order directly through our photographer.

Pre-Order Your Yearbook Now!

It’s yearbook time! Do your kids love flipping through these treasured keepsakes over and over? They also make great gifts for grandparents.

Don’t miss the early bird presale window! Save $5 when you pre-order your 2023-2024 yearbooks before April 12th (regularly $20) This year’s yearbook features cover art by our talented 3rd grader Carter Chen!

Yearbooks will be distributed to classrooms, with a yearbook signing party after school, on the blacktop. Additional details will be sent closer to the date. Don’t miss out on the fun!

Order today 

https://upark-yearbook-2023-24.cheddarup.com/

*if the cost of a yearbook presents a financial hardship for your family contact Alicia Vega at alicia_vega@dpsk12.org

UPark Staff Updates

We are very excited to announce that Cassie Jones has been hired for our full-time Art teacher position starting next school year! She is looking forward to coming back from her maternity leave in the Fall in this new role. Cassie has her Fine Arts degree and is an experienced educator. She has been a part of Team UPark in many different capacities and we welcome her to the specials teaching team!

Summer Connections registration is now open!

Summer Connections is a free, five-week academic program that is open to all rising first through fifth-grade DPS students. This full-day program focuses on preparing elementary students for future success.

Students will engage with content they will see in the upcoming school year, which will include instruction in foundational literacy, math, science and technology. Enrichment partners will also provide enrichment opportunities daily. Students with IEPs are invited to participate in Summer Connections.

Click here for information on programming and registration. Remember, registration is open until April 26th. 

If you are experiencing issues with accessing the portal or need language support please fill out this Google form which includes translations to help with the consent process.

Should you have any questions or need further assistance, please call 720-423-3629.

Community Hubs Food Pantry

The Denver Public Schools Community Hubs are collaborating with the Food Bank of The Rockies each month to organize a mobile food pantry that is accessible to families that would like the additional support. This program will provide with fresh produce, pantry staples, and other essential food items. Please see this flier for more information.