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MONTHLY LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Emerson Families,

Happy New Year! What a joy to return to our wonderful community after Winter Break. We have several special events planned for January. This Friday, January 12, caregivers are invited to socialize during morning drop-off while enjoying PTA-hosted coffee and treats on the blacktop. This will be followed by the January All School Meeting in the Multi-Purpose Room, featuring Student Shout Outs. Afterwards, you may join our annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. community march in celebration of his lasting legacy.

We hope you will attend the PTA Association meeting on Thursday, January 18th in the Emerson Library at 6:00 pm. We are proud to feature a presentation by our PTA President Merlin Edwards II, founder of Educate Me Too Consulting. The topic will be Positive Parenting and Discipline. You will learn strategies to nurture your students to become strong and resilient as they grow. Food and childcare provided. See this flier for more information.

We also hope you sign up for the free Winter Equity Circle. We invite you to create lasting bonds and friendships with parents committed to building a welcoming and inclusive school for all. We will meet for six sessions, with a kick-off on Saturday, January 20, and subsequent meetings on Thursday evenings through February. Dinner and childcare provided- RSVP here. You can learn why you should join here: Why Equity Circle? and visit the program site at: https://emersonelementary.org/equity.

It’s time to register for the 2024- 2025 school year! If you have an incoming TK or Kindergartener, or an outgoing 5th Grade student, be sure to enroll your child before February 2, 2024. The last Emerson School Tour is Thursday, January 18th at 8:30 am- call the front office to reserve your spot. You may also want to attend the Incoming Kindergarten Night on Tuesday, January 16th at 6 pm in the Emerson Library. The Middle School Information Nights are in January- please visit the district website for exact times, dates, locations, and registration information for each school: https://www.berkeleyschools.net/admissions/.

Finally, I am very pleased to announce that we have met our Heart of Emerson fundraising goal! With your help, we raised the 195K needed to ensure Art, PE, Field Trips, Materials and Supplies, Special Events, and more, continue at Emerson for the 2024- 2025 school year! A special thank you to our amazing Fundraising Co-Chairs who worked tirelessly to help us meet this goal. Please join me in expressing appreciation for Stephanie Boys (Harrison’s mom), Masha Danilenko (Kirill’s mom), and Elizabeth Valley (Nolan’s mom) for everything they have done to support our school! We also thank Amy Fire, (Phoenix and Fenris’ mom) for keeping track of the numbers as our PTA Treasurer. Wow - we did it together!

Thank you for your continued care and support of Emerson.

Sincerely,

Jana Holmes

JANUARY ALL SCHOOL MEETING AND MARCH

Join fellow caregivers THIS FRIDAY (1/12) for Coffee on the Yard at drop-off, followed by the January All School Meeting at 8:30am. At 9am, join us for a special community march, celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his lasting legacy.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES

January 1 - February 2: BUSD Round 1 enrollment dates for 2024- 2025 school year https://www.berkeleyschools.net/admissions/

Monday, January 15: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (NO SCHOOL)

Thursday, January 18: PTA Association Meeting #2

Saturday, January 20: Winter Equity Circle series kick-off, 10am-2pm (Emerson Library) Dinner and childcare are provided - RSVP here. (Subsequent sessions will be on Thursday evenings through the end of February).

Thursday, January 25: Equity Circle Meeting #2, 5:30-7:30pm (Emerson Library)

Monday, January 29: Staff Professional Development Day (NO SCHOOL)

Thursday, February 1: Equity Circle Meeting #3 5:30-7:30pm (Emerson Library)

Thursday, February 8: Equity Circle Meeting #4 5:30-7:30pm (Emerson Library)

Friday, February 16: Lincoln’s Birthday Holiday (NO SCHOOL)

Monday, February 19: Presidents’ Day Holiday (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.

PTA ASSOCIATION MEETING

You are invited to the January 18, 2024 PTA Association Meeting!

We are proud to present the Workshop topic: POSITIVE PARENTING & DISCIPLINE

Presenter Merlin Edwards II, Educate Me Too Consulting, will share strategies to nurture your student to become strong and resilient as they grow.

