Si tiene alguna duda sobre esta nota debido a la traduccion,
por favor comuniquese con Rafael Friedmann via email: rfriedmann@aol.com
MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Emerson Families,
It was good to see many of you at Back To School Night! In my fifth year as principal, I continue to be inspired by this community. The Emerson staff are experienced and have high expectations for students. They collaborate to design lessons that meet the needs of our students, and regularly review our assessment data in order to provide interventions as appropriate. Most of the staff have been here for many years, and either have a child here now or a child who attended here previously. My child is older now, but if he were elementary age, I would enroll him at Emerson because this is a school filled with passion for education and a love of children.
As a principal, I strive to build relationships with the students. These first two weeks of school, I have visited all the classrooms to introduce myself, explain what I do, and review the school expectations. I’ve had a lot of fun doing that, and it’s been a great reminder of why I do this job. I started out as a high school English teacher and have worked at every grade level; therefore, I know what we are preparing the students for by the time they get to high school. Our hope is that Emerson students will secure a strong foundation in academics, while learning to value kindness and the joy of education.
Students here benefit from a comprehensive program, which includes Art and PE at every grade level. Students also enjoy field trips to places such as UC Berkeley, Crab Cove, Angel Island, and many more. We are able to offer these programs through generous contributions from our community, via the ‘Heart of Emerson’ fundraising campaign. You will be hearing more about ‘Heart of Emerson’, and we hope you will plan now to budget a contribution to us this year.
Another way you can help our school is by completing the Free/Reduced Lunch form by Oct. 1st. We went from zero dollars to $40,000 in one year, simply because families filled out the form, whether they thought they qualified, whether your child eats school lunch, or not. Please help by completing the form here: https://secure.ezmealapp.com/ApplicationScreen.aspx.
We would like to partner with you to help us meet our THREE school-wide goals. The first goal is LITERACY. We are focusing on improved reading and writing outcomes, and staff will participate in trainings with literacy consultants provided by the district. You can help by reading with your child at home and completing nightly homework.
Our second goal is ATTENDANCE. Emerson has a higher truancy rate than the district average. Please do your very best to have your child on campus when the gates open at 8:00 am. The gates close at 8:10 am. Plan your trips and vacations during Thanksgiving, Winter, or Spring Break. Each day of school is important and we want your child here.
Our third goal is EQUITY. We are doubling down on equity, which means meeting all students and families where they are at. We will continue to honor the BUSD Resolutions to support AAPI Month, Black Lives Matter, The Welcoming Schools Curriculum (which support the LGBTQ community), and more. Check out the new interactive bulletin board in the main hallway which celebrates the many languages we speak here, and add your family's information to it. We will continue to offer Equity workshops for parents and hope you will join us on September 21st for the Meeting on the Bridge–the topic is selecting children’s books for global awareness. Our staff will receive equity training as well, which will help us develop culturally responsive lesson plans, which have been shown to increase student engagement and learning.
We invite you to get involved by joining the PTA and School Site Council, so you can make new friends, join our community, and give your input to help us reach our goals. Check out the Remind messages and BearFacts for more information about how to volunteer.
I’d like to invite you to reach out to me with any questions or concerns throughout the school year. I like to say I have an open door policy. Please email me, call me or see me at the gate to the school in the morning. It is my privilege to help with your child's education.
Sincerely,
Jana Holmes
UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES
Friday, September 8: Pajama Day!
