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,

Last Friday’s All-School Meeting was really a treat. The best parts were when the students took center stage, such as the Spirit Committee and the Student Shout-Outs. We are happy to bring back the beloved All-School Meetings which will take place on the first Friday of each month. If your child would like to participate in the soft audition for student performances they should listen for the lunchtime announcement to meet in Ms. Salyk's room for grades K-1, Ms. Barnes's room for grades 2-3, and Ms. Rachel’s Library for grades 4-5. Plus, the PTA provided coffee and breakfast treats for all the caregivers who were on campus. We look forward to more exciting and student-focused All-School Meetings throughout the school year.

As we face more incremental weather, please help us keep the children as cool as possible. We have cold water bottle refill stations in the lunch room and hallway. It is helpful if you remind your child to drink water throughout the day. Don’t forget the sunscreen; you can also send them with a hat. We do have tents outside that students can sit or stand under if they need to get out of the sun. The downstairs classrooms and library have been equipped with ceiling fans, and we are eagerly awaiting the fans for the upstairs classrooms. Let’s hope this heat wave is the last one of this summer/fall. Here is a link to the district's 2022-23 AQI Response Plan.

The Cal Football Fundraiser was a big success. Shout out to Mr. Steven Wilson and Ms. Jessica Wilson for taking the lead on this huge fundraiser for the school. We really appreciate the 5th Grade parents who stepped up to this kick-off event too. They managed to fit over 70 cars onto our blacktop, which raised approximately $4,000 for our students. We will be looking for volunteers each weekend during the football season, moving from one grade level to another. Thank you for your consideration in giving your time this fall.

September 15- October 15 is National Latino Heritage Month. Here is the BUSD resolution, passed last Spring, in support of culturally responsive schools: LatinX Resolution. Emerson staff has been collaborating to create lessons to celebrate Latino culture and history this month (and throughout the year!). We are happy your students are on campus and that we can celebrate our inclusive and diverse community!

Take care,

Jana Holmes

Upcoming Events and Key Dates

Saturday, September 10: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser - 4th Grade hosts

Tuesday, September 20: 1st PTA Association Meeting, 6pm, via Zoom

Saturday, September 24: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser - 3rd Grade hosts

Monday, October 10: Staff Professional Development Day, No School

Saturday, October 22: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser - 2nd Grade hosts

Saturday, October 29: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser - 1st Grade hosts

Saturday, November 19: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser - All Grades host

Saturday, November 25: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser - Kindergarten 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

We have almost all classrooms represented amongst our Grade Parents! Thank you for volunteering, and thanks for Grade Parent leadership by Krysten Curtis and Rose Lynn Abesamis-Bell.

PLEASE renew your PTA Membership, opt in to Where's Waldo, and MORE - A reminder to fill out the Back to School Questionnaire, this will help us connect everyone for the coming year!

PTA-supported after-school classes will begin Monday, October 3rd. Look for ways to sign-up via Remind in the coming weeks.

Parking is hosted by grades, but you can sign up for ANY home game weekend. Sign up with our football (parking) captain Steve Wilson at: soccerfan311@gmail.com Bring some friends, pack a lunch, and make a playdate out of the parking shift!

Home games coming up:

4th Grade - 9/10 - UNLV - 1pm
3rd Grade - 9/24 - AZ - TBD (Homecoming Game!)
2nd Grade - 10/22 - WA - TBD (Hall of Fame)
1st Grade - 10/29 - Oregon - TBD
ALL GRADES - 11/19 - BIG GAME #125 / 40th Anniversary
Kindergarten - 11/25 - UCLA - 1:30

STudent Shout-Outs

Art Corner

The artists in both third and fourth grade created these "getting to know you" paper sculptures. They were given a key with directions such as "pink zigzag for every sister you have" or "yellow arch if you like to read" or "orange spiral if you play a musical instrument." When we came back for the second round, they could make up their own clues and shapes. It was a fun way to do art while getting to know each other a little bit better.

EQUITY CORNER

We are happy to share that our Equity Working Group continues to meet to review Emerson’s Desired Racial Equity Outcome Plan and is looking forward to sharing our collective suggestions for continuing to provide intentional support to the entire Emerson community. If you are interested in volunteering directly, please reach out to us at equity@emersonelementary.org. There are many, many ways to *show up* for our community, whether that is joining a PTA-funded Equity workshop like Meetings on the Bridge or the Spring Equity Circle, offering public comment at a BUSD meeting to advocate for our students, sharing your culture with our community through cultural celebrations at Emerson, or helping to coordinate childcare and food for Equity meetings! All are welcome; join us!

I wanted to share a definition of Racial Equity from RaceForward.org that has been resonating for me as we review the Plan for Emerson:

Racial equity is a process of eliminating racial disparities and improving outcomes for everyone. It is the intentional and continual practice of changing policies, practices, systems, and structures by prioritizing measurable change in the lives of people of color.

Please reach out to talk more about how we can show up for one another.

-cielo, equity co-vp

FREE BUSD Chromebook Checkout

BUSD is pleased to announce a FREE Chromebook checkout program for students who can use this technology at home for schoolwork or research for this school year. These Chromebook are faster than earlier versions, offer a touchscreen, and can be used in tablet mode. To acquire a Chromebook for your student:

Complete this form (if you need help printing out a copy, please email equity@emersonelementary.org and we will help!)
Have your student bring a copy to the Emerson library…(if your student previously checked out an older Chromebook, your student can bring back the old one when they pick up their new one!)

If you have any questions about the Chromebook checkout process, please email chromebookhelp@berkeley.net

BPTA School Board Candidate Meet and Greet

DATE: Sun 9/18/22
TIME: 2-4PM
LOCATION: Strawberry Creek Park
ADDRESS: 1260 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94702

Please join us for an informal session to meet our candidates in person:

Ka'Dijah Brown
Mike Chang
Norma Harrison
Reichi Lee
Tatiana Guerreiro Ramos
Jennifer Shanoski

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.