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por favor comuniquese con Rafael Friedmann via email: rfriedmann@aol.com
Message from the Principal
Dear Emerson Community,
This week brought its own set of new challenges. Some of us woke up Monday morning to power outages and gusting winds. Thank you for your flexibility and patience. Through all of this, it has been difficult to strike the balance between too much communication and not enough. I do my best to avoid sending you Remind messages on the weekend, recognizing that during the week you may be getting many. During distance learning, we want to make sure you are aware but don’t want to inundate you with text and emails either. Please know we are aware of the potential for information overload, but our goal is to keep you informed.
If you were a participant in the last School Board meeting webinar you may know that the target date for the school reopening has been pushed to January 13, 2020. This decision meets our school community with mixed emotions of relief and disappointment. It is important to understand that Emerson Elementary is under the umbrella of Berkeley Unified School District and we can not act independently. However, we are taking steps to ready for the eventual school opening, including installation of touchless drinking fountains, air purification systems in the classrooms, hand sanitizing stations in the classrooms and hallways, safety markings throughout the school, plexiglass in the main office, and the development of a school-wide updated safety plan and much more. Still, Emerson can not open without the approval of the district submitted plans to Alameda County Health Department and Office of Education. If you have questions about the school reopening progress I welcome you to visit the district School Reopening Dashboard at: https://www.berkeleyschools.net/coronavirus/elementary-dashboard/ or contact me directly at janaholmes@berkeley.net.
The stress this pandemic continues to place upon our community is immeasurable. School-based therapist Ms. Marlies Rosmark is currently facilitating a support group for parents which meets once a week. If you are interested in joining the next session, which will run for about 6- 8 weeks, please contact her at mrosmark@bacr.org or 510-559-3039.
Finally, we anticipate Emerson will face significant funding challenges for the 2020- 2021 school year. Most of our typical fundraisers have been postponed or canceled. If you are able, please show your support by purchasing a gift certificate from Ms. Dalloways, local Berkeley bookstore, between November 11 - 14. We will receive 15% of the proceeds, but you must be careful to indicate Emerson-Berkeley in the Order Comment Field at the bottom of the Checkout Page. This is important because there is an Emerson Elementary in Oakland too. This is a great opportunity to support Emerson and complete some early holiday shopping.
Take good care,
Jana Holmes
Upcoming Events & Key Dates
Monday, Nov 2 and Tues, Nov 3 - 4th and 5th grade book bag pick-up
Friday, October 30 - Schedule change - School WILL be in session.
Wednesday, Nov 11 - No School - Veterans Day
Wednesday, Nov 11 - Saturday, Nov 14 - Mrs. Dalloway’s Fundraiser (details below)
Saturday, Nov 14 - PTA Equity Retreat (details below)
Mon., Nov 16 - Fri, Nov. 20th - Rescheduled - Parent-Teacher Conferences
Turs., Nov 19: Black Lives Matter workshop (details below)
Friday, Nov. 20th - Schedule change - No School - Parent-Teacher Conferences
Find more dates/details: emerson.berkeleypta.org/calendar
MRS. DALLOWAYS 12th ANNUAL SCHOOL BENEFIT FUNDRAISER
Wednesday - Saturday, Nov 11-14 - Online event. All day. All night. 4 days!
How it Works: Purchase gift certificates online from Mrs Dolloay’s Bookstore during our 4-day fundraiser, Nov 11-14 and Mrs. Dalloway’s will donate 15% of your purchase to Emerson-Elementary-Berkeley. Purchase as many gift certificates as you want, in any denomination, and redeem either online or in person (when the store reopens). Mrs. Dalloway's keeps a digital record of all gift certificates, and they never expire. Spread the word to your friends, neighbors, and out-of-town family. Anyone anywhere can participate and support our school.
IMPORTANT:
In order for your purchase to be counted, YOU MUST ENTER “Emerson - BERKELEY” IN THE ORDER COMMENTS FIELD at the bottom of the Checkout page. Please note there is an Emerson Elementary in Oakland so it it important to write “Emerson- BERKELEY”
Gift certificates MUST be purchased between November 11-14.
Click HERE to purchase gift certificates!
Mrs. Dalloway's School Fundraiser is an easy and safe way to raise money for your school!
Looking for gift ideas or book suggestions? Visit Mrs. Dalloway's website and check out our
Holiday Recommendations for Adults & Kids.
Questions? Contact info@mrsdalloways.com
Equity Corner:
The Emerson Equity Team is happy to share some upcoming ways to work together and learn about racial equity in our school and beyond.
We welcome everyone to Monthly Racial Equity Discussions for the Emerson community on the 3rd Thursday of each month at 7-8:30pm. Our whole community is invited to have a facilitated discussion about racial equity with Ms. Pamela Small at these discussions (Zoom links to follow):
Nov 19: Black Lives Matter. A workshop to help Emerson parents better understand the BLM movement, its origins, and why it is relevant to all of our children's lives, regardless of their race.
Dec 17: Having Hard Conversations about Race: the practice (just in time for the holidays!)
Come find out why the Emerson PTA focuses our efforts on racial equity. Everyone is welcome to join us for a deeper dive with the PTA Equity Retreat. We will build community, look at the opportunity gap at Emerson, and learn important skills that parents can use to welcome and support all of our families (and how far we have to go!).
Nov 14, 9am - 1pm: PTA Equity Retreat (Zoom link to follow)
Stay tuned for a Racial Equity Circle invitation for the Spring.
Email us with any questions or ideas:
Kelly Shimoda (Winnie, 1st) kelly.shimoda@gmail.com
Viv White (Ace, 4th) vivwhite@gmail.com
Staff Corner:
Hello Emerson students and families. We miss you so much and hope that you are all doing well. This week some Emerson staff members answered the question: If you could go back in time and give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Watch here. Enjoy!
Student Corner:
Here you can check out some of our ADORABLE Emerson students answering the question: What is your favorite Halloween or Dia de Los Muertos memory?
This week's question is: How does it feel being a student during distant learning?
Here is where you can share your answer with a song, dance, picture or story to be shared with the Emerson community.
Support Emerson PTA - BECOME A MEMBER TODAY!
The Emerson Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) brings together parents/guardians, teachers/staff and friends of Emerson to work for a positive school experience for all children at our school. As a member, you can vote on programming and spending decisions. Parents, guardians, extended family members or friends of all Emerson students are invited. Please renew membership every year. Please sign up ONLINE at https://emerson.berkeleypta.org/pta-membership. A donation of $10/person is suggested but NOT required. For questions, contact cluetters09@gmail.com.
ZOOM FRIENDLY RULE REMINDERS:
Be prepared for class by wearing clothes, putting away toys and ready to participate
Be aware of your surroundings- remember your teacher and class can see behind you. Try to find a quiet place to join the Zoom meeting.
Mute yourself when you enter the meeting use the microphone bottom and wait for the teacher to call on you to unmute.
Raise your hand and wait for the teacher to call on you- take turns and practice being patient.
Be respectful- contribute to class positively and be a Zoom leader by participating responsibly.
Find Emerson Online
Website: emerson.berkeleypta.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. It is distributed each Thursday in students' Look Folders and via email.
If you have a news item or announcement to include in the BearFacts News, please send an email to emersonschoolnews@gmail.com. Please keep your message brief and include all the pertinent details including dates, times, locations and contact information. The deadline is each Monday at 6 p.m.
Copyright © 2020. Emerson Elementary PTA. All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
2800 Forest Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94705