Saturday, September 9: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser (Emerson blacktop)
Monday, September 11: First Day of PTA After School Classes
Saturday, September 16: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser (Emerson blacktop)
Friday, September 21: PTA Equity Committee Meeting On The Bridge - Cultivating Cross-Cultural Compassion: Mirror/Window Books, 5:30pm (Emerson Library)
Saturday, September 30: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser (Emerson blacktop)
Wednesday, October 4: Walk & Roll to School Day
Thursday, October 12: PTA Equity Committee Meeting On The Bridge - Microaggressions: Navigating Cultural Boundaries and Empowering Caregivers to Discern Between Cultural Appropriation and Appreciation, 5:30pm (Emerson Library)
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 WITH MS. AMES
1st Grade Owls
After reading a story of a young owl who had to try many, many times to fly (“Abracadabra! The Magic of Trying" by Maria Loretta Giraldo, Illustrated by Nicoletta Bertelle), we looked at how the illustrator created texture by using lines. We drew many different kinds of lines for our bodies and then added more collage and crayon details to complete these fun owls. They are hanging up by the library if you'd like to take a closer look.
PTA ANNOUNCEMENTS
WHERE’S WALDO SCHOOL DIRECTORY
The “Where’s Waldo” secure online directory is a great parent resource to connect with other Emerson families–think playdates and carpools! We’re hoping to have 100% participation this year. To have your family’s information included, please fill out your info at:
CALL FOR PARENT VOLUNTEERS FOR 2023-24!
BECOME A GRADE PARENT
Calling all COMMUNITY-BUILDERS, CONNECTORS, and those looking to get involved – the Emerson PTA and your grade cohort NEEDS you! Grade Parents are critical connectors between the PTA, classroom families, and teachers. Please consider signing up.
You can find out more about what it means to be a Grade Parent here: https://bit.ly/GradeParents
Sign up by email/text: Krysten Curtis, PTA Executive Vice President
krysten.curtis@emersonelementary.org or 415-694-3479
Thank you for considering this important role!
JOIN THE SAFE ROUTES TO SCHOOL COMMITTEE
Want to help ensure that Emerson students have safe and green ways to get to school? Join the Safe Routes to School committee! Our first event is International Walk and Roll to School Day, Wednesday, October 4. Email Kevin (kevin.jude@emersonelementary.org) if you're interested.
LOOKING FOR A NEW YEARBOOK EDITOR
Hello Emerson Community! We currently have no one handling the 2023-24 Emerson Yearbook. It can be a solo project, or you can assemble a team of contributors. Online yearbook platforms are available to streamline designing and printing the book, and handle orders—we are happy to share what we've used recently. The bulk of putting Emerson's yearbook together happens January to April, though it's nice to start capturing photos now. If you're interested in taking this on, reach out to Michelle Falise (mfalise@gmail.com). The kids love the book, and it's a nice send off at the end of the school year!
ONE MORE BEARFACTS EDITOR WANTED!
Don’t have a lot of time, but looking to contribute in some way? Look no further! The Emerson communications team is looking for just one more editor for the weekly BearFacts newsletter. All work can be done from home. No experience necessary, we’ll train you! The time commitment is about 2-3 hours every 6 weeks.
Interested? Please contact Carol (carol.wang@emersonelementary.org) to learn more.
EQUITY CORNER
The PTA's Equity Committee Presents the first of two Meetings on the Bridge for the 2023-2024 school year.
Join us in the library on Thursday, September 21, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm for Cultivating Cross-Cultural Compassion: Mirror/Window Books for Fostering Children's Global Awareness.
Let's learn together about mirror and window books, and how we can cultivate our children's global awareness and cultural compassion through reading! This event is open to parents, caregivers, educators, and staff.
Dinner and childcare provided. RSVP here: tinyurl.com/MOB92123
SAVE THE DATE: Our last “Meetings on the Bridge” will be on Thursday, October 12, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm in the Emerson library. Microaggressions: Navigating Cultural Boundaries and Empowering Caregivers to Discern Between Cultural Appropriation and Appreciation.
Also check out BUSD’s Ethnic Studies Newsletter for August-September 2023: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1chSWr4q79V579t1c9EG9CYvqpOzFWyto/view
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 submission deadline is each Monday at 6 p.m.
Copyright © 2023. Emerson Elementary PTA. All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
2800 Forest Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94705