News 3/10/17

Dear Parents,

As Spring approaches, we have a large number of volunteer opportunities at University Park. All of the PTA-sponsored events at the school are free and depend on a team of volunteers… some volunteering many hours during the day, others a couple of hours after work, some working with math groups and others using specialized skills in finance or graphic design. Please take a moment to review our current needs and see where YOU can help. As you read on, you will see the list is long. With small children and busy work schedules, not everyone can take on a big assignment; but we all can do something!

News 11/08/15

Since our last news post, the PTA at UP has been involved in the following events and programs at UP:

*Provided 4th Grade Walk Through History Enrichment

*Provided K-3 Art Masters Enrichment

*Supplies for Red Ribbon Week

*FREE Community Event - "Halloween Parade"

*Reflections

*ACE

*Box Tops

*Membership Campaign

*Spirit Wear 

*Parent Education - "SBAC/LCAP Recap"

and of course

*JOG A THON!!!!

You might be thinking to yourself that the PTA at UP is strong and thriving! You are correct in your thinking and none of the above would have been possible without the incredible talents, time and efforts of our volunteers.  A special THANK YOU goes to our Committee Heads who have done a tremendous job in making it all happen.  Feel free to send them a thank you email through our website on the "contact us" page or when you see them at school around campus.

Also, check out AND "like" our Facebook page for pictures and event posts. We will have final Jog A Thon fundraising totals and membership numbers posted soon!

Panther PRIDE!!

News 10/26/15

Wow! If you think there has been a lot going on at U.P., you are not alone.  Every week we have had something and that's why we are so thankful that we had our first Dine Out event at Blaze Pizza.  What a great way for the U.P. community to get together and enjoy each other's company over some delicious pizza. These types of social events are good for our kids to continue to grow bonds of friendship outside of school.  Be sure to check out the pictures on the events page!

We also made the announcements of our Reflections winners that will now be entered to compete in the district.  A big THANK YOU goes out to Meena Mokkapati who coordinated this event at our school.  Without her efforts, U.P. would not have been able to participate.  Good luck to the winners as you move on to the next level!  You can check out the list of winners on our Reflections page in the Events tab. 

News 10/13/15

Last week, on Tuesday 10/06/15,  the PTA hosted a "Parent Education Night" about PBIS.  PBIS is short for "Positive Behavior Interventions and Support".  Our guest speaker, Marie Williams, gave an informative and meaningful presentation about IUSD's policy and program for the entire district. We had nearly 40 parents come and learn so much about what the schools in Irvine are doing with PBIS and what parents can do at home to support the program.  Principal Amoroso then offered some vital information about how PBIS works at UP and what are the behavior policies that are in place at our school.  I can't say enough positive things about how well Marie explained everything AND she was tremendously engagin.  It was a pleasure to learn from her experience as an IUSD teacher, staff member and parent!

Parents also enjoyed some coffee and dessert compliments of Cielo Coffee.  Thank you to all who came to this event.  If you missed this event and would like to view the power point presentation and recieve the hand outs you are in luck.  WE have posted everything on our "Parent Education" page under PBIS night.  Check it out here

News 9/28/15

Last Friday we had a Bike Festival and Rodeo and it was a tremendous success.  In case you missed it, kids and parents that attended got their bikes registered, tried a rodeo course, attempted the inflatable obstacle course, heard a safety presentation from an Irvine Police Officer and got prizes for completing a scavenger hunt.  ALL of this for FREE!  Go to the Photo Gallery on our events page to check out the pictures.

Panther PTA News 9/14/15

Thank you to all the families that signed up to become members of the UP PTA at Back to School Night.  We had set a goal of 100 for the night and ended up at 89.  We still have an overall goal of 350 by October 9th so let's keep that momentum going!

Our first association meeting is on Friday, 09/18/15 at 8:15am in the MPR, right after flag deck.  We will start the morning with a "coffee with the Principal" and begin our meeting. ALL members and future members are encouraged to come.  We will be presenting the budget and reviewing the events and programs that are planned for the year PLUS goals for new programs in the future.

Our PTA is just a part of the bigger picture.  Please take a moment to visit the CAPTA website or click on the links below.

Useful Links and Resources from CAPTA to help families start the school year.

PTA is the go-to resource for parents and families.  We have a variety of FREE resources available to help show how PTA is engaged on important issues such as: 

• Parents' Guide to Student Success, available in six languages

• Quick Guides to Understanding the Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs) for schools.
• PTA National Standards for Family-School Partnerships Assessment Guide
• Six Ways Parents Can Get Engaged and Make a Difference
• Strong Parent-Teacher Communication Is Key for Student Success
• Health and Academic Achievement Go Hand-in-Hand, available in 

Connecting families, schools and communities: It's what we do -- and it's what we've done for more than a century!