Eagle News

Happy New Year, University Park Families!

We hope this message finds you well and that your extended winter break provided the reset your family needed to start the second semester strong. Due to the cold and inclement weather, our students have had a delayed start to the year, attending school just eight days so far. While the weather has interrupted some of our learning plans, our students have been actively engaged in wonderful activities once they arrive at school.

With winter temperatures in full swing, we kindly remind families to monitor the weather and ensure students are dressed warmly, including wearing coats, hats, and gloves as needed. Over the past two days, we’ve observed several students not dressed appropriately for the frigid conditions. After reaching out, families shared that their children have the proper clothing but are choosing not to wear it. To support them, family members have been bringing coats to school, which we greatly appreciate.

We encourage you to have conversations with your children about dressing appropriately for the weather and doing their best to stay warm and healthy. Let’s continue working together to ensure a successful and comfortable second semester for all.

A big thank you to the PTA for organizing today’s Teacher Appreciation Luncheon! The variety of delicious foods, from the soups to the cookies, cupcakes, and donuts, was greatly enjoyed and truly appreciated by all.

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Expert Review team will visit University Park ES on Wednesday, February 19, 2025 and Thursday, February 20, 2025. The 6 member team will conduct interviews with students, teachers, parents, and school leaders, observe Reading Language Arts classes, and use other data to analyze the extent to which The Blueprint for Maryland's Future is being implemented. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future mandated that an Expert Review Team visit every public school in the state at least once by the end of the 2030-2031 school year. University Park Elementary is one of the 158 schools visited this school year.

We will publish the next Eagle Newsletter on Wednesday, February 5, 2025. 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.

As we work together to ensure the success of our students, we want to emphasize the critical role that consistent, on-time attendance plays in a child’s academic growth and overall development.

When students come to school every day and on time, they benefit from uninterrupted learning, engagement with their peers, and the opportunity to fully participate in all classroom activities.

However, chronic absenteeism—defined as missing 10% or more of school days—can have a significant impact on a student’s progress. For example, a student who is enrolled for 30 days and misses three or more of those days is considered chronically absent. Over the course of the school year, this can quickly add up, creating gaps in learning that may be difficult to bridge.

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) sets high standards for attendance, aiming for schools to achieve a 94% attendance rate or higher. This means no more than 6% of students should be chronically absent. Together, we can meet this goal and ensure that all students have the opportunity to thrive academically.

Let’s work as a team to prioritize attendance and give our children the best chance to succeed. If your family is facing challenges that may impact attendance, please do not hesitate to reach out to Ms. Albrecht at Allison.Isrin@pgcps.org. We are here to support you in every way possible. Thank you for your partnership and dedication to your child’s education. Let’s make every day count!

As a reminder Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a process which UPES uses to instill behavior and allows for a positive school experience from all students and staff. Students are acknowledged and rewarded for displaying positive behavior. Students earn Dojo points for making good choices throughout the school day. Students who do not display appropriate school behavior might need a staff member to intervene in order to get back on track. Each month, the students who earn enough Dojo points are able to attend the monthly Club Day event. This event allows students to participate in a club of their choosing from the offered list that month.

Club Day is this January 30, 2025. Students need 16 Dojo points to attend club day. Ask your child about their points.

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. .

The steps for the approval process are below.

You must complete the volunteer approval process 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.

You can complete Returning Volunteers renewal applications 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.

The virtual 2nd quarter Honor Roll Assembly will be Tuesday, February 11-Friday, February 13, 2025. All assemblies will take place between 1:00 and 1:30 p.m. Each team will post the Zoom link on their Dojo pages for parents. Honor Roll recipients will receive a formal invitation.

Grade 2-February 10

Grade 3-February 11

Grade 4-February 12

Grade 5-February 13

I would like to thank the PTA and community for supporting our school media center. Your support is invaluable and appreciated.

OVERDUE LIBRARY BOOKS

Remember your options for returning overdue books.

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 me (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 me (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.

SORA

Interested in finding books for children to read, checkout digital content available on SORA. A collection of ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines, SORA is an excellent source of digital content. During media class, students explored titles in SORA. Students can access SORA either through DESTINY (destiny.pgcps.org) under EBOOKS or CLEVER under library media. Although digital, students are still required to check out the content.

New titles are routinely added to SORA. The SORA database is available to the entire school district and requires students to use their PGCPS username and password. There are a number of popular titles covering a variety of subjects.

Please checkout these wonderful resources.

2024-2025 PTA Executive Board

President: Kara Mundy

Co-Vice Presidents: Julia Rupert and Bernadette Jerome

Treasurer: Megan Brisch

Secretary: Merlyn Torres

Thank you to everyone who attended our January virtual PTA meeting!

