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,

Welcome to the 2022- 2023 school year! We are so excited to get started and glad that you and your child are joining us. I am pleased to begin my fourth year as Principal. I feel very fortunate to be a part of this outstanding community. As you know, we have an excellent staff, dedicated parent support and the best students in all of Berkeley! We invite you to the campus on Thursday, August 25 for Back To School Night. We hope you will join us to meet your child’s teacher and hear about the exciting plans for this school year.

This year, we look forward to staying safe, even as we shift some of our practices. We continue to follow the City of Berkeley and California Public Health Guidance. We encourage you to use the COVID take home test kits we will send with students every other Friday. If your child does have COVID, please email Leahlopez@berkeley.net, Attendance Clerk, and Covidcase@berkeley.net so you may receive directions from the District Nurse and we will excuse your child’s absences. You can review BUSD’s updated Covid plan here: https://www.berkeleyschools.net/covid/campus-safety/.

As always, we are looking for volunteers to help us have a successful and event-filled school year. If you would like to support your child’s classroom teacher, you may consider being a Grade Level Parent. This is a very important role, in which you will work closely with a team of parents to plan and provide support for classroom activities. The PTA is in need of a Heart of Emerson Fundraising Chair(s). This position provides an opportunity to ensure Art, PE, Office, and student enrichment support for our future. You may also want to consider joining the School Site Council. The SSC provides guidance regarding state and federal monies provided to the school and reviews the plan for student achievement. The SSC needs a new President this year. Here is the form to nominate yourself for the ballot: SSC Nomination Form 2022- 2023. The deadline for SSC nominations is Wednesday, September 15th. The ballots will be shared on Thursday, September 16th. We appreciate your consideration.

If you haven’t done so already, please take a moment to complete the application for Free/Reduced Lunch. All families are encouraged to fill out the form online at ezmealapp.com. We also have paper applications available in the office. This form needs to be completed by October 1, 2022 and is tied to important state and federal funding for our school. Even if you do not qualify for free/ reduced lunch, we encourage you to to complete the form today.

I would like to provide a friendly reminder that I am always open to hear your comments, questions, feedback and concerns. You can reach me at janaholmes@berkeley.net or by calling the front office at 510-644-6890. Most mornings I am at the gate to greet students and again to say goodbye at the end of the day. I hope that you will find that you can talk to me and I look forward to partnering with you for your child’s success.

Thank you for your support,

Jana Holmes

Upcoming Events and Key Dates

Wednesday, August 24: BUSD School Board Meeting 7pm, Zoom

Thursday, August 25: Back to School Night 5:30-7 pm, In Person

Saturday, September 3: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser - 5th Gr hosts

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.

MESSAGE FROM THE PTA BOARD

Welcome back, on behalf of the Emerson Elementary PTA Board! We are a group of volunteers committed to support our Emerson students through fundraising and planning programs. Through the ongoing pandemic, PTA Board has been remote since March 2020. We've come back stronger and streamlined, but strained. Help us help you! Please share your time, resources, or both as you can. Our goal is to rebuild and resume events and programs SUSTAINABLY, to reduce burnout and burden, and increase community connections.

Thank you for joining us for First Day Of School Coffee on the schoolyard, it was so sweet after all these years! The PTA will regularly host First Friday Coffees to coincide with First Friday All-School Meetings. The Next First Friday Coffee will be Friday September 2nd.

For the first half of the school year, we are focusing on grade-level community-building events like the Welcome Back Playdates in September/October and Cal Football Parking now through November. Then we will have more school-wide events in the second half, like the Moveathon (in May 2022 was our first in-person event since February 2020!).

We are especially proud to resume PTA-sponsored Afterschool Enrichment after 2.5 years! We are one of the only BUSD elementary schools offering Enrichment on-site. More information and signups coming soon! Classes will begin after Labor Day, and scholarships will be offered.

Come early at 5:30 to socialize before Back To School Night on Thursday August 25. Meet the PTA Board! Stay for school sightseeing! This is our first Back To School Night on campus since 2019!

URGENT ROLES, NEEDS:

PTA Board positions for Fundraising, Communications, Advocacy: rana.cho@emersonelementary.org
Grade Parents!!! Sign up via Questionnaire or email: krysten.curtis@emersonelementary.org
Cal Football Parking for Saturday Sept 3 (and more!): Steve Wilson - soccerfan311@gmail.com

Reminder to fill out the Back to School Questionnaire, this will help us connect everyone for the coming year! (https://forms.gle/jMXTWV3TkRmkMckw6)

EQUITY CORNER: A BRIEF HISTORY OF EQUITY AT EMERSON

Back in 2013, a group of caregivers joined the Emerson PTA to lift issues around Equity in our school community; in 2015, led by the question of how we as a community create a more welcoming school created the Desired Racial Equity Outcome Plan. The PTA now funds Equity programs and has three dedicated equity liaisons this school year-- Cielo (4th grade parent), Rachel (1st grade parent), and Silvia (1st grade parent). Each Spring, our community is invited to join the Spring Equity Circle, facilitated for our community by Ms. Pam. We are looking forward to meeting you and your family and providing space to meet up, let our students play, and show up for one another.

Keep in touch with us at equity@emersonelementary.org or click here to sign up for our email list so we can connect with you for upcoming events and cultural celebrations. If you have ideas or want to help contribute to our community, cultural celebrations, or anything else, please let us know!

ART CORNER WITH MS. AMES

Welcome back to school and to the Art Room! We jumped right back into art making on the first day of school with some art inspired by Peter H. Reynold's book The Dot. Artists used crayons and "Dab-o-Ink" (bingo) daubers to create some very creative dot-inspired art.

Please be aware of your child's art day so that A) you can make sure they don't wear their best clothes on that day and B) so that you can ask them what they learned in art that day. As usual, I will be holding on to most of the art for the bulk of the year so that it doesn't get damaged in backpacks getting home. You will surely be delighted with all of the work in your child's portfolio at Open House.

That said, if you ever wish to see what they are working on, you are welcome to come volunteer during an art class or make an appointment after school on a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday to see their work. Please email me --- lucyames@berkeley.net.

Here are the art days of the week for the various classes:

Mondays:
5th Grade
1st Grade
2nd Grade: Ms. Davis and Ms. Powell

Wednesdays:
2nd Grade: Ms. Suzuki
3rd Grade
Kindergarten

Thursdays:
4th Grade

I am looking forward to another year of learning and creativity with your children!
Ms. Ames

Children in a classroom holding circular colorful papers with different designs using dot art..

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL PTA COFFEE

In top left, a room with purple walls, white curtained window , a long table with breakfast food. Bottom right has a long table. The top right and bottom left have trees in the back of a school yard with adults talking in small groups.

GETTING CONNECTED: BEARFACTS & WHERE’S WALDO

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Questions? Email communications@emersonelementary.org

Find Emerson Online

Website: https://emersonelementary.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 bearfacts@emersonelementary.org. 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 and include alt-text. The deadline is each Monday at 6 p.m.