I want to share some great news with you all. Our enrollment is looking very good after the first round of choice. Granted we don't fully know complete enrollment numbers until students show up in the fall, but based on our first round data, we will be exceeding our enrollment projections and we even have students on our wait list for the first time in a few years. As was pointed out during our CSC meeting last week, growing our enrollment is not due to a singular event. This is a collective effort that includes staff, parents, and students. We have a highly skilled and deeply caring staff who teach their hearts out each and every day in support of our students. We have wonderful PTA volunteers who do so much to fundraise, keep our library running, run tours for prospective parents and so much more. We have all of our families who work in partnership with us to ensure every student is learning and thriving. We also have word of mouth shining the light on the great learning community we have at UPark. And most importantly, UPark is home to 386 Wise Owls who will one day change the world! The word is out and we have all of you to thank. Thank you all for all that you do to make UPark such a great neighborhood school!

Head to the auction site https://uparkpta.cbo.io and bid now before it’s too late! 

We still have some tickets available for Parents Night Out tomorrow Friday, April 28th at the Pioneer Bar and Grill at 6pm! Not only will you have the chance to connect with other parents and enjoy an all-you-can-eat fajita bar and a drink of your choice, but we'll also have some exciting surprises in store for you. We’ll have a raffle and will be doing a live auction for the following items: 

It’s not too late to get your tickets. Click here to buy your tickets now!

This is a family event, so bring the kids along - they are great to have around, no matter how much help they bring - everything helps out. The school district will provide the tools that we need, but if you want your own work gloves or you like your own tools, feel free to bring them. If you have any questions, please reach out to Andy Yara-Zelenski at yaraski@gmail.com.  

May 5th: Favorite Color Friday- dress head-to-toe in your favorite color  

May 12th: Sports Fan Friday- dress to represent your favorite sports team

May 19th: Fun Run Friday- wear a Fun Run t-shirt, UPark spirit gear, or the color red 

May 26th: Future Friday- dress as what you want to be when you grow up

Our annual Fun Run and Carnival is coming up on Sunday, May 21st, 2023. The Fun Run will start at 10AM with the Carnival to follow at 10:30 AM. You can secure your spot by purchasing registration, lunch tickets and carnival wristbands here. 

NOTE: The deadline for t-shirt orders has passed. We can no longer guarantee sizing or availability of t-shirts. A limited number of shirts may be available at registration on the day of the event. 

Please email Alicia Vega for scholarship information.

We are also looking for volunteers to help on the day of the event. This is one of the highlights of the year for many of our kiddo's but we need your help to make it successful. We welcome volunteers aged from 5th grade and up, parents and older siblings are encouraged to help while the young ones enjoy the Carnival after the Fun Run. We have created a Signup Genius Form to help us keep track of the volunteers. Please sign-up at the link below.

For students in grades K-2, we will utilize a parent form. The parent form will be accessible from today through Friday, May 5th. Please click here to access the online form.

For students in grades 3-5, we will utilize a self form. Students will be administered the self-form in their classrooms. Some sample questions include: "My school feels good to me", "I feel safe at school", and "I am good at making decisions." Teachers will select a day to administer the screener between April 24th and May 5th. If your child is new to UPark and you do not want them to participate, you can access the opt-out form here. If you would like to opt out your child, please return the completed form to your child's teacher or Alicia Vega no later than Friday, April 21st at 3:30pm. Please note if you have already completed the opt out form for this school year, you do not need to return another form.

If you have any questions regarding the social/emotional screener, please reach out to Alicia Vega (alicia_vega@dpsk12.org or 720-424-3458). We appreciate your assistance as we work together to educate and support your student(s)!

We’re heading back to Chook for our final restaurant night!  Please join us on Tuesday, May 9th from 11am to 8pm and earn 20% back for UPark. This offer is good at all 3 Chook locations!  Make sure to mention UPark when ordering via phone or dining in, or enter code SCHOOLS20 for online orders.  Let’s finish out this school year with our best event yet!

Click here to view the 2023-24 DPS calendar. As a reminder our bell times will change next year. The UPark school day will be 8:50-3:50. Students will be able to arrive no earlier than 8:30 am. for breakfast or playground supervision.

Miss Moret is looking for volunteers to help out with art activities at the Upark Arts Night May18th. For more information email her at malia_moret@dpsk12.net.

Judy Cardenas, Kindergarten teacher of 34 years, will be retiring from teaching at the end of this school year. Ms. Cardenas began teaching in 1986 at the "Alianza" Bilingual Magnet school for Santa Cruz County, desegregating Migrant farmworkers and city residents and has been at University Park for the last 20 years. Staff and UPark family members are throwing her a retirement celebration. Click here for details! We thank her for her amazing work here at UPark and will miss her tremendously!

UPark Discovery Link also has a new Program Supervisor. Kali Pacheco is joining the Discovery Link team and will support with any questions related to before and after school programing. Welcome Kali! We are so glad to have you as part of the team! Click here for Kali's introduction.

Teacher Appreciation Week is just around the corner, taking place Monday, May 8 - Friday, May 12! In celebration, DPS invites our students to recognize their favorite teachers by sharing what they love most about them.

Please share this opportunity with students and ask them to share why they love their teachers by completing this short form by Friday, April 28. Please note that submissions may be featured on the DPS website and DPS social media pages (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn).

For families new to Discovery Link, click here.

If your family has previously registered for Discovery Link, click here.

For further information about the registration process, click here. You can also call us at 720-423-1781 or email discovery_link@dpsk12.org.

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Para familias nuevas en Discovery Link, haga clic aquí.

Si su familia se ha registrado previamente en Discovery Link, haga clic aquí.

Para obtener más información sobre el proceso de registro, haga clic aquí. También puede enviar un correo electrónico a discovery_link@dpsk12.org. 

UPCC has a new website! Please check out uparkcc.org for the latest on community news and updates on local happenings and events!