2018 UPark Auction

 

Thank you to everyone who made the 2018 UPark Auction such a success! If you missed out on it, there is still a chance to bid on some items and sign up for Parent Experiences and/or Teacher and Staff Experiences. These experiences are activities or parties hosted by a UPark staff member or parent and include a Catch Football Game with Miles (the Denver Broncos mascot), Dodge Ball with Ms. Hartin, An Evening in Candyland (formerly the Daddy/Daughter Dance), Mom's Only Happy Hour Club, and much more! To bid or sign up, please go to upark.ptapal.com until Thursday, May 3rd, 2018 at 9:00 PM.

 

The PTA board would like to say THANK YOU to our 2018 UPark Auction Chairs: Katie FitzGerald & Becky McDonald! They put their blood, sweat and tears into making the 2018 Auction our most successful auction to date! And also a huge thanks to our committee members and all the parents, teachers, staff and community members who contributed to the organization of our auction. We couldn't fundraise for our school without the support of our wonderful UPark community!

 

CO PTA Statement Re: Friday April 27th Teacher Rally at the State Capitol

 

In light of tomorrow's teacher rally at the state capitol, we wanted to share with you a statement from the CO PTA on Adequate Funding and the Teaching Profession HERE.

 

The CO PTA and our UPark chapter have been working with Great Education Colorado, an advocacy organization working to increase Colorado's K-12 funding levels. Colorado ranks 43rd in the nation for its per pupil funding of K-12 education. We spend approximately $2,000 less per pupil than the national average. Colorado also ranks last in the competitiveness of teacher pay. This inadequate funding of our public schools has led to teacher shortages, four day school weeks in over half of Colorado school districts, and larger class sizes due to staff reductions.

 

We are working to put the Great Schools, Thriving Communities Ballot Initiative (93), on the November ballot. This initiative would create a Quality Public Education Fund financed through higher taxes on higher incomes above $150,000 and on "C" Corporations. It will provide sustainable support for schools by stabilizing property taxes, and address the most pressing needs of our local schools while ensuring that decisions about how to use new funds are made at the local level. Our PTA members have joined citizens across the state to gather signatures to put this initiative on the November ballot. If you haven't signed the ballot yet or would like to collect signatures yourself, please join us at our next PTA meeting, Tuesday, May 8th at 6pm in the Art Room. We will have representatives from Great Ed with petitions to sign, and hand out for those who would like to collect signatures. In the meantime, if you would like more information regarding the Great Schools, Thriving Communities Ballot Initiative, please visit the campaign website HERE.