Time: 6:30pm - 7:15pm

Where: Emerson Library

Childcare & food provided!

We hope to see you there!

EQUITY CORNER

WINTER EQUITY CIRCLE SERIES KICKS OFF THIS MONTH!

The PTA Equity committee invites you to join a thoughtful community committed to learning and talking about building key principles of racial equity at Emerson while growing in our own self-awareness, advocacy, and engagement.. We will meet for six sessions, with a kick-off on January 20, and subsequent meetings on Thursday evenings through February (1/25, 2/1, 2/8, 2/22, 2/29).

Dinner and Childcare is provided- please RSVP here.

Find out more information and register here: tinyurl.com/winterequity24

ART CORNER WITH MS. AMES

Six photos of 2nd grade art work depicting red cardinals in the snow sitting on tree branches.

Cardinals in the Snow by 2nd Grade Artists: A Perennial Favorite

This is one of those projects that I have been doing for decades and will do until I retire! The artists started their cardinals by drawing a teardrop wing shape. I guided them step-by-step (always reminding them that they can do it differently than I do). They drew the cardinal in Sharpie and then colored with oil pastel. Next, they drew a zoomed-in section of a tree. The final touch was the snow, applied with a Q-tip! I love how each cardinal has its own personality and how the red cardinals stand out so well against the snow.

-Ms. Ames

PTA AFTERSCHOOL CLASSES FOR SPRING 2024

Registration: January 16 (subject to change)
Program Dates: January 30 - May 24

More details on class offerings and schedules to come!

To request a scholarship, please fill out this form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfxsr4QJyKbBVXmlU1Isiv8pScrhfDvFJjE7KQaVwPG9BkEgg/viewform?pli=1

If you find value in these after school classes providing on-site care for part-time needs, please volunteer to help or lead this program for Spring 2024 and the future. This program cannot continue without the addition of more volunteers, and currently it is short-staffed. Join us at: enrichment@emersonelementary.org

JANUARY IS DISABILITY AWARENESS AND HISTORY MONTH

On December 6, 2023, the Board of Education voted unanimously to approve Resolution 24-017: Declaring January Disability Awareness and History Month in BUSD.

From BUSD’s Disability Awareness and History Month Resources page:

Disability Awareness and History Month in BUSD is an opportunity to educate our community about the many historical contributions of those with disabilities and to center the experiences and needs of our students and staff with disabilities. By engaging in critical conversations about disability and providing educator and family resources, we will encourage a culture of inclusion and belonging not only in January but year-round.

Join BUSD in celebrating, uplifting, and honoring the diverse histories, experiences, and voices of our disabled students, staff, and community members throughout the month. Together we can disrupt the marginalization of those with disabilities and create a more equitable and inclusive school district, community, and society that will allow all students to thrive.

To learn more:

Disability Awareness and History Month Family Guide in English
Disability Awareness and History Month Family Guide in Spanish

BUSD MIDDLE SCHOOL INFO NIGHTS

FOR FIFTH GRADE FAMILIES

The Middle School Information Meetings are in January!
All nights begin at 6pm and are held on campus at each school.

Wednesday, January 10: Willard Middle School
Wednesday, January 17: Longfellow Middle School
Wednesday, January 24: King Middle School

Enrollment forms are due by Friday, February 2, 2024.
For more information please call the BUSD Admissions office at 510-644- 6504 and/or see
https://www.berkeleyschools.net/admissions/

LCAP LISTENING SESSIONS

BUSD District Leadership will begin hosting listening sessions for the community in January. You are encouraged to attend one of the following listening sessions:

1/10/24, 10am - 12pm (location/format TBD)
1/11/24, 6pm - 8pm (BHS Library)
1/16/24, 6pm - 8pm (Virtual)
1/23/24, 6pm - 8pm (location/format TBD)

What is the LCAP?

A key accountability requirement of the state’s Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), the LCAP is a three-year plan that every district and charter school must create and update annually with input from the community. The LCAP is intended to explain how the district will use state funds to improve educational outcomes for all students based on eight state priorities, with special attention to high-needs students for whom the district receives additional money.

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.