Save the date: Our next meeting will be on February 19, 2025, at 6 PM in the media center.

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

Restaurant Night

Franklin’s Fundraiser – Monday, January 27th

Please join us for our Franklin’s Restaurant Night! 20% of the restaurant and/or store sales will go towards the University Park Elementary PTA! This also includes the purchase of gift cards! Buy a gift card now, and use it for future meals! Take out orders are also included!

Where: 5123 Baltimore Avenue, Hyattsville, MD 20781

When: Monday, January 27, 2025

Time: 11:00am to 9:00pm

If dining in the restaurant, please give the itemized receipt to the host and mention the University Park Elementary fundraiser. If shopping at the general store, please mention the University Park Elementary fundraiser when purchasing your merchandise.

See you there!!

Committee Updates and Volunteer Opportunities

Musical Committee

We’re excited to announce that the PTA is forming a Musical Committee to support this year’s production! This is a wonderful opportunity to assist Mr. Campbell and Ms. Burgess, who are volunteering their time to make the musical a success.

What does the committee do?
The committee will:

• Help organize volunteers for ticket sales (both in advance and at the door). The PTA Board handled this last year, and we’ve made it simple to replicate.

• Plan the after-party to celebrate the cast and crew. Teachers and a few parent helpers organized this last year, and they’re happy to guide you. It mostly involves ordering pizza (reimbursed by the PTA) and helping get volunteers.

• Coordinate a thank-you gift for Mr. Campbell and Ms. Burgess (if parents are interested).

• Assist with any additional volunteer needs that may arise in the spring at the teachers’ request.

As a member of this committee, you’ll also have access to the emails of other parents involved in the musical (both case and stagecraft). This will make it easier to send out sign-ups and gather volunteers.

Time commitment:
We anticipate this being a low time commitment, and your support will make a big difference! You are not required to participate in every one of the volunteer opportunities, but rather to help gather volunteers and help where you can.

Mr. Campbell has expressed his support for the idea of having a parent-led committee to assist with the organizational side of things. And we are happy to make this happen!

If you’re interested in joining or would like to learn more, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/hZWK5T9jyN7pfqeN6

Thank you for considering this opportunity to help make the UPES musical a success!

Azalea Classic: Registration OPEN! – May 10

The race is still months away, but don't forget to add May 10 to your 2025 planner, so you don't miss our Azalea Classic 5K, 1-mile challenge run, and 1K fun run. For those that really want to check something off the to-do list, registration is now live!

Visit www.AzaleaClassic.com for a link to the registration page.

Volunteer with the Azalea Classic: https://forms.gle/Lze8biLiaXhg8xQM9

Have a connection to a potential sponsor? UPESazaleaclassic@gmail.com

More information on sponsorships and a call for volunteers will be coming soon

Teacher Appreciation

If you are interested in joining our committee and have #squadgoals please contact Michele Pintur at mpintur@gmail.com or fill out the volunteer interest form. Events usually a monthly one-day event, except in May when the committee plans a week-long event.

Join the Teacher Appreciation Committee: https://forms.gle/ZeFiopAMmToGsWv18

After School Enrichment

Please reach out to Danielle Tiley at upesafterschool@gmail.com if you are interested in helping out. You can also fill out the volunteer interest form. Opportunities include helping with forms, class rosters, printing, and/or coming to school at dismissal to help children get to activities.

Join the After School Enrichment Committee: https://forms.gle/kQ6ZtvoPUnnFWDgv7

Garden Committee

Please fill out the volunteer interest form if you would like to assist the UPES Garden Committee in getting grants or planning and planting our community garden.

Join the Garden Committee: https://forms.gle/FCGLDrbtS3EYXU546

School Dance

Please fill out the volunteer interest form if you would like to assist Stacy Siegel with our spring dance. Volunteering can include planning, set up, clean-up, working the door, or working the concession counter.

Join the School Dance Committee: https://forms.gle/aDuk2kiz5pSsy5QZA

Feather Our Nest Fall Fundraiser

Please fill out the volunteer interest form if you would like to be involved in the preparation of next year’s Feather Our Nest fundraiser.

Join Feather Our Nest Committee: https://forms.gle/FofFYoBo4BHpeQRy6

Our Next Big Idea: https://forms.gle/HUvfbbYag79HdEoR9

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.

Monday, February 10-Thursday, February 13-Honor Roll Assemblies (grades 2-5)

Wednesday, February 19-PTA Meeting-6:00 p.m.

Monday, February 7-Presidents Day-Schools closed

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