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

MONTHLY LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Emerson Families,

We hope you enjoyed a safe and happy Spring Break! It’s hard to believe we only have eight weeks of the school year left. You are invited to join us for Coffee on the Yard and All School Meeting this Friday, April 12th at 8:00 am. This is our second-to-last gathering of the school year, and we will announce the Read-A-Thon results. Thank you to the Clute-Price and Cott-Lewis families, for hosting our Friday morning coffee socials all year.

This Friday we will celebrate our successful Heart of Emerson fundraising campaign with free t-shirts for our whole school. Thank you PTA fundraising committee: Stephanie Boys, Masha Danilenko and Elizabeth Valley! Big Smile to Michelle Falise for designing our t-shirts to be worn with pride.

We will have a special PTA Association meeting on Tuesday, May 7 at 7:00 pm in the Emerson Library. Ms. Melgoza will speak about the district-approved Welcoming Schools curriculum which encourages school communities to embrace family diversity, create an LGBTQ+ and gender inclusive environment, and prevent bullying. We will also approve the PTA budget and the PTA Board for next school year. Please attend.

Mark your calendars for the Emerson Open House on Thursday, May 9, from 5:30 - 7:00 pm. This is an opportunity for you to see your child’s Spring projects and classwork. It is also a time to visit prospective teachers, pick up art projects from Ms. Ames, and enjoy our school community.

Registration for summer school opened on April 1st. Staff will make recommendations and you may sign your child up here: BUSD Summer School 2024.

The results of the BUSD March Madness Attendance Challenge are in! Emerson came in at a solid 3rd place. We thank the 5th Grade Student Advisory Committee, who arrived early to reward students who came to school on time with stickers and pencils.

Let’s continue our great attendance as teachers administer final Spring Assessments in April and May. These tests reveal progress that students have made this year, and may determine future interventions and supports. In April, students in Grades K- 2 will take the DIBELS Literacy Assessment and Math Benchmark Exam. Students in Grades 3- 5 will take the STAR Reading and Math Assessments. The California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress is administered to students in Grades 3-5 in May. Parents of students in grades 3-5, please read the CAASPP Parent Notification Letter 2024 English and/ or CAASPP Parent Notification Letter 2024 Spanish.

Have a fine, fine day!

Jana Holmes

UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Friday, April 12, 8:00 am: Coffee on the Yard, followed by All School Meeting

Tuesday, April 16, 7:00 pm: School Site Council, Zoom link here,

Friday, May 3, 8:30 am: May All School Meeting

Tuesday, May 7, 7:00 pm: Special PTA Association Meeting (Emerson library)

Thursday, May 9, 5:30 - 7:00 pm: Emerson Open House

Saturday, May 11, 9:00 am: Emerson Spring Festival

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

ECLIPSE-INSPIRED ART

4th and 5th graders created these pieces using chalk. They had a "moon" paper to keep the chalk off of the sun and then used their creativity to create these eclipses in a variety of colors.

ORDER YOUR YEARBOOKS!

This year's Emerson Elementary Yearbook is available for sale!

Order your yearbook by Wednesday April 24 by clicking here!

The book + tax is $20 and includes all grades.

The PTA wants every 5th grader to get a yearbook. If families need help paying for the yearbook, please reach out to Lilyhowell@berkeley.net.

All other questions, contact mimi.milania@gmail.com.

EQUITY CORNER

ARAB AMERICAN AND SSWANA HERITAGE MONTH

BUSD banner graphic with text "BUSD Honors Arab American & SSWANA Heritage Month" over background of deep blue with lighter blue and gold textile patterns

Two years ago BUSD joined several local and regional school districts and our neighbor, UC Berkeley, in honoring Arab American Heritage Month for the first time. In an effort to uplift a growing part of our community and move toward inclusivity and evolving concepts of language and community, last year we added SSWANA, which is an acronym that stands for South Asian, Southwest Asian, and North African. This year, in our ongoing commitment to inclusivity, we celebrate Arab American & SSWANA Heritage Month in April across BUSD.

BUSD’s Arab American and SSWANA Heritage Month Resources

As part of Berkeley Unified School District’s values and beliefs, “We take pride in our diversity.” We recognize that the communities that fall under the Arab American and SSWANA umbrella are richly diverse and unique: from country of origin, language, and religion– to history, culture, and lived experiences. While not all Arab and SSWANA countries may be specifically represented in this set of resources, they were created in the spirit of taking great pride in our diverse community and adapting to meet the ever-changing needs of our students and families.

Family Guides
Please take advantage of BUSD’s Family Guide for Celebrating Arab American and SSWANA Heritage Month, compiled by BUSD’s Ethnic Studies Teacher on Special Assignment (TSA). It provides resources for families to Listen, Learn, and Lift Up, as they celebrate Arab American and SSWANA Heritage Month throughout April and beyond.

(English) https://tinyurl.com/familyGuideEng
(Arabic) https://tinyurl.com/familyGuideArab
(Spanish) https://tinyurl.com/familyGuideSpan

Image showing 3 books celebrating Arab American and SSWANA heritage, at 3 different grade levels

READING LISTS

These reading lists, organized by grade level, represent books published in the last five years that are devoted to celebrating, representing, and affirming Arab American and SSWANA heritage, and celebrating the invaluable contributions of our Arab American and SSWANA community. Every school library will receive copies of some of the newest books on the lists.

All these books are available through BUSD school libraries as a physical and/or digital book. For more information about any of these books or to check out a copy, please ask your school librarian.

You're invited to the third annual Community Block Party, brought to you by the Berkeley Public Schools Fund!

Saturday April 27, 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at Civic Center Park (across from Berkeley High, near the Farmers Market)

The Community Block Party is about celebrating our students and making connections that create a stronger community for Berkeley’s children. Plan to bring the whole family! Like last year, the Block Party is an all-BUSD “Open House," celebrating the brilliance of BUSD students across the district on stage, at activity tables, and on outdoor museum exhibit walls. It’s a gorgeous and inspiring event, not to be missed!

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.

BearFacts News - 04.11.24