Si tiene alguna duda sobre esta nota debido a la traduccion,
por favor comuniquese con Rafael Friedmann via email: rfriedmann@aol.com
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Emerson Families,
Welcome to the 2024- 2025 school year! This year, our continued goals are improved Attendance, Literacy, and Equity through Inclusion and Belonging. We hope to partner with you to meet our goals and encourage you to volunteer, visit our campus, and stay engaged throughout the year. Please plan to attend the Back to School Night on Thursday, August 29 from 5:30 - 7:00 pm and the first PTA Association meeting of the year from 7:00- 8:00 pm. Please make your childcare arrangements now, as this is an adult-only event. Also, mark your calendars for our monthly All School Meetings on the first Friday of each month at 8:30 am. Our All School Meetings celebrate our school culture with student recognition, student performances, a message from the Principal, and much more. Join us!
Covid restrictions have largely been lifted and are now comparable to school rules regarding other illnesses, such as the flu. If your child has a fever or other symptoms of the disease, such as vomiting, diarrhea, or a disruptive cough, they must stay at home for at least 24 hours until the fever resolves without medication and the symptoms are reduced. Parents are required to report Covid cases at https://tinyurl.com/covidBusd and to Office Assistant, Ms. Michelle, at leahlopez@berkeley.net. When your student returns to school after having Covid, we ask that they wear a mask for at least a week to minimize the spread on our campus. You can read more about the BUSD covid plan here: https://www.berkeleyschools.net/covid/campus-safety/.
Please remember that Emerson is an early start school. We want to reduce tardiness this year. The gate opens at 8:00 am and closes at 8:10 am each day. Students who arrive after 8:10 am are tardy and must enter through the front office door on Forest Avenue. Late students may miss breakfast, which is served between 8:10 - 8:20 am and also disrupt the classroom routines and miss important instruction. We encourage you to prioritize on-time daily attendance.
We ask you to take a moment to complete the application for free/reduced lunch even if you do not believe that your student will qualify. All students are eligible to eat breakfast and lunch for free at Emerson. However, we receive money from the State and Federal government based on the number of students who qualify according to www.ezmealapp.com. In the years I’ve been at Emerson we have gone from receiving $0 to $40,000, based on the number of families who complete the form. A paper copy was sent home in student’s folders last week, which can be returned, or you can complete it online. Applications are due by September 29, 2024. Please help us in this way!
Thank you for your support,
Jana Holmes
UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES
Thursday, Aug 29: BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT, 5:30 - 7:00 pm
Thursday, Aug 29: PTA Association Meeting, 7:00 pm
Monday, Sept 2: Labor Day Holiday (NO SCHOOL)
Friday, Sept 6: 1st All School Meeting, 8:30 am (Multipurpose Room)
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.
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS
MORNING DROPOFF
If you drive your student to school, the volunteer-monitored drop-off is along Piedmont Avenue. A volunteer will help your child get out of the car and make it safely to the gate between 8:00 - 8:10 am. Please DO NOT PARK - keep your car moving in the drop-off line. All parents should avoid parking in the red zones. The City of Berkeley police and parking enforcement give tickets to parents who double park, park in the red, or make illegal u-turns. Also, consider saving the street parking for teaching staff.
FOOD DELIVERY POLICY (DoorDash, etc.)
All students receive free breakfast and lunch at school. Therefore, they will still eat if you forget to send your child with food from home. We ask you not to order DoorDash or other food delivery to the Emerson office. We do not have the staffing to keep up with food deliveries and it makes students upset when one child has McDonalds and another doesn’t.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
We need your help! Many hands make light work. This year we need Room Parents at each grade level. Teachers will explain more about Room parent responsibilities at Back To School Night (August 29, 5:30 - 7:00 pm) and ask for volunteers. We also need School Site Council members, who are voted upon. Watch for nomination forms via Remind- nominate yourself or another caregiver who you think will help keep our Emerson community strong.
ART CORNER WITH MS. AMES
Every student at Emerson will come to art once a week. Please try not to send your child to school in their best clothes on art day! Thank you! Here is the approximate schedule below:
Transitional Kindergarten: Wed 12:30-1:15
Kindergarten: Mon 10:35-11:15 and 11:50-12:30
1st Grade: Wed 10-10:45 and 10:55-11:40
2nd Grade: Thurs 8:15-9 and 9-9:45
3rd Grade: Wed 8:15-9 and 9-9:45
4th Grade: Mon 12:50-1:35 and 1:35-2:20
5th Grade: Mon 8:40-9:25 and 9:30-10:15
If you are interested in volunteering in your child's art class, please let me know-- I love to have more helping hands in the art room: lucyames@berkeley.net
I will hold on to almost all of the art so that it can get safely home in their portfolio in May. Sometimes I send seasonal art home during the year, but generally it is either on display at school or stored by class. If you ever want to see it, let me know.
I am looking forward to another creative year with Emerson's artists!
- Ms. Lucy Ames
LIBRARY CORNER
Calling all book lovers! Ms. Rachel would love any and all parent volunteers in the library! The main priority is shelving books, but depending on one's availability, there may be an opportunity for other, more creative library projects (seasonal bulletin boards, building book collections, covering books in mylar, etc).
Please email rachelbudge@berkeley.net if you are interested! Any amount of time, even just 30 minutes, can be so helpful! Thank you!! <3
SPORTS BASEMENT COUPON AND FUNDRAISER
Don’t forget to take advantage of Sports Basement's special shopping event just for the Emerson community - Basementeers get 20% off* from 8/21-8/28! When you shop using this discount, Sports Basement donates a portion of the proceeds to Emerson Elementary's PTA - last year, we received nearly $2,700 from our partnership with Sports Basement!
*NON-BASEMENTEERS STILL GET 11% OFF. See the flier below for more details:
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.
Copyright © 2024. Emerson Elementary PTA. All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
2800 Forest Ave.
Berkeley, CA 94705