Prince George's County Public Schools

The Eagle Express

University Park Elementary

November 30, 2011

Principal’s Corner: I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Break! It’s hard to believe that Winter Break is only a few weeks away! Time is really flying with so much to do in such a short amount of time!

I want to thank all of the parents who helped out with the third grade Reading Celebration and the kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast! Both were a great success!

Thank you for contributing to our Food Drive!  We collected 1,844 canned/boxed goods, which were donated to Help By Phone, the University Baptist Church Food Bank, and five family baskets!  The Community Builders and GOLD Committee did a wonderful job publicizing this event, and I am proud of our students for thinking of others!

Many thanks to the PTA for the delicious breakfast they gave the staff last Monday!  We all truly appreciated it!

Please come to UPES Night at Franklin’s Restaurant on Tuesday, December 6th!  This has been a fantastic fundraiser in the past – the restaurant gives us 20% of the profit!  Check out the flyer in this Wednesday Envelope!

Our choir, chamber and instrumental students will be performing their winter concert on Wednesday, Dec. 14th at 7 p.m. in our gym!  (We had originally planned to have the evening concert at Northwestern High School, but they called to say they needed the auditorium that night.)  The students have been practicing hard and are excited to perform for you!  I hope you’ll be able to join us!

Our choir has also been invited to perform at the Holiday Extravaganza on Dec. 7th at Henry Wise High School at 7 p.m.!  Only two elementary schools were invited to perform, so this is a big honor!  Children 12 and under, accompanied by a parent/guardian, are free.  All other visitors pay $5 at the door.  They are also collecting toys for needy children.  All proceeds will go to the PGCPS Foundation.

On Saturday, December 10th, Mr. Fominaya has invited everyone to go caroling from 10 a.m. – 12 noon. If you plan to go, remember to dress warmly and bring a chaperone!  Everyone will meet at the front of the school 

Our third graders will be performing the musical, “Hidden Lands,” on Friday, Dec. 16th!  They will be performing at 12:45 in the cafeteria for the younger grades, and then at 7 p.m. at school for families!  I hope you will be able to attend, the students are very excited about their show!

We are starting the Eagle Guides Program! This program connects families who are new to the University Park Elementary School Community with families who are more ‘seasoned’. The goal is to make the transition for newer families (‘New Eagles’) easier and to strengthen our school community. Please see the flyer included in this Wednesday Envelope – we hope you will sign up! Many thanks to Janel Tillman for this fantastic idea and for getting the program started!

Please visit our PTA’s Facebook and Twitter pages for information and pictures from our school!

www.facebook.com/upespta

www.twitter.com/upespta

 

Upcoming Events:

Dec. 6th – UPES Fundraiser Night at Franklin’s

                Restaurant

Dec. 7th – PTA Meeting, 7 p.m.

                 Choir Performs at Holiday

                 Extravaganza, 7 p.m.

Dec. 10th – Caroling with Mr. Fominaya, 10 a.m.

Dec. 14th – Winter Concert in Our Gym, 7 p.m.

                  Wednesday Envelope Goes Home

Dec. 16th – 3rd Grade Musical, 12:45 and 7 p.m.

Dec. 20th – Progress Reports Go home

Dec. 22nd – Jan. 2nd – Winter Break

Jan. 3rd – Students Return to School

Jan. 4th – PTA Meeting, 7 p.m.

                Wednesday Envelope Goes Home

Jan. 16th – No School – Dr. King’s Birthday

Jan. 18th – Wednesday Envelope Goes Home

Jan. 19th – Choir Performs at Winter Fest

Jan. 20th – End of the 2nd Quarter

Jan. 23rd – No School for Students – Grading

                And Planning Day

Jan. 24th – Family Reading Night

Jan. 31st – Our Science Bowl Team Competes