From the Principal...
Families and Community,
Brrrrrrr! It was a chilly, but amazing week at UPES! These mountain kids are certainly resilient when it comes to cold weather! They were so excited to finally walk into a green flag on Friday! As a reminder, we try to go outside as much as we can, even if it's just for a quick lap to get some fresh air. Please make sure your student(s) bring a coat, hat, and gloves when it's chilly like it has been! Are you missing any items? Please come in and check our Lost and Found! Are you in need of additional items or your child just grew out of a coat? Check our tubs from our Clothing Drive! Mrs. Weisheipl is collecting gently used coats, boots, hiking shoes, winter clothes, etc. Each Wednesday (and hopefully some Fridays), she and her 4th graders will put out the tubs from the Clothing Drive. Families can come take whatever they need! If you're like me, it seems like every time I buy the kids snow-boots, they fit for about five minutes before they grow out of them! This is a way we can come together to help each other out in our incredible UPES community!
Our staff had some great conversations about math during Wednesday's late start. While we are certainly still ironing out all the wrinkles of our new WIN Mountain Math intervention/extension, we saw amazing growth from our first rotation and are now starting our second rotation! If you are interested in volunteering during this time, please see the "Volunteers Needed" section below!
We are only a few weeks away from our "Love to Read Week" at UPES! On February 13th, we will have a school-wide Book Character Day where students can dress up as their favorite book characters. We will have a parade at 12:30 behind the school (weather permitting) to showcase all the creative costumes. If you would be interested in coming in to read to your child's class that week, or even recording you reading a short book using an online platform, please contact your child's teacher! That week will also be our Book Fair in the Art Room! It will be open Tuesday-Friday. We have conferences on Thursday and Friday, so stop by before or after your family conference!
Let's talk cell phones for a second! Manitou Springs Middle School rolled out a "No Cell Phones" policy this year where students put their phones in their lockers at the beginning of the day. There has been a lot of research on how distracting it can be for students to have cell phones on while they are in class. Additionally, with social media readily available at our fingertips, phones pose all sorts of concerns when not used correctly. At UPES, we are looking at ways to prepare students for middle school, and ensure the greatest amount of learning is happening while our students are in our care! We have implemented "no screens" at breakfast, lunch, and indoor recess for our entire building. That includes iPads, cell phones, smart watches, computers, etc. Our hope is that students are building positive relationships with their peers, using their imaginations, and building/creating instead of being engrossed in a screen! We can use your help as we work on limiting the personal use of cell phones throughout the day. If you, or your child, needs to communicate during the day, please utilize our front office phone at (719)685-2227. This includes if they are feeling ill, forgot something, or just need to chat for a minute. We are more than happy to provide that time and space, but want to cut down on students texting and/or making/receiving calls during class.
School Tour Week kicks off next week! Please call our front office if you, or another family you know, would like to tour UPES as you consider your options for next year! We're beyond proud of everything happening at UPES and look forward to sharing it with new and returning families next year! As a reminder, the window is currently open for choice applications for the 23-24 school year and MAAS applications! Current 5th grade students who would like to attend 6th grade at UPES need to submit the Mountain Academy of Arts and Sciences application to Christina Baker (cbaker@mssd14.org) by February 6th to reserve a spot in that program. The program, and our school in general, is bursting at the seams, and we don't want you to hesitate and miss this incredible opportunity. Applications cannot be turned into UPES and must be submitted to Christina. It's a great time to be a UPES Pony!
#watchusgrow
Your partner in education,
Jackie Powell, Ute Pass Principal
Important Dates in January, February and Beginning of March
January
30- 4th and 5th to GMF
31- 6th grade field trip
February
1- Late Start Wednesday
10- Staff Work Day- no school for students
13- Book Character Dress-Up Day
14- PAC Meeting
14-17 UPES Book Fair (in Art Room)
16- 12:30 Dismissal/ Family Conferences
17- Family Conferences- no school for students
20- No School- President's Day
March
1- Variety Show, Some are even calling it a Smorgasbord Show! :) 5-7 UPES gym
Join our Amazing UPES Crew!
UPES Book Fair
Dates: February 13-17
Contact Person: Mrs. Kettler- kkettler@mssd14.org
Times: 9:30-11:30, 11:30-1:30, 1:30-3:15
What will I do: Mrs. Kettler will have you help with students finding items, the cash register, and anything else!
