PTA

Apple Campaign ends tomorrow!

As we end the Apple Campaign, we want to remind you why it is so important that every family gives. Even if it’s $5, every bit helps. 

As you saw in yesterday’s email, tax funding to public schools often falls short of meeting our children's diverse and growing educational needs. This is where the Apple Campaign makes a vital difference. By contributing, you're not just donating; you're investing in enriching our children’s educational experience beyond what public funding can provide. The funds used from the Apple Campaign fund two additional teaching spots, which allows us to provide a better learning environment for our little Owls. Every contribution, big or small, makes a significant impact. Let's come together in these next 24 hours to ensure our school can offer the best to every student. Your participation in the Apple Campaign is not just appreciated – it's essential for our children's brighter future.

To donate: 

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

If you have any questions or are waiting on an employer match, please don’t hesitate to email uparkpta@gmail.com. 

Our Last Restaurant Night of 2023: December 6th at The Pioneer Bar 



On December 6th, from 4-8pm, The Pioneer Bar will be donating 20% of all food sales at the restaurant back to our school. No secret codes required - just go eat on the 6th, between 4-8pm! If you like chicken wings, it will also be Wing Wednesday - $5 for a half pound of wings.

UPark Pay it Forward Seasonal Giving

Dear UPark Families, 

Join us in donating Target gift cards to the annual UPark Pay it Forward seasonal giving program to support UPark community members! Families receiving the gift cards appreciate the opportunity to shop for their children, and it is easy for donors to participate!

If you would like to participate in the Pay it Forward program, we ask that you do so by purchasing a gift card to Target in an amount that is comfortable for you and your family. If that amount is over $25, we ask that the additional amount be put on separate cards for ease of distribution (For example: If you would like to donate $50, purchase 2 gift cards with $25 on each card). You can purchase cards in one of two ways:

• Purchase Target gift cards online and email card details to alexis_matter@dpsk12.org. *If you send a gift card via email, please call or email the main office to confirm receipt of your gift card at alexis_matter@dpsk12.org or 720-424-3410.
• Purchase physical Target gift cards and drop off at the UPark main office by ringing the bell at the main entrance.

The deadline to turn in donated gift cards is Monday, December 11th. 

Thank you in advance for giving what you can. Your generosity will make this season brighter, and bring joy to others in our UPark community! 

If your family would benefit from receiving gift cards this year please fill out this Google Form or call the main office at 720-424-3410. Please let us know no later than December 11th. We will then be in touch to discuss gift card distribution. 

*Target often has their gift card deal the first or second weekend in December. Check out their website this weekend to potentially save 10% on Target gift cards!

Please also check out these resources available throughout the city and county of Denver for families who may require additional support. Please see a list of resources, as well as links to their websites and further information below.

• Project Hope - A toys for Tots affiliated organization for Denver County. Dolls, games, toy trucks, books, electronics, and many other free toys may be given based on donations. https://www.projecthope.org/
• Servicios De La Raza - Holiday Program, Food bank, family counseling, mental health services, youth employment program. https://serviciosdelaraza.org/
• Sam Sandos Christmas Basket Program - provides food baskets for the Christmas Holiday https://samsandoschristmasbaskets.com/index.html
• Denver Santa Claus Shop (DSCS) is a nonprofit that collects and gives families the opportunity to shop for free toys each December. A non-denominational, all-volunteer-run organization, DSCS’s mission is “A Toy for Every Girl & Boy” https://www.denversantaclausshop.org/
• Kenzi’s Causes Toy Shop - provides children up to age 18 with a big and small toy. https://kenziscauses.org/toy-shop-denver/ 

December Spirit Fridays!

Join us for some fun Friday spirit days in December. Students can wear items that fit the themes below. Participation is not required, but is encouraged.

• December 1st: Hat day- wear your favorite hat to school
• December 8th: Sports day- wear your favorite sport’s team gear or your own sports jersey
• December 15th: Pajama day- wear your cozy clothes, but you must wear shoes, no slippers :)

Yearbook Cover Art Contest!

Calling ALL 3rd – 5th graders: Your artwork could be on the cover of the upcoming yearbook!

• Download and print out the submission form here or just use a blank piece of 8.5x11 paper. Use the full page for your illustration - we encourage colorful, eye-catching drawings. 
• For inspiration, think owls, core values, friendship, reading, math, science, or anything else that makes Upark such an awesome school.
• Include this text somewhere in your design: University Park Elementary 2023-24.
• Include your name and class on the back side of the artwork.
• Artwork Submission: Please return completed artwork to your teacher or the front desk by Monday Dec 4.

The winning artist will be notified the week of Dec 12 and will receive a free copy of the yearbook with their design on the cover, as well as their picture featured on the inside. Good luck and we can’t wait to see your ideas!

Kindergarten and 1st Grade Performances

All Kindergarten and 1st Grade Students and Families, please join us on Thursday, December 7th in the auditorium for our dance performances and The Share Bears musical! The performance schedule will be as follows:

5:00-5:30 p.m. Ms. Morof’s Class

5:45-6:15 p.m. Ms. Gilmore’s and Ms. Hale’s Classes

6:30-7:00 p.m. Mr. Davis’s and Ms. Gutierrez’s Classes

7:15-7:45 p.m. Ms. Laurent’s and Ms. Eno’s Classes

Please arrive 15 minutes prior to your student's performance time and enter through the main doors on South Saint Paul Street. After dropping students off in their classrooms with their homeroom teachers, families may find a seat in the auditorium. Please reserve the chairs for adults and have children sit on the floor in front of the stage. Students will meet their families outside the rear auditorium doors immediately following the conclusion of the performance. Please proceed to view the visual arts show outside the gym. We ask that everyone exit through the doors to the staff parking lot on East Iliff Avenue to help us with the flow of traffic in the building. 

