The Eagle Express
University Park Elementary
January 4, 2012
Principal’s Corner: Happy New Year! I hope everyone had an excellent holiday and Winter Break! It’s great to be back in the swing of things! We are entering a serious time of the school year, with MSA testing drawing closer. Your support with homework and class assignments is very much needed and appreciated. It is also important that your children are at school on time every day. You are a huge reason why our students succeed!
I am very proud of our students! The Community Builders led our children to make 554 holiday cards for folks in the nursing home on East West Highway - Crescent City Center, as well as the Homeless Shelter on the DC line. Our kids are amazing! I know the sentiments meant a lot to those who received them!
The Community Builders are also sponsoring a Coat Drive in January! They will be working with local homeless shelters to get coats to people in need. A coat that is used and in good condition can really help someone during this cold time of year. Adult and children’s sizes are welcome! At the end of January, any coats not claimed in the Lost and Found will also be donated to this worthy cause.
Many thanks to the PTA for the lovely breakfast and holiday gift cards they gave to the staff before Winter Break! They were very much appreciated!
From January 5th – 12th in the mornings, our 3rd – 6th graders will be taking the quarterly FAST (Formative Assessment System Tests) in reading, math, and for 5th grade, science. These tests let the teachers know how well our students have mastered what was taught during the 2nd quarter. Please be sure that your child has a good breakfast and comes to school on time. If you can plan doctor’s appointments for after school on those days, that would be great!
Parents, a few reminders: Please send in an excuse note if your child is absent. If they were out sick longer than three days, a doctor’s note would be appreciated. This will help tremendously in keeping our attendance records accurate.
Also, if you bring your children to school, please have them wait in your car until you see the first bus arrive in the morning. Our staff members do not officially start their work day until 7:30 a.m., and we are very lucky that Ms. Neff is willing to come a little early on her own time to watch the students arrive in the morning. Students wait outside when the weather is above 32 degrees. Please have your child dressed appropriately. Students who eat breakfast at school enter the building at 7:20 a.m., while all others enter the building at 7:45 a.m.
In the afternoons, please wait at the bus stop, and if the bus hasn't arrived at the appointed time, wait a few minutes more. Then CALL the school to see if the bus has left and if it was late. Parents are leaving and coming to the school only to miss their students because a bus has left school property late.
Science Fair backboards are now on sale! White backboards are $4.00 and color boards are $5.00! The order form is in this Wednesday Envelope. Please send in cash or checks made out to UPES in a labeled envelope with your child’s name and teacher.
The 2012-2013 Lottery for Specialty Programs and Public Charter Schools will begin its open enrollment process in January. The application period is open through March 16, 2012. A link will be available directly on the PGCPS homepage at www.pgcps.org, and parents/guardians are strongly encouraged to complete and submit their Lottery Application online. Application brochures are also expected to be delivered to the schools in January. Please contact the Dept. of Pupil Accounting and School Boundaries, at 301-952-6010, with any questions or concerns.
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:
Jan. 4th – PTA Meeting, 7 p.m.
Wednesday Envelope Goes Home
Jan. 5th-12th – Students Take the FAST Tests
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
Students in Grades 2-6 take the
Scholastic Reading Inventory Test
Jan. 27th – Book Log Movie Event During the
School Day
Jan. 31st – Our Science Bowl Team Competes