Eagle News

Wow! What an incredible week we've had! First, a heartfelt *thank you* to everyone who joined us for last week's unforgettable Hispanic Heritage Night! Your energy and presence made the evening truly magical. We couldn’t have done it without you!

A special shoutout to all who participated in the Sunshine Committee’s Double Good Fundraiser—thanks to your generosity, we raised an amazing $1,600! These funds will go a long way in helping our teachers create meaningful experiences and celebrate those precious life moments like birthdays, births, graduations, and more.

We also want to extend a huge thank you to our amazing PTA for hosting last Friday's Fall Fest! Our Pre-K-2 students had an absolute blast, and it was all thanks to your dedication and hard work. And your continued advocacy has paid off—the bathrooms in the 4th grade wing are now fully functioning! Let’s keep this momentum going!

We will publish the next Eagle Newsletter on Wednesday, November 6, 2024. However, if you would like to read back issues of the Eagle News Newsletter, you can find this year's published newsletters on our school's website under the heading 'Announcements and Newsletters.' If you have questions between now and then, please contact me at Toi.Davis@pgcps.org or 301-985-1898.

Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) continues to follow the state and local guidance in the collection of student and teacher attendance. Administrative Procedure 5113 identifies this process for lawful and unlawful absences. PGCPS is responsible for identifying, collecting, and transmitting data to local, state, and federal agencies for purposes of compliance, accountability, and school system funding for student attendance. Strong monitoring of systems, implementation of a streamlined process, and using objective and accurate data related to attendance collection is crucial. Physical attendance of staff and students will be collected in the 2024-2025 school year and daily attendance procedures will be communicated so all stakeholders are aware of PGCPS’ definition of being considered present.

This year's Character Day celebration will be on Thursday, October 31, 2024, at 12:30 p.m. Classroom teachers will send home a letter with the specifics. This is a reminder that students should not come to school dressed as their character because we will give them time to change here at school. The Character Day parade will begin at 12:30 p.m. Parents are welcome to watch the parade on the blacktop and field. Students can bring pre-packaged store-bought food items to share with the class during the celebration.

The PGCPS Office of Communications and Community Engagement will continue to deliver timely communication that achieves our goals of safety, equity, and excellence.

Communication Tools

The Office of Communications and Community Engagement uses five key tools to reach audiences:

School Messenger

○ Email

○ Text/SMS

○ Robocall

Websites

○ PGCPS (www.pgcps.org)

○ PGCPS en español (www.pgcps.org/es)

Newsletters

○ Engage PGCPS (families and communities), weekly

○ Acción PGCPS (Spanish-speaking families and communities), weekly

○ Partner PGCPS (business, faith-based and nonprofit

groups), monthly

Social media

○ Facebook (@PGCPS)

○ Facebook en español (@PGCPSenespanol)

○ Twitter (@PGCPS, @DrMonicaCEO)

○ Instagram (@PGCPS)

○ LinkedIn

○ YouTube

PGCPS-TV

○ Verizon 38

○ Comcast 96

○ YouTube

○ Video-on-demand

Grade levels have started planning field trips for students, but we need parent volunteers. The county expects a ratio of 1:4 for students in Pre-K and K and a ratio of 1:10 for students in grades 1-5. The county also requires that half of the chaperones must be PGCPS employees. If you are interested in volunteering, please use the link below to start the process or come to tonight's Fingerprinting Night.

The steps for the approval process are below.

The volunteer approval process must be completed for each academic school year. To reinstate your SafeSchools account for SY '24-25, you will need to complete an updated registration form which can be found by clicking this LINK.

Returning Volunteers renewal applications can be completed in just four easy steps!

1. Use the email address you originally registered with and your existing volunteer identification number (VIN) to complete your application for the 2024 -2025 school year.
2. Click the green plus + sign below the Register Volunteer column to enter/edit your volunteer details that may have changed from the previous school year.
3. Read and sign the disclaimer statement.
4. Submit your application.
5. You will receive an email from SafeSchools in approximately 48 hours with the training plan for SY '24-'25.

Please ensure students are dressed appropriately for outdoor recess. Parents can click the button below to read Administrative Procedure 6130 - Guidelines for Outdoor Activities and Playground and Recess Supervision for further information.

We use the criteria below to determine when there will be indoor recess.

"Recess, other outdoor activities, and Physical Education
should be considered for an inside activity if the following
conditions exist:
(1) Temperature with or without a wind chill factor is
below 32 degrees.
(2) Definite rain, sleet or snow with accumulation.
(3) Soggy, wet conditions.
(4) Heat temperatures that fall within the categories for a
Code Orange, Code Red or Code Purple. See
Attachment 1, Chart for Heat Designations."

1. As we continue the checkout process for library books this year, I would like to discuss options for overdue or lost books.