Each student has been assigned dialogue to be memorized at home. Copies of the scripts were sent home in students' Thursday folders on November 9th. 

Students may dress up for their performances (think Picture Day.) They will be given bear hats to wear on stage as well as kazoos that they can keep afterwards. We can't wait to see you all on December 7th and we appreciate your support of arts education at U-Park!

Trimester 1 Report Cards Available

Report cards are now available in Parent Portal. To access report cards, follow the steps below.

• 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 T2 to T1 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 T2 to T1
• To view teacher comments view this video for instructions (video link can also be found in the Portal in the full report card section)

Buy Holiday Cards and Gifts from Minted to Support UPark!

Order holiday cards and gifts from Minted! You save 20% and Minted Donates 15% to UPark! Code FUNDRAISEUPESDENVER is valid year round! 

UPark Garden Updates

Hello UPark community. We need your help to keep the garden growing!!! Over the last 3 years, we had tons of fun with scaling up the garden to create a space for experiential learning, collaboration, and connecting to nature. We have been growing food and beautiful plants that are shared with the students and our broader community. We have created a few programs to engage the kids hands on in the classrooms by planting seeds, pulling weeds, and harvesting/tasting the produce directly from the garden. We are looking for your support to transition the leadership of the UPark garden to the next generation of parent leaders so we can continue to increase the garden impact in our school. The following 3 opportunities will allow us to have both leadership transition and a robust support mechanism. To apply for a role in the garden, click here. 

If you have questions or would like to learn more, please contact, Ralitza.Arafin@gmail.com  

Garden Leader - the head of the garden

• represents Garden at PTA meetings
• owns the Garden strategic vision, budget, and calendar
• benchmarks with other elementary school gardens on most effectives ways to engages kids in the garden
• coordinates farmers markets setup
• sends out social media and email updates to school distribution list
• contacts/arranges for volunteers to work in the garden during open garden hours in the summer

Gardening Guru - the expert with horticultural knowledge who determines what crops to plant and when to harvest.

• Supports Garden Leader
• Sets and executes the planting and harvest schedule... determines what crops to plant and when to harvest advises on soil quality and enriches the soil as needed
• coordinates/schedules garden engagements with teachers and sends out lesson reminder emails to staff

Garden General Volunteer – core team member who pitches in when opportunities arise

• on the garden mailing list
• signs up to volunteer in the garden, for Farmers markets, or in the classroom when needs arise

UPark Speech Language Coverage

Ms. Taylor, our Speech Language Pathologist, had her baby and everyone is happy and healthy! While she is on leave, Beth Koenig will be supporting as our Speech Language coverage and will be supported by Mailey Moore, SLP Assistant. They will be starting their services this week. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Guidelines for Students to Stay Home From School



As we get into cold and flu season, we want to remind families of when to keep your student home from school due to illness. We always want to encourage students to stay in school, however according to CDPHE guidelines if students vomit, have diarrhea (frequent, loose, or watery stools compared to normal ones), or fever (100.4 or greater) they must stay home from school (including Discovery Link) for 24 hours after their last symptom or episode. For fever this means the fever has been resolved for 24 hours without fever reducing medications. Please this How Sick is Too Sick document for additional information. Please don't hesitate to contact the UPark health office if you have questions.

Lost and Found 

Are you missing a sweatshirt? A jacket? Maybe a lunchbox or water bottle? Have your child check out the Lost and Found in the UPark cafeteria or stop by before or after school to head down and take a look. All items not claimed by this Friday 12/15 will be donated. Throughout the year, when we find lost items around the school, we always put them in the lost and found, so be sure to check back often! 

Social Emotional Tip of the Month

From our UPark Psychologist

If something frustrating happens, pause and talk your child through what you are doing. “I just paused because X was making me frustrated” “I am noticing that my heart is beating really fast” (put hand over your heart) “I am also noticing that I feel hot and my brain is going all over the place. I am going to sit down and go to my happy place instead of doing something like yelling or leaving the room.” This is called “scripting.” Our youngest learners have difficulty matching their feelings to their bodies which can lead them to having a difficult time labeling what they need or how they feel. Getting them to do a body scan (ie seeing how fast their heart is, how their temperature feels, the amount of thoughts they have running through their minds) can help slow them down so they do not have a large reaction.

UPCC Sing n' Sleigh Bells this Sunday at Observatory Park! 

Join the University Park Community Council at Observatory Park this Sunday, December 3rd to kick off the holiday season with Sleigh Rides, Cookies, Caroling, Observatory Tours and a visit from Santa! More information on the event can be found here: https://uparkcc.org/home/events/sing-n-sleigh-bells/

Contact Kate Winn at events@uparkcc.org with questions or to sign up to volunteer. 

Prospective Family School Tours

Our amazing PTA has begun giving prospective families tours of UPark. If you have friends or neighbors that are looking for an outstanding school for their kiddos let them know about our school tours. See the dates below and visit the UPark Tour webpage for more details.

• Friday, December 8th at 9:30am
• Wednesday, December 13th at 2pm
• Tuesday, January 16th at 9:30am
• Wednesday, January 17th at 2pm
• Friday, January 19th at 9:30am
• Tuesday, January 23rd at 9:30am
• Wednesday, January 24th at 2pm
• Friday, January 26th at 9:30am
• OPEN HOUSE Saturday, January 27th 10am-noon
• Monday, February 12th at 9:30am

UPark Owl Ticket Students

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