Eagle News

Thank you to all the parents who attended last night’s TAG presentation. We appreciate your engagement and commitment to your child’s education. If you were unable to attend, the presentation was recorded. To request access, please email Ms. Alison Volski at Alison.Volski@pgcps.org.

We also want to take a moment to celebrate the success of last week’s Black in Wax Museum! A huge thank you to Ms. Labovitz, our talented students, and the dedicated parents who worked so hard to bring history to life. Your efforts made this an enriching and memorable experience for our school community!

Additionally, we are grateful to all families for ensuring students arrive at school on time each day. Strong attendance supports academic success, and we are excited to recognize the classes leading the way. Congratulations to Ms. Labovitz’s class for outstanding attendance during the week of February 24, 2025, and to Ms. Labovitz’s, Mr. Richards’, Ms. Guillen’s, and Ms. Romero’s classes for their impressive attendance during the week of February 17, 2025. Keep up the great work!

Looking ahead, kindergarten is planning a field trip on April 2, 2025, to Northwestern High School to see a dance program. To make this trip a success, we need 12 approved chaperones. If you are a kindergarten parent or an approved volunteer willing to assist, please contact Ms. Rhonda Coon at Rhonda.Coon@pgcps.org. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Thank you for your continued partnership in making University Park ES a wonderful place to learn and grow.

We will publish the next Eagle Newsletter on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. If you need anything before then, contact me at Toi.Davis@pgcps.org or 301-985-1898.

Consistent attendance is key to student success! When students are present every day, they build strong learning habits, stay on track with their lessons, and feel connected to their classmates and teachers. Missing just a few days can add up and make it harder for students to catch up. We understand that illnesses and emergencies happen, and we appreciate your efforts to ensure that absences are minimal. Together, we can help our students thrive by making daily attendance a priority!

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.

Library Transformation Begins Soon

Work on the library has begun. Redesigning our library has been a collaborative effort between the PTA and school. I would like to thank the PTA for their vision and continued support. Over the next couple of weeks, you will see the following.

1. Removal of old or out-of-date library books.

2. Packing up of library material to remove old shelving.

3. Installation of new shelving and cabinets.

4. New furniture

5. Painting of the library

I would like to thank all of the volunteers for assisting with the removal and packing of the library books. As the transformation work continues, volunteers will be essential in making our library space inviting and conducive for learning. Please look out for emails from our PTA for volunteer opportunities.

Destiny (destiny.pgcps.org)

While working on the library, students will access online library media resources available on DESTINY. Students have reviewed EBOOKs during media. An ebook is an electronic book, a printed book made available in digital form via a device with internet access. Many of you access ebooks via a tablet, IPAD, computer, kindle, smartphone etc.. Several databases on destiny.pgcps.org provide access to ebooks for PGCPS (Prince George’s County Public Schools) students for free. Some are in multiple languages and some of the databases will read the text to the student.

A variety of topics are included in fiction and nonfiction. This is an excellent resource for students and allows them to explore literature in another format that may be more engaging to them than the printed text.

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.

As always, if you have concerns or questions, please contact Mr. Clark at aclark@pgcps.org.

2024-2025 PTA Executive Board2024-2025 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 and Volunteer Opportunities

After School Enrichment

Registration is now open for the Spring session, during which we will offer Tennis, Cheer Squad, Volleyball, LEGO STEM, Creative Writing and more! Classes will begin the week of March 17. If you have any questions, please email Danielle Tiley at upesafterschool@gmail.com.

Sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfs6_eOn1qDo8rZwMEjZWV4xz1EryoB5OLw0tJ4S1VZ555_sQ/viewform?usp=header

Azalea Classic: Registration OPEN! – May 10

Despite the cold and threat of more snow, spring really is just around the corner - and so is the Azalea Classic! If you have not registered you and/or your family yet, please do so here: https://runsignup.com/Race/MD/UniversityPark/AzaleaClassic

If you're interested in volunteering, you can learn more about the various volunteer needs (packet pick up, course marshals, etc.) and sign up directly on the race website: https://runsignup.com/Race/Volunteer/MD/UniversityPark/AzaleaClassic

We're busy soliciting local businesses for sponsorships for the race. If you have any connections, such as a contractor who has recently done work at your house, etc., that you would be willing to make an introduction to or share sponsorship information with, please reach out to upesazaleaclassic5k@gmail.com for more information. A big thank you to our sponsors who have already confirmed: Rise Investment Partners, JTCC, and Councilmember Eric Olson!

March 12-STEM Fair, 6:00 p.m.

March 19-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