2300 S. St. Paul St., Denver, CO 80210
720-424-3410
REMINDER: There is no school this coming Monday, January 16th for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. We look forward to seeing students back on Tuesday.
Principal
Hello UPark Families,

As we head into the second half of the school year, I want to talk a little bit about the work that we are doing to ensure that our students have the skills needed to manage big emotions and to resolve conflict. In addition to our regular social emotional lessons in every classroom every day, UPark Teachers are also engaging in regular professional development for Restorative Practices. This work is being led by our Restorative Practices Support Team which includes Ms. McMahon, Ms. Archambault, Ms. Morton, Ms. Vega, Ms. Jacobsen, and Ms. Ludwig. Restorative Practices helps us view behavior management through the lens of teaching kids how to resolve conflict and repair relationships.  

On the playground and throughout the building you will hear teachers facilitating Restorative Conversations with students or students engaging independently in these conversations when conflict or poor choices occur. Restorative Practice can also be effectively used at home. I'd encourage you all to work with your Owls at home using the same conversation starters that we use here at UPark. As you'll see there are different ways to approach different situations as listed below.  
Restorative Practices helps us build strong healthy relationships and repair harm when harm is done. We are all a work in progress and so are our Owls.
Eric Atonna
UPark Principal, Team UPark
2023-24 School Year Bell Times
Last school year Denver Public Schools determined that, in alignment with the Board of Education's Healthy Start Times resolution, many school bell times would be changed beginning in the 2023-24 school year. This was communicated in newsletters last year, but we wanted to bring it back to your attention so that you can be sure to plan for next year's schedule. Denver Public School's determined that University Park's bell times would be changed to 8:50 and 3:50. This means that, starting next school year (2023-24) UPark classes will begin at 8:50am instead of 8:20 and will end at 3:50pm instead of 3:20.

For more information on the Healthy Start Times resolution and DPS' process for determining school schedules please click here.

DPS also released the 2023-24 school calendar which you can view here. We will keep you updated on any additional planning days that are specific to UPark.
Winter Enrichment
Winter Session will begin the week of January 17th.

If you have any questions, please email enrichment_extendedlearning@dpsk12.org. When you email, please provide your school, student’s name, and all relevant information.
Restaurant Night - Blackjack Pizza
We’re heading to Blackjack Pizza on Thursday, January 12th!  All day long, from open to close, Blackjack will be donating 30% back on all regular priced items ordered online or by phone, for delivery or carryout.  This offer is good only at the DU location on 2443 S. University Blvd.  Just make sure to mention UPARK on phone orders or enter UPARK under the coupon code field for online orders.  Spread the word to family and friends and let’s start the new year with a successful event!
 
Order via phone:  303-722-5222
i-Ready Assessments
i-Ready is being administered. This assessment helps us better understand how our students are performing and how we are performing as a whole school in both math and literacy. This, in addition to our regular classroom assessments, helps us know how to tailor our teaching to meet the needs of all of our students. Please note that teachers will be sending home i-Ready growth reports on January 20th. These reports will show you where your student started the year and where they are now. Look for more information in the next two weeks.
SchoolChoice Window Opens January 13
Is your child transitioning to kindergarten, sixth or ninth grade? The SchoolChoice window is open from January 13 - February 14.

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 13th! 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 2023-2024 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.
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.
  • Tuesday, January 17th at 9am and 2pm
  • Thursday, January 19th at 9am and 2pm
  • Tuesday, January 24th at 9am and 2pm
  • OPEN HOUSE Saturday, January 28th 10am-noon
  • Monday, February 13th at 9am
UPark is Hiring!
UPark is currently hiring for Paraprofessionals! If you or anyone you know might be interested in working at UPark, check out the job descriptions on the DPS Job Board here. To find our specific position descriptions and applications you can search for University Park in the "School or Building" field. Please let us know if you plan to apply or if have any questions!
UPark Owl Ticket Students
Congratulations to this week's Owl Ticket students! They were recognized by their teachers for above and beyond positive behavior.
Owl Tickets are given to students for going above and beyond in one of our five core values: caring, cooperation, responsibility, respect and joy. Owl Tickets focus on the school's trait of the month, give students a chance to participate in the weekly "Owl Tickets" photo and will be posted on the "UPARK" letters in our main hallway.
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.
Looking Ahead

January 16: NO SCHOOL-MLK Day
January 17: School Tours
January 19: School Tours
January 24: School Tours
January 28: School Tours-Open House

February 9: 4th & 5th Field Trip
February 10: Black History Living Museum
February 13: School Tour
February 14: 2nd Grade Field Trip
February 14: CSC Meeting
February 14: PTA Meeting
February 20: NO SCHOOL-President's Day
February 21: NO SCHOOL-DPS Planning
February 23: 3rd Grade Field Trip