Si tiene alguna duda sobre esta nota debido a la traduccion,
por favor comuniquese con Rafael Friedmann via email: rfriedmann@aol.com
Message from the Principal
Dear Emerson Families,
Yes! We finally welcome some rain back to the Bay Area. What a relief! You may wonder how we will handle rainy day lunch and recess at Emerson. As explained at the Back To School Night, we do have tent coverage outside. Unless we experience a heavy downpour, we will have the students eat under the tents outside. If the rain is too much for us to use the tents, we will socially distance in the Multi-Purpose Room, with one grade level at a time. After eating, students will return to the classrooms to be supervised during indoor recess. The air purifiers will be on and the windows and doors will be open in the Multi-Purpose Room and Classrooms during indoor lunch and recess. Our goal is to keep students as safe as possible.
Big Thanks to the PTA members who constructed the Ofrenda for Dia de los Muertos! It is a beautiful display in the library, which all students will have a chance to visit, contribute and learn about. The Ofrenda celebrates the Latinx tradition of honoring, remembering, and respecting our deceased ancestors during this special time of the year. It is a beautiful display and we are so happy to continue with diversity, inclusion, and culturally responsive teaching as the core of who we are.
This past week, the PTA Board participated in two nights of Equity Training led by consultant Ms. Pam Harris Smalls. During these sessions we recommitted to our mission and vision of an inclusive campus, where social justice is prioritized, diversity is honored and an anti-bias education thrives. It was a good reminder to boldly stand for our beliefs here at Emerson.
We are pleased to offer Chromebook checkouts for families who need a computer at home. These computers can be loaned out for the 2021- 2022 school year, from the library. Please let your teacher know if you would like to reserve a computer for your home usage.
We have a Safety Drill this morning. We will participate in the Great ShakeOut Drill, which is a nationwide Earthquake Drill, and you can learn more here. We will also have a fire drill and will evacuate to the playground. We will practice COVID-19 safety precautions, encouraging students to be quiet, listen to directions and complete the drill quickly to minimize contact. Afterward, the school Safety Team will debrief and learn how we can improve for our future drills.
Report cards will be sent home with students this Friday, October 22nd. Parent/teacher conferences will take place next week. If you have not done so already, please schedule one directly with your child’s teacher. This is a good opportunity to learn about your child’s progress and collaborate with school staff to support student success. During conference week, Kindergarten students are released at 12:30 pm and Grades 1- 5 are released at 1:10 pm, each day. Please make transportation arrangements for your child to get home early each day. School Busses will come early and Kids World will continue to be offered for those who are in the program. There will not be school on Friday, October 29.
We look forward to celebrating Halloween on Thursday, October 28. If your child plans to participate, please send them to school in their costume. In the morning, we will have an on-campus parade. It will be filmed by Mr. Phil, so everyone can watch it later. We will not allow fake weapons, fake guns, or fake blood. We also ask families to respect the cultural diversity of our students at Emerson Elementary and not dress in costumes that represent other cultures.
Once again, we are very pleased with the low instances of COVID-19 cases on our campus. Let us continue to be vigilant. Therefore, please continue to refrain from sending your child to school if they are sick. If your child stays home, it is very important that we know why your child is absent as soon as possible in the morning. Email Leahlopez@berkeley.net, Attendance Clerk, and the teacher, to report an absence. We will work with you to inform you of the steps needed to clear your student to return back to school. If your child is home sick, they will need a doctor’s note or COVID-19 test administered by a medical professional to return.
Starting on October 12, BUSD is offering free COVID-19 rapid testing to staff and students who wish to be tested because of COVID-19 symptoms. This testing station will be set up Monday- Friday from 2:00- 4:30 pm in the back parking lot of Berkeley Adult School. Let’s work together to keep our campus safe.
