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

MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Emerson Families,

Time has flown by, and we are in the last full month of the school year. This is a good time to express my gratitude for our Emerson community. Our staff, students, and parents have worked together to create an environment where every child is supported academically and emotionally. Thank you to our school community for pitching in so our students can thrive!

Our first Emerson Earth Day was a success! Ms. Jeanette, Gardening Teacher, was joined by about 30 volunteers who pulled weeds and picked up garbage on the sidewalk and the back of the school. Approximately 20 bags of compost were filled. Special shoutout to the all-star MVPs: Kelly Hackett, Michael Hackett, and Will Barton, who spent their entire day on campus working hard to restore the wood platform. Participants were treated to homegrown popcorn and watermelon slices from the Emerson garden. Parent organizer Elise Kneram said, “It was truly heartwarming to see so many members of our community come together and put forth the effort to make Emerson a more beautiful and safe place.”

Before the school year is over, we want to celebrate our accomplishments. Join us TONIGHT, Thursday, May 8, for the Open House. This is an exciting time to see what your child has learned this spring. We invite you to visit your student’s classroom for a guided exploration of their accomplishments. Don’t forget to stop by the Art Room and collect their beautiful projects. The school will be open from 5:30 - 7:00 pm - don’t miss this opportunity to admire your child’s hard work!

Mark your calendar for the Spring Fling this Saturday, May 10, from 10:00 am- 1:00 pm. This is sure to be a fun time for everyone, with games, food, foam, and fun! This is a free event!

You are welcome to join us on Monday, June 2nd, at 8:30 am for the Annual Pride March. We will meet on the blacktop and march in the Elmwood. Come wear your rainbow colors and show your support for our LGBTQ community.

We are so proud of our 5th Grade Class of 2025! The Promotion Ceremony will be held on campus on Thursday, June 5, from 8:30 - 10:30 am. This is the last day of school, which is also a minimum day. Go bear cubs!

-Principal Holmes

EMERSON RE-ENROLLMENT FOR 2025-26 SCHOOL YEAR

Response needed by Friday May 9, 2025

It's time to inform Emerson staff of your intent to return for the 2025-2026 School Year.

Please complete the brief survey below to let us know if your student(s) will be back next year. If you need to make a change later, you can do so by reaching out to the Emerson Office Staff. We need this important information to plan for next year.

https://tinyurl.com/emersonReenroll

Take a few minutes to complete this today.

TEACHER AND STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK STARTS TOMORROW!

Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week kicks off tomorrow with a Potluck Breakfast. Check out the Appreciation Calendar for all the week’s events and sign up to contribute (time, food, cash, or goodie bag items).

Calendar of events: https://tinyurl.com/EmersonCalendarTSAW

Volunteer signup: https://tinyurl.com/EmersonTSAW2025

For questions, email carol.wang@gmail.com or vanessaleonardo@gmail.com.

Kids World Registration for Fall 2025/2026 and Summer 2025

Registration is in progress. We strongly encourage you to make registration a priority.

For new or returning Kids World families, siblings, Free or Reduced Meal-qualified families, and McKinney-Vento families, please be sure to indicate your applicable priority status when completing the registration.

You will also find a second flyer with information about Summer LEARNS registration.

Please review the documents carefully and register asap.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Thursday, May 8: Open House, 5:30 - 7:00 pm (On-campus)

Thursday, May 8: MultiLingual Parents Meeting, 8:30 am (Emerson Library)

Friday, May 9 - Thursday, May 15: Staff Appreciation Week! Show your love for the Emerson Teachers and Staff!

Saturday, May 10: Spring Fling, 10:00 am- 1:00 pm (Emerson blacktop)

Thursday, May 15: Bike to School Day

Friday, May 16: NO SCHOOL, Malcolm X Birthday Observed

Tuesday, May 20: School Site Council Meeting, 6:30 pm

Wednesday, May 21: Concert for grades 3-5 only, 10:30 - 11:00 am (Multi-purpose Room)

Monday, May 26: NO SCHOOL, Memorial Day Observed

Monday, June 2: Pride March, 8:30 am (meet on Emerson yard)

Thursday, June 5: 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony, 8:30 am (Emerson blacktop)

Thursday, June 5: Last Day of School, Minimum Day, 1:30 pm dismissal

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.

MAY STUDENT SHOUT OUTS

PTA ANNOUNCEMENTS

EMERSON SPRING FLING - SATURDAY MAY 10th

Save the date for the Emerson Spring Fling on Saturday, May 10th. The FOAM party will be returning, along with free ice cream from a Mr. Softee ice cream truck, a climbing wall, and there will be free PIZZA!!

Sign up here to help make this the best party of the year!

