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por favor comuniquese con Rafael Friedmann via email: rfriedmann@aol.com

MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Emerson Families,

Welcome back and thank you for a strong start to the school year! Back To School Night was a success. The evening was well attended with a positive energy. Families visited classrooms, met school staff, and learned about our school-wide goals. This year we will focus on Math and ELA instruction, strong attendance, and an equitable school environment where belonging is valued. We’re so proud of our experienced educators and strong parent community.

The PTA association meeting and English learner parent meetings were also well attended. Our new President, Rachel Terp, and PTA Board Members shared plans for the school year, such as Fall, Winter and Spring events, and affinity group meetings. (slide show attached). The PTA committee leads are recruiting volunteers to help with special events throughout the year. We are currently in need of Room parents and Cal Football Parking volunteers. If you are interested in helping in any capacity, email: rachel.terp@emersonelementary.org.

Mark your calendars for Parent Teacher Conferences, taking place the last week of October. It is a crucial opportunity for parents to learn about their child’s progress. We welcome your involvement in supporting our students’ education.

We are currently accepting nominations for the 2025- 2026 School Site Council (SSC). The SSC typically meets once a month via Google Meet. There will be a district-wide committee training on Thursday, October 9 from 6 - 8 pm (details to follow). This committee is responsible for the approval and oversight of the Single Plan for Student Achievement and the allocation and use of state and federal funds.

In addition, we need ONE representative for the district-wide Planning and Oversight Committee. The Planning & Oversight (P&O) Committee reviews all of the plans and budgets for over $33 million dollars provided annually by the BSEP local tax funding, as well as the new revenue from our BERRA tax supporting recruitment and retention of BUSD educators. For more information, use this link: https://tinyurl.com/parentNominationForm. Nominations for the SSC and District Committee Representatives close on Friday, September 12, 2025.

We invite you to our first All School Meeting of the year TOMORROW, Friday, September 5, at 8:30am in the Multi-purpose Room. The PTA will host a coffee on the blacktop for parents beforehand, starting at 8:00 am. There will be a new Room Parent meeting following the All School Meeting in the Emerson Staff Lounge.

Hope to see you soon,

Principal Holmes

UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Friday, September 5: Coffee on the Yard, 8:00 am (Emerson blacktop)

Friday, September 5: All School Meeting, 8:30 am (Multi-purpose Room)

Friday, September 5: Grade Parent Training after All School Meeting (Staff Lounge)

Saturday, September 6: Garden Clean Up Day, 9:30 - 11:30 am (Emerson yard)

Saturday, September 6: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser (Emerson blacktop)

Saturday, September 13: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser, Volunteers Needed (Emerson blacktop)

Monday, September 15: Berkeley Food Network, 1:30 - 3:00 pm (Malcolm X Elementary)

Tuesday, September 24: Equity Shelf Book Club - First Meeting, 5:30 - 7:30 pm (Emerson Library)

Tuesday September 30, 2025: LatinX Storytelling Night, 6:00 - 7:00 pm (Multi-purpose 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.

PTA ANNOUNCEMENTS

PTA VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Co-Treasurer - Help the treasurer with teacher reimbursements and other budgetary tasks. Contact treasurer@emersonelementary.org.

Volunteer Coordinator - Make Sign-Up Genius pages for PTA Events, and encourage caregivers to volunteer. Contact info@emersonelementary.org.

Grade Parents - Help your grade level! Madeline will host an orientation meeting for Grade Parents on September 5th, 2025, in the Staff Lounge right after the All School Meeting. Contact madeline.noonan@emersonelementary.org.

Football Parking Volunteers - Volunteer to help monitor the yard during Cal football home games! Contact parking@emersonelementary.org.

BearFacts editors - Help assemble/edit our weekly newsletter. Contact communications@emersonelementary.org.

Read-A-Thon - Our experienced event chairs could use extra sets of hands for this fundraiser that celebrates reading. Contact readathon@emersonelementary.org.

Movie Night Coordinator - We want to host a movie night / parent’s night out in the Spring! Volunteer to help us coordinate! Contact president@emersonelementary.org.

See full list of event chairs here: https://emersonelementary.org/event-chairs

GARDEN CLEAN UP DAY

EQUITY CIRCLE

Be Part of the Change—Join Equity Shelf!

Join us for the launch of our PTA-sponsored book club, Equity Shelf on 9/24 from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm! We’ll read and discuss books that spark conversation about equity and community.

Our first read is Be a Revolution by Ijeoma Oluo, a powerful and practical guide to building change in our daily lives, our communities, and beyond. Whether you’re new to these conversations or have been on this journey for a while, this is a space to learn, share, and connect with other parents.

Join us for our first meeting on 9/24, childcare will be provided for Emerson students. RSVP here to let us know if you need a book copy: https://tinyurl.com/EquityShelf

Save the Date for the other Fall Equity Shelf Meetings:

-11/5 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm
-12/10 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm

FOOTBALL PARKING FUNDRAISER - Volunteer Sign Up!

Our annual football parking fundraiser is expected to earn ~$15,000 for the PTA over the course of this season. We charge for cars to park on the blacktop during Cal games. But we need parents to make it happen! This fundraiser is a *great* deal. Each hour you volunteer translates into a roughly $150 donation for the PTA to fund school supplies, field trips, etc.

Fill out this form to be contacted about volunteering for future games: https://forms.gle/u76ThfkBoMJbkQHy7

BERKELEY FOOD NETWORK

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 - 9.04.2025