Take care,
Jana Holmes
Upcoming Events and Key Dates
Thursday, October 21: Emerson School Site Council meeting at 7:00pm (open to everyone; see details below)
Saturday, October 23: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser - 2nd Grade
Week of October 25: Parent Teacher Conferences - MINIMUM DAYS (Kindergarten students will be released at 12:30, grades 1-5 will be released at 1:10)
Thursday, October 28: Halloween Parade
Friday, October 29: Parent Teacher Conferences (NO SCHOOL for Students)
Saturday, October 30: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser - 1st Grade
Thursday, November 11: Veterans’ Day (NO SCHOOL)
Add the Emerson Google Calendar to yours!
Note to Readers: BearFacts articles and calendar items are based on submissions from the community and reviewed and edited under the PTA communication policy. Inclusion of an item in BearFacts by itself does not indicate sponsorship or endorsement by the PTA, Emerson school staff, or BUSD.
Heart of Emerson: WATCH VIDEO AND DONATE NOW!
The Heart of Emerson fundraising campaign is HAPPENING NOW! The funds raised through the Heart of Emerson campaign are used to pay for student programs and community engagement at Emerson. As a reminder, the PTA spends $680 PER STUDENT on these programs and engagement opportunities. If you can pay $680 PER STUDENT, please do. If an option, pay for another student (or more!), because not all families can. We need to raise at least $110,000 to fund student programs. Many of the programs that children love are paid for through this fundraising effort, including Art with Ms. Ames!
In this heartwarming video, watch how Art at Emerson shapes our students’ views. To donate and share within your communities, see the linked letter and flyer. Thank you! (And extra thank you to Mr. Phil, Ms. Ames, and Ms. Davis and Ms. Davis’s third grade class for their contribution to this video.)
Emerson’s Ofrenda
In Mexican culture, the celebration of Dia de los Muertos is closely linked to the Catholic religious celebration of “All Soul’s Day” though the celebration of loved ones often feels more closely linked to honoring and celebrating our memories and celebration of our families and loved ones who have passed away, regardless of any religious affiliation. In my family, we set up an Ofrenda each year, including the pictures of beloved family members, with flowers (flores), candles (velas), glasses of water (agua), and their favorite things (depending on the member of your family, this can range from candies to records of their favorite songs)
This weekend, I was able to help assemble an Ofrenda for the Emerson community with the help of Rachel Terp, Rose Lynn Abesamis-Bell, and Rachel Budge to make space to share and celebrate friends, family, pets, or anyone who is dear to you that is no longer with us. If you would like to contribute to the Ofrenda, please have your student bring a picture or small memento to include (with their names and classroom labeled so it can be returned to them once we take the Ofrenda down). We will be sharing a few paper projects as well in case your student would like to build a shadowbox frame to nestle a portrait in (nicho) for the Ofrenda, a Calavera pattern (fun to decorate!), and instructions on how to make a paper Cempazuchitl (Mexican Marigold) from tissue paper like the ones on the Ofrenda now. If you have any questions about the Ofrenda or would like to contribute more to this rich tradition, please let me know! It is an honor to continue sharing with the Emerson community! -cielo (cielo@magicspoon.net)
Ofrenda de Emerson
En la cultura Mexicana, la celebración del Día de los Muertos es la celebración de todos nuestros amados y queridos que han pasado. En mi familia, tenemos una Ofrenda cada año, que incluye las fotos de los queridos, con flores, velas, vasos de agua y sus cosas favoritas (mi abuela encanta recoger los tins azules de Royal Dansk así tenemos un tin en la Ofrenda para ella pero tiene cosas para coser en lugar de cookies!)
Este fin de semana, nuestro Ofrenda para la comunidad de Emerson fue construido con la ayuda de Rachel Terp, Rose Lynn Abesamis-Bell y Rachel Budge. Si desea contribuir a la Ofrenda, pídale a su estudiante que traiga una foto o un pequeño recuerdo para incluir (con sus nombres y el aula etiquetados para que se los pueda devolver). También compartiremos algunos proyectos en papel en caso de que su estudiante desee construir un Nicho para la Ofrenda, un patrón de Calavera (¡divertido de decorar!) E instrucciones sobre cómo hacer un papel Cempazuchitl de papel china como los de la Ofrenda ahora. Si tiene alguna pregunta sobre la Ofrenda o le gustaría contribuir más a esta rica tradición, ¡hágamelo saber! ¡Es un honor seguir compartiendo con la comunidad de Emerson!
