Si tiene alguna duda sobre esta nota debido a la traduccion,
por favor comuniquese con Rafael Friedmann via email: rfriedmann@aol.com
LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION 2025
Happy Lunar New Year! 2025 is the Year of the Snake. Emerson students had the opportunity to enjoy a Lion Dance with Percussion Performance from Daniel Leung's White Crane Association, based out of San Francisco.
Join us for the PTA Association Meeting TONIGHT, January 23 at 5:30 pm in the Emerson Library.
After a brief business meeting we will have a presentation from School Therapist Mel Darling, LMFT regarding "Addressing Anxiety in Students and Caregivers".
Childcare is provided. See the flyer for more information.
PTA MEETING TONIGHT-AGENDA AND TREASURER DOCS
At our PTA Association meeting tonight (January 23), we will vote on amendments to the 2024-2025 Budget.
To save the most time for Ms. Mel's presentation, please review the agenda and treasurer documents in advance.
Email questions: treasurer@emersonelementary.org
WINTER EQUITY CIRCLE!
The PTA is kicking off Emerson’s annual Equity Circle—a chance to learn about diversity, equity, and inclusion at Emerson and beyond. We’d love to have you join us for part or all of the series. Please see the flyer below for dates, times, and details.
If you’re interested in joining us for the Equity Circle, please RSVP here: https://tinyurl.com/Equity-Circle-2025
Disability Awareness: A Student-Led Roundtable on Inclusion and Experience
All families welcome!
Join us for a student-led roundtable featuring BHS students, faculty, and experts in disability fields. This event will focus on the challenges and experiences of neurodiverse and physically disabled students and explore actionable ways to foster a more inclusive and supportive BHS community.
This event is part of Disabilities Awareness Month.
When: Monday, January 27, 2025, 6:00-7:00 PM Pacific time
Where: Zoom Webinar https://berkeley-net.zoom.us/j/84368044474?pwd=93ayPOTka1mVajpmAvcmKqf80Aa4XF.1
Questions: nicolechabot@gmail.com
We hope you’ll join us for this important conversation!
This is the first time running this panel, and we are looking forward to several of our students participating. After the month is over we'll field a google feedback questionnaire so we can improve even further for future years.
Disability Awareness and History Month
On December 6, 2023, the Board of Education adopted a resolution to combat the marginalization of those with disabilities in our school community by establishing January as Disability Awareness and History Month in BUSD. This month is an opportunity to recognize and honor the contributions of those with disabilities who have enriched and inspired our nation and generate learning around the experiences of those with disabilities.
Visit the BUSD website to learn more about the Disability Pride Flag, view the Reading Lists by Grade Level, and enjoy BUSD’s Family Guides for celebrating Disability Awareness and History Month in January. CLICK HERE
Message for Emerson Families
Dear Emerson families,
We are deaf parents of a hearing kindergartener at Emerson. In honor of Disability Awareness month, this is a good opportunity for us to share more about deaf and disability history and culture. The disability rights movement in the US was inspired by the civil rights movement and the women’s liberation movement (CripCamp is a great documentary about this). This year will be the 35th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
We encourage you to view disability not simply as an isolated, individual medical issue but instead as a key defining social category on a par with race, class, and gender. (And for those of you interested in intersectional identities, during segregation Black students developed their own sign language (video of deaf black history here).
Many of you are interested in American Sign language. Less well-known is the fact there are 200-300 documented sign languages around the world. We’ve had the opportunity to learn some Nicaraguan Sign Language, Kenyan Sign Language, German Sign Language and British Sign Language. (Side note: many in and outside of the deaf community find “baby sign language” to be cultural and linguistic appropriation, not to mention that it perpetuates the stereotype that sign languages are somehow just words without a grammar, or are translated from an existing spoken language. Babies born deaf are (still, routinely, with the advice of medical professionals) denied access to sign language (see article here)
Reverend Jesse Jackson famously said at a protest for the rights of deaf people in the late 1980s: "The problem is not that deaf people can't hear, the problem is that hearing people don't listen." Indeed, deaf and hard of hearing people have historically faced oppression and marginalization of their language, culture and community.
How could you use your #HearingPrivilege to improve access for deaf and hard of hearing people? View the #HearingPrivilege tweets and consider ways to be part of the change.
Resources including phone apps:
The ASL App
ASL Nook – a deaf family teaching ASL
Free ASL lessons from Bill Vicars
Black Deaf History:
Signing Black in America: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiLltM1tJ9M
Best wishes,
Engelman-Tranovich family
UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES
Thursday, January 23, 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm: PTA Association Meeting with special talk, “Supporting Student Anxiety” (Emerson Library)
Monday, January 27: Staff Professional Development Day (NO SCHOOL)
Friday, Jan. 31, 8:30 am: English Learner Advisory Committee Meeting (Emerson Library)
Friday, Jan. 31, 6 - 8:00 pm: PTA Movie Night, Kinder - 2nd Graders only
Saturday, February 1: Winter Equity Circle Kick Off
Friday, February 7, 8:30 am: All School Meeting and Emerson Oratorical Contest
Friday, February 14: No school - Lincoln's birthday
Monday, February 17: No school - Presidents Day
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.
BUSD Reading Lists by Grade Level
These reading lists, organized by grade level, were curated by our library staff from the Schneider Book Awards, an award presented yearly by the American Library Association that honors artistic expression for the disability experience. Every school library will receive copies of some of the newest books on the lists in both English and Spanish.
UPCOMING BUSD EVENTS
LOCAL FILM PREMIERE OF "COUNTED OUT" AT OXFORD ELEMENTARY
As a part BUSD’s Meeting of Math Minds initiative, BUSD is hosting a free community screening & discussion of the film “Counted Out” on Thursday, January 30th, 5:30-8:30 pm in the Oxford Elementary auditorium (2020 Bonar Street, Berkeley). The film shines a light on math as the foundation of democracy and economic opportunity.
Watch the trailer and register for your free spot here. Flyer can be viewed here.
BUSD can’t wait to see you at the Oxford Auditorium on January 30th!
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.
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Berkeley, CA 94705