   
   

   First, students are told during library media to return all books by placing them in the return bin in the circulation desk. Sometimes, students place books back on the shelf. Given the layout of our library, I only check books back in from the return bin. Please make sure your child(ren) returns library books via the return bin. Secondly, if you believe the book was returned, please email me at aclark@pgcps.org. Every effort will be made to locate the book. If the book is not found, the student is responsible. Lastly, if a book is overdue or lost, there are three options to resolve the issue.

   1. Locate the overdue or lost book and return it.

   2. Purchase the same book (hardback cover only, no paperback or softcover) from any retailer. If you select this option, please hand the book directly to Mr. Clark so the book can be cleared in the checkout system. I am scheduled at University Park ES every Monday and Wednesday.

   3. Pay for the book based on the price on the overdue notice or in the email. Again, If you select this option, please hand the money directly to Mr. Clark so the money can be credited, accounted for, and the book can be cleared in the checkout system. I am scheduled at University Park ES every Monday and Wednesday.

   
   

   Questions or concerns, feel free to contact Mr. Clark at aclark@pgcps.org.

   
   

2024-2025 PTA Executive Board

President: Kara Mundy

Co-Vice Presidents: Julia Rupert and Bernadette Jerome

Treasurer: Megan Brisch

Secretary: Merlyn Torres

Visit our website (https://www.upespta.com) to learn more about the PTA, how you can get involved, and to join the UPES PTA Listserv.

Have a question, suggestion, want to join a committee, or looking to reach out to the PTA team? Contact us: UPESPTABoard@gmail.com

Committee Updates (Volunteer Opportunities)

Teacher Appreciation

Thank you to everyone who supported our Taco Tuesday teacher appreciation event! Please be on the lookout for our next sign up which will be a chili lunch November 11th.

Fall Fest

Fall Fest on October 11, 2024, was a hit! Thanks to all our amazing volunteers who shopped for supplies, hauled hay bales at dawn, sliced apples, jumped like squirrels, named scarecrows, and told stories about pumpkins! Our Pre-K through second graders had an awesome Friday.

A special shout-out to Theresa Toll for leading this year’s Fall Fest and keeping this wonderful UPES tradition alive!

Feather Our Nest Fall Fundraiser

Family Photo Shoots to Support Feather Our Nest

On November 9 and 10, UPES parent Suzie Kowalewski will host a family photoshoot day in the UP Town Park in support of the UPES PTA's 2024-2025 Feather Our Nest Fundraiser, which will raise funds from Nov. 4-22, 2024 to support the PTA's mission to provide financial and volunteer support to the school for the education and development of UPES students.

Suzie is generously donating $100 from each session to Feather Our Nest! For $250, your family will get a 5-photo session, with high-resolution digital files that are perfect for holiday cards or keepsakes.

To book your session:

1. Sign up via this sign up link .

2. Send your $250 payment to Suzie via Venmo (suzie-jakub, last four 5006) or PayPal (suzie.jakub@gmail.com). Please include your name with the payment.

Once payment is received, Suzie will send a confirmation email with more details, including the exact location for your shoot. Please note, confirmation emails will only be sent after payment is received. The rain dates are November 16 and 17.

Got questions? Reach out to Suzie directly at suzie.jakub@gmail.com.

Don’t miss out—reserve your spot today and help support Feather Our Nest!
You can also make direct donations here: [https://tinyurl.com/upesfon24]

Thanks in advance for your support!

Did you know that tutoring support is available to our students 24/7? Pear Deck Tutor connects students with highly qualified tutors for 1:1 support, whenever and wherever they need it the most. This resource is available and can be accessed via Clever for ALL PGCPS students.

To find additional information (including a tutorial) about Pear Deck Tutor, click here. It is beneficial to both you, your students and their families to take advantage of this opportunity to receive additional support not only in mathematics, but in any subject area.

Friday, October 16-Professional Development Day-Schools closed for students

Friday, November 1-3-hour Early Release -Students dismissed at 10:40 a.m.

Tuesday, November 5-Election Day-Schools closed

Wednesday, November 20-PTA Meeting, 6:00 p.m.

1. School finder...know what school your child belongs to… Buscador de escuelas... sepa a qué escuela pertenece su hijo... http://gis.pgcps.org/schoolfinder/

Registration requirements...know exactly what you need to register your child... / Requisitos de inscripción... sepa exactamente qué necesita para inscribir a su hijo...

https://www1.pgcps.org/registration/

2. Lunch...apply for free/reduced meals... / Almuerzo... solicitar comidas gratuitas/reducidas... https://www.myschoolapps.com/ |

Email: upark@pgcps.org
Website: https://www1.pgcps.org/universitypark/
Location: 4315 Underwood Street, University Park, MD, USA
Phone: 301-985-1898
Facebook: facebook.com/UniversityParkElementary-PGCPS
Twitter: @UPSoaringEagles