Filipino American History Month
We celebrate Filipino/a/x American History in October to recognize the history, culture, and significant contributions of Filipino/a/x American to our city, to California, and to this country. In 2009, U.S. Congress and California recognized October as Filipino American History Month.
Did you know that Filipinos were the first people of Asian descent to arrive in what is now known as Morro Bay, California in 1587? These indigenous Filipinos, called Luzones Indios, were skilled sailors who had been forced to labor on Spanish ships trading goods between the Philippines and Mexico. Another fact: Filipinos established the first permanent settlement by Asians in this country in 1768 in Louisiana. They were later called the Louisiana Manila Men and their descendants, who settled in Louisiana are the oldest continuous Asian American community in North America who are now between 8-10 generations from the original settlers.
To learn more, check out this video: A Filipino American Story Since 1587
Go Bears!
Free Tickets to Cal Football Game on Saturday
The Cal Student Store is resuming its efforts to bridge the connection between the local residents of Berkeley and UC Berkeley. Tickets to the Colorado game this Saturday are free to all BUSD students, parents, and staff and their families. The game is at 1230pm with ticket pickup and other related events starting at 9am on game day.
RSVP and more information can be found at thecalstudentstore.com. There are plenty of tickets - spread the word! Hope to see you there. Thanks and Go Bears!
PTA UPDATE: Car rides and closets!
Thank you to the Grade Parents, ride and host volunteers, and PTA for solving this week’s BUSD bus disruption. We got coverage in Berkeleyside and KRON4! We are so proud of our community for stepping up!
And thank you to Asha Brown, aka Emerson’s Marie Kondo, for reviving (and de-hazarding!) the PTA Closet. What a treasure trove of history, resources, and stories in there! We hope to share more of those this year!
Donations
Thank you for donating clothing for students who have accidents during the day. We now have all the clothes we need!
Do you have any gently used Halloween costumes that you no longer need? If so, please bring them to the school this week and next, for students who need a costume for our parade on October 28. Thank you!
Emerson School Site Council Meeting
You’re invited to join next week’s School Site Council meeting.
Date/time: Thursday, October 21 from 7:00- 8:00 pm
Zoom info: https://berkeley-net.zoom.us/j/87241233089?pwd=OGNpRUYwTFZINTdpWXU3U0hJWnJDdz09 (Meeting ID: 872 4123 3089 Passcode: 035014)
Below, for your information, is the list of elected School Site Council Members, and EVERYONE is invited to participate in the meeting!
How to Connect!
Do you want to talk to another parent about Emerson, learn ways to connect with other families and support the school? Here are four things you can do:
1) Visit the PTA table on Friday mornings at drop-off!
2) Set up your profile in Where’s Waldo, Emerson’s online family directory.
3) Join the PTA .
4) Learn about the Heart of Emerson campaign!
Find Emerson Online
Website: emerson.berkeleypta.org
Remind: Text @7f6hb to 81010; or go to www.remind.com/join/7f6hb
Facebook: www.facebook.com/emersonpta (or follow @emersonPTA)
About BearFacts News:
BearFacts News is a weekly publication created by parent volunteers and posted online at emerson.berkeleypta.org.
BearFacts articles and calendar items are based on submissions from the community and reviewed and edited under the PTA communication policy. Inclusion of an item in BearFacts by itself does not indicate sponsorship or endorsement by the PTA, Emerson school staff, or BUSD.
If you have a news item or announcement to include in the BearFacts News, please send an email to emersonschoolnews@gmail.com. Please keep your message brief and include all the pertinent details including dates, times, locations and contact information. Send images as an e-mail attachment. The deadline is each Monday at 6 p.m.
Copyright © 2021. Emerson Elementary PTA. All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
2800 Forest Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94705