Eagle News

Welcome to February! We are excited for another month of learning and growth. Report Cards will be available online on February 11, 2025, and hard copies will be printed on February 20, 2025.

A friendly reminder that schools will be open on February 14, 2025. On this day, classrooms will celebrate Valentine’s Day from 1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. In accordance with Administrative Procedure 0116, only store-bought, pre-packaged items with ingredient labels, whole fresh fruits, vegetables, or items prepared by Nutrition Services may be served. Thank you for helping us maintain a safe and inclusive environment for all students. We appreciate your continued support and look forward to a fantastic month ahead!

Honor Roll Assemblies will be virtual beginning Monday, February 24, 2025. Each teacher will post the link for parents on their Class Dojo page at least 48 hours in advance. Students will receive invitations to the ceremony.

With another weather event next week, please use the communication tools below to monitor school delays and closings.

We will publish the next Eagle Newsletter on Wednesday, February 19, 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!

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 Assemblies will be Monday, February 24- Thursday, February 27, 2025. All assemblies will take place between 1:00 and 1:30 p.m. Each team will post the Zoom link at least 48 hours in advance on their Dojo pages for parents. Honor Roll recipients will receive a formal invitation.

Grade 2-Monday, February 24

Grade 3-Tuesday, February 25

Grade 4-Wednesday, February 26

Grade 5-Thursday, February 27

News From the Media Center

Write A Book

This year, four Write-A-Book projects were submitted to PGCPS for judging. We wish them well in the county wide competition. I want to thank all of our participants and parents for their support and hard work.

Library Books

If your child has an overdue library book, they can return it without penalty or fine. Students should return library books via the return bin in the library circulation desk.

To view book check out status, students should follow the directions below.

Review Book Checkout Status

1. Go to destiny.pgcps.org

2. Click on ELEMENTARY

3. Scroll down under ELEMENTARY

4. Click on UNIVERSITY PARK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

5. Click on LOG IN in the top right corner

6. Type PGCPS Student USERNAME and PGCPS Student PASSWORD

7. Click blue LOG IN button

8. Click on MY INFO under University Park Elementary School and next to Catalog

Any items listed under ITEMS OUT and LIBRARY MATERIALS with red DUE DATES are overdue.

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.

In Honor of Black History Month

Check out SORA for Black History Month Reads

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

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. 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

Save the Date: February PTA Meeting
Mark your calendars! Our next PTA meeting is on Wednesday, February 19, and it’s one you won’t want to miss. It will feature:

• A math workshop led by Ms. Vanegas, UPES Math Chair, and Ms. Johnson, our new Board-Certified Math Data Coach

• Special guest Pamela Boozer-Strother, our school board member, who will be joining us to share updates and hear from families. Pamela is a dedicated advocate for our community, so this is a great opportunity to connect with her!

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

Spirit Wear Store Reopening:

We’ve heard from some families who missed out on spirit wear in December (we know how busy the holidays can be!). Good news—the UPES Spirit Wear Store is reopening one last time this school year. Don’t wait! The store is now live at https://upes2025.itemorder.com/shop/home/ through February 10.

Committee Updates and Volunteer Opportunities

Teacher Appreciation

“Roses are Red

Violets are Blue

We are so lucky to have teachers like YOU!”

The Teacher Appreciation team is hosting an early Valentine’s Day Celebration on Thursday, February 13th. Please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/805094BAEAB2FABFE3-54723327-happy#/

If you have any questions, please contact Kristen Moseley at kristen.h.moseley@gmail.com.

After School Enrichment

Free Robotics After School Program for students grades 3-5

If your child is interested in joining the Robotics Club run by UMD College Park Scholars, please email Danielle Tiley at upesafterschool@gmail.com and include your child's name, homeroom teacher, and parent contact information. The club is free and will meet for 10 weekly sessions on Wednesdays starting on February 19 from 3:40pm-4:40pm.

This club emphasizes hands-on learning and creativity, allowing participants to design, build, and program robots using the latest technologies. Aimed at fostering skills in engineering, programming, and problem-solving, the club also promotes teamwork and leadership through collaborative projects. Students have the opportunity to work closely with experienced UMD students in order to spark their interests in STEM.

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.

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

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

Monday, February 17-Presidents Day-Schools closed

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

Wednesday, February 19-Thursday, February 20, 2025-MSDE's Expert Review Team visits UPES

Friday, February 28-3-Hour Early Release-Students dismissed at 10:40 a.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