BIKE TO SCHOOL DAY THURSDAY MAY 15, 2025

Join Emerson for #BikeToSchoolDay on Thursday, May 15, 2025! All active modes — including scooters, skateboards, roller skates, and walking — are encouraged.

Bike to School Day is an event organized by Alameda County’s Safe Routes to Schools (SR2S) Program, which is sponsored by the Alameda County Transportation Commission. For more information about the Alameda County

Safe Routes to Schools Program, visit https://alamedacountysr2s.org/. We'll have (small) prizes for students when they arrive at school in the morning. Volunteers are needed to help greet students and distribute prizes - please contact Amy: amy.fire@emersonelementary.org or 510-919-2420.

Natalie (3rd grade parent) has offered to run a bike train from Grove Park (7:20am), with a stop at Sylvia Mendez on the way (7:45am), arriving at Emerson at 8:00am!

If you have questions or want to get involved, contact Amy Fire at 510-919-2420.

ART CORNER

See you in the Art Room this evening at the open house! (Thursday, May 8th)

We spent last week getting ALL of the art projects passed back and decorating our portfolios. Please celebrate your child's creative accomplishments! Ask them what their favorite project is and why. You may want to consider hanging some of their art somewhere in your home. See you very soon! (And if you cannot make it, we will save it to go home a little later.)

LIBRARY CORNER

This May, BUSD celebrates AAPI Heritage and Jewish American Heritage month! Please check out the reading lists for both, as well as photos of the book displays in our library!

Jewish American Heritage Month Reading List

AAPI Heritage Month Reading List

EQUITY CORNER

ASIAN-AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH AND JEWISH HERITAGE MONTH

Excerpted from Superintendent Ford Morthel’s monthly note:

May is BUSD’s annual observance of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, a vital time to honor and celebrate the cultures and invaluable contributions of the diverse AAPI communities in all of our lives. As we engage in these celebrations, it's crucial to acknowledge the wide array of distinct identities encompassed by the term AAPI, each deserving of our respect.

This month-long recognition offers us a valuable opportunity to deepen our understanding and share knowledge about the uniquely rich histories and cultures of Asian American and Pacific Islander peoples.

To truly honor the spirit of AAPI Heritage Month, we must actively dedicate ourselves to breaking down all forms of racism and discrimination within our communities. This necessitates confronting the prejudices and biases that perpetuate damaging stereotypes, which can unfortunately lead to the marginalization or, even worse, the victimization of individuals who identify as AAPI.

BUSD AAPI Heritage Month Resources

Please visit the district’s AAPI Heritage Month Resources web page to find reading lists by grade level, family guides for celebrating AAPI Heritage Month, teaching resources, staff posters, and much more…

AAPI Community Event

We are committed to supporting our students in embracing and learning about the rich diversity of Berkeley’s AAPI community and invite all BUSD families to a special event on Wednesday, May 14, 2025, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Longfellow Middle School (1701 San Pablo Ave).

Excerpted from Superintendent Ford Morthel’s monthly note:

May is a rich month of heritage celebrations, including BUSD’s fourth year celebrating Jewish American Heritage Month, an opportunity for our schools to highlight and uplift the rich history of the Jewish American community and their contributions to all of our lives.

One of the district’s core values is “We take pride in our diversity.” As is true of any community, there is no single way of being Jewish. BUSD has a beautiful spectrum of the Jewish community represented by our students, staff, and families. The Bay Area has an especially proud history of Jewish activism and spirituality embodying the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam– healing the world to make it a better place for all. It is in this spirit of Tikkun Olam that we honor all the ways that people are connected to Judaism here in BUSD: through birth, adoption, marriage/partnership, conversion, secular, and religious ties–we celebrate the diversity of the Jewish community.

BUSD Jewish American Heritage Month Resources

In May of 2024, our school board passed a resolution recognizing May as Jewish America Heritage Month and denouncing all anti-Jewish and antisemitic prejudice, bigotry, hate, bias, discrimination, and violence in our district, city, and beyond.

As we celebrate this month, I want to reaffirm BUSD’s stance against antisemitism and all forms of hate - this month and every day. As superintendent, I remain committed to ensuring our Jewish American students feel seen, valued, and represented in our classrooms and curriculum.

Visit the district’s Jewish American Heritage Month web page for reading lists by grade level, family guides, teaching guides, staff posters, and more.

Jewish American Heritage Month Community Event

We are committed to supporting our students in embracing and learning about the rich diversity of Berkeley’s Jewish American community and invite all BUSD families to the Jewish Arts & Bookfest on Sunday, May 4, from 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM, at the Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life (2121 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA).

FIND EMERSON ONLINE

Website: https://emersonelementary.org/

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

Where’s Waldo School Directory: emersonberkeleypta.membershiptoolkit.com

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 - 5.08.2025