Si tiene alguna duda sobre esta nota debido a la traduccion,
por favor comuniquese con Rafael Friedmann via email: rfriedmann@aol.com
OCTOBER ALL SCHOOL MEETING
Just in case you missed last week’s October All School Meeting, here’s the video produced by Berkeley Schools Volunteer, Mr. Phil: https://youtu.be/Bni8wHePTxA
REMINDER: Early Release Week
Parent Teacher Conferences are Monday, October 27- Thursday, October 30
NO SCHOOL on Friday, October 31, 2025
TK/ Kinder are released every day at 12:30 pm
Grades 1-5 are released every day at 1:10 pm
Kids World will be in Session
HALLOWEEN PARADE
The annual Halloween Parade on College Avenue will be on Thursday, October 30th, at 8:30 am
Students should wear their costumes to school
Free costumes will be available in the office for students who need/want one
Caregivers are welcome to join the parade
No scary costumes with weapons. No costumes that portray a group's culture.
UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES
Thursday, October 16: Technology Pledge, 5:30 - 7:00 pm (Library)
Friday, October 17: End of First Trimester
Friday, October 17: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser (volunteer HERE)
Friday, October 24: Picture Day
Monday, October 27 - Thursday, October 30: Parent/Teacher Conferences (early release week)
Thursday, October 30: Halloween Parade, 8:30 am (meet on blacktop)
Friday, October 31: NO SCHOOL, Elementary Conference Day
Sunday, November 2: Fall Festival, 10 am- 1 pm
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.
Walk & Roll to School Day!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for International Walk & Roll to School Day (#WalkAndRoll2025)! It was wonderful to see so many students, families, and community leaders walking, biking, and rolling to Emerson together.
Please check out our google album from the day: https://photos.app.goo.gl/oQEfyxftBzMFoZeJ9 (and add any photos you might want to share!).
Mr. Bob is a Chris Kindness Award Winner!
We’re thrilled to honor Robert “Mr. Bob” Clear, October’s Chris Kindness Award winner, for his cheerful service directing morning traffic and greeting families at Emerson Elementary. We have benefited from Mr. Bob’s daily acts of kindness as a community and we want to say THANK YOU for his years of service and his place in our social fabric.
The Chris Kindness Award celebration will be held at the Emerson Elementary School Multi-Purpose Room - 2800 Forest Ave. Berkeley - 12:50-1:20 p.m. Due to limited space, we are limiting participation to the PTA Board, Emerson students, and staff.
Please be aware that this event is likely to include TV news or print media coverage; however, we will instruct the media that they can not interview students or use student names without permission. If you have questions, please contact Principal Holmes directly.
EQUITY SHELF BOOK CLUB
Equity Shelf is our PTA-sponsored book club that explores books fostering conversations about equity, inclusion, and community. Whether you’re new to these topics or have been on this journey for a while, this is a space to learn, share, and connect with other caregivers and educators.
This month’s read: The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
A national bestseller when it first appeared in 1963, The Fire Next Time galvanized the nation and gave passionate voice to the emerging civil rights movement.
What to read: If you can’t read the whole book, please read the essay “My Dungeon Shook: Letter to My Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation.”
Details
• Date: Wednesday, November 5th, 2025
• Time: 5:30–7:30 PM (Dinner at 5:30 PM; Book Club begins at 6:00 PM)
• Location: Emerson Elementary Library (Childcare provided for Emerson students)
New to the club? No problem! Everyone is welcome, whether or not you’ve attended a previous session.
Please RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/EquityShelf2
Need a copy of the book? Please RSVP as soon as possible so we can get you one.
Save the date: Our next fall Equity Shelf meeting will be on December 10, 5:30–7:30 PM.
Questions or comments? Email us at equity@emersonelementary.org
DIA DE LOS MUERTOS AT EMERSON
Join BUSD in Celebrating LGBTQ+ and Filipina/x/o History Months in October
Visit the district’s LGBTQ+ History Month web page for LGBTQ+ reading lists by grade level, background on LGBTQ+ History Month, a resource guide, and much more.
Visit the district’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month web page for reading lists by grade level, family guides, teaching guides, and more for celebrating Filipina/x/o History Month.
Emerson K (&TK!) Tours—Volunteer Tour Guides Needed
Share your love of Emerson with prospective Kindergarten and TK families - be a tour guide!
Tours will take place for prospective families at Emerson Thursdays from 8:15 am to ~ 9:45 am, November 13th - January 15th, 2026.
We will have two leaders per tour this year, and are eager to welcome new tour guides, especially those families that have just joined us at Emerson this year. We’ll provide you with talking points, answers to FAQ’s, and other information to make the job easy and fun.
Sign up to co-lead a tour here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080444ABAD2FA5F94-58927578-emerson
We also need a few volunteers to:
Staff the Emerson table at the BUSD Kinder Fair on December 6, 2025 from 10am-1pm, at the BUSD District Office (2020 Bonar St) - sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080444ABAD2FA5F94-58927578-emerson
Answer questions at Emerson’s TK/Kinder Information Night, tentatively set for Thursday January 15, 2026 at 6pm in the Emerson Library - sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080444ABAD2FA5F94-58927578-emerson
Please email tours@emersonelementary.org with questions.
Kinder and T-K tours start Thursday 11/13/25 at 8:30am!
EMERSON FAMILY DIRECTORY
DON’T FORGET TO ADD YOUR CONTACT INFO TO OUR ONLINE FAMILY DIRECTORY!
To submit or update information, visit:
https://tinyurl.com/EMERSONFamilyDirectory
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.
Questions? email communications@emersonelementary.org
Note: The Family Directory is not used by Emerson Elementary School administration to contact families; School Administration communications are sent using the Remind Application. To join remind: text @7f6hb to 81010; or go to - http://www.remind.com/join/7f6h.
BUSD’s FALL FIX-IT FEST!
Join us for BUSD’s Fall Fix-it Fest! A Free Community Repair Event brought to you by BUSD's Climate Literacy and Makerspace Programs!
Saturday, October 18, 1–3:30 pm
Willard Middle School (in the cafeteria)
2425 Stuart Street, Berkeley, CA 94705
Learn to repair your broken items and help reduce waste in our community.
We will provide a workspace, tools, and guidance from a volunteer “Repair Coach” to help you disassemble, troubleshoot, and hopefully fix your item.
Categories include: clothing, electronics, bicycles, small appliances, small furniture, toys, sporting goods, jewelry, ceramics, shoes and more!
Register your item in advance (recommended), volunteer, or find more info, go to: https://bit.ly/fixitfests
JOIN THE BEARFACTS NEWSLETTER TEAM!
Have you read through this entire newsletter? Do you want to get involved and help folks stay informed? If so, the Emerson communications team is looking for a few good editors for the weekly BearFacts newsletter. All work can be done from home. No experience necessary, we’ll train you! The more volunteers we have, the easier the workload. We would love to see some new faces this year!
Interested? Please contact Vanessa and Lizzie at communications@emersonelementary.org
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.
Copyright © 2025. Emerson Elementary PTA. All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
2800 Forest Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94705