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

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Join BUSD in Celebrating Black History Month in February. To support learning, reflection, and celebration, we invite families and staff to visit our Black History Month webpage for Grade-level Reading Lists, Family Guides, Teaching Resources, the African American Student Success Framework report, and community events, including at Emerson!

UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Friday, Feb. 13: Lincoln's Birthday Holiday; No School

Monday, Feb. 16: Presidents Day Holiday; No School

Thursday, Feb. 19: “I am a Performer” Music Assembly, 8:20am caregivers welcome (Multi-Purpose Room)

Thursday, Feb. 26: Black History Month Read a Loud: “Free the Curls” read a loud by Marissa Mc Gree, 6:00- 6:45 pm (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.

Virtual Tour of Emerson Elementary

Here is a “Welcome to Emerson” virtual tour of Emerson that you can share information about our wonderful school with those who missed the site tours in November - January. https://youtu.be/yOgtR2LKV5k

February Staff Appreciation Lunch

Thank you for the delicious February Staff Appreciation lunch hosted by the 2nd Grade Caregivers. We had tacos, sides, and delicious desserts from 5 Tacos & Beers. The staff was encouraged and thankful as they head into the report card season. We appreciate you!

Heart of Emerson T-Shirt Orders - Feb. 19 Deadline

Hey Emerson community, get your t-shirts here!! To celebrate meeting our Heart of Emerson fundraising goal, each student/staff member can order a FREE t-shirt!

Extra t-shirts can be ordered for $15 each. Fill out the order form to claim your free shirt and specify your desired size(s).

https://tinyurl.com/EMERSONtshirt2026

Orders will be taken through Thursday, 2/19

so don’t delay! Email

fundraising@emersonelementary.org with any questions.

Winter Equity Circle: Jan. 28 - April 8, 2026

The PTA Equity Team is excited to invite you to be part of the 2026 Equity Circle! This is a warm, welcoming space where Emerson families, caregivers, and staff come together every two weeks to learn, discuss, listen, and take action toward equity in education.

With guidance from Ms. Pamela Harrison-Small, Racial Justice and Educational Equity Strategist, we’ll explore identity, talk about academic gaps by race at our school and in the district, and build community-driven solutions that help every student thrive.

Next Sessions: Feb 25, Mar 11, Mar 25, Apr 8 (from 6 - 8 pm)
Dinner and childcare (for Emerson students) will be provided.

We’d love for you to come to all the sessions—but even if you can only make a few, we’d be thrilled to have you!

Please RSVP:https://tinyurl.com/EquityCircle2026 so we can plan food and childcare.

Black History Month Read a Loud: “Free the Curls” read aloud by Marissa Mc Gree - Feb. 26

Author Visit on Thursday, Feb. 26 in honor of Black History Month. The author will read her book, "Free the Curls" and sign copies, which will be available for purchase between 6:00- 6:45 pm in the Emerson Library. Hosted by Ms. Rachel and Principal Holmes.

LIBRARY CORNER

The Black Lives Matter Reading Lists have been updated on our library website! These reading lists, organized by grade level, represent books published recently that are devoted to cultivating Black joy, pride and love, and celebrating the incredible contributions and history of the Black community.

Art Corner

Love is in the air! Artists TK through 2nd have been using hearts as inspiration for their art lately. The TK class printed hearts and then cut the paper to create a collage of a "Love Bug." Kindergarten artists were inspired by Jessie Raulet (brand name "Etta Vee") to create colorful hearts with paint sticks and metallic pens. 1st and 2nd grade artists drew (approximately) 100 hearts for the 100th day of school and then colored them by wetting bleeding tissue paper over the hearts. The following week they took those tissue paper scraps and created hearts covered in "tissue pops."

Community Event: Special BUSD Film Screening –

Epicenter: The Struggle for Black Studies in the Bay Area

We invite you to our first community event, highlighting the Berkeley community and Black history, a special Berkeley Unified screening of Epicenter, a documentary by Berkeley High alumnus Doug Harris that traces the Bay Area roots of the Black Studies movement and honors longtime Berkeley High educator Robert McKnight.

When: Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Time: 5:30 PM, Screening begins at 6:00 PM
Where: Old West Campus Auditorium (Oxford Auditorium)
Registration: Free to the public; registration required via Eventbrite.

check out our new EMERSON FAMILY DIRECTORY!

You can access the new ONLINE Family Directory here:

https://emersonelementary.org/directory

Anyone who is in the directory can log in via Google or Yahoo to access. Note that anyone, not just Gmail users, can create a Google account with their existing email address to access.

Families can submit their information or updates via the "Update Your Information" link. Responses are manually reviewed by our webmaster before access is provided.

This is a new platform and a work in progress. Please email us with any questions or concerns at communications@emersonelementary.org

The Family Directory is organized by the Emerson Parent Teacher Association (PTA). The Emerson Elementary Family Directory is a tool for families to coordinate and communicate. For example, families have used the Family Directory to coordinate carpools and playdates outside of school hours.

The Family Directory is not used by Emerson Elementary School administration to contact families; School Administration communications are sent using the Remind Application

FIND EMERSON ONLINE

Website: https://emersonelementary.org/

Remind: Text @7f6hb to 81010; or go to www.remind.com/join/7f6hb

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 - 2.12.2026