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MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Emerson Families,

It’s time for the 2023-2024 Read-a-Thon Fundraiser! Shout out to Ms. Jeannie, Literacy Coach, Ms. Rachel, Librarian, Ms. Kanat and Ms. Paine, Parent Volunteers, for coordinating our school wide event. Students have 10 days, from Friday, March 10th, to Sunday, March 19th, to read and record as many books as possible. Families are invited to use the 99 Pledges website to record progress and donations. The School Wide Goal is 300,000 minutes—with a prize for everyone if we meet the goal. Students can also earn individual prizes. Read-a-Thon information packets were sent home earlier this week in student’s backpacks. If you would like more information watch this fun video (preferably with your student) created by Elephant and Piggie: Read-a-Thon Information Video.

We are so excited that we have 11 student groups auditioning for the 2023-2024 Berkeley Unified School District’s Oratorical Fest. This year’s theme is “Black Joy”. Big smile to Lily Howell, Office of Equity and Family Engagement, who coached students during their lunch recess. Students will present during the March 3rd All School Meeting which will be held inside due to inclement weather. Parents of students who are participating are invited to attend. Families who do not have a student participating in the Oratorical will be able to watch the recording sent out via Remind after the meeting.

The PTA Equity Team’s “Meeting on the Bridge” series with Educational Consultant Ms. Pam concluded last week. We enjoyed an inspiring and thought provoking presentation regarding Micro-aggressions and how families/adults can combat them. We had over a dozen staff and parents in attendance for our last session. If you were not able to join us for the Meetings on the Bridge this Winter, it’s not too late to join us in this important work. You are invited to join the Spring Equity Circle, which begins this Spring.

We hope you will consider joining us for the Spring Equity Circle this March/April - these sessions are a keystone of Equity commitment at Emerson.

What: This is a six part series where we will create space together to study and discuss race, ethnicity, equity, identity--in service of our community, our children, and their future! We highly encourage that you participate in-person in all 6 meetings to build momentum and trust. However, we also understand if you'll need to excuse yourself as well.

Who: All caregivers, teachers, and staff who want to grow in their self-awareness, advocacy, and/or involvement at Emerson!

When (times have changed slightly from the initial Remind):

Saturday, March 11 (Kick-Off) 9:15 am - 1:15 pm @ Emerson Elementary
Thurs, March 16; 6 - 8:15 pm
Thurs, March 23; 6 - 8:15 pm
Thurs, March 30; 6 - 8:15 pm
Thurs, April 13; 6 - 8:15 pm
Final date is determined by the group

Register here (dinner and childcare for Emerson students provided): Spring 2023 Equity Circle - Emerson

Take care and thank you for your support,

Jana Holmes

UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Thursday, February 23: ‘Meeting on the Bridge’ equity workshop, 5:30pm-7:30pm

Friday, March 10: 1st Day of 2023 Read-a-Thon

Saturday, March 11: Equity Circle Kick-Off, 9:15am-1:15pm, at Emerson

Thursday, March 16: Equity Circle, 6-8:15pm, at Emerson

Thursday, March 23: Equity Circle, 6-8:15pm, at Emerson

Friday, March 24: Art Night, 6-7:30pm, at Emerson

Thursday, March 30: Equity Circle, 6-8:15pm, at Emerson

Monday, April 3 - Friday, April 7: Spring Recess (No School)

Thursday, April 13: Equity Circle, 6-8:15pm, at Emerson

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.

Art Corner: Choice Time in Art

This year I have been offering 3rd through 5th graders the opportunity to earn a "Free Choice Art Period". I put out some different supplies, a bunch of Step-by-Step drawing books, games, and more. It is so much fun to see what the kids choose to do. Some love to play games the whole time, while another might paint the same feather/leaf shape over and over and over again. Some draw from their imaginations, others using the step-by-step or idea books, and as you can see in this photo, even from observation. I love how one student captured her friends, paying attention to what they were wearing. Having this open-ended time to play creatively is so valuable. It's hard to do regularly in a school setting due to time constraints, but I hope you are able to encourage your artistically inclined children to spend some time exploring the themes and materials that delight them.

Lucy Ames, Art Teacher (she/her)

Read-a-Thon Packets Sent Home

Emerson Read-A-Thon packets are being sent home with each student this week. The packet contains a student and family guide to how the Read-a-Thon will work, a Reading Log (which will replace your student’s regular reading log during the Read-a-Thon), and two bookmarks to color in and use during the Read-a-Thon. Tomorrow, the Read-a-Thon will be announced to students during the All-School Meeting, and parents will receive an email with a link to our Read-a-Thon campaign page. If you don’t receive an email, you can search for your student’s page here: https://app.99pledges.com/fund/emersonreads23.

Questions: contact Ms. Jeannie at jeanniewang@berkeley.net or Ashleigh Kanat at ashleigh.kanat@gmail.com.

Art Show by our Art Teacher Ms. Ames!

Special Emerson Reception Date 3/5/23

Share your love of our Emerson art program with a visit to a gallery show by our very own Ms. Ames! BEAUTY IN THE BRANCHES is at the Annex by the El Cerrito Natural Grocery (10387 San Pablo Ave in El Cerrito) from January 17 - April 17, 2023.

Join other Emerson families and students on March 5th from 2 to 4pm for a special viewing session and visit with the artist. RSVP encouraged but not required.

There are postcards with details in the Office and the Art Room if you'd like one.

equity corner— join the 2023 equity study circle!

Equity work began at Emerson back in 2013 when a group of caregivers recognized that not all of our community felt welcomed at Emerson. Because of their advocacy, the PTA now funds annual racial equity trainings and workshops. The Spring Equity Study Circle is the keystone of the work we do throughout the year to provide a space to learn, connect, and engage in the issues that help us build a culturally inclusive, racially equitable, and welcoming school.

Over 100 members of our community have taken part in an Equity Study Circle since 2015, when our school’s Desired Racial Equity Outcome Plan (DREOP) was developed and adopted by the Emerson PTA. This year, the Equity VP’s have worked with our school site leadership to update this plan, to continue the work, as well as update information based on our changing world and the school district’s African American Success Framework (AASF) and the 2021 Latinx resolution and other affinity based BUSD programs and partnerships.

The Equity Study circle is facilitated by Ms. Pamela Harrison-Small and each of our events is free, with childcare provided by Mr. John and food and snacks for all attendees. We recognize the importance of your time and attention and ask you to join our circle this year; this is the place to make connections and build community, in service of our students. Please check out this video of previous Equity Circle members to learn more about their experiences. If you have completed a circle previously, please consider rejoining as so much has changed in the past three years due to the pandemic and each attendee helps craft and shape our discussion and study.

RSVP here; please let us know if we can help with accommodations directly in your RSVP or email us directly at equity@emersonelementary.org

Berkeley E-Bike Equity Project

Income qualified Berkeley residents can apply (by March 8!) to get a free electric bike— 50 awardees also get a helmet, locks, lights, safe riding training, and free maintenance for a year from Waterside Workshops! Learn more from the City of Berkeley here and apply here before the March 8th deadline!

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 emersonelementary.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.