Si tiene alguna duda sobre esta nota debido a la traduccion,
por favor comuniquese con Rafael Friedmann via email: rfriedmann@aol.com

STUDENTS PERFORM WITH THE BERKELEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

Emerson hosted the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Ming Luke, for a very special program entitled 'I Am a Performer' on Wednesday, February 21. Each grade, from TK to 5th, got a chance to perform with a live orchestra in the multi-purpose room in front of an audience of caregivers, teachers, and fellow students. This wonderful opportunity was made possible by funds from the Berkeley Schools Excellence Program (BSEP). Measure H is a parcel tax that is up for renewal on the March ballot. Voting YES will ensure that BSEP can continue to offer programs such this. You can read more about the importance of Measure H further down in this week’s issue.

If you weren’t able to attend, here is a playlist of all the grade performances: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL07klHrd_QU1he1eVb7B4KEsaT8GO2MFB

Black History Month

Black History Month Events

Edutainment for Equity Webinar Series on Educating the Black Child: Dr. Bettina Love (February 12, 11:00am-1:00pm, virtual); Dr. Juanza Kunjufu (February 27, 11:00am-1:00pm, virtual)
BUSD Black History District Oratorical Fest (March 21, 5:30-8:00pm, Oxford Auditorium)

BUSD January & February Family Engagement Event Summary (English & Spanish)

BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN BERKELEY

Mama Howard at the BART construction site

MABLE HOWARD

Have you noticed the BART tracks that go underground at Alcatraz and Adeline? That familiar underground hum marking the passing of the day for South Berkeley residents came about due to the work of Mable “Mama” Howard (1905-1994). Mama Howard was a powerful and influential community figure that protected the South Berkeley community from further racial division by filing a lawsuit against BART in 1968, to prevent the new transit tracks from further dividing our community, when she was 63.

Construction workers had already begun tearing down 517 homes to make way for the new raised BART tracks that would run along Adeline Avenue; Mama Howard was able to see the placement of the tracks as another boundary that would further segregate the families in South Berkeley from the rest of the city*. Pollution, visual blight, and displacement were other issues that motivated the entire city to tax themselves to fund the underground BART track because BART intended to build the tracks aboveground, regardless of community input. Mama Howard’s lawsuit stopped BART for nine months and forced BART to move the trains underground, supported by 80% of Berkeley residents who taxed themselves to fund the work.

Mama Howard’s impact can be seen more clearly in this documentary, “Welcome to the Neighborhood” that tells her story alongside her daughter, Mildred Howard, an accomplished artist who champions her mother’s work to change our community for the better. While the grassroots effort to rename the Ashby BART station after Mama Howard continues, an apartment building at 1499 Alcatraz (at California) bears her name.

*HOLC redlining, the FHA, and restrictive covenants only allowed people of color to purchase homes in South Berkeley. For a more thorough history of gentrification in Berkeley, read Darrell Owens’ History of Gentrification in Berkeley.

PTA COUNCIL SPEAKER SERIES

The Berkeley PTA Council (BPTA) would like to invite all BUSD families and teachers to our PTA Council speaker series. The speaker series objective is to provide the BUSD community with resources and information to enhance and enrich the experiences of our BUSD students.

The first speaker is Chris Albeck, the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for BUSD. Chris will be presenting the upcoming changes to reading/writing, social studies, and math curriculum. All BUSD community members are welcome to this discussion. Q&A will follow the presentation.

LITERACY COMMUNITY LISTENING SESSION

As a part of the next phase of the K-5 Language Arts adoption process, BUSD is hosting an upcoming Literacy Community Listening Session. Please see this flyer to learn more about the event on Wednesday, February 28th.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Thursday, February 22: Equity Circle Meeting #5, 5:30-7:30pm (Emerson Library)

Thursday, Feb. 22: BUSD Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) Meeting, 6:00-8:00pm, Virtual on Zoom: (Zoom/Meeting ID: 885 3767 9562/PW:BUSDPAC)

Thursday, February 28: Info Session for BUSD Families about State Seal of Biliteracy, 5:30-7:00pm, Virtual on Zoom: (ZOOM / MTG ID: 839 8820 6468 / PW: 303938)

Thursday, February 29: Equity Circle Meeting #6, 5:30-7:30pm (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.

VOTE TO HELP PASS MEASURE H BSEP Renewal on THE March 5 ballot!

The Berkeley Schools Excellence Program (BSEP) accounts for nearly 20% of the BUSD budget paying for 1/3 of our teachers, support for struggling students, all of our libraries, much of our music program and so much more. It requires 67% of the vote to pass. PLEASE help us ensure our Berkeley schools stay strong and vote YES -- none of us want to consider what would happen if this 30-year-old tax is not renewed!

Ways you can help:

VOTE YES on Measure H on March 5 or on your mail-in ballot
Volunteer a shift canvassing to raise awareness. Sign up HERE
Do you want a yard sign? Sign up HERE
Can you donate to pay for mailers, signs and other critical materials? Please do HERE
Talk with your friends, neighbors, all Berkeley voters on the critical importance of this measure for our kids and community, and encourage them to VOTE YES on March 5 or when mail-in ballots drop early Feb!

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.