PTA

2024 ONLINE AUCTION - YOU CAN HELP!

The Spring Auction will run April 18-25. The annual University Park online auction, organized by the PTA, is an important fundraising event for UPark, representing over half of our fundraising dollars for the entire year. It is also a great opportunity to get gift certificates to your favorite restaurants, wine and other spirits, spa packages, etc., at a reduced price while giving back to the school! 

Our 2024 auction committee has been busy procuring items from local businesses, and is looking for some help from our wonderful community! Here are ways you can help our efforts:

• Gift Cards - If you have gift cards from the holidays that you will not use, or would like to purchase some to donate, please drop them off in the front office attn: PTA Auction.
• Item Donations - We are always seeking new items to sell in our auction, whether it's a stay at a second home, curated gift basket, bottle of wine/alcohol, tickets to an event, or a new gift item that you don't have use for, we sell all kinds of items in our auction. 
• Item Sponsorships - We love to highlight UPark parent-owned businesses. If you are a business owner (or know one who would like to support the auction) but don't have a traditional item to donate, the auction committee can help identify an item to purchase and "sponsor" in our auction this year along with your logo on the auction website. (i.e. Your consulting or construction company could “sponsor” a Yeti cooler or tumbler in the auction and receive promotional recognition.) 
• Host a Sign-Up Party - sign-up parties (e.g. ticketed events hosted by UPark parents) are an awesome way to engage with the UPark community and meet new people while raising money for the school. If you aren't sure what you want to host, or would like to team up with others, the auction committee can help arrange that! 



Contact us at uparkpta@gmail.com if you would like to contribute in one of these ways, or have any questions about how you can help with the auction. 

First restaurant night of 2024-TONIGHT!

Tonight, Thursday, January 11th, from 5-8pm, Sweetgreen University Hills (2770 S. Colorado Blvd., will be donating 20% of associated sales back to UPark. Orders must be placed in-store (for dine-in or takeout), and you must present a digital or hardcopy version of this flyer when placing your order. 

Please Fill Out Your Plans for Next Year!

We are so happy to have our Owls back at school ready to learn following Winter Break. As we welcome you and your students back to start the second half of the school year we would love to hear about your plans for next school year. 

January is the time when we budget for next year, plan our staffing model, and work to recruit new families to join the UPark community through the Choice process. That being said, we would like to get a full picture of what our enrollment for next school year will be at each grade level so we can plan accordingly. 

We want you all to come back next year, but we understand that you might choose other options. Please let us know if you plan to stay or are looking elsewhere for next school year.  Also know that if you are looking elsewhere we will always welcome you back with open wings should you want to return.  

All families (except 5th grade families that will be moving on to Middle School), please fill out this Google form: https://forms.gle/WfbUdws1eQnoBAUo6 by end of day this Friday, January 12!  

Please contact the main office at 720-424-3410 if you have any questions.

Spring Enrichment Registration Opens January 19th!

Registration for enrichment classes opens Thursday, January 19th at 6am and closes Thursday, February 1st at 10pm. Click here for course offerings and registration instructions.

Winter Enrichment Classes end the week of November 6th.

Spring Session runs from March 4th - May 24th.

SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE. Please contact the main office at 720-424-3410 or email alexis_matter@dpsk12.org to request.

Winter Ornament Challenge Winners

The UPark Green Team hosted their annual recycled ornament challenge this past December. We had some great ornaments submitted and awarded students with Voodoo Donut gift cards for their great creations! Check out our winners!

Exciting Green Team Update

We are also excited to announce that our Green Team has been awarded a grant to install an outdoor waste station on our school grounds. This will mean that students and community members can recycle and compost when disposing of items anywhere at our school! We are so excited to get this project rolling!

Thank you to Ashleigh, parent Green Team Leader, Ms. Hale and Ms. Gutierrez teacher Green Team Leaders, for applying for this great opportunity.

Lunchroom Heroes Needed

Do you miss your kids during the day? Do you want a glimpse into the exciting event that is lunch in elementary school? Do you want to help but don't have oodles of time? Well, Green Team has an excellent opportunity for you!! We are in need of some adult presence and help with our waste sorting station in the cafeteria. Our Green Team shared with us upon their return from winter break that grades 3-5 could most benefit from an extra adult or two to help them make sure everyone sorts their waste properly. You can volunteer for more than one grade - lunch periods are a short 20-minutes per grade! 

Please sign up here:  

• Kindergarten   
• 1st Grade    
• 2nd Grade   
• 3rd Grade    
• 4th Grade     
• 5th Grade

Scripps National Spelling Bee Is Returning to UPark  



UPark will be participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee! This is completely optional for students, but ANY UPark student is welcome to participate. Students will be given a study guide and then participate in a grade level spelling bee the week of January 29th, and then a school spelling bee the week of February 5th. The top two students will be entered into the Regional Denver Spelling Bee! If your child is interested in participating, please fill out this form by Tuesday, January 16th. 

Mid-Year BESS Social Emotional Student Screening

The mid-year window for families to fill out the BESS screener opens on December 16th and closes January 19th! This screening is completed 3 times each year. We strongly suggest that parents/guardians complete the BESS Screener for their child during each window; this helps us to get a clear and ongoing picture of what support students may need. 

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 encouraged 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 January 19th. Teacher forms will be completed by teachers before this date as well. Student rating forms will be completed in your child’s classroom in early January. If you have any questions please contact jordan_mcelligott@dpsk12.net. 

UPark Staff Update

As many of you know, Cassie Jones, who has been teaching art for the last few months will be having a baby in early February and will go on leave for the remainder of the school year. Maggie Carlson will be taking over the Art position as a long term sub starting at the beginning of February. Maggie is a UPark parent and taught elementary art for 10 years in Cherry Creek Schools and is very excited to get to know all the UPark students better. We are so excited for Cassie's new adventure and look forward to working with Maggie this year!

Third Annual Black Excellence Celebration -- Nominations Needed

The Third Annual Black Excellence Celebration event is an opportunity to honor the excellence of our Black students within DPS. The Black Family Advisory Council (BFAC) is asking for DPS parents, team members and community members to submit nominations for Black students who display Black Excellence by Friday, Feb. 9. 

The nomination categories include Academics, Athletics and Leadership. Nominees will receive awards, prizes and celebrations of their excellence. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact BFAC on Facebook or Instagram, or email dps.BFAC@gmail.com.

SchoolChoice Window Opens January 11th

Is your child transitioning to kindergarten, sixth or ninth grade? The SchoolChoice window is open from January 11 - February 12.

If you know of a family that is interested in attending our great neighborhood school let them know that we are accepting new students for next school year starting January 11th! All interested new families are encouraged to join one of our upcoming school tours here to learn more about our great school and community!

For all students that will be new to UPark for the 2024-2025 school year, please complete the online Choice Process. This includes siblings of current UPark students that will be new to the school next year. If your student currently attends UPark you DO NOT need to complete the choice process for next school year.

Visit schoolchoice.dpsk12.org once the Choice window opens to fill out your application.

Discovery Link Summer Camp Registration Coming Soon

Discovery Lin Summer Camp Registration Opens January 23rd. The camps will not be located at UPark this summer, but there are multiple other locations available. The UPark staff will be working at the Swigert camp and the closest camp is likely Slavens. See the fliers below for details.

• English
• Spanish

UPark Owl Ticket Students

Congratulations to this week's Owl Ticket students! They were recognized by their teachers for above and beyond positive behavior.