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MONTHLY MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Dear Emerson Families,

It’s been a wonderful first trimester at Emerson!

We enjoyed the Halloween parade, the Dia De Los Muertos ofrenda, and a wonderful Fall Festival. Shout out to Elise Kneram and Stephanie Yolish for planning another amazing celebration for our school– the Fall Festival was a success! I am so grateful for our generous and collaborative Emerson community.

Your donations to the Emerson Food Pantry and grocery store gift cards help Emerson families who need food assistance during this prolonged federal government shutdown. Anyone who needs support is encouraged to reach out to Lily Howell, Office of Family Engagement and Equity Coordinator, at lilyhowell@berkeley.net or 510-609-5090. Let’s make sure no one suffers in silence– we can help each other.

Thank you for connecting with classroom teachers for the Parent/Teacher conferences. We hope these meetings helped you understand the school curriculum, expectations, and your child’s progress. You are always welcome to reach out to Emerson staff with your questions and concerns. Although Emerson is a secure campus, you are welcome to visit your child’s classroom during the school year, as long as you provide at least 24 hours notice. Schedule with your child’s teacher via email- you can find the list of addresses at https://emersonelementary.org/teachers-staff.

TK and Kindergarten Tours are kicking off this month, beginning on Thursday, November 13th. If you are a parent of an incoming student or know of a parent, please direct them to https://emersonelementary.org/ to sign up for an in-person campus visit. Tours will conclude on Thursday, January 15th. Make sure you don’t miss the first enrollment round for the elementary and middle school 2026 school year registration, which begins in January. For more information, check out the district website at https://www.berkeleyschools.net/admissions/.

As you plan for the holidays, please keep our ‘Heart of Emerson’ fundraising campaign in mind. Community donations are crucial to sustain the excellent programs we have at Emerson, which include P.E. for all students, field trips, family events, front office support, materials and supplies, and much more. We are asking each family to contribute $600 (or more, if you are able). Donate today at https://emersonelementary.org/heart-of-emerson, and write us off on your end-of-year taxes.

With Gratitude,

Principal Holmes

ANNOUNCEMENTS

EMERSON FOOD PANTRY

The need for food resources within our community is growing. We are now accepting donations of gift cards (Safeway, Trader Joes, Target, etc.) or UNEXPIRED shelf-stable food. Food items that are in high demand are cereal, boxed mac and cheese, peanut butter or other nut butter, pasta, rice, beans, or other canned goods.

MORNING TRAFFIC VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

With Mr. Bob out, we're looking for volunteers to help with morning drop-off. This is a 30 minute commitment to make sure there is an adult to greet and direct students who get dropped off on Piedmont Ave. in order to keep traffic flowing and keep kids safe.

Interested? Sign up by emailing president@emersonelementary.org for a brief orientation on November 7, from 7:45 am - 8:10 am.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: MORNING AND AFTERNOON DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP

The Emerson gate is open between 8:00 am and 8:10 am. There is no supervision before 8:00 am. If your child arrives at school before 8:00 am, please supervise your student. In addition, every day we have students in the office whose caregivers are late to pick them up. The office staff are not responsible for supervising students after school and often have other tasks to attend to.

Please help us by watching your children before and after school, and arriving for the school start and dismissal on time. We appreciate your cooperation to keep everyone safe!

UPCOMING EVENTS AND KEY DATES

Friday, November 7: PTA Coffee on the Yard, 8:00 am (Emerson blacktop)

Friday, November 7: All School Meeting, 8:30 am - 9:30 am (Multi-purpose Room)

Tuesday, November 11: NO SCHOOL; Veteran’s Day

Thursday, November 13: TK/ Kinder Tours Begin, 8:30 am

Thursday, November 13: Parent Puberty Education Meeting (5th Grade), 5:30 - 6:30 pm (Emerson Library)

Tuesday, November 18: School Site Council, 6:30 pm

Thursday, November 20: Picture Re-Takes

Mon, November 24 - Fri, November 28: NO SCHOOL; Thanksgiving Break

Saturday, November 29: Cal Football Parking Fundraiser

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.

FALL FESTIVAL WAS A BLAST!

Thank you to Elise Kneram and Stephanie Yolish for planning this wonderful celebration for our Emerson community. It was a great day of fun and connection for our Bear Cub families!

Here is a shared photo album of the festivities: https://photos.app.goo.gl/41aPx8KfuMatCthy6

If you took photos at the picture booth you can access them here: https://djbythebay.smugmug.com/Events/2025-Photobooth/Emerson-Fall-Fest-2025-Individuals (pass: E29bJ3@)

FOOTBALL PARKING FUNDRAISER

Shout out to Matt Gordon (captain), Lizzie Kendrick, Simon Leblanc, Natalie Devaty, J Spagnolo, and Xander Pollock for volunteering for Saturday's parking fundraiser! These volunteers earned over $2500 for Emerson with just a few hours of elbow grease! We are looking for someone to split captain duty on 11/29. Volunteer HERE.

*No photos of cars this time, but here's parking captain Matt Gordon enjoying the fruits of his labor at the Fall Festival. Parking helps pay for community-building events like these.*

HEART OF EMERSON FUNDRAISER

With $73,974 raised, we are 42% of the way to our Heart of Emerson fundraising goal. Our aim is to meet our target by the end of November which leaves only the next few weeks left. We have a ways to go but we can do this together! ♥️

DONATE TODAY and track our progress at: https://emersonelementary.org/heart-of-emerson

MRS. DALLOWAY’S SCHOOL FUNDRAISER

Mrs. Dalloway's 17th Annual School Benefit Fundraiser is THIS WEEKEND! Shop at Mrs. Dalloway's, either online or in store, between November 8-11 and they will donate 15% of your pre-tax sales to the Emerson PTA.

Everything applies to the fundraiser: kids' books, cookbooks, even gift certificates! So remember to shop November 8-11 in support of a local bookstore and the Emerson PTA. See attached flier for full details.

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 - 11.06.2025