Love to Read Week
Dates: February 13-17
Contact Person: Your child's teacher!
Times: Flexible!
What will I do: Sign up to come in and read to your child's class, or ask your child's teacher about online platforms where you can record yourself reading a short story for the class to enjoy during our Love to Read Week at UPES!
Mountain Math
Dates: Every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday (volunteer for one day or more)
Contact Person: Ms. Powell- jpowell@mssd14.org
Times: 12:30-12:50
What will I do: Assist with math games, flash cards, and help grow our students' math skills!
UPES Library
Dates: Flexible- one to three times per week for 20-30 minutes
Contact Person: Mrs. Kettler- kkettler@mssd14.org
Times: Also flexible!
What will I do: Help Mrs. Kettler check-in books, replace books on the shelves, etc
UPES PAC
Dates: PAC meets the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 3 pm in the gym
Contact Person: Amanda McCloskey- upepac@gmail.com
Times: 3 pm
What will I do: The PAC puts on several amazing events each year, and also helps support our staff through monthly appreciation surprises! Contact Amanda to see how you can help!
UPES Morning Announcements
Our morning announcements are such a wonderful way to start the day! We have student-led announcements and singers every single day!
We want to share some of this Pony Pride from our "home" to yours! If you'd like to watch morning announcements, we are live-streaming them each day! Simply subscribe to the Ute Pass YouTube channel at this link- UPES YouTube
Counselor's Corner
Small Group Counseling, Classroom Counseling, and Individual Counseling is underway!
Please reach out to Stephanie Wilson if you have any changing needs where we can better support your student!
Her email is swilson@mssd14.org. You may also call her at 719-685-2209 if you have any questions.
Ute Pass Elementary PTO/PAC
If you are unable to make it to meetings and would like to be a part of PAC please reach out.
Thanks so much,
Amanda McCloskey
PAC President
Upcoming Events:
- PAC Meeting 2-14-23, 3 pm in the gym
Landsharks is Back!
UTE PASS ELEMENTARY SPRING TRACK SERIES
We offer a non-competitive youth program to introduce running to young athletes in a safe and fun environment. The focus is on self-improvement, being an encouraging teammate, and making new friends. The Spring Track Series is a fun running program led by Sara Striegel and is open to students in kindergarten through 6th grade. Please remember to purchase a RED team race shirt if this is your first season running.
Practices are scheduled for Wednesdays/Fridays beginning April 12th with a celebration practice on May 10th. Practices consist of running games and track workouts with a strong focus on fun.
Races are held on Monday evenings at Woodland Park Middle School’s track at 5pm on April 24th, May 1st and May 8th. Runners run TWO of the following distances:
Meet #1
All runners will run the 50m sprint,
followed by the 400m OR 800m race
Meet #2
All runners will run the 100m sprint,
followed by choice of a 400m OR 800m race
Meet #3
All runners will run the 200m sprint,
followed by the 400m OR 1600m race
Registration opens February 1st and closes April 12th at 5pm OR until we reach CAPACITY
Runners must be registered prior to their first practice. Please register online at www.Landsharksrunningclub.com $65 registration fee through April 5th then an additional $10/runner fee applies until registration closes.
I look forward to working with your athletes! Please consider volunteering to help coach or work at our race site. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer.
Coach: Sara Striegel
Email: striegels2@gmail.com
Breakfast and Lunch Information
A healthy breakfast and lunch is a key factor in growing a healthy mind and body! Ute Pass Elementary will offer breakfast to students for $1.45 and lunch for $2.95. See below for information on accessing menus.
You can find the new free and reduced application on the district website- https://www.mssd14.org/departments/food_service.
If you don’t qualify for free and reduced price meals, please make sure that there is money in your student’s account. You can add money online at this link- https://mssd14.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=57448&pageId=13267314
Any questions or concerns, please call Paula Faucette, Director of Nutrition Services, at 719-685-2005 or email pfaucette@mssd14.org.
Connect 14
Some of these classes are held at UPES, but transportation is provided for students who wish to attend a session at Manitou Springs Elementary School. Please visit www.connect14.org to sign up today!
Here's how you find us....